Reimagining the Ramayana

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Bali was the greatest don of his time, Treta Yug, he was stronger and mightier than Ravan. He had dethroned and expelled his younger brother Sugriv and had abducted his wife also. There is divine justice and settling up scores from the years. To help his friend Sugriv, Maryada Purushotam Ram agrees to kill Bali. This was perhaps the first encounter killing antithetical at Bali, hiding himself behind the tree to kill him. This was a prompt justice, made legitimate only by the fact that Shri Ram, the epitome of Dharma himself had shot the fatal arrow. Defending his action Sri Ram said, Bali was a sinner in his lifetime and his behaviour were not of human in as much as he had abducted and misbehaved with his younger brother's wife, Ruma, who should be counted as his daughter in law. And further he said, as a hunting king his priority is to kill the wild and deadly animals, not necessarily intimating the animals, of his presence. Kings are bounteous benefactors of unobtainable righteousness and a propitious lifestyle. They are not to be harmed, also not to be reproved, not disparaged and nothing displeasing is spoken to them, as they are the divinities conducting themselves in the human form on the earth.

Instant justice is especially attractive where rule of law is synonymous with the rule of slow judges and useless procedures. Similar dons like Atique Ahmed in UP, Anand Mohan in Bihar, Bishnoi in Delhi and others have grown up nowadays who require severe punishments by the government to maintain peace and rule of law in the society.

The loop of destiny and Karma binds everyone. You remain entangled and imprisoned in it. The only way you can nullify it is by sustained, regular, intelligent movements inward and upward. It is purusharth or free will that matters. It helps free you of the cycle of vasna-thought-desire action- vasna. Irrespective of your past, if you perform constant, consistent, persistent, positive action, you wipe out the negative past and sculpt a brilliant future.

The difference of the four yugas is clearly visible. During the satyug the gods and demons used to live in a separate loka. During treta Yug god' and demon used to live in different countries. Rama born and ruled Ayodhya whereas Rawan the demon ruled Lanka. During Dwapad yug god' and demon lived in the same family. Pandavas and Kauravas were of the same family. And in the kalyug God and demon is found in the same person.

In some traditions there is hierarchy between Vishnu's avatars RAM is greater than Parshuram and Krishna is greater than Ram. Krishna alone is called purnavatar, the complete form of Vishnu on earth. Every society goes through four phases of Yugas, according to the Vedic thought. These are numbered in the reverse: Kriti (4), Treta (3), Dwapar (2) and Kalyug (1) followed by pralay (0) and then back to 4, 3, 2, 1. Every society begins idealistically and eventually collapses. Each yuga comes to an end with a different Avatar. Parshuram in Krita, Ram in Treta, Krishna in Dwapar and Kalki in Kalyug.