Sandeha Nivarini - Post 43

Devotee: Four sons were born of Dasaratha. Of what were they the forms, Swami?

Swami: From the ten senses, not only four but any number of qualities and forms can originate. But only the chief, the four symbolising the four faces of the Lord, originated by His will. They are born as Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha, and Satrughna. In the subtle form, they are truth (sathya), dharma, peace (santhi), and love (prema). These are the Four Faces of the Lord.

Devotee: Who among these, Swami, is truth? Who represents dharma, peace, and love?

Swami: Can’t you discover? Rama is truth. “The status and the honour should go to him who has the right, not to me,” said Bharatha when he was offered the crown, so he is dharma. He placed complete faith in the Atma, that is, Rama, believing that there is no bliss (ananda) sweeter than its uninterrupted company, Lakshmana followed Rama, so he is love. Having no individual separate ambition of his own, treading the paths followed by these three, Satrughna was calm and unperturbed, so he is peace. Is that clear?

Devotee: Yes, Swami, but these four were born of three mothers; who are whose mothers?

Swami: As I said just now, “born in illusion (maya), fibred in illusion, one has to transcend this illusion.” So also, one is born from qualities (gunas), one is brought up with qualities, and finally one has to transcend the qualities. The three mothers represent three qualities! 

Among them, Kausalya is the pure quality (sathwa-guna); Kaikeyi, the passionate quality (rajoguna); and Sumitra, the slothful quality (thamoguna); they play those roles, in the epic. Dasaratha in the form of the ten senses (dasendriyas) is associated with these qualities, so he is the embodiment of the sense-qualities. 

It is only because people can’t easily grasp the truth through the senses and the qualities that the Lord taught them through the Ramayana. The Lord is teaching this even to this day. The Lord performed that day the gross Ramayana; and today, He is performing the subtle (sukshma) Ramayana on the stage of the hearts of people. 

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Dear All,

In the next post, we shall try and recap the most important points given by Swami in the chapter which has been given in the last 3 posts including today's post.

Love.

Chinmayananda Saraswati