Sandeha Nivarini - Post 44

Dear All,

From the previous chapter, essence of Swami's explanation of various character in Ramayana is reproduced in today's post as under:-

Important Lessons from Ramayana Posts:

Dasharatha	Symbolizes the ten senses (dasendriyas)
Kausalya	Symbolizes pure quality (sathwa-guna).
Kaikeyi	Symbolizes the passionate quality (rajoguna).
Sumitra	Symbolizes the slothful quality (thamoguna).
Rama	The Atma is Rama. He has come, in the character of the soul (jivi), wearing the dress called body.  (That is the reason we adore God as Atmabhi  Ramam Prabhu Sai Ramam. Don't we?? The Supreme Brahman, for the sake of Humanity, crystallizes ITSELF to Descend in Ayodhya as Sri Rama!)
	Symbolizes Truth. ( SATHYA)
	Embodiment of bliss (ananda-swarupa).
	The Rama in the heart (the Atmarama) is observing everything, as witness.
Sita	Active Consciousness (Chaitanya).
	Knowledge of Brahman
	If knowledge of Brahman, is allowed to be lost, one cannot escape wandering about in the jungle of darkness.
Lakshmana	One should have the mind (manas), ever by one’s side. Lakshmana represents the Mind.
	Symbolizes Love(PREMA). Follows Truth with no Inidividual separate ambition.
Bharata	Symbolizes Dharma.
Satrugna	Symbolizes Peace.(Shanti)
Vali	Represents Despair.
Sugreeva	Represents Discrimination.(Viveka)
Hanuman	Represents courage to cross the ocean of illusion. (We human beings stay back in our spiritual path only because we lack the courage to break our existing pattern, existing habits, existing likes, existing dislikes and hence, we never are able to cross the ocean of Samsara)
Ravana	Represents Rajoguna.
Kumbhakarana	Represents Thamoguna.
Vibhishana	Represents the quality of purity (sathwa-guna).

We will move to the next chapter in the next post.

Love.

Sri Ramana Maharshi

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. 

-------

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.