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The Ramayan-as retold by Shri Manoharji-Part 2
Ram Navami special
A three part essay on the Ramayan on the
occasion of Ram Navami celebrated on 1st
April 2012.
One significant and popular element of the
celebration is the Ramayana parayanaa, a
discourse on the Ramayana, by a pundit or a
professional story-teller. It usually lasts nine
days, beginning on Ugadi and ending on
Rama Navami. A skilled story-teller who can
liven up the event by weaving in contemporary
events attracts massive crowds.
Vaastuyogam invites the Ramayan scholar
Shri Kowtha Lalith Manohar of Hyderabad to
present a small reading of the Ramayana.
Greatness of Ram
If you give a donation to XYZ, they will surely
honour you and applaud you too. That is
common. But when your ardent enemy
praises you that is true greatness. That is
Rama.
One must study the
Ramayan texts and not
just read them. The
texts must be attended
to with devotion,
respect and discipline.
We must read them as
bhaktas (humble
followers) and not as
critics.
Lord Ram, Laxman and Ahilya
To illustrate this I recount an interesting
episode involving Maricha, the demon who
escaped alive from Vishvamitra’s ashram
when Rama and Laxman mounted an attack
on the demons there.
Ravana, who was out for avenging his sister
Surpanakha’s humiliation by Laxman makes a
crafty plan. A golden deer would be used as a
decoy to lure away Ram and Laxman on a wild
chase. When both Rama and Laxman are
away from the ashram, Ravana will carry
away Sita. To execute this plan Ravana goes
to Maricha and asks him to join him in his plan
of abducting Sita by taking the form of
beautiful golden deer . For this Maricha says
“Why do you want to go anywhere near
Rama. He is the embodiment of dharma. If
you touch him, your entire dynasty will perish.
Moreover, he is without blemish! I besiege
you, Ravana, not to go near Rama.”
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The Killing of Vaali
Many questions are raised about the killing of
Vaali from behind the tree. People have
doubted the propriety of Rama killing Vaali
from behind the tree. Not just that, the point is
also made that Rama killed Vaali to buy the
allegiance of Sugreeva in his task of fighting
Ravana to get back his wife Sita.
In
Ramayana, Vaali questioned Rama on this
and other principles of Dharma.
Rama
answers all queries as per Dharma shastra to
the full satisfaction of Vaali.
Here Shri Manoharji offers a commentary on
the subject that highlights the fact that we
Unfortunately, most of
the people do not know
Sanskrit and have to
rely on translations,
comic books and
television serials. There
is no harm in this, but
the trouble is that much
of what Maharishi
Valmiki – the poet
author of the work wants to convey is
totally either lost or
watered down in these
versions. In addition,
the translators cannot
resist adding/altering
the text. The result is
that the Ramayan that
is available in the
popular versions and is
the one that is read and
known by the public is
very different from the
original work.
Ravana
cannot escape from our
karmas.
In the Krishna avatar,
Krishna ends his Avatar
when an arrow shot by a
person from behind a bush
pierces his foot. At that time,
Krishna says that one
commits sins merrily, but
when the time to pay for
those sins comes, one starts
weeping. He adds, “I have
killed Vaali from behind a
tree in my avatar as Rama,
The Rameshwaram Temple, Tamilnadu
and now the time has come
for me to pay for that ” From
this incident, it will be clear that there is no one that is read and known by the public
escape from your karma. You will have to pay differs from the original work at some places.
up in the next birth or the next or next to next I must clarify here that I have read only the
Sanskrit texts and I know that it is not possible
birth.
for everyone to do so. The next best thing is to
hear the Ramayan in a formal way by sitting in
How to read the Ramayana?
a
Katha(organised discourse) session being
Unfortunately, most of the people do not know
held
by a true and learned person who has
Sanskrit and have to rely on translations,
studied
the original texts and immersed
comic books and television serials. There is
himself
in
the Ramayan.
no harm in this, but the trouble is that much of
what Maharishi Valmiki – the poet author of
the work wants to convey is either lost or
watered down in these versions. In addition,
the translators cannot resist adding/altering
the text. The result is that the Ramayan that is
available in the popular versions and is the
Having said that, I must add that to really
understand the life and times of Ram, reading
only the Ramayan by Valmiki is not enough.
There are other Ramayans available. Ananda
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Most modern adult
Indians nurse the
misconception that
India is a country of
poverty, sickness and
defeat because we
have wasted time on
religion and the
reading of the Vedas
and Puranas. Using
this as reason enough,
we have in a wholesale
way thrown away true
religion from our lives.
Ramayana, Adbhuta Ramayana, Aascharya
Ramayana etc., authored by Valmiki. One
must study all these sacred texts and
corroborate the events.
One must study the Ramayana texts not just
for reading sake. The text must be attended to
with devotion, respect and discipline. We must
read them as bhaktas (humble followers) and
not as critics. We must analyse the texts
deeper and deeper to ensure that we get the
correct and complete picture. I am reading the
Ramayana for the 65th time now and each
Shri Kowtha Lalith Manoharji of Hyderabad
time I read it, my perception of the events
described matures.
During these studies, definitely, doubts will
arise and at such time, one can refer to some
excellent commentaries on the texts that are
available. I myself refer to – among others –
Commentaries of Govindaraja, Maheshtirdha
and Tilakam. In their different ways, they have
tried to understand and explain the great texts.
Here again, there are several areas where
logic will not work and one must then repose
faith in what is stated rather than arguing the
issue ad-infinitum.
Practical tips on reading the Ramayan
There are no readymade solutions. You have
to enter first and then find your way.
However, as someone who has been reading
the Ramayan for practically the whole of his
life I would recommend the following course
as a beginning:You should do the parayana(ritual reading
aloud of the Ramayan)aloud for half an hour
every day, preferably at the start of your day.
You could begin from Bal Ramayan. It
contains about a hundred stanzas and if you
can read the Devnagri scripts, plenty true and
impartial translations are available. My
grandchildren chant them regularly.
To complete the Ramayan – if you study it for
half an hour every day – could take you up to
40 to 60 days depending on your speed.
Nevertheless, the time taken for reading the
Ramayan is irrelevant. What is important is
how much you are reflecting upon what you
read, as you are reading it. Also, try retaining
the essence of the subject in your mind and
soul.
How can we regenerate sincere interest in the
Ramayan?
Most modern adult Indians nurse the
misconception that India is a country of
poverty, sickness and defeat because we
have wasted time on religion and the reading
of the Vedas and Puranas. Using this as
reason enough, we have in a wholesale way
thrown away true religion from our lives.
If you want to have nuclear scientists, or
metallurgical engineers how would you go
Battle At Lanka Ramayana
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The Handwritten Scrolls
Under the tutelage of my grandfather, I started reading
the Valmiki Ramayan every day from my fourteenth
year onwards. From that day I have been reading it
daily, without a break. In fact, my day begins with the
Ramayan. I have already read 64 times and am on my
65th reading. ( Of course , I was able to read the Valmiki
Ramayan because , in my very early childhood I had
learnt Sanskrit in the traditional gurukula style.)
about it? Apart from the infrastructure of high
quality teachers and well-equipped schools
and colleges, at a personal level we have to
give the child/person 12 to 14 hours of
intensive study for the first three to five years
and that to be followed by regular, systematic
application of mind and body. So too, we must
pursue the study of Ramayan with rigour and
enthusiasm.
However, for this to happen, the parents of the
new generation must be convinced that the
only way to salvation lies in our ancient
scriptures like the Ramayan. The root of the
problem is the parents themselves; because
it is they who are the true de-motivators. It is
they who won’t go for Sanskrit studies for their
children; it is they, who impress upon the child
that reading Ramayan will get him nowhere,
that apart from the curriculum studies of the
school - the child should first concentrate on
sports, cultural activities, travel and so on and
so forth , and that studying the scriptures can
wait.
The parents will have to inculcate in the child
the idea that money is not the be-all and endall of life. It is they who will have to encourage
the child to do things that do not necessarily
add up to a career move. It is up to them to
teach the child that money is only a means to
an end and not an end by itself. That true
happiness and well-being cannot be achieved
by merely chasing material goals. That the
first goal to be attained is contentment; that a
true happy life and after-life will be achieved
by regular and purposeful reading of
Ramayana and other holy scriptures and
imbibe the Dharmic thoughts and habits and
put them in daily practice.
The third instalment of this series shall appear
in our Dasera issue, later on during the year.
While this was going on , one day an eighty year old
gentleman knocked on the doors of my house with a
Shri Manoharji
strange proposition. As I got up from my puja he fell on
my feet. I was startled and requested him to rise,
adding “Sir, you are an eighty year old man whereas I am only forty; please don’t
punish me like this!” (Our shastras say that if an elderly Brahmin falls at the feet of a
younger person, it cuts off the life of that person.)
He then made a most astonishing proposition. He said, “I want to give my daughter to
you.” I replied that I was married and had three daughters myself. I warned the
gentleman that my wife would be coming out any moment and should she get to know
of this conversation, both he and I would be thrown out of the house. Then he said, “I
want to give my Kaavya Kanya to you”. Then I said, please come inside the house we
will talk. After the initial formalities he began his story:“My father-in-law got the Ramayana written by hand . He read this for 108 times and
then gave it to me with the instructions that when the time comes I , too, must hand it
over to a deserving candidate; someone who would study it religiously on a daily
basis.”
“I have been searching for a deserving candidate for over six months now and in you, I
have found him. For seven days I have kept watch on you and observed you doing the
parayanaa (ritual reading aloud of the Ramayana) in the mornings. I had my doubts,
whether a wealthy person would have the discipline and humility to pursue the
Ramayana diligently, but now I have satisfied myself”
I had been told that doing the parayanaa on a handwritten scroll is 100 times more
powerful than doing on a printed book. Therefore, I was overjoyed at this prospect of
receiving a handwritten scroll for my parayanaa. I consulted my father and other
pundits. On a day with the star, Punarvasu the birth star of Sri Rama I went to the
house of this old man and received the scroll as a Maha Prasada from Lord Sri Rama.
As is my practice, before starting anything new I went to my mentor His Holiness Sri
Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swami at Kanchi to take his permission and
blessings before starting the parayanaa on the scrolls. I must add here that the
Paramacharya of Kanchi stayed in my house for four months in 1968 and I have
observed him from close quarters and accept him as a living God. As it happened, the
Shankracharya was on a maunavrata ( not speaking to anyone)that day. However,
there is an exception to the maunavrata rules; speaking in Sanskrit. When I narrated
the whole story to him, immediately he asked, “Does it have six Kaandas or seven? I
replied that there were six. He was happy with the answer, as the seventh kanda is not
for study but only for reading to know the contents. The Shankaracharya then kept the
scrolls on his head and then gave them to me with some fruits that he put on the
scrolls. He said, “Go ahead! Do your parayanaa on this” After his blessings I returned
home and from then on have been doing my parayanaa on these scrolls.