Ramayana: The Eternal Journey

By Jawahar Pandit

The Eternal Journey is the first work of its kind in the area of Indian philosophy and spirituality. It throws new light on the subject of Indian spiritualism and mysticism and brings out lucidly the hidden universal aspects of the Ramayana. The book encompasses the entire field of ethical thought of India, critically and comparatively with appropriate references to the original sources. It is a highly competent and thorough study of the cultural evolution of India, from the ancient to the contemporary period, both from the logical and humanistic points of view. In a world filled with chaos and noise, discover the path to inner serenity and profound spiritual awakening with this book. This transformative guide offers a profound journey into the realms of self discovery. mindfulness and enlightenment. Drawing from ancient wisdom and contemporary insights, Jawahar takes the readers on a captivating exploration of the human spirit and its connection to the universe and the creator. Through a blend of insightful teachings, introspective exercises and inspiring anecdotes, this book invites you to uncover your true self, tap into universal wisdom and forge deeper connections. "Ramayana The eternal journey" is not just a book -It's a companion for those seeking spiritual growth and deeper connection to themselves and the world around them. Let these pages be your guide as you embark on a profound journey of self-discovery, inner peace and spiritual evolution.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blue Rose Publishers
• Release date: Nov 4, 2023

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Chapter 1

The Doubt of Garuda and His Encounter with Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva

Before we begin the chapter, it's important to understand that Garuda is nothing but the mind of Lord Vishnu, where it is symbolically shown as a bird. Lord Vishnu nurtures the world, he has to execute his duties by implementing different policies, hence there is scope of doubt regarding the policy to be implemented. Hence Garuda is the name of a skeptical mind. When thoughts and feelings arise in the mind, their movement is very subtle and the same subtle impression on its turn comes in front of the eyes taking a gross form. When a thoughtful or emotional person sees the gross form of his thoughts and feelings, he experiences peace and satisfaction. For instance building a house is just a matter of thought, desire, lust and emotion. Whenever this desire finds a place in the mind the instinct of remedy and effort gets awakened, he starts to think. He collects all of the required building materials and starts the construction of his house, when the construction is complete and the house is built, thoughts and feelings took the gross form of a constructed house, now the person who thought about it, finds peace living in the same house.

The strong desire of possessing a sound intellect, wisdom and devoted idol, generates power of attraction in the mind and accomplishes the desired work. This accomplishment of a desire is known as Siddhi-Shakti. The root of this accomplishment resides in remembrance, and memory is the role of the thought. Until the subtle thought takes the gross form it does not let you rest. This is a natural law. There should be firm faith in the feeling, as faith is nothing but determination of the mind. Do it with determination and the work will be accomplished, it doesn’t take long but also little hard to grasp. One has to do nothing but just remain firm in one's resolve and beliefs, breathe by it, live by it and be completely into it and everything will be accomplished on its own.

Garuda on instruction of Naradji flew towards the abode of Lord Brahma, he reached his abode and narrated the purpose of his visit and disturbance of his mind. Brahma ji listened to him but didn’t give any reaction, after remaining silent for a while he said I am a Rajoguni'' There is no doubt that the reflection of Satogun (truth) falls over me but the precise reflection falls over Shiva and he continuously keeps receiving it. You go to him, he is kind and merciful, he will solve this tangled knot of yours. I am not that competent to solve your problem. Garuda was perplexed and he said to Brahma Oh Lord! You are the supreme one, known as the father of creation, who is the center of all the wisdom and knowledge in this creation and the composer of Vedas. Lord Shiva is praiseworthy but your position is higher than him. Brahma laughed at Garuda and said "Oh Garud '' Whatever I have said is true, since you are confused you don’t understand me. Now listen, I am predominantly a Rajogun, and a rajogun by instinct is flickery. Shiva is predominantly Tamoguni and is instinctively strong, and hence is called a Parmeshwar. Vishnu is predominantly Satoguni. Maya has put you in illusion and the rajogun instincts are predominant in you, if i say something, then this rajogun will intensify. Shiva is an embodiment of persistence and perseverance, he can surely help you. Garuda said to Brahma i didn’t understand what this Satogun, Rajogun and Tamogun is, kindly explain to me about it and its power of attraction.

Sat is light and Tam is darkness, it's the darkness only which embraces the light. What is Raj? It is the mixed state of light and darkness. The dimension of Vishnu is above, mine in between and Shiva is below. I am the mixture of Sat and Tam.

Brahmaji said Oh Garuda your illusion is nothing but ignorance. You seek knowledge and Shiva being a form of darkness keeps attracting light or knowledge. Don’t you see light always running towards darkness, when a lamp is lit in a dark room a circle forms on the roof of the room and the light of the lamp is attracted towards it. Sameway only Shiva receives the full portion of the light of the Sat (truth). Hence without any delay go to Shivji, you will get a satisfactory reply there. A peon doesn’t perform the duties of a president.

Garuda left from the abode of Brahma with disappointment. He became sad. When any work of a person is not accomplished, then sorrow engulfs him, worry surrounds him, he becomes turbulent. The remedy for this disease is very difficult. Educated people whose life is artificial, come under the control of absurd illusions and get hurt very badly. Their limited knowledge becomes ignorance and they function like a blind entity in this world groping everything which comes in front of it. Foolish creatures are better than those who are not affected by the pace of this world.

Garuda left towards Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva. As he was approaching Mount Kailash, he saw Shiv ji along with his wife Maa Parvati, riding on Nandi, they were departing to visit the house of Lord Kuber, who is known to be Lord of wealth according to Indian mythology. Garuda saw and identified them at once. The physical form of Shiva is wonderful. Holding trishul and damru in hand! Crescent moon shining over the forehead! Ashes smeared all over the body! Idol of renunciation! Bloodshed dark red eyes! Garuda bowed down towards Shiva upon seeing him

Shiva felicitated Garuda with a voice soaked in compassion. Shiva knew beforehand the purpose of Garuda's visit and told him, I know with what hope you have left Vishnulok and come here. But it is not possible for me to make you understand anything while I am on my way to meet Kuber. How can i explain to you anything, as knowledge is not such a subject that can be imparted while on the move, for this a proper place and location is required. Philosophy, knowledge and character, all of these go hand in hand and are beneficial at their own place. Seeing, hearing and formation of the character are all subject to location. There is no experience without means and it is only possible to gain experience by constant practice.

Garuda got upset and said Oh Lord! Will you disappoint me too? Shiva replied "I never disappoint anyone nor ever wish to. No one ever leaves disappointed after coming to me, but the time is not conducive now. A great doubt has risen in your mind and needs time to resolve it. You listen to my word, don’t break your path. Go to Sumeru mountain from this path, on its peak you will find a Kalpavriksha (tree of heaven), many types of chirping swans live in its shade. A supreme swan sits in the middle of them and keeps reciting the glory of Lord Ram, apart from this they don’t do any other work. The name of this supreme swan is Kagbhushundi. Go and meet him. Be in his company and listen to his words, by going there all your illusions will be destroyed easily. This is a very easy, simple and convenient solution for you. After hearing this Garuda didn’t speak much, he bowed down his head and greeted Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati and took their leave.

Now the question arises what could be the secret behind Shiva’s refusal to impart knowledge to Garuda, as he being Supreme God, master of worlds and knower of all. He could have easily accepted Garuda as his disciple and imparted true understanding and knowledge to him. The secret behind it is that, Lord Shiva being an idol of yoga, detachment and renouncement can be a Guru to a Yogi, Tyaagi (renounced), Vairaagi (detached) and paranormal entities. He can never be a teacher to a human, birds or animals. A true Guru can only be the one who is of the same tribe and form, of the disciple. Whenever there will be a Guru of a human, he will be a human only. This is the law of creation.

Love and affection are a mutual behavior. Whenever one gets a gift of devotion and knowledge, he gets it from a Guru or master of his own tribe. Master of a subtle being, can only be a subtle being and master of a gross body can be the one who possesses a gross body. For instance a woman who loves her man dearly while he is alive and if the same man after his death tries to meet her in ghostly form with his subtle body, the woman will run away in fear. As he is not of his tribe and form anymore. This is the law. Law of nature and this creation. Whoever is a deserving seeker understands this law, and those who don’t understand it, their devotion is incoherent and absurd.

Garuda was a deserving seeker with a genuine curiosity and had a natural sense for the mystery. Knowledge exists perfectly in every entity in this world. Sun, moon, air, water, earth all have knowledge. But the knowledge that a man gets from them is incomplete. Whenever he will attain complete knowledge, he will attain it from a complete Guru or master. So taking this natural law into account, it was appropriate that Garuda meet Kagbhushundi for his solution as both being of the same bird species. Their exchange of energies would match perfectly and in harmony since both being of the same tribe.

Chapter 2

Meeting of Sage Kagbhushundi and Garuda

(Essence of Brahma)

Garuda spread his wings and flew towards Mount Sumeru. The mountain appeared to be merged with the sky with its head raised. The shining peak was visible from afar. Garuda in his flight by crossing the valleys and passes reached the peak. He saw the swaying Kalpavriksha (tree of heaven) standing up in its unique dignity and the swans sitting under its thick shade listening to Kagbhushundi’s words. Garuda arrived grounding his huge umbrella-like wings on the surface of the earth. Kagbhushundi’s sight fell on him and he recognised at once that this is Lord Garuda. He welcomed Garuda and said Your arrival is very auspicious for us. You have shown great kindness by coming here and we are thankful to you. Garuda replied, No one can come here without the grace of Hari (Lord Vishnu). And there's no doubt that it's due to his grace that I got the opportunity to behold the vision of your holy feet''. Garuda narrated the purpose of his visit to Sage Kagbhushundi. He said Oh Lord! The truth is that I had doubts about the incarnation of Shri Ram. I thought that the absolute unbroken Brahma cannot descend and be contained in the small physical body of Ram. This is impossible and contrary to the plan of the intellect. Kagbhushundi replied Blessed is the illusion that brought you here. This illusion is nothing but God's work and form, inspired by God himself. Hence we consider this illusion of yours nothing but as God itself and salute it.

Garuda was astonished by hearing the simple but profound words of Sage Kagbhushundi. All his doubts and illusion vanished instantly by hearing these simple words. Deep realization dawned over Garuda. He realized that the secret which was not revealed by the great Sages, scholars, Brahma, Shiva, is being revealed by this supreme swan. He is definitely a true Guru (master) as such power is only possessed by a true Guru. He is definitely an incarnation of God and I was doubting Ram as incarnation of God. My illusion and doubts ceased to exist as soon as I came here. Now what to ask and what not to ask! Garuda saw a glimpse of God in Kagbhushundi. Therefore Kagbhushundi was the incarnation of God. As God is in essence inspiration of the mind, and that inspiration is nothing but God in a subtle form. God descends in this body in the form of inspiration and this descent is called Avatar.

To summarize the above event, it shows that the one who does not have doubts does not become doubtless. The one who has not come under bondage, cannot be liberated. The one who has not been suppressed by disease, how can the cure be found? One who has not felt pain and sorrow, how can he enjoy bliss and happiness. The faculty of reasoning and intelligence doesn’t get stimulated if we don’t face the opposites. Adversaries present us with an opportunity to strengthen our thought process and draw energy from the source of the divine which resides within us. Great things are achieved only when one is pushed outside the comfort zone and nature sees to it that no living entity remains in the comfort zone, which is eventually for its own benefit and growth. One should accept uncertainties and hardships of life with open arms, as they surface for one’s own well-being.

Whatever exists in this world is in essence absolute. There is no trace of imperfection in it. What seems to be imperfect in it appears to be a part of the whole. Whatever comes forth from the absolute, is absolute in essence and whatever is removed out of the absolute remains absolute. There is no increase or decrease in it. To understand it in a simple way, countless seeds come out from a mango tree and they all grow up into a mango tree itself. The first tree from which these seeds came forth remains intact in its original form. It neither increased or decreased in its form. Same way sons, grandsons, great grandsons are born from a human semen and they all grow up to be a human only. This is just an example. Take just one part of the example and think. Try expanding it as much as you like, you will find this law unshakable. ‘Brahma is absolute reality’’ With whom can he be compared with? Nevertheless, an attempt is made to explain with an example. In the practical world, one has to work by example. Take for instance a comparison of Brahma to an ocean. An ocean is absolute. Waves, drops, bubbles, foam etc. all exist in it, which can never be separated from the ocean and nor are they separate. One would say that the waves or drops are pieces of the sea. The quality of perfection is that it has pieces. They are not pieces, they are part of it and all these together collectively are called the ocean. In the same manner is the existence of Brahma. Whatever existed, exists or will come into existence will remain a part of the Brahma in all three dimensions. Space, time, matter all reside in Brahma and collectively are called Brahma. Let's try to understand from another example. Steam is an element. Water and ice are made and formed by the steam. Simply put, water is not ice, ice is not water and ice and water are not steam. But how do they differ from each other in terms of substance! Never.

Firstly, let's consider the literal definition of Brahma. It is made up of two separate root words of Sanskrit language. (1) ‘Birah’ and (2) ‘Manan’. Birah means to grow and manan means to think. The one which has signs of thinking and growing is Brahma. Brahma is nothing but Sat-Chit-Anand, which means truth-consciousness-bliss. It is the source of all consciousness and all perfection, and this term is also used to describe the experience of realizing the unity and wholeness of all existence. Sat-Chit-Anand is used as a synonym for the three qualities of the Brahma. It is the supremely blissful experience of the pure consciousness, unity and ultimate realty. It is the eternal and unified concept of the soul, which is beyond space, matter and time. Brahma, God or absolute reality is one and there is no other nor ever will be. The law of creation is that whatever exists in the whole is also found in its part. Sea water is salty and this salinity is also found in its drop. So whatever exists in Brahma also exists in the individual soul or being. Brahma sways like an ocean and this swaying is in its current. Among all the living beings, one can find not even a single entity, which does not grow or think. Take any of the gods, goddesses, ghosts, humans, animals, birds, plants etc. Everyone grows and thinks. Sat-Chit-Anand dwells in every being. Who likes to die. Who likes to remain naive. Who likes to remain sorrowful. See and test anyone. Leaving humans and animals aside, look at the small floral plant of Lajwanti (mimosa pudica). One will find all the three qualities of Sat-Chit-Anand prevailing in it. It's a uniquely sensitive plant, which has sensitivity for life and wants to live. If a person touches it, it closes itself by shrinking, and as soon the shadow of the person moves away it opens up its leaves and twigs automatically after a while. The same condition prevails in every atom, particle, bits and pieces of the entire universe. Not a single being in the creation, either inert or conscious desires to live in a stagnant condition, all are thriving to grow and flourish. From a human's perspective, whichever entity has the power to move, he calls it a conscious being, and if that power is not visible, then he perceives it as inert. Atoms of the inert matter oscillate. Today if you find a piece of wood not moving and shaking, but as a matter of fact the atoms inside the wood are oscillating. The condition of the wood today will not be the same in the next ten years. The condition of it will change into something else. The whole universe in essence is Brahma. Everything in this universe is moving and is transient. Whatever exists in this world and universe is transient. If we take our own individuality in perspective, we are soul in essence and transient in nature. That which has the qualities of swinging, moving and thinking is defined as a soul. Desire, knowledge, joy, sorrow, etc. are all feelings latent in a soul. If one penetrates and thinks, everyone possesses the same qualities. In essence both the individual soul (jiva) and supreme soul (Brahma) are one. There is no difference between them. Both of these are actually two words coined by men from a negligent point of view. One is the individual soul (jiva) which appears to be small and confined in a body and the other supreme soul (Brahma) is