Ramayana, the ageless Indian epic, is a symbol of idealism, spiritual splendor and above all part of the great Indian bhakthi movement. Ram and Sita are integral part of Indian social fabric and often inspired the ebb and flow of its history. Both Rama and Sita are role models for the entire humanity. Rama never deviated from the path of truth and dharma.
The conflict between good and evil is as old as human history. The struggle is still an ongoing process. The narrative of Ramayana is the victory of good over evil. The abduction of Sita by Ravana and the war between Rama and Ravan are only incidental ingredients for this eternal conflict between good and evil.
The epic poem is also a metaphorical account of the transformation of a beastly individual into a saintly person. We all know the story of Valmiki, the original author of Ramayana, was a ‘Rakshasa’ before becoming the great poet. The story of ‘Valmikam’ in a way represents the realization of an individual to abandon the path of evil and embrace the road to pious deeds.
Ramayana is written with the intention of creating a hero, a role model, endowed with all qualities as an example for the people follow. One abiding quality of Rama is his willingness to sacrifice anything for the protection of dharma. The first sacrifice he made was for protecting the honour of his father Dasaradha by willingly opting for a 14-year exile in the forest.
The refusal to accept the throne despite Bharatha with the entire population of Ayodhaya pleading with him for becoming the king is the second sacrifice. Rama made a pact with Sugreeva, killed Bali and fought with Ravana for the sake of Sita. But, he readily abandoned her to save the kingdom from infamy which is yet another instance of sacrifice. The last is abandoning Lakshmana for keeping the promise made to Yama, the Lord of Death.
The word Ramayana is also having another meaning. Ra means darkness. So Ramayana means ‘that wipes out darkness’. As a text Ramayana will always help us to wipe out the darkness from our minds.
(The author is former Coir Board chairman)
