I D Soni
Sri Krishana in the Gita refers to Rama, as belonging to the warrior-class. Rama is depicted as a model warrior, a typical Kshatriya. Sometimes we think of him as an obedient son, and again as a tender and devoted husband. Shri Rama, too, is a good king for whom the pirja (subjects) has tender love and devotion. The bhakti of the people for their great hero, Shri Rama, is reflected in the festival of light-the “Deepavali”. The spirit of hero-worship, while growing in the west, is declining in India. Vira puja, Vira bhakti, shaped India’s life in the long ago. Hero worship has a character-building value. Hero-worship is one of the secrets of nation-building. This truth is better understood today in the west than in India.
Shri Rama was the beloved of his people. Shri Krishna pictures him as a typical warrior.
There are two types of people. Some great ones appear who never use weapons. Gautama Buddha, Mahavira, and Jesus worked weaponless. They did their work in the midst of the world’s difficulties and persecutions. Other great ones there be who used weapons. Shri Rama belonged to the latter class. He is regarded as a typical warrior for the following reasons: –
His methods of fight were clean. The Ramayana bears testimony to this. Modern methods of warfare are not clean. Napolean, a warrior of modern times was a man of diplomacy which is a polite name of untruth. Shri Rama refrained from diplomacy, the greatness of Rama as a warrior may be better understood after reading the history of the great world war and the Ramayana. In the last world war, the Germans launched a submarine campaign sinking ships in the sea, thus inflicting death on many innocent people. Such secret methods were never followed by Shri Rama. He comes with small army, not much civilised. When opening the fight Rama issues instructions that not a hair of a single inhabitant of the civil population must be touched. Today scientists are employed by different Governments to discover deadly poisonous gases.
Shri Rama had a code of honour, which is not found in modern warfare. On learning that Ravana is killed, Shri Rama comes to pay respects to the departed warrior. Rama had no hatred in his heart against Ravana. Rama not only pays homage to Ravana dead body but orders a grand funeral in honour of Ravana! Shri Rama was a warrior of dharma.
Shri Rama was Ancient India’s mighty hero! Has modern India produced a greater one? His story is told to us in a soul stirring verses in the great book named the Ramayana. The Ramayana reflects the culture and civilisation of an age when India was great and Vital. It was a civilisation of strength. Life is shakti and dharma is shakti. There we have one of the utterances of Hindu soul as voiced in the Ramayana. Shri Ram, the first Superman of Hindu history, is an avatara of shakti. He is the ideal knight of aryavarta. His is a story which thrills with action. And still, we read the thrilling story of old in our villages. The message of Shri Rama is, essentially, a message of action, selfless action, a message of sacrifice. Shri Rama is immortal in history. One of the great days in India’s history is the Deepavali, it is the day of illumination. Wonderful were the Aryan people: their great leader and inspirer was Shri Rama. And when he returned to Ayodhya from Lanka, having freed Sita and won Lanka’s emancipation, the Aryan greeted him in a way which was at once impressive and spiritual. Every home in Aryavarta kindled lights of little lamps: from every home came the song in which men and women, youth and children joined and still join to say on this occasion: “Blessed be Shri Rama! Victory unto light and purity and freedom! Those who understand not Bhakti to the lord doth mean, the story of Shri Rama will be insipid, indeed – But to them who worship the lord as “Hari” (the destroyer of suffering and sin), the story of Shri Rama will verily be divinely sweet, sweet as honey- yes sweet as nectar”
It is easy to flatter ourselves with the notion that we are wise and civilised. It noises a test of progress? Civilisation is humanisation: and there is no humanisation without self – control or tapsa. In Rama’s age, there were asuras, rakshasas (demons). But they recognised the superiority of tapsa. The asuras were vicious but had shakti (strength) and with all our education where are we? Oceans of talk! But how many ounces of action? This education is softness.
The Ramayana rings with a rich heroic quality: inactivism appeared in a period of India’s decline and decadence. Is it not significant that many of Vedic Rishi were Kshatriyas. Shri Rama was a true kshatriya, a hero amongst the sons of men.
Shri Rama’s character was made in heroic mould. And Shri Rama a pupil of sage Vishwamitra – assimilated, also the wisdom of the Rishis. And Shri Rama rejected all imperialism. Shri Rama was victorious over Ravana. The whole of Lanka Ceylon lay at Rama’s feet: but Rama coveted not an inch of that great island Shri Rama had no greed of gold or dominion. He did not keep Lanka to himself. He had not Napolean’s or Caesar’s dreams of conquest. In the days of Ravana, the laws of higher morality were trampled upon in Lanka. Lanka had a great civilisation but not Aryan moral code. Shri Rama set up Vibhishana, a son of the soil, on the throne of Lanka (Ceylon) who was a man of dharma and of righteousness and departed to Ayodhya – a victor and not a robber. Shri Rama purified the life of Lanka.
Rightly did the Aryan people look up to Shri Rama as their leader, the great guardian of their culture and civilisation, their Polity and dharma. His was a life offered daily as a sacrifice to the mystery that is God. India has worshiped Tapasya. Her story through the ages is the story of men of Tapasya, who have re lit, again and again, the extinguished lamps of our national life. Shri Rama was the embodiment of taposhakti. Not without reason Rama became the beloved of aryavarta.
Today, India lies prostrate. But, the watch word and the mantra of the Hindu race in the long ago was shakti, strength. India, today, is weakened by distracted idealism. “Be strong”, is the teaching of the Hindu race. Be strong, if we wish truly worship God. Be strong, and in the strength and abundance of life, serve the poor and lowly.
The teaching is given, over and over again in the Ramayana, that he serveth the God, who serveth All and had hatred for none. This was the vital humanism of the Hindu race. It is not the humanism of the modern nationalist, proud to disown his spiritual heroes and teachers. To the student of the ashramas of old was given the teaching,” the God is not afar! The God is awaked! And Race, the Aryan Hindu thy race, is one of the mighty manifestations of thy God. Behold him in the Rishis and sages, thy patriots and philanthropists. Behold his hands are everywhere.
Let us, therefore, teach Ramayana to the youths of India. It will build up their character. Not without reason is the Ramayana read with respect in the schools and colleges of America and several countries of Europe. Europe is filled today with vibrations of hate and strife and violence. Europe needs to be brought into contact with the genius, the soul of India. Europe has much to learn of India her philosophy and literature bear witness to the dignity of disciplined civilisation evolved by her long before. Europe looked upon her with passioned -filled eyes. Let Europe meditate upon Rama and be purified.
So celebrate this victory Day,
Ye sones & daughters of the Land!
So build this day a freedom’s Band,
And your debt to your Hero pay !
(The author is President Home of Aged & Infirm, Ambphalla, Jammu)
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