Relevance of Ramayana to modern life

25 March 1999, Rama Navami, Brindavan

Published English.

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The whole universe is under the control of God. God is governed by Truth. Noble souls are the guardians of Truth. Such noble souls are verily The embodiments of Divinity. [Sanskrit ]

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Embodiments of Love! All are essentially the embodiments of Divinity. (God dwells in all beings). (God permeates the entire universe). Where is the need to search for such an all-pervasive Divinity?

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. [Sanskrit ]

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Values contained in 's story Embodiments of Love! Life is like a game of chess; not merely that, it is like a battlefield. The story of teaches us the threefold (code of conduct) pertaining to the individual, the family and the society. You have to make every effort to understand the duties of the individual, the family and the society. is the ocean of compassion. He is love personified. It is possible to understand His divinity only through the path of love. Love is the undercurrent of human life. Man will be able to manifest his innate divinity only when he develops love within.

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Modern society needs to follow the that is contained in the epic . Why? Today, the son is not paying heed to his father's advice, and the parents are not concerned about the future of the son. Devotion to the should be the aim of the students. But students are not having regard for their teachers and the teachers are not imparting anything good to them. In such a situation, everyone needs to follow the ideals of the . The speaks of the true identity of the individual, the real significance of the family, and the sanctity of the society. The teaches the importance of human values. Today, corruption is rampant in all fields such as business, education, and politics. Under these circumstances, the principles of the are very important. It explains in detail the relationship that should exist between brothers, the father and the son, the preceptor and the disciple.

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The moral, social, and spiritual values om All of us live on the same earth. The same sky is above all of us. We breathe the same air and drink the same water. Ignoring this underlying principle of unity man visualizes multiplicity, which is a big mistake. The centers on the principle of unity in diversity. Today, since man has lost the ability to see unity in diversity, he is immersed in restlessness. What we need today is to see unity in diversity and the divinity behind this unity.

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The culture of says: (speak the truth, speak sweetly and softly, and never utter truth in an unpalatable way). is the moral value. is the social value. is the spiritual value. So, the moral, social, and spiritual values are all contained in the above statement.

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The teaches these values in the simplest way. But man has forgotten the message of the and is leading the life of a . did not understand this principle of divinity. There was no transformation in him, though he had acquired all forms of knowledge and had done severe penance. He ruined himself on account of excessive desires. Before his death, he gave a message to the people: "O people, with all my skills and expertise in different forms of knowledge I became a victim of desires. I lost my sons, ruined my clan, and burnt my kingdom to ashes, since I could not control my desires. Do not become a victim of desires like me. Follow the path of truth and righteousness and be like . Experience divinity."

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Put 's teaching into practice The relationship that existed between the brothers of is an ideal to the rest of the humanity. They lived in unity in spite of troubles and turmoil. Mother wanted her son to ascend the throne of , but never had any such desire. He went to mountain, fell at the feet of , and prayed, He, being the eldest, should take over the kingdom of . But did not yield to his request. Quoting the Vedic dictum . He exhorted to obey the command of the father and fulfill the desire of his mother by becoming king of . promised him that He would render all help and support. That is why even today, people extol as (one who adheres to truthful speech).

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Today, many people read the holy , but few understand its essence. They spend their time in acquiring bookish knowledge and superficial knowledge but fail to have practical knowledge. There are many people who can explain the teachings of in a beautiful way, but how many of them obey the command of their fathers in their daily life? Not many! What is the use of reading various texts if we do not put into practice the message contained in them? Can anyone enjoy the taste of various delicious items such as , , and by merely repeating their names? No. One can enjoy the taste only when one eats them. Mere textual information is of no use. But, today, man is interested only in information and not transformation. Intellect will blossom only when there is transformation.

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One has to face many obstacles in life, but one should never get depressed. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a game, play it. Life is love, enjoy it. Be cheerful and courageous in the face of adversities; never give scope to any weakness whatsoever. The declared, (a weak-minded person cannot realize the ). A weak-minded person cannot accomplish anything. So, be strong-minded. Develop faith in that which is good.

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Therefore, man should cultivate (love for God, fear of sin and morality in society). Though and were equally well versed in all forms of knowledge, sage extolled as Divine and condemned as a foolish one. What is the reason? did not translate into action the knowledge he had acquired; on the contrary he used it for wicked purposes. On the other hand, translated all his knowledge into action and gave joy to one and all. ( was engaged in the welfare of all). (He was the master of all forms of knowledge). (He was the embodiment of all good qualities). These are the three aspects that manifested 's divinity.

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The best : love everybody The cause for man's suffering is that he has constricted his love to himself and his family. He should develop the broad feeling that all are his brothers and sisters. Expansion of love is life; contraction of love is death. All are the children of God. All are sparks of the Divine. Lord declared in the : (eternal in all bodies is a part of My Being). So, man should have the broad feeling to identify himself with everyone. Humanity can never progress without broad feelings.

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When there is such an easy path to divinity, why do you trouble yourself by undertaking rigorous spiritual practices such as , , and ? Divinity cannot be attained by all these austerities. How easy it is to love everybody!

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Love all and think of divinity. Moses used to think of Jesus all the time. As a result, his face shone with divine effulgence. He resembled Jesus so much that people used to mistake him for Jesus. , a robber, on being advised by started chanting the name of incessantly, as a result of which the radiance of was seen on his countenance and he became sage . is (the giver of the world) and became (composer of the holy hymns). There is no difference between the giver and the composer. The declare, (the knower of becomes himself). So, you should always think good, do good, talk good, and hear good. Only then you can become good. A true human being is one who is good. A wicked person can never be called a human being.

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The divine nature in man There are four qualities in man: the divine, demonic, animal and human. What is the divine quality in man? . (engaged in the welfare of everybody). That is the divine nature. What is the human quality? Always undertake meritorious deeds (). Never indulge in sin (papa). (rendering help to others is merit, harming others is sin). Help ever, Hurt never. What constitutes the animal quality in man? (devoid of wisdom man is equivalent to an animal). The purpose of human life does not lie in merely eating, drinking, sleeping, and indulging in materialistic comforts. Even animals indulge in such activities. But unlike man, animals do not possess the evil qualities of amassing, robbing, and stealing. Today man is human only in form, but not in behavior.

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Less luggage, more comfort (human life is the most difficult to attain of all living beings). The good that you experience in this life is the result of meritorious deeds done in several past lives. This human life is not new. This message is contained in the word . Ma means 'not'; means 'new', which means human life is not new.

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Today man has degenerated to the level of an animal due to excessive desires. Less luggage more comfort makes travel a pleasure. But, the desires (luggage) in man are multiplying day by day. Human life is a long journey. One should lead a divine life (), not a mean life (). Always be happy. Difficulties do come in life. That is the law of nature. Never get disheartened by them. Difficulties are like passing clouds. Difficulties come and go, but morality comes and grows. Unfortunately, there is decline in moral values in the society today.

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stood as a shining example of upholding the moral values in the society. Even when he was asked to leave for the forest at a time when he was supposed to be coronated, he was not perturbed in the least. (he is an equal minded one who treats the dualities of life - pain and pleasure, victory and defeat, gain and loss - alike). displayed this virtue of equanimity. Today, man aspires for positions of authority though he does not deserve them. But relinquished the position even though He deserved it. was courageous in the face of adversities. He never gave any scope for weakness. He led the life of a (courageous one), not a (weak-minded).

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The same is the case of one who is in His company. , by contemplating on incessantly, became a . He displayed this quality of courageousness in the court of . But the same stood like a (humble one) in ’s presence. This drives home the point that one should be a (humble one) in front of divinity and (courageous one) in the face of evil.

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Control your desire to the extent possible Annihilate the evil qualities of (desire), (anger), and (greed). ruined not only himself, but also his dynasty because of . Therefore, to the extent possible control your desires. Today the Government has imposed ceiling on land and property through legislation, but what is essential is ceiling on desires. Not only did refrain from chanting the name of Lord , he also insisted that his son follow suit. He developed hatred toward his own son for singing the praise of Lord Had against his wishes. This evil quality of anger led to his doom.

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was greed personified. He was not prepared to part with even a small piece of land. He subjected the to enormous hardships. What happened to him ultimately? He became a victim of his own greed.

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Desire, anger and greed are the greatest impediments in the path of spirituality. Render help to others, if possible. Never hate anybody under any circumstances. The essence of eighteen is contained in these two maxims: Help ever, Hurt never.

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Spirituality promotes spirit of unity The story of the reveals the ideal relationship that should exist between brothers. and served and respectively, with utmost devotion and sincerity. When fainted in the battlefield, lamented, “In this world, I might find another mother like , a wife like , but definitely not a brother like .” A brother should be like this - one who respects elders and brings name and fame to the whole family. It is the unity amongst the brothers that brought reputation to the whole family.

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The same was the case with the also. The five could defeat hundred because they stood united. Even though and were just two, they fell apart because of lack of unity. restored the kingdom to , since he completely surrendered to Him. Similar was the case with , , and . Any big task can be accomplished if the five fingers are united. Otherwise even a small task becomes extremely difficult. So, everyone should strive for unity.

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Spend your life in selfless service Embodiments of Love! You do not need to undertake any spiritual practices. Experience the innate divinity in everyone by following the path of love. Love is God. Spend your life in selfless service. This is the teaching of .

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In order to demonstrate to the world the ideal character of , subjected him to a test. When , and were residing on mountain, one day went into the forest to fetch some food. Taking this opportunity, decided to test . He asked to play her role in this divine drama. As was returning with food, pretended to be asleep under a tree, keeping her head on the lap of . asked to keep 's head on his lap without disturbing her sleep as He had some other important work to attend to.

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wanted to observe the feelings of . So, He assumed the form of a parrot and perched on the same tree. Considering as his mother, closed his eyes and went into deep contemplation of Lord . in the form of a parrot started singing:

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pretended to be fast asleep and even started snoring! In all respects, and were a perfect match for each other. After some time, returned as if from somewhere and 'woke up' . opened her eyes as if from deep sleep and expressed her satisfaction to that she had a sound and undisturbed sleep. The (pranks) of God are mysterious, wonderful, and sacred. God tests a devotee in order to shower His grace on him and protect him. fell at 's feet and said, “I am Your servant. It is my duty to serve You in the way You want me to.” ’s sincerity and devotion When was being taken away forcibly by , she bundled all her jewels and dropped them from above. The (monkeys) found the jewels and took them to . When and met , he showed them the jewels and asked if they belonged to . Since did not know, He asked to see. replied, “Brother, I don't know whom these earrings and bracelets belong to. But I am sure that these anklets belong to Mother .” On being questioned as to how he could recognize ’s anklets, said, “It was my practice to prostrate at her lotus feet every morning. While doing so I had noticed Mother 's anklets.” was pleased with ’s sincerity and devotion and showered praises on him and said that he could not find a brother like anywhere in the world. Later said that it was because of 's strength and support that He could defeat and bring back to .

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The demonstrates that anything can be achieved through sincerity and devotion. The story of the is so enchanting and captivating that one feels like listening to it again and again. (Indians) have been singing the story of since ancient times. Everyone should try to understand the essence of the . The teaches that one should have a good character, one should obey the command of the father and respect the parents, and there should be unity among brothers. If you follow these teachings in letter and spirit, your life itself will become a living .

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Heart is the real temple Students should understand that God is their best friend. All the worldly friends are lured by your position, power, and pelf. Once your position and power are gone, gone are your friends too. God is the only friend, in the real sense of the term. The whole world is a book, and your conscience is your real . Why trouble yourself going after various worldly ? Follow your conscience and experience divinity. The Principle of the , which reveals the secrets of your mind, is your true . is one who is formless and beyond all attributes.

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Consider God as your mother, father, friend, and everything. Take God as your , follow Him and merge in Him. If you have God as your , you can achieve everything in life. Develop love for God and be recipients of His love and grace. Develop friendship with God and the whole world will be under your control. Troubles and turmoil are part and parcel of one's life. Overcome them by chanting the divine name. Be fearless.

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Do not restrict God to temples and pilgrimage centers. He is (indweller of the heart). He is in you, with you, above, you, around you. You do not need to visit various pilgrimage centers. Your heart is the real pilgrimage center.

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also echoed the same feelings. When her husband asked her to leave the temple premises, she said to , “None can separate You from me. My heart is Your temple.” In the , Lord declared, (recognise Me as the indweller of all beings). The body is the field, and the Atmic Principle is the indweller of all fields. So, the (field) and the (knower of the field) are within you. Bliss is not present in a foreign land; it is present within you. In order to experience bliss, develop love in your heart.

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At the time of his departure to the forest along with and , counseled thus: “Never be under the impression that you are going to the forest. Wherever and are present, that itself is . This without and is a veritable forest. Consider and as your mother and father and serve them to the best of your ability with all love, sincerity, faith and devotion.” You cannot find a woman greater than in this world. She blessed her son to serve God wholeheartedly. The term means good friend ( good, friend). Such noble mothers like and sons like with total devotion to God are needed today.

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