lessons of purification of the self can be found hidden in the lives of Rama and his illustrious family. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar examines the significance of the Ramayana
The Ramayana is not just a story which happened long ago; it has a philosophical, spiritual significance and a deep truth in it. It is an epic story about King Dasharatha, who had three wives. He and one of his wives, Kaushalya, did a yajna called Ashwamedha, after which they got four sons. Medha means purification (ceremony); shwa means yesterday or tomorrow; ashwa means today, now, not yesterday, nor tomorrow — that means it is eternal and the present moment. Medha also means intellect. Ashwamedha means bringing the intellect in the present moment. Another meaning for Ashwamedha is purifying — by being in the present moment, purifying the spirit, the senses, the body-mind complex; it’s going deep in the spirit. Dasharatha means one who can run ten chariots at a time. Kaushalya means one who is very skillful. So, when Dasharatha and Kaushalya came together to conduct the Ashwamedha yajna, which means purifying the present moment, that is when Rama was born. This is the spiritual significance of Sri Rama’s birth.
Meaning of names
When medha (intellect) is so deep in the present moment, nothing can shake it. What can shake your intellect is only the past or future. If you can snap yourself out of the past and future every moment, you are free, that is liberation. The three names of Dasharatha’s queens are also very interesting. The first wife’s name is Kaushalya, which means skill. In Hindi, you say kushalata, meaning skillful. The second wife’s name is Sumitra, which means good friend. Sumitra is one who takes you in the right direction. The third wife’s name is Kaikeyi, one who sacrifices herself and brings benevolence. Kaikeyi is one who stands by your side; although she appears differently, but deep within, she does benevolence, with a cover. Kaikeyi apparently or outwardly may not be pleasant to you, but inwardly, she does what is good for you.
Your body is Dasharatha, the ten chariots, which include the five sense organs and the five organs of action. The five sense organs are eyes, ears, nose, tongue and taste. The five organs of action or karmendriya enable us to interact with the material objects of the world; these organs are hands, feet, rectum, genitals and mouth. The five organs of sense and the five organs of action take the mind into ten different directions, and make life go in ten different directions.
The light in my heart
The words — rays and radiance — come from the Sanskrit root word ra, which means to shine; it also means light. Ma means within me, in my heart. So, Rama means the light in my heart. When the mind with some skill in this body gets into the present moment, and purifies the mind and the heart, then Rama, which means the light in our heart, shines. Four things come out of you when Ashwamedha is done: Rama, which means the light in our heart; lakshman means awareness; Bharat means talent; Shatrughna means one who has no enemies.
It needs mention that ashwa has two meanings; one of them is horse, and medha means purifying. So, what is the horseIJ Your senses. When your senses are purified, then what comes up is the divine light in your heart (Rama) and awareness (lakshman). Then you have no enemies (Shatrughna), and all the talent (Bharat) come to you. It is also noteworthy that Ravan means ego.
Triple effect
In life, three types of thoughts bother you. First, you have so much talent but you are unable to use it or bring it out; you feel that you are not being properly used. That causes frustration in you. Second, you think you know, but nobody understands you. This is another point of contention where you feel miserable. Third, you feel you are lost, you should have done better, or differently; then you blame the past, oneself and everybody else around. These three types of blames or thoughts bother you; they can pull your energy down. There could be a million reasons for you to feel down on the planet. Anything can pull you down, because things are not happening the way you want them to happen. Using knowledge, just sail over it all, forget about it because it doesn’t matter. So many people use their talents, they all died, and they all have been forgotten.
Nothing is permanent; in this world, everything is changing. From the changing world, lift your eyes towards the unchanging. Otherwise, we get stuck to righteousness, “I am right and I want to stick to it.” When you think you are right, often you think others are wrong. Then you feel angry. If you feel the others are right, often you think you are wrong. Then you feel guilty, sad and miserable. In both cases, you lose balance. The mind vacillates between being right or wrong. To get out of this duality is the whole purpose of life; that is called moksha. Moksha means to rise above this duality, to swallow these bitter pills in life.
Above the physical laws
In Rudram (a Hindu hymn dedicated to Rudra — an epithet of Shiva, taken from the Yajurveda), this is said so beautifully. It is said that in this world, there are all types of people. There are people who betray, people who are not faithful, people who are intelligent yet not up to the mark, people who are so dumb, and so on. Forget about others, sometimes your own mind goes up and down. So, what to do in such timesIJ Ashwamedha is to be done, purifying the present moment. This means that when your heart is filled with love and compassion, you are so powerful. Never underestimate yourself. Miracles are in abundance! I think everyone has had some miracle or the other. We don’t look for it, they just happen. Ask, and it will be given. Ask and ask with faith. Every moment there is a miracle happening; every moment, there is grace; and there is something new. Even if something appears to be not so good for the moment, in the long run something good happens out of it.
Courtesy: www.artofliving.com
