SRI RAMA GITA is found in the Uttarakanda of Adhyatma Ramayana.
King Ramachandraji was lost in thought. the conflict within him was becoming unbearable, his love and his duty? time stood still, in the restless sorrow of indecision. Watching the sun rise by the open window sri Ram suddenly made up his mind. though his heart was throbbing with sorrow his head was cool and determined. he had to make sacrifices in order to rule effectively and administer law and justice.
He called for his Brother Lakshmana and lovingly told him that Sita had expressed a wish to go back to the Rishi Ashram that she had travel led through. And he wanted Lakshmana to take Sita there to Valmiki Ashram and leave her there and return. Lakshmana silently wondering at the cruelty in his brothers command, did as he was told much to the unwillingness and dejection in his heart.
One day much later Lakshma hesitantly approached Rama and asked him about the morality - the beauty and ugliness -- that is inherent in all actions that man can and undertakes.
The exhaustive discourse given out by Sri Rama, the perfect mystic in response to his dear brothers question is called SRI RAMA GITA.
The sixty two verses of Sri Rama Gita are found in Veda Vyasa's Adhyatma Ramayana in the Uttara kanda as its fifth chapter framed in the Pauranic style and is also often described as Sruti sara sangraha. Here the discussions between the brothers soars to vivid heights of subtlety. Both the tutor and the taught being highly spiritual. One needs to be of the caliber of Lakshma to truly understand the text. The sanctity, thoroughness and depth, the sublimity of the goal pointed out are all rendered valid and eloquent. BUT we are not privileged to listen to the discussion of the two eternal brothers. instead we hear it as a story from Parama Siva narrating to His consort Parameswari or Parvati on her questioning him as to what had happened to Sri Rama after he banished Sita the pregnant and innocent queen to the forest.
Rama's name derived from the Sanskrit rama which means that which revels in every form (ramate sarva bhutesu, sthavaresu caresu ca)
According to vedic tradition, once the seeker has purified the mind and intellect and gained a steady consistency in thinking, he or she must strive to employ the mind in a mood of unwavering contemplation, analyzing and discovering the total identity of the essence behind both the individuality (jivatma) and the universal self (paramatma). Knowledge then becomes the means and the goal.
The upanishads have prescribed certain irrevocable duties to be followed as per the varna in life which are obligatory. When such duties are performed without any anxieties for their fruits, they tend to exhaust the vasanas and bring the mind to a quiet vigilant and quiet composure which then becomes ready for study and contemplation.
"I do" and "I experience are the constant whispering of the ego. Jnana (apprehension)alone can end ajnana (non apprehension)
A man of pure mind, endowed with faith, through contemplation of the great statement "That thou art" with the grace of the teacher comes to realize the perfect identity between the Paramatma and the Jiva and then gains supreme happiness and becomes like the meru mountain, unperturbed under all circumstances.
to understand the true meaning of a given sentence, understanding the meaning of individual words is important. In the sentence That thou art the words that and thou indicate the Paramathma and the Jivathma and art indicates the total identity between the two.{How is it possible some thing in the nature of supreme purity of the lord should exist in individual self too}
We sometimes liberally employ the suggestive meaning lying hidden behind sentences to make sense out of the sentence heard (jaha laksana). sometimes a listener will have to add something more in order to interpret the statement correctly (ajaha laksana) and sometimes he has to give up some aspect and retain others in order to make meaning of what is said.(jaha ajaha laksana) eg. My house is right on the sea. the listener has to understand the house is next to the sea. etc.
Sri Rama explains to Lakshmana that to grasp the significance of the mahakavya, we have to use the method of jaha ajaha laksana which is also called bhaga laksana.
Just as by contact of a red flower, a crystal glass looks apparently red, so too this self, unattached and unborn, when in contact with the five kosas sheaths appears to be of their characteristic individual nature. but one has to discriminate intelligently? how the red color is superimposed other colors too can .
the body too is enveloped in sheaths namely annamayakosa (the food sheath) pranamayakosa (vital air sheath) manomayakosa (mental sheath) vijnanamayakosa (intellectual sheath) and of course anandamayakosa (Bliss sheath) when the total implications are considered one can distinguish between the self and non self.
The Chandogya upanishad proclaims that the self is one without a second. only when it functions through the equipment's does it appear to be many.
Action is considered to be the cause for the manifested body. He who is extremely attached to the body performs both desirable and undesirable actions. that produce joy and sorrow.
To one who regularly practices samadhi, who is regular in his practice of meditation, in him the vasanas get burned up, and consequently his mental agitations become increasingly fewer. to the extent of rajas (misapprehension) getting eliminated at the mental level, Tamas (non apprehension) also gets lifted to an intellectual level of sattvic mood. the sattvik mind settles easily into a steady, contemplative mood.
The source of disturbance in the mind is its engagement in the world of sense objects. The mind gushes into the fields of objects only when it is whipped up by the desires in the intellect. The desire to possess, embrace, and enjoy sense objects comes out of a foolish values we entertain. The erroneous misconception that an object contains a certain amount of joy. to those who examine intelligently the nature of the world of things and beings and realize the finite entities are impermanent, sorrow oozing, mind dissipating and not desirable or worth the craving. end such desires.
The inner enemies are six in number desire, anger, greed delusion, lust, and envy. These six physical and mental urges are exhaustively examined in the upanishads. where it is declared that hunger and thirst belong to the physiological system prana, the sorrow and passions to the mind and old age and death belong to the body.
To those who accomplish the above adjustments to them Sri Rama says he is directly available for their personal experience. SRI RAMA the SUPREME SELF EXPLODES into the vision of such a contemplative mind.
Sri Rama declares "Through such steady and continuous contemplation, the spiritual seeker shall become ever liberated from all bondage. Thereafter he lives his share of destiny without the sense of "I am the body" and in the end he merges into me the pure self.
In the Brhadaranyaka upanishad yajnavalkya insists "this self is to be seen, heard reflected and meditated upon.
Through steady practice (easily said than done by mind the monkey) he or she glides effortlessly into the higher state of the pure self. the individual becomes liberated by the encumbrances of the body mind and intellect, and is forever freed from the shackles and never will he be entrap into the state again. he at the end of his life attains VIDEHA MUKTI.
Rama says just as when water is poured into the ocean, as milk is poured into milk, as space is merged into space, as air is merged into air to mingle together and become one indistinguishable sameness, so too when the seeker contemplates upon this world of plurality as identical in essence with the self, he comes to realize and live his total oneness with me, the self. In the pure heart of him who is endowed with deep faith and mighty devotion I become self evident. Wherever such a fulfilled seeker goes, he makes the place holy with the mere touch of his sacred feet, just as the sun purifies the earth and its atmosphere.
to be continued.
King Ramachandraji was lost in thought. the conflict within him was becoming unbearable, his love and his duty? time stood still, in the restless sorrow of indecision. Watching the sun rise by the open window sri Ram suddenly made up his mind. though his heart was throbbing with sorrow his head was cool and determined. he had to make sacrifices in order to rule effectively and administer law and justice.
He called for his Brother Lakshmana and lovingly told him that Sita had expressed a wish to go back to the Rishi Ashram that she had travel led through. And he wanted Lakshmana to take Sita there to Valmiki Ashram and leave her there and return. Lakshmana silently wondering at the cruelty in his brothers command, did as he was told much to the unwillingness and dejection in his heart.
One day much later Lakshma hesitantly approached Rama and asked him about the morality - the beauty and ugliness -- that is inherent in all actions that man can and undertakes.
The exhaustive discourse given out by Sri Rama, the perfect mystic in response to his dear brothers question is called SRI RAMA GITA.
The sixty two verses of Sri Rama Gita are found in Veda Vyasa's Adhyatma Ramayana in the Uttara kanda as its fifth chapter framed in the Pauranic style and is also often described as Sruti sara sangraha. Here the discussions between the brothers soars to vivid heights of subtlety. Both the tutor and the taught being highly spiritual. One needs to be of the caliber of Lakshma to truly understand the text. The sanctity, thoroughness and depth, the sublimity of the goal pointed out are all rendered valid and eloquent. BUT we are not privileged to listen to the discussion of the two eternal brothers. instead we hear it as a story from Parama Siva narrating to His consort Parameswari or Parvati on her questioning him as to what had happened to Sri Rama after he banished Sita the pregnant and innocent queen to the forest.
Rama's name derived from the Sanskrit rama which means that which revels in every form (ramate sarva bhutesu, sthavaresu caresu ca)
According to vedic tradition, once the seeker has purified the mind and intellect and gained a steady consistency in thinking, he or she must strive to employ the mind in a mood of unwavering contemplation, analyzing and discovering the total identity of the essence behind both the individuality (jivatma) and the universal self (paramatma). Knowledge then becomes the means and the goal.
The upanishads have prescribed certain irrevocable duties to be followed as per the varna in life which are obligatory. When such duties are performed without any anxieties for their fruits, they tend to exhaust the vasanas and bring the mind to a quiet vigilant and quiet composure which then becomes ready for study and contemplation.
"I do" and "I experience are the constant whispering of the ego. Jnana (apprehension)alone can end ajnana (non apprehension)
A man of pure mind, endowed with faith, through contemplation of the great statement "That thou art" with the grace of the teacher comes to realize the perfect identity between the Paramatma and the Jiva and then gains supreme happiness and becomes like the meru mountain, unperturbed under all circumstances.
to understand the true meaning of a given sentence, understanding the meaning of individual words is important. In the sentence That thou art the words that and thou indicate the Paramathma and the Jivathma and art indicates the total identity between the two.{How is it possible some thing in the nature of supreme purity of the lord should exist in individual self too}
We sometimes liberally employ the suggestive meaning lying hidden behind sentences to make sense out of the sentence heard (jaha laksana). sometimes a listener will have to add something more in order to interpret the statement correctly (ajaha laksana) and sometimes he has to give up some aspect and retain others in order to make meaning of what is said.(jaha ajaha laksana) eg. My house is right on the sea. the listener has to understand the house is next to the sea. etc.
Sri Rama explains to Lakshmana that to grasp the significance of the mahakavya, we have to use the method of jaha ajaha laksana which is also called bhaga laksana.
Just as by contact of a red flower, a crystal glass looks apparently red, so too this self, unattached and unborn, when in contact with the five kosas sheaths appears to be of their characteristic individual nature. but one has to discriminate intelligently? how the red color is superimposed other colors too can .
the body too is enveloped in sheaths namely annamayakosa (the food sheath) pranamayakosa (vital air sheath) manomayakosa (mental sheath) vijnanamayakosa (intellectual sheath) and of course anandamayakosa (Bliss sheath) when the total implications are considered one can distinguish between the self and non self.
The Chandogya upanishad proclaims that the self is one without a second. only when it functions through the equipment's does it appear to be many.
Action is considered to be the cause for the manifested body. He who is extremely attached to the body performs both desirable and undesirable actions. that produce joy and sorrow.
To one who regularly practices samadhi, who is regular in his practice of meditation, in him the vasanas get burned up, and consequently his mental agitations become increasingly fewer. to the extent of rajas (misapprehension) getting eliminated at the mental level, Tamas (non apprehension) also gets lifted to an intellectual level of sattvic mood. the sattvik mind settles easily into a steady, contemplative mood.
The source of disturbance in the mind is its engagement in the world of sense objects. The mind gushes into the fields of objects only when it is whipped up by the desires in the intellect. The desire to possess, embrace, and enjoy sense objects comes out of a foolish values we entertain. The erroneous misconception that an object contains a certain amount of joy. to those who examine intelligently the nature of the world of things and beings and realize the finite entities are impermanent, sorrow oozing, mind dissipating and not desirable or worth the craving. end such desires.
The inner enemies are six in number desire, anger, greed delusion, lust, and envy. These six physical and mental urges are exhaustively examined in the upanishads. where it is declared that hunger and thirst belong to the physiological system prana, the sorrow and passions to the mind and old age and death belong to the body.
To those who accomplish the above adjustments to them Sri Rama says he is directly available for their personal experience. SRI RAMA the SUPREME SELF EXPLODES into the vision of such a contemplative mind.
Sri Rama declares "Through such steady and continuous contemplation, the spiritual seeker shall become ever liberated from all bondage. Thereafter he lives his share of destiny without the sense of "I am the body" and in the end he merges into me the pure self.
In the Brhadaranyaka upanishad yajnavalkya insists "this self is to be seen, heard reflected and meditated upon.
Through steady practice (easily said than done by mind the monkey) he or she glides effortlessly into the higher state of the pure self. the individual becomes liberated by the encumbrances of the body mind and intellect, and is forever freed from the shackles and never will he be entrap into the state again. he at the end of his life attains VIDEHA MUKTI.
Rama says just as when water is poured into the ocean, as milk is poured into milk, as space is merged into space, as air is merged into air to mingle together and become one indistinguishable sameness, so too when the seeker contemplates upon this world of plurality as identical in essence with the self, he comes to realize and live his total oneness with me, the self. In the pure heart of him who is endowed with deep faith and mighty devotion I become self evident. Wherever such a fulfilled seeker goes, he makes the place holy with the mere touch of his sacred feet, just as the sun purifies the earth and its atmosphere.
to be continued.
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