In this episode of “5 Minutes,” Dr. Robert Svoboda explores the Ramayana and its significance as a story of Dharma, Rama, and spiritual understanding.
India has two main epics: the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. In many ways, the Mahabharata is the story of Krishna, while the Ramayana is the story of Rama. The Mahabharata is much longer than the Ramayana, and it is, in many ways, a vast collection of stories that contains the central conflict between the Pandavas and the Kauravas.
The Ramayana, however, is focused entirely on Rama, from the beginning of his life through the central events of his life and finally to the end of his life. There is a tradition, at least in Western India, that one should not keep a copy of the Mahabharata in the home because it is believed that it may encourage the same kind of family conflict that occurs within the story. On the other hand, many people keep a copy of the Ramayana in their homes, read it regularly, and use it as an upaya, a way of working with difficult planets, challenges, curses, or family difficulties.
Both epics are about Dharma. The Mahabharata is primarily about being confronted with different forms of Dharma that appear to apply to you and trying to understand which one you should follow. The Ramayana is more focused on Dharmas that are already understood and on people doing their best to live according to those responsibilities.
The Ramayana exists on many levels. As Vimalananda used to say, the Ramayana happens within everyone every day. There are seven kandas, or sections, in the Ramayana, and depending on what is happening in your life, you can recognize aspects of your own experience within these different sections.
The Sundara Kanda, the beautiful section, is often recited separately from the rest of the Ramayana. It is again used as an upaya for dealing with difficulties because this is the section where Hanuman makes his great leap to Lanka after discovering the location of Sita. He searches through Lanka, finds Sita, shows her Rama’s signet ring, and assures her that Rama will soon come with an army to rescue her from Ravana.
The Ramayana exists throughout Indian culture and not only in South Asia. It also became deeply established in Southeast Asia, where Indian culture extended and where the story developed its own forms.
The word Ramayana itself can be understood in different ways. It can mean the path or journey of Rama through the world, Rama’s movement through life, or it can mean movement in the direction of Rama.
There is also an understanding within the text and among those who interpret it that Rama is both the Maryada Purushottama, the ideal human being who follows Dharma, and an incarnation of the Divine. Rama knows his true nature as the Supreme Reality, but he also accepts the limitations of human existence and receives assistance from Hanuman, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, and others in accomplishing what he came to accomplish.
Krishna, by contrast, contains everything within himself and is therefore called Purna, complete. For many human beings, who are limited in our own experience, Rama is easier to relate to because we can understand his struggles and responsibilities more easily than Krishna, whose nature goes beyond ordinary human understanding.
The Ramayana is a wonderful scripture that provides insight into the development of culture in South Asia. It is a great story, but it is also a way of allowing awareness to move from the specific story of the life of Ramachandra, the incarnation of Vishnu, toward the deeper reality of Atma Rama, the Supreme Reality that carries the same name.