Key Messages in Itihasas

Key Messages from Ramayana

• Ramayana consists of seven Kandas.

Bala Kanda

• Importance of knowing the reality of life in the country for a king.

• Rama: The king has to be part of the society and he should be with the people.

  • He was with the people. That is why people used to like him.
  • Before being the king he knew what are the problems of the society so that he can solve them after being the king.

• In organizations: The leader should connect with the people to understand their issues and realities.

  • Without it he won't be able to find the issues which is very important.

Ayodhya Kanda

• Life is a roller coaster.
  • Rama was about to be king, but the next day he was sent to the jungle due to Kaikeyi's demand for two boons.
• Be prepared for any situation.
• Develop mental equanimity to handle unforeseen events.

Life Events of Rama

• Stable Mentality: Rama was so stable mentally, even after a lot of things were happening in his life (Was about to be king and was sent to the jungle).

• Psychologically fit: Then in the jungle also he had to fight with many demons, rakshasas and suddenly one day Sita is kidnapped. He handled that situation with deft and confidence in his life.

• Provides information on public policy and administration.

Bharata Visits Rama

• Story starts when Bharata actually comes to take Rama back to the kingdom to Ayodhya.
• Bharata Comes and Rama hugs Bharata.
• Rama asks questions about public policy and administration.

Aspects that are being asked about the country by Rama to Bharata.

• Are people ok?
• Are you taking taxes regularly?
• Are you taking care of the people.

Kaschit Sarga

• Detailed version of public policy and administration during the time of Ramayana can be seen here.
• The administration and public policy was being followed during the time of Ramayana can be seen and some of them can be even relevant for the present world.

Aranya Kanda

• Goodness needs to be protected from evil forces to remain sustainable.
• There were many rakshasas who actually tried to enforce their thoughts or their forces on the rishis.

Evil Action by an Individual

• An evil action by an individual will eventually trigger a bigger reaction from the system in the process of eliminating the evil.
• Several good aspects may also get destroyed.
• Sita Gets kidnapped by ravana, who despite having performed so many austerties, loses it all.

Consequences

• The Evil action led to the great war during the time of Ramayana.
• A good aspect such as the Lanka, which was very beautifully built got destroyed and many good people were destroyed.
• Aranya Kanda teaches that we must be very cautious about evil actions which we are doing.

Good action vs. Evil Action

• Every good action will lead to something good in future and every bad action evil action leads to the destruction of several good aspects.

Kishkindha Kanda

• Where Rama in search of Sita he meets the monkey king Sugriva, Hanuman etcetera.
• Rama becomes the friend of Sugriva as well as Hanuman during the time of great distress.
• Importance of friendship, loyalty and willpower (Hanuman).

Relationship between Rama and Sugriva

• Rama was distressed as Vali his brother had thrown him out of the kingdom.

• In this time of pain both came together and agreed to help each other.

• In that context Rama kills Vali.

• From the onwards months it was like for four months it was about to rain, it was a rainy season there.

  • Sugriva said, let us wait till the end of the rainy season then we will start searching Sita.

• Kingdom Indulgence:

  • Once he got the kingdom he indulged himself in the mundane interests.
  • That led to gradually forgetting the agreement which he had done with Rama.

• Reminding:

  • Rama had to remind Sugriva that you had promised me that you will support me and Sugriva suddenly woke up like his eyes were open.
  • Said: Yeah, I had done the mistake
  • Then the search of Sita begins.

• Tells:

  • This chapter also tells the importance of wise counseling to wade through challenges that we face in our life.

Sundara Kanda

• Hanuman is sent to Lanka to find out Sita.

• Strength of Character:

  • Helps discover unlimited courage within and faced adversity with grace and purpose.

Yuddha Kanda

• The benefits of wise counseling and the dangers of hasty decisions arising out of an inebriated mind polluted with attachment to unreasonable and unethical desires can be seen.

• Rama Takes Counseling

• The benefit of wise counseling is Rama.

• Rama takes the counseling of all the people.

• Actually calls all the heads of the monkey team and also takes the counseling of Vibhishana and then decides how to go ahead.

• Ravana Rejected Counseling

• Exactly opposite thing was done by Ravana

• Ravana was even guided by Kumbhakarna saying that please return Sita, do not fight with Rama.

  • Rama is a great character and fighting with him is not a good thing to do.

• Ravana never heard the good suggestions or good advices of his colleagues or his brothers.

• Vibhishana guided, Maricha guided, he Kumbhakarna guided, even Mandodari guided, but he was never ready to listen those things and that led to the destruction of his whole kingdom and himself.

Messages in Mahabharata

• Mahabharata is so dense and terse that it is a full of messages.
• Called as a fifth Veda.

Experiential Examples

• Actual and practical experiential examples we can find in Mahabharata.

• The Tale of Yudhishthira, Yaksha

• Yaksha Prashna gives lot of answers to lot of questions realted to life and beyond.

• Arathni (Stick)

• When Pandavas were in exile in the jungle, one rishi who actually used to perform his homa and yaga regularly.

• For performing yaga they used to have a type of stick, which is called as arathni.

• Has fire in it, and rubbing it to each other the fire used to flame to burn

• *Pandavas help

• So, now, this rishi was very upset.

• Rishi did not know what to do.

• The Rishi said that a deer took away his arathnis.

• Sahadeva goes and he finds one lake.

• Answers for Questions

• There, Sahadeva hears a voice calling out to answer a few set of questions inorder to get the sticks.

• But Sahadeva was not patient enough to listen to that voice.

• Yudhishthira said - please go ahead with the questions and I will answer the questions

• Each Brother Died

• 121 Questions were there that answer everything about life, that Yudhisthira answers and is blessed by the yaksha who was Yama in disguise, thereby restoring the life of all the brothers.