Adhyatma Ramayanam Day 7. Aaranyakandham

Adhyatma Ramayanam Day 7. Aaranyakandham

Audiobook Link - Adhyatma Ramayanam   52.01 m

Ramayanam Kilippaattu Day 7 രാമായണമാസം - ദിവസം  7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z0jEB3Ddvc

Aaranyakandham

Entering the Dandaka Forest

Lord Siva continued narrating the entrancing story of Sri Rama’s life in the forest. Rama stayed at the hermitage of sage Atri for a few days and then told the sage that he wanted to go to the Dandaka forest. “Oh! Sage, please send some of your disciples with us to show us the route to Dandaka forest.” Hearing this, the sage smiled and replied: “Rama! You are asking us to show you the path! You are omniscient and omnipotent. Is there anybody out there to show You the path? But since you asked, I will oblige.” The sage sent two youngsters with them to show the way to the Dandaka forest.  Rama bid goodbye to the sage, and they walked further and reached the bank of a great river. Sage Atri’s disciples arranged for a boat and crossed them across. Rama thanked them and they returned to their Ashram. Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana entered the deep forest of Dandaka.

The forest was dark, thick, and full of creepers, bushes, and tall trees. It was the habitat for lions, tigers, deers, monkeys, snakes, and demons, and Rakshasas. “Lakshmana, keep vigil all around. Rakshasas are known to be man-eaters. Keep your bow well-strung and ready.  You walk in the front followed by Sita Devi. I will be behind you both.” The three of them walked one behind the other just as the Maya working its magic swaying between the Jivatma and Paramatma. 

As they walked, they came to a stream with clean water they could drink. They rested for a while under a tree, and they were about to continue their trek when a terrible giant of a beast showed up jumping in front of them. It had a spear in his left hand on which carcasses of several wild animals were held pierced. It was eating raw meat and blood was oozing out of its mouth. “Lakshmana, watch while I take care of this beast. Sita Devi, do not fear. I am here to protect you.” The beast roared like the thunder of the sky. With the eyes red with rage, he exclaimed: “Oh! I Pity you, humans! Why are you here in the deep forest, in the garbs of rishis, and that too with a beautiful lady? Don’t you know that this area is full of wild and cruel animals who would make a meal out of you in a moment?” 

Rama replied with all the details of his exile from Ayodhya. “I am Rama of Surya Clan, Prince of Ayodhya, the eldest son of Dasaratha, and this is my wife Sita. Lakshmana is my brother who is a warrior of unmatched prowess. I am here to annihilate the Rakshasas so that the world can be peaceful again.” The beast uprooted a tree and approached Rama and retorted: “Haven’t you heard of me, Viradha? Is there anyone in the three worlds who does not know me? All the rishis have fled this area fearing me. If you have any hope in living you better runway from here, leaving this lovely lady and all your weapons here.” Thus, saying he approached Sita and immediately Rama cut his hand off with his arrows. Then the demon came charging on to them with his mouth wide open. Rama cut his legs off. Blood was everywhere and Sita ran to Rama with fear and embraced him. The demon was still trying to charge at them when Rama cut his head off. Immediately a composed human form came out of Viradha’s fallen body and started extolling Sri Rama’s glories.

“Oh! Rama, the compassionate Lord, I was a celestial being, fallen as a demon due to a curse from sage Durvasa. Now with your compassion, I have been redeemed. May I always be devoted to you and my mind be pointed towards your lotus feet!.   May word come out of my mouth only to praise your glory. May my actions be for your service. May my ears hear only stories and glories of your Leela-play!. May I be able to see your presence in everything! May I get an opportunity to serve your devotees and their servants! My salutations unto thee. My salutation to the Paramatma, who is the indweller of everyone. Salutations to the lord of Sita Devi. Salutations to Rama who unites everyone in love. May I ask for a blessing from you to keep me away from delusions? He prostrated at Rama’s feet again and left for his heavenly abode.

Entering the Ashram of Sarabhamga

Then Rama entered the Ashram of sage Sarabhamga. Seeing the Lord in person, the sage immersed himself in devotional service and welcomed them with an open hand. He served the guests selected fruits and roots to eat and pure spring water to drink. “I have been waiting for long to see you along with Janaki (Sita) and Lakshmana. I wanted to leave all my virtues accumulated over the several years of penance unto you and leave my body.” Praising his Lord with great words of devotion, the sage decided to leave his body while looking at the lotus-like face of Sr Rama. A divine fire engulfed his body, and his soul was lifted to the heavens. Several flying chariots were seen in the sky, waiting to receive the noble soul. Rama stayed at the Ashram for a few days.

Sages meet Rama at the Dandaka Forest

Hearing that Sr Rama was in the Ashram, several rishis and sages from the nearby hermitages assembled to meet him. Rama welcomed the guests with the appropriate and customary rituals, and they blessed the three of them appreciating their hospitality, even while living in the forest. As they sat down, the sages said “Rama! We know who you are and what your divine purpose is. You, the Lord Vishnu, are here with your consort Lakshmi and your companion Adishesha. You left Bharatha and Shathrughna – your Conch and the discus in Ayodhya. We also heard about the drama of coronation and the disruption of the same.  We invite you to come and visit our Ashrams.” Rama agreed and visited their hermitages in a nearby area. Near the Ashrams, Rama saw a heap of bones like a hill. “Why is there a heap of human skulls and bones there?”  Rama asked. Sages replied: “The demons kill and eat sages whenever they can, and we lost several of them from every hermitage here.” Rama assured them that he will put an end to this atrocity. 

Rama stayed with different sages at their Ashrams and protected them as promised and reached Suthishna’s Ashram. The hermitage was a heavenly abode with a wide variety of plants and creepers in full bloom all the time. Birds and animals roamed there freely, and they were friendly with each other. When the sage Suthishna, who was the disciple of famous sage Agastya, knew that Rama was coming to his hermitage with his wife and brother, he was elated and welcomed him. He gave oblations and prostrated at the feet of Rama. Then started praising Rama extolling the greatness of the Lord. “My guru had advised me to chant your name incessantly and that resulted in me seeing you now in front of me. Your grace is the only way to cross the ocean of samsara, the ephemeral world of Maya. You are the ultimate reality, Paramatma, who is beginningless and endless.  No one can fully comprehend your principles and I am not even trying to figure that out. I will be happy just to become your devotee’s servant’s servant. I am swayed by samsara and your compassion is the only solution to my worldly afflictions. May I be blessed with the reminiscence of your lotus feet in my mind all the time! May I do not fall prey to the attachment to my wife and children! This body is full of filth such as urine, excreta, blood, and other impurities and still, we get attached to it all the time. Please be compassionate and rescue me from the bondage of worldly things and delusions. Take my mind as your dwelling. When you start living in my heart, no delusion can affect me, and Maya will have no power over me. Maya is behind even the Trimurti – Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva forms. Diverse names and forms are all but just Maya, just as different images of the moon appear in the various vessels filled with water. Please advise me as to how to meditate upon you. It must be my great fortune that I was able to see you in person as Rama, that too along with Sita Devi and Lakshmana. May this image of the three of you illuminate my mind all the time! May I be able to chant your name without break!” 

As the sage concluded his stuti, Rama replied: “Oh! sage, I knew about your devotion and came to see you in person. Those who take refuge in me and chant my name all the time would easily get to see my vision. Before you leave this body, you will attain the ultimate knowledge and finally merge with me. Now I would like to meet with your Guru Agastya. Is his Ashram close by?”

“I would be glad to take you to my guru’s Ashram. I haven’t visited him for a while either.” They started walking towards the Ashram and on the way met with many other sages. They ate together and discussed noble things on the way and finally reached Agastya’s Ashram. 

Rama Meets Sage Agastya.

Agastya’s Ashram was as attractive as Brahma’s abode. When Suthishna prostrated and informed the sage of Rama’s arrival, he was elated. He ran to the front door and welcomed the Lord. “I have been waiting for this moment. No doubt, this is the fruit of my penance of a lifetime. Rama, in turn, prostrated in front of the Sage who is a senior Guru. Sita and Lakshmana followed suit. Sage Agastya lifted them and embraced them. The sage offered fruits and flowers to the distinguished guests and started extolling the Lord’s virtues. 

“I was waiting for your arrival as I knew your life’s mission of killing Ravana and other Rakshasas. My disciples and other rishis residing here were anxious to meet and converse with you. Reducing the burgeoning adharma in the universe is your mission and to accomplish that you play great dramas.  Before the world was created, you were alone without any vacillations and modifications. You were the embodiment of pure bliss without any attributes. Your Maya power, hitherto unmanifested was suddenly shaken and started expressing itself in various ways. This led to the creation of the Great principle and from it came the feeling of Aham or ‘I’. The great principle, Aham and the Samsara (Universe) became Satva (noble and pious), Rajas (dynamic and strong), and Tamas (ignorant and gross).  Tamas is the cause for the five elements and their combinations forming matter as we perceive. Organs of perception originated from the Rajas and the mind was born out of Satva. These three Gunas are the reason behind the birth of Virat, the Purusha, which is indeed the macrocosm. Virat is the primordial parent of every living and non-living thing and being. Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra were born out of your Maya power and Brahma got the power to create, also from you. Vishnu got the power to sustain the created universe and Rudra for the destruction of the same. Through the three times – past present and future, the three worlds of awareness- waking, dreaming, deep sleep- function and become vidya (wisdom) and avidya (ignorance). Those who follow vidya, follow the scriptures and see the oneness in all. They have no feeling of duality and hence no fear. With nothing to fear they revel in themselves, knowing that their self is not separate from the universal self.  Those who are in the path of avidya, engage themselves in rituals and get entangled in worldly affairs. They are under the spell of samsara. Those who are immersed in the studies of the Vedas are liberated while living. For those who are involved in self-introspection, wisdom dawns on them on its own. Those who are not keen on learning anything from life will go through thousands of lives before being liberated from the cycle of samsara. If they are not devoted to you, there is no hope for them.

Great men of wisdom declare that the best way to get in the path of liberation is to be in the company of noble people, that is, be in Satsang all the time. Great men are noticed by their dispassion towards anything they come across. They have no partiality towards anything as they are not swayed by the dualities such as likes and dislikes, pleasure and pain, light and dark, etc.  They follow the injunctions of the scriptures, and they practice Yama-niyama rules strictly. When someone gets a chance to be in the company of great people, they get interested in hearing noble tales of pious people. They will develop a keen interest in hearing devotional stories about you and your escapades. That leads to him being devoted and a devoted mind become wise in due course. This leads to liberation. So, Lord, please bless me with devotion and love towards you. May I develop devotion to you and your devotees!  Today my life’s purpose has been fulfilled and I am content having seen you in person. May you live in my heart along with Sita Devi!.  Whenever I sit down or walk or sleep or eat or do anything, may your form be effulgent in my mind!. Salutations, Sri Rama, Son of Dasaratha, the jewel of the Sun dynasty, Consort of Sita Devi, Lord of the universe, Salutations!”

The sage gave Rama a special bow entrusted with him by Lord Indra along with a sword and a quiver full of arrows. The sage again praised Rama with words filled with devotion and love. He reminded Rama about his mission, which is to annihilate the demons. He continued: “When you walk another two yojanas, you will see a holy land known as Panchavadi. There, by the riverbank, you can build an Ashram to stay for a while along with Sita Devi and Lakshmana.” Rama was prostrated at the feet of sage Agastya, and they exchanged blessings and gifts, before leaving for Panchavadi.

Meeting with Jatayu

On the way to Panchavadi, they met Jatayu, an old vulture, resting by the wayside. Rama was furious thinking that it may be a demon waiting to jump at them.  “Lakshmana, look at the big bird. It must be a demon in disguise. Pass me the bow, let me kill him at once.” The bird overheard this conversation between the brothers, and he told Rama in a fearful voice. “Oh! lord, I am not your enemy and I do not deserve to be killed. I am an old friend of your father’s and your devotee for life. I will do whatever you ask me to.” Hearing this Rama was pleased and embraced Jatayu and blessed him. “Oh! Great one, I doubted you without knowing your background! But from now onwards, you are with me, and please work for me. My blessing will be upon you all the time.”

Entering Panchavadi

They reached Panchavadi without delay and the brothers built a beautiful hut for them to stay. Lakshmana decorated the ashram with flowers and made a bed with leaves for Rama and Sita to sleep. They lived comfortably on the banks of the river Ganga in the beautiful Ashram. Panchavadi was flourishing with fruits such as Banana, jackfruit, and mango all year-round. The place was as comfortable as the palace in Ayodhya, except for the crowd of people around them. But Lakshmana kept vigil throughout the night without sleeping.  In the morning they would walk around, Lakshmana in the front, Sita in the middle, and Rama behind them.

Rama’s Advise to Lakshmana.

As they were living in Panchavadi, Lakshmana approached Rama and asked him to teach him the method of achieving liberation, moksha. “I don’t have anyone to ask about this and please elucidate the path in detail as I am dull-witted and slow in learning.”

Rama was pleased to hear his favorite brother’s query. “Ok, I will tell you the secret path leading to moksha. Once you understand this properly, there will be no delusion left in your mind. I will tell you about Maya first and then about Vidya, the divine wisdom.  Then we will deal with Avidya and then the principles of Jivatma and Paramatma, based on that wisdom.  The matter is not Atman and Atman has no relationship with matter. The misapprehension of reality, Avidya, is the feeling that non-Atman is Atman and vice versa. That is occurring due to Maya and that leads to our identification with our body. Maya has two expressions – one is projection, Viskhepa, and the other is putting a Weil over reality, Avarana. Viskhepa is expressing the world as we see it with all its attributes, dualities, and varieties. The force of Maya makes us think that the world is real. It is like one ‘seeing’ a snake on a path that is not well lit. He doesn't the fact that it was only a piece of rope lying there. The truth was not revealed due to the darkness, which is the force of Maya. Whatever is seen and heard and dreamt by human beings, are in fact, unreal. 

The root cause of samsara is indeed our body and because of that all our relationships such as wife, son, and relatives, etc., are rooted in the body. The body is made up of the five base elements, the Pancha Bhoothas. There are five senses and five organs of action. Then there is mind (flow of thoughts), ego (the feeling of I), intellect, and Chitta (the mind unsullied by memory). The field of activities (Kshetra) for all these entities is indeed our body. As they become active, it is presided by Jivatma, which is an expression of the Paramatma, the supreme truth principle.

Jivatma and Paramatma are synonymous in effect. Ignorant people do not see the oneness in them. When we are devoid of the nasty attitudes of boasting, violence, cunningness, lust, and rage, etc., we develop a feeling of equanimity and devotion to the divine. Such a person will develop purity of heart by doing service to society. He will serve teachers and undertake noble karmas. But he should withdraw his attention from worldly attractions and get rid of his ego to develop a sense of equanimity towards fellow beings. He should avoid attitudes of duality such as likes/dislikes; pleasure/pain, etc.  A seeker should avoid attachments even to his wife and children and try to live as alone as possible. He should live thinking about the truths expounded in scriptures and undertake poojas prescribed in them. Thus, he can avoid all delusions from his mind. With the wisdom developed, one can know me intimately. Wisdom or knowledge is indeed the only sure shot way to know me as the unattached reality, Paramatma. Moksha is knowing the truth experientially that Jivatma is the Paramatma, that is knowing the microcosm as the macrocosm. To get this clarity, one must have devotion to Lord or the principle behind the Lord. For a sincere devotee, this wisdom will dawn on him without difficulty, by the grace of his guru and the Lord. 

Listen to the following to get you on the path of Bhakti (devotion). Satsang, i.e., living in the company of devoted people is important, and serving them would increase the intensity of devotion. Observing fasts and rituals, listening to scriptural stories and principles, etc., will enhance your devotion. Give donations as much as you can to the needy and the noble. Sing the glory of the Lord and meditate upon the Lord all the time. A devotee will attain wisdom and knowledge automatically and that will lead him to moksha. I have narrated to you the path to moksha in short words. This knowledge is so pious that it should not be divulged to people who have no interest in it and who may take it in the wrong way. But if you know that one is a devotee, advise him even without asking. For devotees, moksha is within their reach.”