Journeying into the Ramayana

By Mahindra Tiwary

If man is envisioned to be the masterpiece conception of God, if he is not a mere specimen of a zoological species (as Shri Radha Krishna puts it), if his community is not to be merely an ant heap or a beehive but a collective endeavor to express and fulfill Gods purpose, then a human in todays world is lacking. God did not create us randomly; he made each of us for a purpose, and he is determined that we accomplish that purpose.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 24, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984540348

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COPYRIGHT © 2018 BY MAHINDRA TIWARY.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CONTROL NUMBER:      2018908157

           ISBN:                  HARDCOVER             978-1-9845-4036-2

                                       SOFTCOVER               978-1-9845-4035-5

                                       EBOOK                         978-1-9845-4034-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

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Rev. date: 07/23/2018

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction The Relevancy of Ramayana in a Modern World

Chapter 1 Shri Raam’s Childhood Years In Ayodhya

Chapter 2 Ayodhya Filled with Grief

Chapter 3 Adapting to Life in the Forest

Chapter 4 Bharat Attempts to Change the Mind of Shri Raam

Chapter 5 Living in the Beauty of Panchavati

Chapter 6 The Capture of Seeta Devi

Chapter 7 Shri Raam Meets with Hanuman Swami and Initiates Friendship with Sugriva

Chapter 8 Envoys of Shri Raam Commence the Search for Seeta Devi

Chapter 9 Hanuman the Ambassador of Shri Raam

Chapter 10 Shri Raam Battles the Antagonistic Ravana

Chapter 11 Shri Raam Journeys Home to Ayodhya

Chapter 12 The End

I dedicate this book to

my very dear friend who is always constantly beside me and in my heart. He never fails me when I am lonely and confused, a friend who always gives me peace when I am faced with fear and I am frightened by my own arrogance as well as the arrogance of those around me. With him, I share my happiness and unhappiness, as well as my shame; he never accuses or criticizes me for what I am but encourages me to move forward.

Over the years, I have learned to trust him. I had always thought that in following him I would have to give up the joys in my life. This was not true. I have in time learned that he is the source of all joy and adventure. He turned my life around at a time when I thought that my life had no real purpose.

You too can become a friend of his; all you need to do is to trust and love him. He asks of you nothing and wants nothing from you, but as your most trusted friend, he has the world to offer. He is none other than our beloved Heavenly Father. With him, God Almighty, as your as your closest friend and confidant, you will never feel lonely or ever be attached to the things and people who may come into your life, you will be free to rise above all odds and soar to the skies of spiritual and material possibilities effortlessly. With God as your true friend, you will come to know that all things and all people that come into your life are meant to aid you along the path of God consciousness. In realizing him, as your friend all the good and bad ceases to be, and all that remains in his presence is total bliss.

Mahindra Tiwary

Acknowledgments

It is with great humility that I have attempted to study and research Ramayana to bring out some of its finer meanings to my fellow brothers and sisters, as well as all followers of Sanatan Vedic Dharma, so that it may help us all to achieve a better understanding of our lives here in this troubled world as well as the life hereafter.

I know that there will be many critics; all I ask is that you see my limitation. After all, I am just an ordinary person in search of truth, justice, love, humility, and unity of us all, as children of that one almighty God. Like most people I am in search for that which can help me to understand this physical body, the sutle mind and its source of existence, the soul.

In this undertaking, I trust and thank God foremost for this humble opportunity in presenting this dynamic text in all its potentiality, to the best of my understanding. And my humble reverence to the master poet of poets, Sant Vamikiji and Sant Gauswamie Tulsidasji.

I do sincerely hope that readers would find it absorbing as well as elevating. My aspiration is that if readers would see the urgency of returning to the basic moral, ethical, and spiritual conduct that the Holy Ramayana stands for, then this effort would be accomplished.

I thank my parents, the late Pdt. Rampersad Tiwary (Dharam Bachaspatie) and the late Srimati Sancharie Tiwary, to whom I dedicated this text, along with my brother the late Shri Shirikant Tiwary and my late sister Srimati Sunita Tiwary.

Thanks to all my brothers and sisters who have played an important role in my growing-up years. Finally, thanks to my friends and relations of Shri Krishna Mandir, for giving me the opportunity to discuss Tulsidas Ramayana in regular Sunday worship over the years. To the above organization, I dedicate all proceeds of this text in hope that the temple will continue to teach and not preach, and most important, to feed the hungry on the streets and clothe those who are in need.

To all readers, my humble salutions and a special thank you for purchasing this text for yourself as well as a gift to our fellow brothers and sisters of Sanatan Vedic Dharma. God’s choicest blessings to you and your loved ones always.

With love and humility,

……………………………….

Mahindra N. Tiwary

Preface

If man is envisioned to be the masterpiece conception of God, if he is not a mere specimen of a zoological species as Shri Radha Krishna puts it, if his community is not to be merely an ant-heap or a beehive, but a collective endeavor to express and fulfill God’s purpose, then human in today’s world is lacking. God did not create us randomly, but he made each of us for a purpose and he is determined that we accomplish that purpose.

We may ask, what is God’s purpose for humans? What is God’s objective for humans? It is my belief that God’s objective for all humans is for them to become the best they can in life and to ascend into heaven hereafter. However, for us to be the best we can, God needs our full participation and commitment to his words. We should open our hearts to him and invite him into our lives for that is all that we must offer. Once our hearts are open to him, he then sets into motion all the machinery that we need to fulfill this task. In fulfilling his task, we will see him in all and all in him, the one who is worthy of reverence. I am reminded by treasures of verses stored within my psyche, a verse I am sure most readers may recall.

In the heart of a sea, buried deep, so deep, a dear little plant lay fast asleep.

Wake, said the sunshine, and creep to the light.

Wake, said the voice of the raindrops bright.

The little plant heard, and it rose to see what the wonderful outside world might be.

We are so fortunate to have been given this most beautiful gift from God, the human body, and with it, all the resources to live a wonderful and happy life with all his creations. This gift and talent that we have been endowed with are perfectly adapted to the work that God has designed us for and we must therefore make every attempt to fulfill his bidding.

The Holy Ramayana tells us, Bhare Bhagya Manush Tan Pawa, Sur Durlab Sab Grantan Gawa. This human body is a divine gift from God, which is very difficult to obtain, which therefore makes us very fortunate. In knowing this, we should then use this body wisely so that we may achieve the purpose of God.

This human body can be clearly envisioned as a ladder to God consciousness, a vehicle that will deliver us into the kingdom of heaven, a vehicle that would render us with the opportunity to fulfill God’s purpose. This purpose, however, must be seen in all its amplitude. Today we pay tremdous attention to the material objects around us and we give every living moment to the protection of our assets, while the most important and treasured asset (the human body) is neglected.

The tree lies sleeping in the seed, the blossom in the bud, the flower in the blossom, and the fruit in the flower and the seed in the fruit. So too the soul with its infinite power lies dormant, lies asleep in the human. The seed is to be awakened by being planted, where it sprouts roots and grows into a beautiful tree bearing leaves, blossoming flowers, and bearing fruits, thereby realizing its purpose and capabilities in all their dimensions. So too this sleeping being must be awakened so that all possibilities may be actualized; that is God’s purpose of life for human.

Vastness brings happiness, joy, and satisfaction, while limiting ourselves is humiliating and confined. Infinity is the path to immortality, while restriction limits and enslaves the soul, subjecting it to birth and death. When we as humans can understand our own divinity in all its authenticity, then we will no longer be a slave to our obsessions and desires; we would destroy them. We will no longer be victims to our impulsiveness and fascinations; we would govern them. We would no longer fear death and decay, and no enchantment of this world or any can entice us. Immorality and disaster dare not approach us, and therefore, we then become conquerors of the illusions of the human world, allowing us to enter the mystic realm of divinity. The Holy Ramayana exemplifies and chronicles these truths in the life of Shri Raam.

On the other hand, those of us who become slaves to our mentality and desires, not comprehending the importance of freedom and the vastness of this life, remain content with subjugation. A person who is subjugated by the mind cannot ever see the possibilities that present themselves before him. A person who is bound by sense gratification, being uninitiated in the immeasurable joy of eternity, conceives the enslavement of carnal pleasure as the finality. Such persons just allow themselves to live this beautiful life uselessly, without a cause, without a clue as to who they truly are and what their purpose in life is and how important it is to protect this human body.

It is really an abuse to the soul, possibly suicide for humans if they debase and demean their nature by confining themselves and holding themselves as prisoners within their own existence. This is nothing but the chaining of a mighty lion or caging a bird of strong wings. Would such captivity satisfy you? Would you really feel you have accomplished your dreams and efforts?

No, not at all, but you may ask, is it okay to have dreams? Indeed, it is okay to have dreams; dreams help to us set goals, while goals propel us to accomplish our dreams. The more you dream about having or doing something, the closer you get to realizing that vision. I feel it is okay so long as we exhaust all avenues, all possibilities to accomplish those dreams.

To realize those dreams, we must be determined to break the barriers of the cage that engulfs us, we must be prepared to escape captivity, we must be prepared to make all the sacrifices necessary to awaken the dormant soul within. We are not of the body or of the mind; we are nothing other than a spark of that divine light that dwells within this human form. To envision that divine light, we need to dedicate ourselves to this task with new strength, vigor, and control, which our forefathers possessed. We need to develop strength and vigor with tolerance, persistence, and sacrifices, while being humanely involved. We should stand determined and remain unmoved in defeat, for tomorrow is yet another day. We must be firm in our pursuit and face the thunderous difficulty and the stormy predicament boldly with our head held high.

Remember that if the sun rises in the west, if the lotus blossoms on top of the mountain, if the earth changes its position, if the red-hot fire becomes cold, the unwavering soul does not change, but instead fulfill the purpose of life. This strong sense of unwavering faith crowns man with the glory of accomplishment, with the fruits of success. That is why it said in the Holy Bible as per Psalm 15, Let your work so shine before man so that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven.

To achieve this purpose that God intended us for, we must plan our lives with sound integration within the society in which we live, and the humanity that envelops us. The modern world boasts of its scientific thinking and progress, yet we seem to be lacking in this outlook about our own lives and how magnificent the human body is.

More than any previous society, we are living in a civilization, in a society that is driven by the malignant forces, the adharmic (evil) forces of the human world. Many situations have changed in the lifestyle and thinking of humankind since the Industrial Revolution. We now live in a very aggressive and competitive world; we live in an age where possession, interpretation, and dissemination of certain information and attitude have become critical. Every aspect of our life has become dependent on the constant flow of societal thinking, neglecting our higher understanding and kindness, the kindness and grace of the almighty God that dwells within us.

By being exposed to the torrent of pains and misfortune, complication and trials, we are forced to react. We cannot and should not ignore our problems but should respond to them positively. We should respond to the problems of our day-to-day life analytically and constructively. If we choose to ignore our problems, this would then guarantee that when the inevitable disaster happens, we would not see what hit us and would not even have a clue as to where it was coming from but be sure the pains we would feel. If we respond harshly, we would be faced with additional problems and difficulties. However, by facing every problem analytically and decisively, we would then be able to make the necessary changes to better our lives and overcome its hurdles.

We as the most intelligent of God’s creatures have not yet learned how to handle effectively the sheer volume of disaster and problems of the human life. We do not have the awareness of when and how to respond to any type of disastrous conditions. We fail to analyze every situation, because many vital decisions are based on incomplete, incorrect information, and as such, we are faced with tremendous heartache and pains.

Life is demonstrative enough to prove its limitations; its ever-changing nature is too vivid to be ignored. To accept this phenomenon is to allow our vision to grow. To do otherwise is to blind ourselves to the limitations of human existence and limit our vast intelligence which propels us into a higher realm. There comes a time, a moment in life when the sweetest thing turns out to be bitter, when it loses its sweetness. What better example can be found than in friendship? We consider people to be our friends and some of us would go to the extreme to make them happy. The moment they call on us we are eager to rush to their assistance. However, the moment that we are in need, all would desert us. There is a saying of our forebears, "Suk may Sumiran Sab Kare, Dukh May Kare Na Koye," which means in happy times, all would profess their love, but when bad times come, there would be no one on our side.

It is then that we see who really our friends are; in our moment of need, our cherished and nearest friend and even our near and dear relations would abandon us. The flimsy ties of counterfeit love are broken the moment one finds one’s interest crossed. It is then that we wake up to the reality of finding ourselves facing our difficult moments all alone. All that friend and relation proclaims to be, and the promises to help in good times and bad times are far-fetched in the moment of difficulties. Promises that were made would mean nothing; they were only useless words, words without any loyalty or sincerity. In my few days in this world, I have seen many such people, and the astounding thing is that many of these people proclaim themselves to be godly and are regular church goers. Sometimes this now leaves me to think what it really means to be godly, what it means to be a true Sanatan (Hindu), Christian, or Muslim.

But as often as I think about such type of people, I often remember these words of Guru Nanak: All our so-called friends have self-interest as the motive of their friendship. They love and appreciate us so long as their self-interest are ministered to and satisfied through us. When I think of what it means to have a true relationship with the people that we deal with, I think of these words: I have seldom found earthly love to be sincere and true. Our near and dear ones, including our wives, husbands, children, brothers and sisters and our most trusted friends, are all actuated by self-interest. All of them come forward with their professions of love and have fastened their mind with ties of affinity. But all abandon us at the last moment; that is the wonder of wonders. This foolish self does not come to its senses even now, although I have exhausted all my powers of persuasion in expostulating with it every day. He alone, says Nanak, can cross the ocean of worldly existence, who sings praises of the God Almighty.

Friends come and go, passing in and out of our lives; strangers establish friendship when they need you, and once their need is resolved, they drift. If you are genuine in your friendship, then this is difficult for others to understand. People that we love—they too remain for a time and then leave when they have outgrown their need for us.

If, at the sunset of your life, you have one dear friend who has endured the fickleness of existence and remained constantly in your life, you are blessed. But for the most of our lives we walk all alone, especially in time of need. However, I do not feel for one moment this experience is harmful or never in any way whatsoever negative. If anything, it led me psychologically and spiritually to God, at a time when I felt that my very life was at an end. I was fortunate, as a child, even though I did not fully understand the concept of God, to be introduced to him by my parents who were in tune with him. Such illustrious souls they were.

This changing phase is a call from our own being, which is caused by our karma, our efforts, our attitude. It is not an imposition; it is not peer pressure from outside. It is rather in the constitution of humankind, a central and integral part of life. That is why Sri Krishna declares in the third chapter of the holy Bhagawat Gita "Karmanyeva Dhikaraste Ma Phale Shukhda Shama Ma Karma Phala Hetur Burmo Ma Te Sango Swa Karmabhi." which means that all humans must do their duty diligently to the best of their aptitude, without looking forward to any rewards.

To ignore this is to ignore the fundamental facts of life, the facts of reality, and this obstinacy brings on the disease of boredom and loneliness. Diseases and afflictions that were never heard of have erupted, which seem to be eating up humankind from every walk of life. Such behavior, in turn, is responsible for the increasing number of suicides, rapes, aggression, stress, and corruption within society far and near.

The condition of today’s world is quite a headache to thoughtful minds; it is a contradiction in contemporary civilization when so many facilities for making life happy have been found. We are at a point in the history of the world where it seems that we are at the brink of a nuclear war. It is quite difficult to apprehend the conditions of this modern world where we have the means to communicate with others, to know and understand ourselves as well as others, to know about our society, our heritage, our culture, our country, the world, and even other planets. Still, such conditional diseases linger, still boredom and loneliness. Curiously enough, statistics prove that among the sufferers from this state of unhappy affairs, wealthy people seem to outnumber the poor.

Many people, whether rich or poor, seem to suffer a deficiency in perseverance, courage, and faith in themselves as well as in others. Why all this disorientation and affliction? My understanding is that because we start life without any inclusive plan, a plan which, with foreknowledge into the future, would mold our lives in all its modernity, in all its profundity and all its magnitude.

In such hard times, how do you keep faith and manage? How do we survive the onslaught of difficult moments and yet be successful in our endeavor? I feel that in this time more than ever, we need to be strong; we need to be upright in our moral values and establish firm faith in God. Never give up and say how, can I believe in God when we are living in a world like this? Always remember, tough times don’t last but tough people do. The Christ never gave up, not even in the moment of death; in fact, his last words were Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do. Equally, Mahatma Gandhi showed such tremendous strength when he was told that he would be assassinated; he said, If it is to be, then it should be, I place my trust and faith in God.

The need to plan for one’s future is quite critical in this modern cosmopolitan world in which we live. Surely in the planning of a house, if certain parts of the blueprint are overlooked, the whole house may one day collapse. Similarly, it is the one-sidedness, the failure to plan, of the modern family that is bringing all the crises that stand before us.

One cannot live the eve of life according to the program of life’s morning; what is great in the morning would be of little use in the evening. If we make no spiritual provision for old age and life hereafter, then living becomes a frustration. If there is no material provision for old age, then life becomes a burden not only for ourselves, but for others around us. We cannot and must not fail to see that we do not have to limit ourselves. We do not have to sell ourselves short; we must set wider horizons. If we must limit ourselves, then let the sky be the limit, and we must, with strength and force, make that quantum leap.

When certain disaster stands before us, we tend to blame God. We question ourselves, What wrong have I done that God has to punish me? How can I believe in God when the more I pray, the more difficulty I meet? I say that before we start making such unattested assertions, we should look back at our life and analyze every single situation. With such analytical skills, we will see for ourselves that if we had made the correct choices then, how different now would be. What I have found is instead of being critical and analytical of our own attitude and behavior, we spend a lot of our precious moments analyzing and criticizing others. Whether you would like to believe me or not, majority of times that we criticize others and throw stones at them, we are guilty as they are and should have stones thrown at us.

We should not lay blasphemy on God, but instead lay it on our plan or our negligence to plan our lives for the future. Our tradition tells us what we sow is what we shall reap: "Aisay Karnee Jaisay Barnee."

The key is choice. We have options; we do not need to spend life wandering in failure, ignorance, and grief, or in poverty, shame, and self-pity. But hold on, you may say, if this is true, then why do so many among us apparently elect to live life in this manner? The answer is obvious; those who live in unhappy failure have never exercised their options for a better way of life, because they never realized they had options. Those options are our choices, as it says traditionally, "Karam Kieyayga Wo Mat Karay Insaan, Aisay Karam Kiyay Woh Phal May De Bhagwan" (stop doing the things that do not befit you as human and do those for which you will be rewarded by God).

In exercising these options, we must be willing to accept that we are bigger than anything that can happen to us. All the sorrows, misfortune, and suffering are outside my door. I am in the house and I have the keys. Remember a human is made or unmade by himself or