30/03/2023
kausalyāsuprajā rāma pūrvā sandhyā pravartate ।
uttiṣṭha naraśārdūla karttavyaṃ daivamāhnikam ॥
"Magnificent son of Kausalya, tiger amongst men, awaken! The eastern aurora is emerging, the time has come to perform your duty to the gods!" - 1.23.2, Bālakāṇḍa, Vālmīki Rāmāyana
There are few figures, in our plethora of literature, that have been so pervasive in their influence, as to have radically changed not just our thinking on the matters of spirituality, bhakti, divinity, but also our perception of one another, and society at large. Shri Rama's name is not just uttered by the Bhakta or the Pandita, but also by the revolutionary, the thinker, and the leader of the masses. From Ramanujacharya, Tulsidasa, Swami Vivekananda, Gandhiji, to Alluri Sita Rama Raju, the impact of 'Ram ke naam' (Rama's name) has radically shaped the world as we know it today.
It is not the mere uttering of his name that has brought forth this, but rather the qualities ingrained within this persona of Rama. The qualities of doing one's duty, of compassion, of love, of respect, of sacrifice, and of standing firm in one's battle against Adharma. One quality, that Shri Rama also represents is balance and stability, or as the poet Kavi Bhushan put it, "for every Ravana, there is a Shri Rama".
"The Moon might lose its splendour, snow might abandon the Himavat mountain, the ocean might overstep its shores, but I (Shri Rama) shall not forsake the promise made to my father." - 2.112.18, Vālmīki Rāmāyana
There is a lot we, as Hindu students, can learn from such a figure in our Itihasa, to stay committed to our work, to perform actions of Sewa, to reduce our ego, to be compassionate towards those around us, to stand up for ourselves/our community, and to devote ourselves to the gods, whether it be through worship of seeing them as our idols that we seek to become.
viklabo vīryahīno yasya daivamanu vartate ।
vīrāssambhā vitātmāno na daivaṃ paryupāsate॥
"Those who are timid and cowardly depend alone on destiny. The valiant ones with self-respect do not care for it." 2.23.16, Vālmīki Rāmāyana
सियावर रामचंद्र की जय!
जय जय श्री राम!
