Passage 4

Tap any word for its meaning.

In plain words

He showed that bad company brings sorrow. Whatever friendship we make, such is the path we walk in life.

“Tell me what friends you live with; I can tell you what kind of person you are,” said Einstein. So we must cultivate good friendship. We come to suffer sorrow only by falling into bad company. Through bad qualities and bad conduct such sorrow came to him. So Rāma killed Vāli, who had no Dharma, and helped Sugrīva, who had Viveka. With their help He began the search for Sītā. Midway, the ocean of delusion blocked the way. Hanumān is the embodiment of courage, beyond delusion. He had no delusion of any kind. Rāma's Name and Rāma's form alone were everything to him. Hanumān is the one who filled every hair of his body with the Name of Rāma. That is why Hanumān could cross the ocean called delusion with ease. Freedom from delusion was itself the cause of Hanumān's courage and daring. Having crossed the ocean of delusion, Rāma, who is Dharma, killed Rāvaṇa, who is rajo guṇa, and Kumbhakarṇa, who is tamo guṇa, crowned Vibhīṣaṇa, who is sāttvic, and taking Sītā, the Jñāna of experience, went to Ayodhyā. This is Rāma's coronation.

The whole Rāmāyaṇa is within us. We can see the Rāmāyaṇa complete in our daily life. Sītā is nothing but our true Jñāna. Our body itself is Daśaratha. The sattva, rajo and tamo guṇas are Kausalyā, Sumitrā and Kaikeyī. The four puruṣārthas are Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata and Śatrughna. The heart is the city of Ayodhyā. If we would win such a heart, attain those four puruṣārthas and rule the kingdom of the heart rightly, purity of thought, word and deed is needed for it.

Our Śāstrīgāru said that even among the monkeys morality ran high. In those days they were fit to take part in the service of Rāmacandra. But today morality is nowhere to be seen among human beings. That is why they say a race without morality is lower than a monkey. Vālmīki has described Hanumān's conversation beautifully in the Rāmāyaṇa. How should a devotee be? How should a minister be? How should one whom his master trusts conduct himself? How holy should a devotee's words be? Talking with Hanumān, looking only at Hanumān's eyes, Rāma forgot His sorrow in joy, they say.