Sri Ram
A miniature painting from a Persian- language Ramayan commissioned by Emperor Akbar, c. A.D. 1594.
Photo courtesy: Museum 'Rietberg.
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Contents |
The person
Relationship with brothers
Swami Tejomayananda, We Connect Differently To A Personal God, October 19, 2018: The Times of India
Sri Rama was the maryadapurushottama, the ideal man. The purpose of his avatara was to teach us how to live. On the same day, three other mahapurushas, his brothers, were born. Their goal was different. They taught us how to love and their importance should not be underestimated. We must remember to pray to these great devotees, because the path to discover bhakti in our hearts, is only through the grace of the bhakta.
The relationship of each of the brothers with Rama was different.
In the Bala Kanda portion of Sri Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas uses simple analogies to describe the bond they individually shared with Rama.
Bharata’s relationship with Rama is described as the love of a bee for a flower. The bee and the flower, by virtue of their very being, are not always in physical proximity. However, whether they are together or not, the bee enjoys the nectar, the very essence of the flower. In the same way, even though he was not always with Rama, Bharata remained ever absorbed in the avatar’s divine essence.
Lakshmana, on the other hand, always followed Rama everywhere. He is therefore described as the flagpole on which the flag of Rama’s glories is hoisted. Physical closeness is essential to this relationship. A flag that is folded and stored is never saluted, nor is a bare flagpole given a second thought. However, when the flag is hoisted on the pole, people salute it and sing anthems in its praise. Yet, the flagpole is not given any special attention or praise, nor is any expected.
Lakshmana never desired any fame for himself. He only wanted Rama’s glories to spread everywhere at all times.
And finally, there is Shatrughna. The very name Shatrughna means ‘killer of enemies’. At first glance this seems quite a misnomer, since the Ramayana never describes him slaying demons nor shows his physical prowess or military might. What enemy then has he slain?
When we observe life, we find that the mind alone is the source of all enemies, within and outside us. Inner enemies are desire, likes, dislikes, etc, which are the biggest obstacle to our peace and happiness. When we interact with the world under the influence of such a volatile mind, we cause both good and bad reactions. And so any enemy in the external world is only a reflection of some inner imperfection in us. By overcoming the mind, therefore, Shatrughna had destroyed all his inner demons, and had removed external enmity also at the very root.
Further, Shatrughna’s relationship with Rama was indirect. Both Bharata and Lakshmana directly served Rama by helping him to accomplish his goals and objectives, but Shatrughna served Rama’s devotee.
To serve anyone requires a modicum of humility. But Shatrughna served Bharata, who was himself a servant of Rama. To be the servant of a servant, in addition to the complete absence of egoism, one requires a nature that is truly humble.
Shatrughna’s example is one that we can strive to emulate. We may not be among the Bharatas and Lakshmanas of this world, who can directly interact with the Divine. But we are free to serve society and the nation.
Character
Nobility
Renuka Narayanan, Why So Many Souls Fall In Love With Rama, April 2, 2020: The Times of India
Ramanavami, the birth of Rama in the month of Chaitra, refreshes tender thoughts of Rama, the embodiment of compassion, kindness and graceful behaviour. ‘Raman’ means one who is happy and also, one who makes others happy. Although the Ramayana is full of sorrowful partings, the character of Rama shines like a light in the darkness.
Rama’s amazing goodness at Chitrakoot to Kaikeyi, even though she drove him out of home into the forest for 14 years and took away his rights on the eve of his anointment as crown prince. It made a deep impression on me, of a high standard of behaviour. Rama’s inner composure: He never said one rude or reproachful word to Kaikeyi but rather, tried to make her feel better about herself. Nor did he allow Lakshmana and Sita to deviate a hairsbreadth from the cordiality and respect due to a mother, an elder.
This compassionate, forgiving quality of Rama’s character is declared by Narada at the very beginning of the epic, when Valmiki says, “I wonder if there is a single person blessed with all the good qualities one can think of.”
His list is an interesting revelation about ourselves as a society and what we are taught to admire: integrity, courage, honesty, gratitude, sticking by one’s principles, concern for all living beings, learning, skill, beauty, anger control, lack of jealousy at all times and undaunted heroism in dealing with whatever life throws at one.
“I will tell you about such a person,” says Narada, and gives Valmiki a potted history of Rama’s circumstances.
When Dasaratha asks his people what they think of his plan to make Rama the crown prince, even the fond father is astonished by the praja’s enthusiasm. Look at the reasons they give Dasaratha, apart from Rama’s wisdom, valour and kingly skills: “Rama speaks lovingly to everyone and his words have never been false. He respects elders and wise people. He is genuinely interested in the welfare of others. When out riding, he stops and talks to the man on the street. He readily forgives and forgets a wrong but remembers even the smallest nice thing that anybody ever did for him. He is well-read and well-mannered. He is a ‘drapi’ (angry only when rightfully required and in the right proportion)”.
The citizens of Ayodhya even leave their homes to follow Rama into the forest, so deep is their attachment to their sweet-natured prince.
Perfect strangers fall under Rama’s spell, like the forester Guha who takes Rama across the Ganga and actually prepares to defend Rama against Bharata and the entire Ayodhyan army. Rishi Bharadwaj and any number of other forest-dwellers become deeply attached to Rama in the course of 13 years in the forest. In the 14th year, a well-educated, well-spoken superhero like Hanuman is instantly drawn to Rama’s goodness. He forgets his disguise and blurts the truth about himself.
Vibhishana leaves behind his royal comforts, his place at Lanka’s powerful court, his wife and children, his wealth and property – and for whom? For a broke, homeless migrant (who has no clue about his divinity) and has only a motley crew of unarmed vanaras. That is an extraordinary sharanagati, total surrender, as kathakars expound.
Life
Manthara, Akampana
Sudhamahi Regunathan, February 9, 2022: The Times of India
The story of the Ramayan can be said to have evolved because of the craftiness of two people: Manthara and Akampana. Manthara, as we all know, was the hunchback maid of Kaikeyi. She was on the terrace of the palace when she saw the city bursting with festivities. She wobbled along to find someone to inquire the reason. “Ram is being crowned tomorrow,” said Kaushalya’s maid. Immediately Manthara came down to Kaikeyi’s room and reprimanded her harshly, “You foolish woman, get up. Do you know that tomorrow is Ram’s coronation as the crown prince?” Kaikeyi did not heed Manthara. She was delighted that Ram was being crowned. “Ram or Bharat, it makes no difference to me. They both are the same
to me,” said Kaikeyi.
Manthara saw that Kaikeyi was not going to change her mind so easily, so she played her trump card: “Kaushalya who has always been jealous of the king’s affection for you is now going to wreak vengeance on you. Her son will be king, you will be just another person in the palace. ”
Kaikeyi held her husband’s affection and was proud of that. She could see a jealous Kaushalya belittling her. Manthara had made her ego bristle with anger. She began listening to Manthara and the rest is known.
Another character, much less known, is Akampana. He had been in Janasthana with Khara, Trisaras and Dushan. Ram killed all of them along with 14,000 rakshasas. Akamapana escaped and came running to Ravan to give the message. Ravan was furious and hurt. He wanted to avenge the death of his brother Khara and was ready to go to war with Ram immediately.
Akampana declares that Ram can never be won in war by Ravan.
“What you can do is to kidnap his wife. He is very attached to her. Once you kidnap her, his death will be certain. ”
Ravan went to Maricha and asked him to help kidnap Sita. Maricha admonished him. “Why would you ask for trouble? Don’t play with such a powerful man. Go back and live in peace and let your city and citizens prosper. ” Ravan took the advice and came back. He too, like Kaikeyi, could see reason.
However, within some time Surpanaka, hurt and wailing, came to Ravan and in addition to deriding him by saying, “What kind of king are you that mere mortals injure your sister and you do not even know about it,” she also said, “I went there only to get that beautiful woman for you. So beautiful that …” She caught the lustful imagination of Ravan and hurt his ego by questioning his power as a ruler. Then Ravan changed his mind about Akampana’s suggestion and went back to Maricha. This time he did not heed Maricha’s advice. And the rest is known.
Manthara and Akampana were the two people who turned the minds of Kaikeyi and Ravan. Both Kaikeyi and Ravan resisted it initially, but their ego and weakness let them down and they became easy targets to influence. Kaikeyi lived to repent, Ravan lost his life.
Today social media can sometimes play the roles of Manthara and Akampana, let us be alert.
Values
A secular (panth nirpeksh), ethical leader
Pramod Pathak, Ethical Leadership Lessons From Rama, April 12, 2019: The Times of India
Ramanavami, the birthday of Rama, is celebrated with traditional gaiety in large parts of India. This is also election time, when we are in the process of electing a new government. This is a very suitable occasion to remember and reflect on the life and times of Rama and it is a good time to draw some lessons from the way he administered his people. More so, we have a lot to learn from the leadership values he stood for. This is particularly so, because Ramrajya is a metaphor for the ideal government, the search for which is still on, over seven decades after the country gained independence.
Let us go over some of the leadership traits Rama symbolised. Interestingly, these traits find copious mention in modern management literature as the desirable ones that administrators and managers need to follow. Ironically, they are missing in those desirous of leading the country.
As the term ethical leadership becomes the most recommended style, we need to find out how Rama embodied the qualities of ethical leadership.
The first and foremost point is that his were truly secular values based on universal humanism rather than any preference for caste, class or creed. The essence of Rama’s philosophy lies in his answer to his younger brother Bharata’s query in the Uttarkand of the Ramayana.
Bharata wants to know what is the noblest of all religions. Replying to this, Rama says that the greatest religion is that of doing good for others. An epitome of righteousness in every sense of the term, Rama exhibited superlative qualities of love and humility in his conduct – a contrast from the hatred and arrogance prevalent in today’s leaders.
Rama’s noble act of effecting Ahalya’s redemption is a true depiction of the spirit of civility and concern for women’s rights. The story of Ahalya is a milepost in women’s emancipation. In endorsing Ahalya’s character, Rama’s action suggests that society must embrace a victimised woman rather than treat her as a culprit. His courteous treatment of the boatman who ferried him along with Sita and Lakshmana across the river Ganga during the beginning of the exile period is an exemplary act of humility that is virtually extinct these days.
Similarly, Rama showed great respect for the elderly Shabari, a woman from a lower caste, whose berries were consumed with great love and enthusiasm although she gave them to him only after taking the first bite. No person of royal descent will be accepting any edible item that is first tasted by a person of inferior caste. But Rama honoured the intention of the old woman who wanted to make sure that only the sweetest of berries were offered to him. Yes, there may be aspiring leaders who ostensibly mimic such acts by consuming food with the downtrodden castes or touching their feet and so on, but on the very face of it, such acts appear to be feigned humility. The crux of Rama’s leadership lessons lie in the famous couplet of Ramcharitmanas in which he describes the way leaders should act. Paraphrased below is the essence: “The leader should be like the mouth that eats and drinks at one source but makes sure that it nourishes every part of the body judiciously.”
Leadership Lessons From RamCharitManas
Kanti Mohan Rustagi, Leadership Lessons From Ramcharitmanas, April 13, 2019: The Times of India
Ramcharitmanas, the epic saga of Rama authored by Tulsidas, is not merely biographical poetry; it is also a message to lead a stress-free life, prepare to successfully face complex contingencies and refine one’s behavioural, leadership, management and relationship qualities and attributes. Therefore, Ramcharitmanas is not limited to being a bhakti song – it is much more than that for it has all the ingredients in it to do a world of good to the young, to educated professionals and others, to read this epic with open eyes and mind to better their professional and personal lives.
Ramcharitmanas depicts simple episodes from the life of Rama that could help us to hone our leadership skills. At the beginning of the Rama-Ravana battle, the demons – upon being heavily beaten by the monkey army – run to their king, Ravana, who admonishes them and threatens to take their lives himself if they choose to run away from battle: ‘Jo run bimukh suna mein kana, so mein hatab karal kripana. Sarbasu khai bhog kari nana, samar bhumi bhaye ballabh prana.’ This is one style of leadership, that is, to keep employees in fear, insecure, under threat of losing their employment and/ or life and so, get the work done while continuing to enjoy the benefits.
During the battle, the tide turns and Kumbhakarna kills and eats thousands of monkeys, creating panic amongst them and making them run away from the battlefield. Rama leads from the front and commands Lakshmana, Sugreeva and Vibhishana to protect the monkey army while he himself would carry out a head-on fight with Kumbhakar na: ‘Sunu Sugreeva Vibhishana Anuj Sambhareo Sen, Mein dekhon khal bal dalehi bole rajivnen.’ A good leader in difficult times will lead from the front and protect his people, while an evil leader will risk his people’s well-being and even lives, to protect himself.
It does not mean that a good leader has to be soft. He has to maintain a balance between the softness and hard decisions to achieve the goal. Upon Sugreeva getting immersed in the leisure of a newly found kingdom, Rama directs Lakshmana to admonish him. Rama counsels him: ‘Bhaiy Dekhai Le Aavahu Taat Sakha Sugreeva.’ A leader keeps his eyes focussed on the goal and uses anger and a tough exterior only to achieve his goals, so that objectivity is not lost.
A good leader has to build confidence in his people and enable them to realise their potential. Angad was down in spirit after the death of Vaali, his father, and was even sceptical of his uncle, Sugreeva’s intent, which he even expresses thus: ‘Pita vadhe par maarat mohi.’ Rama realises this, and to build Angad’s confidence, sends him as messenger to Ravana’s court, encouraging him by saying, ‘Baali tanay budhi bal gun dhama,’ and the result was for everyone to see. Angad was not only successful in creating fear in the minds of the people of Lanka but was also one of the most valiant warriors of the war along with Hanuman. Thus, a true leader not merely brings out the best from his people but helps them achieve beyond the best.
Ramcharitmanas is not a simplistic religious epic but is an inspiration to everyone, and in every walk of life. Readers, listeners, and followers of this epic have only to interpret it with an open mind and wide perspective to reap benefits.
The Rāmāyaṇ and Sri Ram
Sri Ram and the constitution of the Rāmāyaṇ
This section is an excerpt from HINDU GODS AND HEROES STUDIES IN THE HISTORY OF BY LIONEL D. BARNETT, M.A., Litt The Wisdom of the East Series Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor |
Rāma is the hero of the Rāmāyaṇa, the great epic ascribed to Vālmīki, a poet who in course of time has passed from the realm of history into that of myth, like many other Hindus. The poem, as it has come down to us, contains seven books, which relate the following tale. Daśa-ratha, King of Ayōdhyā (now Ajodhya, near Faizabad), of the dynasty which claimed descent from the Sun-god, had no son, and therefore held the great Aśva-mēdha, or horse-sacrifice, as a result of which he obtained four sons, Rāma by his queen Kauśalyā, Bharata by Kaikēyī, and Lakshmaṇa and Śatrughna by Sumitrā. Rāma, the eldest, was also pre-eminent for strength, bravery, and noble qualities of soul.
Visiting in his early youth the court of Janaka, king of Vidēha, Rāma was able to shoot an arrow from Janaka's bow, which no other man could bend, and as a reward he received as wife the princess Sītā, whom Janaka had found in a furrow of his fields and brought up as his own daughter. So far the first book, or Bāla-kāṇḍa. The second book, or Ayōdhyā-kāṇḍa, relates how Queen Kaikēyī induced Daśa-ratha, sorely against his will, to banish Rāma to the forests in order that her son Bharata might succeed to the throne; and the Araṇya-kāṇḍa then describes how Rāma, accompanied by his wife Sītā and his faithful brother Lakshmaṇa, dwelt in the forest for a time, until the demon King Rāvaṇa of Laṅkā, by means of a trick, carried off Sītā to his city.
The Kishkindhā-kāṇḍa tells of Rāma's pursuit of Rāvaṇa and his coming to Kishkindhā, the city of Sugrīva, the king of the apes, who joined him as an ally in his expedition; and the Sundara-kāṇḍa describes the march of their armies to Laṅkā, which is identified with Ceylon, and their crossing over the straits. Then comes the Yuddha-kāṇḍa, which narrates the war with Rāvaṇa, his death in battle, the restoration of Sītā, the return of Rāma and Sītā to Ayōdhyā, and the crowning of Rāma in place of Daśa-ratha, who had died of grief during his exile. Finally comes the Uttara-kāṇḍa, which relates that Rāma, hearing some of the people of Ayōdhyā spitefully casting aspersions on the virtue of Sītā during her imprisonment in the palace of Rāvaṇa, gave way to foolish jealousy and banished her to the hermitage of Vālmīki, where she gave birth to twin sons, Kuśa and Lava; when these boys had grown up, Vālmīki taught them the Rāmāyaṇa and sent them to sing it at the court of Rāma, who on hearing it sent for Sītā, who came to him accompanied by Vālmīki, who assured him of her purity; and then Sītā swore to it on oath, calling upon her mother the Earth-goddess to bear witness; and the Earth-goddess received her back into her bosom, leaving Rāma bereaved, until after many days he was translated to heaven.
Such is the tale of Rāma as told in the Vālmīki-rāmāyaṇa—a clean, wholesome story of chivalry, love, and adventure. But clearly the Vālmīki-rāmāyaṇa is not the work of a single hand. We can trace in it at least two strata. Books II.-VI. contain the older stratum; the rest is the addition of a later poet or series of poets, who have also inserted some padding into the earlier books. This older stratum, the nucleus of the epic, gives us a picture of heroic society in India at a very early date, probably not very long after the age of the Upanishads; perhaps we shall not be far wrong if we say it was composed some time before the fourth century b.c. In it Rāma is simply a hero, miraculous in strength and goodness, but nevertheless wholly human; but in the later stratum—Books I. and VII. and the occasional insertions in the other books—conditions are changed, and Rāma appears as a god on earth, a partial incarnation of Vishṇu, exactly as in the Bhagavad-gītā and other later parts of the Mahābhārata the hero Kṛishṇa has become an incarnation of Vishṇu also. The parallel may even be traced further. Kṛishṇa stands to Arjuna in very much the same relation as Rāma to his brother Lakshmaṇa—a greater and a lesser hero, growing into an incarnate god and his chief follower. This is thoroughly in harmony with Hindu ideas, which regularly conceive the teacher as accompanied by his disciple and abhor the notion of a voice crying in the wilderness; indeed we may almost venture to suspect that this symmetry in the epics is not altogether uninfluenced by this ideal.
This, however, is a detail: the main point to observe is that Rāma was originally a local hero of the Solar dynasty, a legendary king of Ayōdhyā, and as the Purāṇas give him a full pedigree, there is no good reason to doubt that he really existed "once upon a time." But the story with which he is associated in the Rāmāyaṇa is puzzling. Is it a pure romance? Or is it a glorified version of some real adventures? Or can it be an old tale, perhaps dating from the early dawn of human history, readapted and fitted on to the person of an historical Rāma? The first of these hypotheses seems unlikely, though by no means impossible.
The second suggestion has found much favour. Many have believed that the story of the expedition of Rāma and his army of apes to Laṅkā represents a movement of the Aryan invaders from the North towards the South; and this is supported to some extent by Indian tradition, which has located most of the places mentioned in the Rāmāyaṇa, and in particular has identified Laṅkā with Ceylon. In support of this one may point to the Iliad of Homer, which has a somewhat similar theme, the rape and recovery of Helen by the armies of the Achæans, the basis of which is the historical fact of an expedition against Troy and the destruction of that city. But there are serious difficulties in the way of accepting this analogy, the most serious of all being the indubitable fact that there is not a tittle of evidence to show that such an expedition was ever made by the Aryans.
True, there were waves of emigration from Aryan centres southward in early times; but those that travelled as far as Ceylon went by sea, either from the coasts of Bengal or Orissa or Bombay. Besides, the expedition of Rāma is obviously fabulous, for his army was composed not of Aryans but of apes. All things considered, there seems to be most plausibility in the third hypothesis .[ I regret that I cannot accept the ingenious hypothesis lately put forward by Rai Saheb Dineshchandra Sen in his Bengali Ramayanas.
The story of the Dasaratha-jātaka seems to me to be a garbled and bowdlerised snippet cut off from a possibly pre-Vālmīkian version of the old Rāma-saga; the rest of the theory appears to be quite mistaken.] Certainly Rāma was a local hero of Ayōdhyā, and probably he was once a real king; so it is likely enough that an old saga (or sagas) attached itself early to his memory. And as his fame spread abroad, principally on the wings of Vālmīki's poem, the honours of semi-divinity began to be paid to him in many places beyond his native land, and about the beginning of our era he was recognised as an incarnation of Vishṇu sent to establish a reign of righteousness in the world. In Southern India this cult of Rāma, like that of Kṛishṇa, has for the most part remained subordinate to the worship of Vishṇu, though the Vaishṇava church there has from early times recognised the divinity of both of them as embodiments of the Almighty. But its great home is the North, where millions worship Rāma with passionate and all-absorbing love.
What Sri Ram symbolises
Sri Ram’s Paratva
Sri Sankararama Dikshitar | Rama’s paratva |OCTOBER 16, 2017 | The Hindu
Valmiki portrays Rama as a human being and except during very rare occasions is His Paratva revealed and the Jatayu episode is one such, pointed out Sri Sankararama Dikshitar in a discourse.
Jatayu’s role in the Ramayana is remarkable in many respects. He exemplifies the nature of selfless service and devotion, where the devotee offers his entire being unconditionally to the Lord and is happiest when serving Him. Among the various forms of bhakti, this is deemed the highest and is extolled as ‘atma samarpana.’ The wounded Jatayu, whose life is ebbing away, is eager to convey the details of how Sita had been abducted by the wicked Ravana to the grief stricken Rama and Lakshmana who come in search of her. When they learn that the noble bird had put up a valiant battle single-handedly and unarmed against Ravana’s might, they are moved to tears. In the fight, the bird had destroyed Ravana’s charioteer, his chariot and bow but eventually, Ravana had overpowered the bird and clipped its wings. Jatayu emerges as a picture of selfless sacrifice in the service of the divine couple.
Jatayu consoles the distraught Rama and reassures Him that no harm will come to Sita and that very soon she will be restored to them. Rama is as much overwhelmed by grief as by a surging sense of affection and gratitude and embraces Jatayu. He asks Jatayu to be comfortable and blesses the bird. Rama says that the grief of seeing Jatayu pass away is greater than the loss of Sita. He considers Jatayu as equal to His father and proceeds to do the final rites for the bird. All along Rama had shown Himself as a human being in this avatar, but in this context He forgets Himself and by His Sankalpa and supremacy, He grants Jatayu the highest state, liberation or moksha that is attainable by noble souls who have lived virtuous lives on earth.
Sri Ram symbolises compassion
From the archives of The Times of India: 2008
Sudhamahi Reghunathan
Rama stood facing the ocean. His army had arrived. Even Vibhishana had come across from Lanka and taken refuge in him. Thoughts of Vaidehi were tormenting Rama. And everyone now pointed to the ocean saying that was the first challenge they had to meet. As he stood watching the vast, deep ocean, Rama wondered how they would cross it.
For three days and nights Rama prayed to Lord Sagara, who had been created by his ancestors by excavating the land and seeking the grace of Varuna, the water god. Yet Sagara did not respond to Rama’s prayers. Since time was running out, Rama began to string his bow declaring his intention to shoot an arrow that would be so powerful as to dry up the ocean.
Hearing Rama’s plans, cries rang through the air, birds flew home and animals ran hither and thither. The waters rose in agony. Seeing that his brother was determined to carry out his threat, Lakshmana pleaded with Rama to show restraint. “Great people like you do not fall into the trap of anger, that blinds reason and thinking. All that is born of anger does not last. That which is born of consultation and conciliation alone lives long after man. Your purpose should be achieved without resorting to such an extreme step. Devise some more durable way of crossing the seas,” implored Lakshmana.
With his bow still in hand, Rama sees reason in his brother’s argument. Sagara appeared before Rama with this appeal: “We, the earth, air, ether, water and fire are bound by the eternal laws governing nature. It is in my nature, therefore, to be fathomless and incapable of being swum across. We cannot break those laws. Not for greed, desire or out of fear will I solidify so that you and the army can walk over me for that would endanger the lives of beings that live in me. I will not part or move my course by transgressing limits. However, I will help you and your army cross the ocean by bearing everything that I can without overstepping my limits. Build on my chest a bridge and the wellendowed son of Vishwakarma, the monkey Nala, is capable of doing that. I will sustain the bridge.”
The ocean lord advises Rama to shoot his arrow at a region that has polluted waters, so that it is cleansed of that impurity. Once the bow is strung, the arrow has to be released and so Rama decides to follow Sagara’s advice. Nala comes forth to build the bridge. Says Nala, “The ocean responded only to punishment and not to request, this is true. But it is not just because it is ungrateful. It is also because it wants to provoke you to build a bridge on it, so that it sees a lasting solution to the problem it presents to many travellers.”
The bridge was built and the war won, and good triumphed over evil. The bridge was more than a physical entity. It was a symbol of the need to find ways to preserve sanctity of life. Every form of life is subject to eternal laws. That which is sustainable is that which takes into consideration the aspirations and commitment of all beings, be they dangerous animals or fathomless waters.
Equally, Rama’s mission was important. To find solutions within the given constraints was the true challenge. When he faced this truth, nature became his supporter and instead of fighting it he became empowered with its support. Because he was able to work in consonance with nature to achieve his desired goal, Rama’s bridge symbolised the importance of understanding, compassion and harmony.
