Sri Rama Gita is a beautiful dialogue between Lord Sri Rama and His beloved brother Laksmana. Sri Rama answers universal questions with timeless answers. ‘What is essential Knowledge and the essence of Knowledge? How do we overcome painful attachments? What ensnares and enslaves man? What is the difference between man and God? He ends the discussion with the much talked about bout most misunderstood topic of love-‘What is true love? How can we grow in love, transform with love and attain the highest love?
This valuable message of Sri Rama Gita and its insightful and reader friendly commentary by Swami Tejomayananda is especially relevant for these conflict and contradiction-ridden times.
Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda is an outstanding teacher of Vedanta, with a profound depth beneath his simplicity and humility. He has a simple conviction-to fortify, strengthen and actualise the vision of his Guru, Pujya Swami Chinmayananda.
Swamiji has written commentaries on many texts of Vedanta and authored many original compositions on Vedanta and Bhakti (Devotion).
He is the current head of the Chinmaya Mission-a global spiritual organisation with more than 250 centres worldwide.
Sri Rama Gita is part of the third canto named Aranya Kanda of Sri Rama-carita-manasa.
Aranya means a forest. Like many words in Sanskrit, aranya too has many subtle meanings That which is sought when a person reaches the third stage of life is called aranya (aryate iti). After satisafactorily going through a student’s life (brahmacarya-asrama) and a householder’s life (grhastha-asrama) we enter into the third stages of life, wherein we are expected to retire from worldly pursuits and go the a forest (vana-prastha). One person when advised to leave home said that he need not go the forest as he had named his house Aranya Nivasa! However living at home does create problems after retirement, as by the time a man realises that maybe his father was right, he already has a son who is convinced that he is wrong!
Rana means a battle. Aranya is a place from wars and conflicts. Therefore a forest is a peaceful place away from the hustle and bustle of life-ideal for retired people. However for one who is used to a life of comfort and luxury, retiring into forest seems far-fetched. Living away from the family for sometime or spending some time at an asrama seem more plausible.
But there is another side to the forest. There are no laid paths, sign posts or landmarks. So there are many chances of getting lot. We may think that we are making a headway, but we may actually be going round. So we need a guide to lead us out. Often life is like a forest and many of us are lost, without a clue where we are headed. One woman was sure her husband would never reach heaven, as he got lost even on his way back from office!
Also, the forest which appears serene and beautiful in daylight, seems dark and sinister at night. The attractive birds and their melodious twitters are replaced by lurking shadows and eerie sounds. The monkeys and deers that jump and skip give way to prowling and stalking wild beasts. We can get waylaid by robbers and hooted at by owls. The fun and frolick turns to fear and terror much like many modern cities. The world like a forest is full of contradictions. It can be most inspiring and spiritually elevating or quite frightening and worrisome.
The looters and terrorists of today’s world were called raksasas in the past. Raksasa are not some horrible, multi-headed creatures. Some of them were quite good looking and well-dressed. The word raksasa itself tells us who they are . When the first and the last letters of ra + a + ksa + sa is turned around we get the word sa + a +ksa + ra – saksara, meaning one who is educated and intelligent. Raksasas are intelligent people with perverted, misguided and cruel minds. So we need a guide to protect us and guide us through the forest of life in which such people reside.
Saint Tulasidasa compares the world to a forest of delusion, infatuation and confusion (moha-aranya). Lack of right thinking, superimposing of false notions, infatuation of the false and resulting confusion, stress and sorrow, are all experienced in this world. In the forest of Dandaka, Sitaji got infatuated by the golden deer, which was not golden nor a deer. She then sent away Sri Rama, Who symbolises knowledge and right thinking. She falsely accused Laksmana who symbolises dispassion and sent him away as well. She then mistook Ravana dresses as a monk to be a good person. No wonder Ravana who symbolises delusion kidnapped Sitaji who symbolises love and peace. Like Arjuna in the middle of the battlefield of life, we are unable to decide our duties or discriminate between right and wrong and consequently get confused and distressed and become incapable of facing life. We definitely need a Guru to guide us through this forest of delusion.
The solution must be found where the problem exists. Arjuna found his Guru in Lord Sri Krsa, his own charioteer on the battlefield. Laksmana saw his Guru in his own brother Lord Sri Rama, right besides him in the forest. Sri Rama Gita is the unique dialogue between these two great brothers at Pancavati in the Dandaka forest.
Preface
Sri Rama. The very mention of this name brings to our mind the image of the Sri Rama who was the embodiment of all perfection. We must have seen many persons ideal in their respective fields of work or in a particular role of human relationships. Sri Rama was the perfect ideal in each and every respect. He was an ideal son, husband, and disciple, ideal brother and friend, but his role as a spiritual teacher is not as well known as Sri Krsna's is through his Bhagavad Gita addressed to Arjuna. Here, in Sri Rama Gita, found in the Uttarakanda of Adhyatma Ramayana, we meet Sri Rama in the role of an ideal teacher dispelling the ignorance of his most devoted and dear brother Laksmana by imparting the knowledge of the Self.
The subject is subtle, and the exposition by Sri Rama is brief but fully comprehensive. This text seems to have inspired even Bhagavan Sankaracarya, as we find many similar verses in his Atma Bodha. Gosvami Tulsidas has also given Sri Rama Gita in the Aranyakanda of his famous work Sri Ramacaritamanas. His source of inspiration is this Gita alone.
In this book, Pujya Gurudev provides insightful notes for the student of Sri Rama Gita, revealing the deep significance of each verse in an effective and enchanting manner. I feel greatly honored and privileged to have been asked by him to add a few words as a preface. How shall I express my gratitude to him? Words really fail. May his blessings be ever with me!
Introduction
Head bent low in deep thoughts, he was walking up and down the length of the carpeted hall. There was an unusual silence in the place that morning. The birds sat brooding, totally forgetting to chirrup their gleeful welcome to the clear down. King Ramacandraji was lost in his thoughts. The conflict within him was becoming unbearable: his love and his duty, his personal just opinion and the unjust criticism of the public were tearing his asunder. He knew that his consort, dear Sita, was the most chaste, honest, and loving wife, but his subjects had questioned Sita's moral purity. He had to remember that Sita was not only his consort but also the queen of his subjects in Ayodhya.
As king he had to fulfill the wishes of his subjects.
As husband he wanted Sita to be with him, after all the many years of their exile and Sita's extreme sufferings in the Asoka Forest of Lanka.
But he was the king. As king he was the servant of his subjects and was duty-bound to submit to the wishes of the people of his land.
Time stood still. In the restless sorrows of indecision, the man in him did not clearly know the duty of the king in him.
He paused at the open window, watching the sunrise. Then suddenly he bristled into a decision. His heart was throbbing with sorrow, but his head was cool and determined. A king had to make sacrifices in order to rule effectively and administer law and justice.
"Who's there?" he thundered. The soldier outside the door respectfully entered the royal hall. Saluted, and stood at attention. Sri Ramacandraji took a long breath. Cleared his throat, and said, "Go and inform Laksmana that I want him here immediately." The soldier bowed and, walking backwards, left the rook quietly.
Sri Rama started walking up and down in determined steps.
Slightly panting in his hurry, Laksmana walked into the presence of his devoted brother and bowed down in utter reverence. Anxiety and curiosity played on his face; traces of fear were in his eyes.
Very lovingly, almost in an apologetic tone, Rama said, "Now they all must have had their breakfast. Sita was expressing a wish to go back to the Rishi Ashram that we had traveled through during our days of exile. Get the chariot ready and take Sita out into the forest. There drive to some place near the Sri Valmiki Ashram. And near Valmiki Ashram take Sita .and leave here there drive the empty chariot to reach here as quickly as possible."
"But, Brother! Why? She is pregnant! Why? How can I ?"
"Stop it!" roared Rama. He came near Laksmana, embraced him, lifted his tearful face, and with a rare seriousness looked deep into his eyes and said in a sort, penetrating voice, "If you say anything more, you will be murdering me here and now. It was not easy for me to come to this decision, but it has to be done. You go and do what I want you to do and come back soon."
Weeping silently, wondering at the cruelty in his brother's harsh command, Laksmana left.
Later, after performing his painful duty, a confused Laksmana returned to the palace. Shattered within, confused in his thinking, desperate in the contradictory emotions surging within him, he felt totally broken down and was drowning in his own dejection and despair. Days passed.
One day, hesitantly, Laksmana approached Rama while he was sitting alone. He asked Rama about the morality the beauty and ugliness that is inherent in all actions that man can and does undertake. The exhaustive discourse given out by Sri Rama, the perfect mystic, in response to his dear brother's question is called Sri Rama Gita.
These sixty-two verses of Sri Rama Gita are found in Veda Vyasa's Adhyatma Ramayana, in the Uttarakanda, as its fifth chapter. It is conceived in the literary style called Pauranic. The text, popularly known as Sri Rama Gita, is also often described as Sruti-sara-sangraha, a brief summary of the very essence of all the Vedas.
Sri Rama Gita is a truly authentic exposition of Vedanta. Implicitly following his usual technique, so familiar in the Bhagavad Gita, Vyasa puts this poem into the mouth of Sri Ramacandra himself; Laksmana, who had purified his personality through years of selfless service to his divinely righteous brother, is the disciple listening to Sri Rama's words.
Since the pure-hearted Laksmana is the listener and Sri Rama himself the teacher, the discussion soars to vivid heights of subtlety. In short, this is no elementary textbook; indeed, it is a postgraduate text, given out to a highly spiritual student. Laksmana-like students alone can comprehend the truths expounded herein :
Reality is most ancient because the world of things and beings came from Him alone. Thus, he, the Father of the Universe, is more ancient than time. This "ancient Purusa" is the theme of all scriptures, including Sri Rama Gita. In it, Sri Rama talks about this eternal, timeless Essence in all of us, the Self.
The sanctity of the text, the thoroughness of the delivery, the depth of suggestion, and the sublimity of the goal pointed out are all rendered valid and eloquently clear because of the spiritual perfection in Sri Rama, the teacher, and the glorious personality of his lifelong devotee, Laksmana, the disciple.
The style of the Puranas is to relate philosophical truths through the vehicle of stories, telescoped one into the other. In Sri Rama Gita, Parvati, the consort of Siva, requests him to describe what happened to Sri Rama after he had banished his pregnant and innocent queen, Sita. Thus, we are not privileged to listen directly to the divine discourse of Sri Rama as he gave it out to Laksmana. Instead. We hear this Rama Laksmana discussion through the words through the words of Lord Paramesvara as he reports it to his inquisitive consort, Mother Paramesvari. This reminds us of the Vyasa technique in the Bhagavad Gita, where we hear the Krsna-Arjuna discussions through the words of Sanjaya.
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