Epics in Imprints-1.pdf - Vivekananda Kendra Prakashan

What they teach
It is said in the Ramayana that at the
death of his beloved son Indrajeet,
Ravana, overpowered with grief that he
was, came to the battlefield to settle the
final issue with Rama. But Rama,
observing that his sworn enemy was tired
and lacked vigour to fight, said to him, ‘Go
back, Ravana, and get refreshed before you
come to fight me.’ In other words, Rama,
with all his might and chance to defeat
Ravana who abducted his most beloved
wife Sita, forgave his enemy and gave him
another lease of life.
What can be a more impressive
scene than this? Rama, a kshatriya king,
with all the grief of separation from Sita,
pardons the villain who is at his mercy!
This great act speaks only of strength and
liberality that find expression in
forgiveness. A really strong man can
forgive even when grief-stricken. Swami
Vivekananda once said, ‘Only one who is
strong enough to give back a blow for a
blow, to overthrow his enemy at will, has
the power to forgive––not a weakling.’ This
idea reigns supreme in both the great epics
of our land––the Ramayana and the
Mahabharata. The great values of human
life, the inherent culture of our land, and
many other qualities of the head and the
heart are reflected through the various
characters depicted therein. The absolute
Vedantic principles become meaningful
only when they are reflecting through a
personality. It is with this purpose that
these epics have been created by the
enlightened sages. If there is a truth in life,
it must find expression in all walks of life,
even in the busiest field of life like a
battlefield.
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FEBRUARY - AUGUST 2003
RELEVANCE OF OUR TWIN EPICS
SWAMI KRITARTHANANDA
Both the Ramayana and the
Mahabharata emphasize and corroborate
the Upanishadic truth––satyameva
jayate, nanrutam––truth alone
triumphs, not falsehood. One thing,
however, should not be lost sight of. It is
true that truth alone triumphs, but that is
in the last analysis. Till the end truth has
to pass through fiery ordeals to shed the
dross of untruth that attaches itself fast
to truth. And this truth can best be tested
in human life only, in man’s weal and woe.
There is no other go.
The other point these epics hint at
is that this world is not at all a mirth of
joy. We are born here with our inherent
tendencies and cartloads of past actions,
and we have to work them out in order to
go beyond this cycle of birth, death, and
misery. There is no way out of this maze.
Swami Vivekananda has succinctly
pointed out this fact by comparing this
world to a gymnasium where we come to
exercise our muscles and sinews. Contrary
to the common belief, this world is not a
place of enjoyment. Every bit of enjoyment
carries with it the message of death––we
approach nearer to death by revelling in
the senses.
This truth holds good even in the
case of great souls or incarnations of God.
Even a Rama or a Krishna are not spared
the pains of life. The Law of Nature is there
to squeeze life out of them too. And this is
but natural. What is extraordinary is that
these great souls are brave enough to hold
fast to the higher moral and ethical values
of human life at all costs. For example,
Rama vanquished Ravana and established