The esteemed scholar and the last Governor General of India, Dr. C. Rajagopalachari, wrote: “In the moving history of our land, from time immemorial, great minds have been formed and nourished and touched to heroic deeds by The Ramayana and The Mahabaratha.  In most Indian homes, children learnt these immortal stories as they learnt their mother-tongue – at the mother’s knee; and the sweetness and sorrows of Sita and Draupadi, the heroic fortitude of Rama and Arjuna and the loving fidelity of Lakshmana and Hanuman became the stuff of their young philosophy of life.”  (vide preface of “Mahabaratha” – Bhavan’s Book University).

This quote was observed to be personified during the recent recitation of Tulasidasa’s Ramacaritamanasa as scores of devotees sat through reading and listening to the recitation overnight at the Sri Lakshmi Temple in Ashland, Massachusetts over the week end of March 21 and 22, 2015.  This Akhanda Parayana (contiguous reading by a group of people) was conducted at the New England Hindu Temple.  It started at 2:30 PM on the 21^st March and concluded at 3:00 PM on the 22^nd.

For the past 22 years, Sri Lakshmi Temple has been hosting the Akhanda parayana of the Ramacaritamanasa as part of the Sri Ramanavami celebrations.  A number of local community leaders and volunteers get involved in this activity with the reading,singing and applauding by the community at large.  The ever agile couple, Sri Prabhulal and Smt. Draupadi Rathiji, were the principal organizers of this event.  Sri Bijoy Misra ji inspired and motivated the readers with his energetic and melodious rendering at the gathering.  His timely explanation of the intricate philosophical and devotional expressions included in the lyrics of the Ramacaritamanasa was captivating.  As the reading continued, different members took to lead the group as a Team Event and enabled the conductance to be successful.

The Ramayana, the Adi Kavya- a foremost Prosody - was composed by Sage Valmiki before writing became known in the Indian Region.  The propagation of the over 25,000 slokas in Sanskrit has been kept in tact over thousands of years and an equally great number of versions has been published in various Indian Languages since then.  Among such bounty the Ramacaritamanasa holds a distinct identity for gaining devotion to the Lord Almighty and as a guide to achieving the Adhyatma Jnana.

Even today, many households in Northern India worship a printed copy of the Ramacaritamanasa and read with faith and devotion.  Such practice is imbibed in those that have migrated away from their homeland and continue the reading in this land as well.  As a practice, a number of households in our New England area organize such sessions of Akhanda Parayana on occasions of Birthdays, Anniversaries etc.

Repetitive reading of Ramacaritamanasa instills an understanding that the efforts put forth for achievements and accomplishments with the Dharma compromised will not yield the Happiness as depicted in the lives of Shurpanakha, Khara, Dushana,  Indrajit, Kumbhakarna and Ravana.  Mandodari, Marica, and Vibhishana, though surrounded by the environment of ‘kill, loot and be merry’, highlight this understanding in their dialogues with Ravana. 

Ramacaritamanasa has some simple advice to its readers of how to lead a righteous life as a human being.  In order to plead for the society to exercise more tolerance, Tulasidasa elaborates on the judgmental natures with this chaupai:

खल अघ अगुन साधु गुण गाहा | उभय अपार उदधि अवगाहा ||

तेहि ते कछु गुन दोष बखाने | संग्रह त्याग न बिनु पहिचाने ||

भलेउ पोच सब विधि उपजाए | गनि गुन दोष बेद बिलगाए ||

कहहि बेद इतिहास पुराना | बिधि प्रपंचु गुन अवगुण साना ||

(RCM 1.5.1-2)

The tales of sins and vices of the wicked, on the one hand, and of the virtues of the virtuous, on the other, are like boundless and unfathomable oceans.  That is why I have enumerated only a few virtues and vices; for they cannot be acquired or discarded without being duly distinguished.  The good as well as the vile, all have been brought into being by the Creator; it is the Vedas that have differentiated them by reckoning the merits of the former class and the demerits of the other.  The Vedas, the Itihasas, and the Puranas unanimously declare that the creation of Brahma is an intermixture of good and evil.

(Translation of the dohas and chaupais here and below follows “Sri Ramacaritamanasa”, the Romanized Edition (2005), published by the Gita Press, Gorakhpur, India.)

Further, he explains the inevitable results when good and evil thoughts are fostered within ourselves with the following chaupai:

सुमति कुमति सब के उर रहहि । नाथ पुरान निगम अस कहहि ॥

जहां सुमति तहं संपति नाना । जहां कुमति तहं बिपति निदाना ॥

(RCM 5.39.3)

“Wisdom and crookedness dwell in the hearts of all: so declare the Puranas and Vedas, my Lord.  Where there is wisdom, prosperity of every kind reigns; and where there is crookedness, misfortune is the inevitable end.”

Tulasidasa highlights the following viles that lead to desertion even by the most compassionate Lord Almighty with the following:

अनुज बधू भगिनी सुत नारी । सुनु सठ कन्या सम ए चारी ॥

इनहि कुदृष्टि बिलोकइ जोई । ताहि बधे क्छु पाप न होई ॥

मूढ तोहि अतिशय अभिमाना । नारि सिखावन करसि न काना ॥

मम भुजबल आश्रित तेहि जानी । मारा चहिसि अधम अभिमानी ॥

(RCM 4.8.4-5)

“Listen O wretch: a younger brother’s Wife, a Sister, a Daughter in-law, and one’s own Daughter – these four are alike.  One would incur no sin by killing him who looks upon these with an evil eye.  Fool, in your extravagant pride, you paid no heed to your wife’s warning.  You knew that your brother had taken refuge under the might of your arms; and yet in your vile arrogance you sought to kill him.”

For those of us who are forced to assisting an evil person in carrying out a criminal act, when efforts to prevent the act from happening and whistle-blowing fails, here is a suggestion as conceived by Marica against the insistence of Ravana:                               

तब मारीच हृदय अनुमाना । नवहि विरोधे नहि कल्याणा ॥

सस्त्री मर्मी प्रभु सठ धनी । बैद बंदि कबि भानस गुणी ॥

(RCM 3.25.2)

Maricha thought: It does not do good to make enemies of the following nine, One skilled in wielding of weapons, One who knows secrets, a powerful Master, a Dunce, a Wealthy man, A Physician, a Panegyrist, a Poet, an expert Cook.

When everything fails, here is a warning that needs to be adhered to where Tulasidasa explains what happens when any person determines to be hostile to the Almighty:

राम विरोध कुसल जसि होइ । सो सब तोहि सुनाइहि सोई ॥

सुनु सठ भेद होई मन ताकें । श्री रघुवीर हृदय नहि जाकें ॥

(RCM 6.20,5)

“He will tell you all about the welfare that follows from hostility with Sri Rama.  Listen, O fool; the seeds of dissension can be sown in the mind of him alone whose heart is closed to

the Hero of Raghu’s line.”  Note that with the grace of Lord Rama, one tends to be more inclusive of all theological concepts and will not develop intolerance against any.

The root causes that drive us into such conspirator companionship is explained in the following doha:

मोहमूल बहु सूल प्रद त्यागहु तम अभिमान ।

भजहु राम रघुनायक कृपा सिंधु भगवान ॥

(RCM 5.23)

“Abandon pride, which is the same as Tamoguna, rooted as it is in ignorance and is a source of considerable pain; and adore Sri Rama, the chief of the Raghus and an ocean of compassion.”

In the following doha, Tulasidasa explains when a minister, physician and/or teacher could cause to happen, should they be frightened by a subject who receives their services:

सचिव बैद गुर तीनि जौं बोलहि भय आस ।

राज धर्म तन तीनि कर होइ बेगहि नास ॥

(RCM 5.37)

When a minister, a physician, a religious preceptor – these three use pleasing words from fear or hope of reward, the result is that dominion, health and faith - all the three forthwith go to the dogs.

निज इच्छा प्रभु अवतरइ सुर महि गो द्विज लागि ।

सगुन उपासक संग तहं रहहि मोच्छ सब त्यागि ॥

(RCM 4.26)

“Of His own free will the Lord descends on earth for the sake of Gods, Earth, Cows and Brahmanas.  Spurning all the varieties of final beatitude the worshippers of His qualified form remain with Him even on earth.  (The varieties of final beatitude are: Salokya, Sarsti, Samipya, Sarupya, Sayujya and the Identity with the formless Brahma).

All noble persons continue to appreciate and remember always the help rendered to them by others.  This is a primary characteristic of being noble and leader of the Society that they are part of.  This is explained in the following chaupai:

सुनु कपि तोहि समान उपकारी । नहि कोउ सुर नर मुनि तनुधारी ॥

प्रति उपकार करौं का तोरा । सन्मुख होइ न सकत मन मोरा ॥

(RCM 5.31.3)

“No one endowed with a body – a god, human being or sage – has put me under such obligation, Hanuman, as you have done.  Even my mind shrinks to face you; how then can I repay your obligation?”

Tulasidasa explains the process when wisdom dawns in people with the following:

बिनु सतसंग बिबेक न होई | राम कृपा बिनु सुलभ न सोई ||

सतसंगत मुद मंगल मूला | सोई पहला सिधि साधन फूला ||

(RCM 1.2.4)

Wisdom dawns not without associations with saints and such association cannot be easily had without the grace of Sri Rama.  Contact with noble souls is the root of joy and blessings; it constitutes the very fruit and fulfillment of all endeavors, whereas all other practices are blossoms as it were.

Acknowledgement:

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, I wish to thank the SriLakshmi Temple management for hosting the event every year as a part of the annual SriRamanavami celebrations at the Temple.  The Committee is grateful to Chairperson Smt. Ranjini Ramaswamy and President Chokku Manian for the support and the facilities.  Trustee Ram Bhaskar and Trustee Ganesh Krishnan helped out with the congregation and playing the drums.  Temple volunteer Sri Srinivasan Meka helped with the decorartions and did many ancillary tasks.  Sri Sanjeev Tripathi and Smt. Vineeta Agrawal took care of the hospitality of the guests on behalf of the Committee.  We are thankful to Dr. Satyendra Sharma, Dr Jitendra Sharama, Sri Satya Kanakagiri, Dr. Ashwani Misra, Ms. Kalpana Krishnan, Sri Pradip Nair, Smt. Sneha Nair, Sri Mohit Bhandari, Sri Vivek Misra and Sri Rajesh Daga for being available to join the relay.  We were blessed to have the presence of Smt Sarla Dayal, popularly known as Mataji, who stayed through the full twenty four hours encouraging us all to perform this annual event.  Finally we are thankful to the priests Pandit Krishna Bhattar and Pandit Balaji Bhattar for the services and the decorations.  Smt Ramamani Bhattar treated all readers with the morning’s breakfast as she has done in all previous years.  Dr Mahesh Sharma and many other sponsors along with the Temple staff helped out with the prasadam lunch at the conclusion.  We express our gratitude to all and pray that Sri Rama may bless all!

I am thankful to Dr Bijoy Misra for the encouragement in producing the report and for help in its production.  I submit it with the grace of SriLakshmi. 

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