VERSE 50:
TEERTVAA MOHA-ARNAVAM HATVAA
RAGA-DVESH-AADI RAAKSHASAAN
YOGEE SHANTI-SAMAA-YUKTAH
AATMA RAAMAH VIRAAJITE
(After crossing the ocean of
delusion, killing the monsters of likes,
dislikes, etc, the Yogi who is united
firmly with Peace becomes “Atma Rama”,
one who revels in Self.)
Atma Rama - Rama is verily that Supreme Brahman, the pure
consciousness supreme, that Atman, which crystalized itself and descended on
the earth as Sri Rama!
We sing “ Sri Rama charanam” Bhajan
in Sai centre(s)
There is this line- Vaidehi Ramam
Vaikunta Dhamam in that beautiful bhajan.
That absolute consciousness, the
Atman or the Brahman, is the one which is all pervading, which envelops this
creation from vaidehi, the earth, upto Vaikuntam, the sky and the high heavens
and beyond!!!
This all pervading Supreme SELF is what is explained as “ Isa vasyam idagm
sarvam” in the Isopanishad and “ Purnam adah, Purnam Idam” in the Brihdaranyaka
Upanishad!!
By just a reference of Atma Rama
in this verse, Sankaracharya pays the highest tribute to India’s precious
spiritual heritage in the form of the Ramayana.
And here is how he does it… “Atmarama”: The Ramayana Story Simile
The entire Ramayana itself is the
simile in this verse. And every bit of the beauty of this simile was brought out
by a chnmaya ashram acharya, revealing to his student monks his own great love for this scriptural epic.
1. Sitan Veshi Ramah: “Rama goes in search of Sita”, who has been
kidnapped. This compares with the spiritual seeker or the Yogi who is lost in
worldliness, but is desperately trying to find his way out of it.
2. Sugrivadi Krita Prayatna Samuttpannena Setuna: What did Rama do? “He
obtained the help of Sugriva and others to build the Setu bridge” to Lanka to rescue Sita.
Sugriva and others represent the
Sadhana of Sravana, Manana and Nididhyasana. Prayatna is all the effort and
concentration put into that Sadhana. The bridge itself is Jnana or knowledge of
the Self, which directs us and takes us over to the destination.
3. Samudra: “The ocean”, over which the bridge was built, i.e. the Gulf of
Mannar between Sri Lanka and India.
This is the ocean of Samsara or
delusion, spoken of in this verse. This is vast indeed. The whole of the
microcosm in all its detail, as well as the vast macrocosm of the fourteen
worlds, is included in the word.
The waters of the ocean
represents both the waves of ups and downs we experience in this world, as well
as the unfathomable depths of ignorance and delusion we struggle against.
In this ocean are the “monsters”
of likes and dislikes which give rise to a few pleasurable experiences but a
majority of painful ones. These are killed by the Yogi in the course of his
treacherous journey to the Self.
4. Atithikshana Bana: “The very sharp and deadly arrows” used to attack
the hoards of the demon-king who had kidnapped Sita.
These arrows represent the sharp
intellect of the Yogi which possesses Viveka, and the strong Vairagya or
dispassion that enables him to remain unattached to the world of temptations.
5. Ravana Harana: Rama “vanquishes Ravana” and all his hordes of
demoniacal soldiers.
This killing stands for the
killing of the Yogi’s Vasanas and desires; his Raga and Dwesha; and all the
subtle tendencies that induce him to tread the fruitless path of sensual
indulgence.
6. “The Discovery of Sita”: This stands for the discovery of Shanti or
peace within one’s being.
It is a supreme peace that is
independent of all external conditions. The very word ‘Seeta’ means calmness
and peace. It is the state associated with great joy and bliss of the Self.
7. “The Return to Ayodhya”: Ayodhya is Rama’s own country, where He was
born and grew up.
Similarly, where is our source or
origin, our true home? The Yogi also goes back to his true home, his own Self.
The word Ayodhya literally means “that state which is free from war and
strife.” How apt is it!
The rule of Lord Rama
(Rama-Rajya) in Ayodhya was a state where all lived in inner peace and
contentment, free from the stress and struggle associated with any other outer
pursuit.
The return to Ayodhya is a return to our own heaven within where, there is ever lasting peace and love.
The effortless abidance in this inner realm where wars,
discontent, revolutions, and so on have no place, is called Ramarajya.
Thus we see a complete parallel
between the story of the Ramayana and the march of the soul onwards towards the
discovery of its true nature.
The spiritual journey is what
epics like the Ramayana symbolize, and such epics have soaked deep into the
fabric of Indian culture.. Could there
be a more fitting tribute to Indian culture than this glorious reference to the
Ramayana!
May we go through all the stages explained
above in the context of our spiritual journey and return to ayodhya, the
supreme abode, from which we were born, in which we exist without the knowledge
that we exist in and as ayodhya, the supreme abode of SELF!!!!
Love
