rāmāyaṇa insights

[Mana]

Namaste yajvan, smaranam

Thank you for your insights in to these matters, I am just discovering the delights of the rāmāyaṇa and the beauty of jyotisha.

I am reading from this site.

So much to learn...

Will you be so kind as to advise to the interpretation, or recommend another source.

Thank you kindly.


praNAma

mana

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namast�

Will you be so kind as to advise to the interpretation, or recommend another source. Thank you kindly.

The site you suggest is very good and I frequent it often:
http://valmikiramayan.net/bala/sarga1/bala_1_frame.htm

Now for interpretations and meaning, I have no one site I can refer you to as it come from many places. Yet as you start to read and look around the inerpretations come from one's reading , and not always within the translation of the rāmāyaṇa. Yet as I find them I will post the sites on HDF and this string.

praṇām

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namast�

śrī rām is known as rāmacandra. This is quite revealing. We talked of His name in the above posts but have not mentioned rāma+candra as an item of interest. By adding candra to His name it acts as a description of rāmaḥ. candra is defined as having the brilliancy or hue of light ; it also means the most excellent.

Candra in the masculine is gender defined as the number 1. So we can say it is rāmaḥ, the One, who is the most excellent and the brilliancy of light.

Yet there is more ... we know candra to mean the moon, due to its luster and fullness. Because it is the moon, it is associated with tithi-s � the count of the lunar days. We know there are 15 tithi's to the waxing part of the month and 15 with the wanning part of the month. Within sanātana dharma we find 15 +1 or 16. It stands for more then fullness or excessive fullness.

The full moon is the 15th kalā (digit) of the month, considered pūrṇa ( full ); so this 16th period is considered the fullness of fullness. When one is using the term rāmacandra , we are inferring His brilliance, His fullness, wholeness of Being.

We find vālmīki muni, author of the rāmāyaṇa asking devarṣi nārada� Who really is that person in this present world, who is principled and also a potential one, a conscientious one, a redeemer, and also a truth-teller and self-determined in his deed... ( Book 1,1,2)

It is devarṣi nārada who calls out the person who has these qualities (rāmacandra ) and as we find there are 16 of them, the alignment back to fullness, completeness.

Does anyone wish to list out these 16 qualities/attributes ?

praṇām

words

• devarṣi nārada is the mind-born son of brahmā
• tithīśa - We know tithi is is the singular name given to one lunar day ( digit). Saying tithayaḥ (plural form), which is used in several places in Parā-trīśikā Vivaraṇa śloka-s is another way of saying 15. We know there are 15 tithi-s in the waxing, and 15 tithi-s in the wanning of the moon. Just as some one says 1 dollar, its another way of saying 100 pennies that make up a dollar, tithi is an accepted way of say 15.

[Mana]

Namaste yajvan, smaranam, eric, all

I shall first have to admit; to not having derived these my self.

1) gunah = good qualities,
2) viryam = courage, one who does not get shaken in his heart but is able to accomplish even very hard tasks,
3) krutagnasya = one who remembers the help given to him by others
4) drudvrata = firm resolved
5) satyavrata = one who speaks only truth and nothing else
6) charitra = character
7) Charitra = character, conduct,
8) Vidvaan = knowlegable, wise,
9) sarvabutah hitah = one who wishes the best for every butah(living thing).
10) samartah = one is abled, one who can achieve any given task,
11) priya darshanah = handsome always in all attires at all times,
12) aatmavan = one who has mastered his aatma,
13) itakrodho = one who has mastered his anger,
14) dhyutiman = one who has great shine,
15) anasuyakah = one without jealousy,
16) kasya bibyati devah ca jyata rosaya myuge = even gods will tremble when he gets angry.

Quite a formidable character!

Are we seeing the first notions of raga yoga? How wonderful that it would seem to relate to chandra!



praNAma

mana

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

If I may, let me offer the list of 16 with just some slight adjustments.


1. guṇavān - of good qualities, , virtue , merit , excellence
2. vīryavān - valour , strength , power ; heroic
3. dharmajñaḥ - knowledgable and intelligent on dharma (meaning virtue , morality , religion , good works ; that which upholds the world)
4. kṛtajña - knowledgable and intelligent of what has been done or needs to be accomplished; skill
5. satyavakyaḥ - only speaks the truth
6. dhṛḍha vrataḥ - resolute , persevering ( focused ) in his purpose or vow
7. cāritra vān - of good conduct , good character & reputation
8. sarva bhūteṣu hitaḥ - to be on the side of (set in ) the respect of all
9. vidvān - knowledgable and gain knowledge
10. smarthaḥ - able and competent
11. priyadarśana - agreeable and pleasant in appearance
12. ātmavān - here this is used as firmness, some say courage; with 'van' it means master of firmness or courage ( I have some other thoughts on this and will leave for another post)
13. jita krodhaḥ - conquered wrath , passion anger
14. dyutimān - brightness , lustre , majesty , dignity
15. anasūyakaḥ - not spiteful or envious
16. bibyatidevāḥ - the devā-s even fear or are afraid (when provoked to war)

praṇām

[anisha_astrologer]

my interpretation of sita, her abduction and the fight between ram and raavan is as follows:
sita is shree. it neans she is the prosperity in the life of ram. shree or prosperity not only in terms of wealth but in terms of virtue and dharma. a person who is Shrre-hin (without shree) is ill and illness is not always of body but also of soul. ram is incarnation of vishnu but in human form he can be seen as a representation of every human being. every human being attains shree in life by following a virtuous path. sita's abduction can be seen as the loss of shree and the quest to find sita is the quest inside oneself to find our own vices and search for aids (represented by hanuman who stands for undying devotion, courage and faith) to fight away these vices. the final fight between ram and raavan is the ultimate fight betwwen the vices and the virtues within us after which the shree is restored to us. the abduction also symbolizes that vices can easily snatch away our prosperity, intellect and virtues.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namast�

The rāmāyaṇa is itself composed of 24,000 couplets, some may call stanzas or as we call them śloka-s. It is quite interesting to note that the great gāyatrī mantra from the ṛg ved ( 3.62.10) has 24 syllables or phonemes. It was the wisdom of vālmīki muni to add these syllables into the rāmāyaṇa every 1,000 verses.

t�t savit�r v�reṇyaṃ
bh�rgo dev�sya dhīmahi
dh�yo y� naḥ prachod�yāt

The very first word of the rāmāyaṇa is tapaḥ. So we start with the sound of ta in the rāmāyaṇa and 'ta' in gāyatrī. If one looks up or googles rāmāyaṇa gāyatrī you will find more on this subject.

This first word then must be of great import , no ?

praṇām

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

hanumān-ji

Hanumān-ji is from hanumat, meaning having large jaws. If we go down one level to hanu means 'anything which destroys or injures life ' , a weapon ; as han means to smite , slay , hit , kill , mar , destroy. Hanumān-ji was the perfect devotee of śrī rāmacandra in his war with rāvaṇa.

Within the mahābhārata we find also find hanumān-ji. Due to being a son of vāyu or māruta , 'the wind' he then is a ~natural~ brother of bhīma one of the 5 pāṇḍavaḥ.

If we fast forward to the bhāgavad gītā we will find that arjun holds the flag ( banner) of hanumān-ji on his chariot. Why did arjun choose this among many symbols ? Here are my thoughts ; arjun's symbol is that of a weapon - let all my opponents be warned!

This as I see it shows arjun's devotion kṛṣṇa-jī , another form of viṣṇu and śrī rāmacandra. He will be unwavering to the will of kṛṣṇa-ji. This too, the flag is a reminder to his apponents just as rāvaṇa was defeated, so too will you.

praṇām

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

hanumān-ji

Hanumān-ji is from hanumat, meaning having large jaws. If we go down one level to hanu means 'anything which destroys or injures life ' , a weapon ; as han means to smite , slay , hit , kill , mar , destroy. Hanumān-ji was the perfect devotee of śrī rāmacandra in his war with rāvaṇa.

If we look to hanu + mān we find mān rooted in man.

• man is defined as 'thought to be' , 'appear as' , 'to call into question or doubt'.

Now if we look at hanu we know it to mean 'that which destroys' . Hence hanu + mān can be considered that which destroys doubts or appearences.

If we think of hanumān-ji as the monkey , we can see he represents the mind. The mind is thought to jump and swing from idea to idea, thought to thought always moving , climbing. Yet it is when hanumān-ji is introduced to śrī rāmacandra ( the Self or the Supreme) he beomes the devotee, the one subdued.

The mind ( monkey) becomes subdued, doubts and perceptions are destoyed (hanu + mān) when brought into contact with the Supreme Self ( śrī rāmacandra ).

praṇām

[Brahmanyan]

RAVANA BRAHMA .

The formidable king of Lanka almost came close to becoming an unquestioned ruler of the three worlds. The great epic Ramayana is as much about the defeat of Ravana as much as it is also about the life of Sri Rama, King of Ayodhya. So, had Ravana learnt the lesson of controlling his ambitions, it would not have been necessary for Lord Vishnu to incarnate upon earth as Sri Rama.

Ravana was a direct descendant of Lord Brahma and Brahmin by birth. He was blessed with the best of parents. His father was the great Sage Vishravas who was the son of Maharishi Pulastya Prajapathi (one of the mind born Saptarishis) and the grandson of none other than Lord Brahma himself. Maharishi Agasthya Muni was the brother of Sage Vishravas. Sage Vishravas had married Devavarni the daughter of rishi Bharadwaja and Princess Kaikasi the daughter of Sumali. While Kubera was the son of Devavarni, Ravana was the son of Princess Kaikesi. His mother Princess Kaikesi was the daughter of King Sumali of the Daithyas or Asuras. The Daithyas were descends of Diti; the second wife of Sage Kashyapa, thus were brothers to the Devas/Gods who were descended from Aditi, Kashyapa's first wife. Princess Kaikasi was a very ambitious lady and that the Sage Vishravas recognized her true ambitions when she asked him to marry her. Sage Vishravas also warned Princess Kaikasi that , their offspring may turn out to be bad. But, this information did not deter Princess Kaikesi who was soon blessed several children. The eldest of Princess Kaikesi's children was Ravana. At birth Ravana was given the name of Dashanana or Dasagriva, since he was said to have the mental strength of ten people. He was an exemplary scholer and mastered all the Vedas and Sastras under his father. He was a great Veena player. He was a Samavedin. He was an ardent devotee of Lord Siva and known for his Siva Tandava. Due to this only he was named Ravana by none else than by the Lord Siva himself. He had two younger brothers namely Vibhishana and Kumbakarna. In addition, Kaikesi gave birth to a daughter by the name Soorpanakha.


However different sources cite Ravana having more siblings than the ones named. For instance, Ravana is said to have had a brother named Mahiravana who was a powerful magician and became the ruler of the netherworld. In addition, there is also some mention of Khara and Dushana in the Ramayana. But, all sources agree that Ravana also had a half brother older than him. Kubera, the lord of wealth was the first son of Vishravas and Ravana would always have a contentious relationship with his half brother. As a child Ravana was very diligent and intelligent, an ideal scholar in all respects. However, his father also noted that Ravana tended to be arrogant and aggressive, taking after his maternal side. Ravana was very well educated and he was recognized as a very learned and proficient individual even by his enemies. He mastered the Vedas, Shastras and the ways of the Kshatriyas. He mastered the use of every weapon known to be used and was a great sorcerer. His father Sage Vishravas must have realized that Ravana was meant to rule a kingdom.However, he also noted that Ravana tended to be arrogant and aggressive, taking after his maternal side.

Ravana performed several yagnas as a Brahmin including one for Lord Shiva and Parvati . The puranas tell us about the magnitude of Ravana's learning and skill. He was unmatched in his knowledge of the nitishastra. Indeed, after his defeat towards the end of the Ramayana, Rama orders his brother Lakshmana to learn the art of nitishastra from the dying Ravana. In addition, he was a renowned Veena player; his personal emblem being the Veena. Already a great musician and scholar, Ravana added leadership qualities to his list of virtues. He was the undisputed leader amongst his siblings and even after growing up, his brothers and sister except Vibheshana would primarily defer to his judgment despite having differences of opinion.

Ravana had several wives but foremost among them was Queen Mandodari daughter of Maya.She was known for her beauty, grace and chastity. She was one of the pancha kanyas according to Hindu mythology and merely reminding her name is said to wash away all the sins. Princess Mandodari was the daughter of Maya an architect and Hema a celestial dancer. Maya was a descendant of Diti and hence was an asura . Thus Maya was known as Mayasura and also as Maya Ditya.
After nearly completing his domination of the worlds, Ravana returned to Lanka to rule over his dominions. As a citadel designed by none other than Vishwakarma,the architect of the Gods, Lanka was matchless. Its walls were strong and well defended. A guardian spirit watched over the main gate ensuring that enemies never entered the city. The legends talk about the wealth of Lanka during the rule of Ravana. It was said that hungar was virtually not known and even the poor ate out of vessels of gold and silver. Ravana himself was credited to have been a very able and benevolent administrator. He was ably aided in this by his brother Vibheshana who continued to walk the path of Dharma above all things. Vibheshana was with Ravana and helped to moderate all his orders until he got banished from the kingdom for speaking against the abduction of Sita, wife of Rama. Ravana’s life was a classic example of brilliance gone wrong. He had gained the very best instruction and was truly great in his abilities and achievements, a fact that was appreciated by his favorite God Shiva. However,unfortunately he never learnt the virtue of humility. His arrogance and conceit proved to be his nemisis. Instead of following the path of Dharma, he chose to flout it time and again. Instead of gaining fame for his countless good qualities, Ravana became known for his improper behavior towards humans and women in particular. His atrocities kept growing in number and eventually became so terrible, that it took an incarnation of Vishnu to subdue him.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely and the mighty Ravana moved from one blunder to another, angering many a mortal and God in the bargain. A true devotee of Lord Shiva , Ravana is said to have composed the "Shiva Tandava Stotra" while trying to gain boons from Shiva. Shiva who was busy at the moment dancing the tandava with his consort Parvati knew of his devotee’s intentions but chose to ignore them. Enraged, Ravana decided to lift the Kailasa Mountain, the abode of Lord Shiva and take it with him to Lanka. Lord Shiva, in turn enraged by Ravana's presumptions trod heavily back with his toe, nearly crushing Ravana in the process. It is at this time that Ravana realized his mistake and begged the Lord to end the misery, even sacrificing his numerous heads to the God. A calm Shiva appeared before Ravana and presented him with the Atma Lingam after formally naming him Ravanasura. Ravana continued on his way back to Lanka taking the Atma Lingam with him only to lose it on the way. The spot is now said to be Rameshwaram today.In the end, as he lay dying on the battlefield, holding on to the very last breath and giving Lakshmana instruction on Nitishastra and proper administration, Ravana is said to have commented dryly, "Never assume that you have all the time in the world and take nothing for granted. Never procrastinate. I conquered the Heavens and imprisoned Yama, the lord of Death to my bedstead and Shani, the ninth planet under my throne. I told myself that I will always have time to finish them later. What good did this procrastination do? They prevailed anyway."

There is an interesting anectode about one class of Brahmins known as "Saryuparin Brahmins" in North India. When Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after his victory in Lanka, he wanted to perform "Aswamedha Yagna". For this purpose he invited the local Brahmins to perform the yagna. But they refused the offer since Rama did the sin of Brahma-hatya by killing Ravana, the son of a Brahmin. However some Brahmin families acceped the request of Lord Rama and performed the Yagna. For which they got Lands and wealth at the other side of River Sarayu. Thus the descendants of these families are called "Sarayupari Brahmins" even today. These Brahmins are also called "Kanyakubja Brahmins". Their families spread over many places in UP and Madya Pradeash. One of the famous persons belonging to the "Kanyakubja Brahmins" sect is Sri Atal Behari Vajapayeeji.


Regards,
Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.