Video 10

Ramayana 010 :Pilgrimage To Rama

[Music] now we after the salutation to bhagavan sri ramachandra the lord god who came in the form of sri rama to teach us the righteousness dharma and what was that dharma it was our own duties our own responsibilities that each and every one is having some responsibility and that they should perform that was the teaching of sri rama he didn't say anything but he did that in his life we find that so that is sri ramachandra the great the thing that happened the dashadatta he promised and because of the promise he had to send the rama to exile it was not necessary he could break the promise just by telling no i am not going to give you anything to his wife he but the dasharatha couldn't do that rather he passed away he died because of that but even then he said no i have to keep my word so this is the first righteousness this is the religion religion means keeping the promise so this is what we are learning from the ramayana now we know that rama has left bharata came now bharata is going to search for rama and we have given the name is a pilgrimage to rama so he already started and we know that bharata and his retinue of the huge army and other people there is to that guhaka then gu haka naturally this is our natural feeling doubted him then after the doubt that he asked him and he said that to his own people if necessary we have to fight with the bharata he knew that he is no match with the bharata but even then he said we have to to stop him to reduce his power strength so that when he is going to sri ramachandra at least we can say that we have performed our duties rama is a good person rama is our friend and enemies of rama is our enemy so we will fight with him but before that he went to meet the the bharata as always this is the unique way that we can see the guwaka who is marked as a chandala is a low caste who is to main work was catching the fish and killing and selling the meat and helping the people to cross the river that was their main source of income agriculture of course but even then he was knowing that this how to behave with the people so and that is the way when he is telling his people get ready we may have to fight then he is going to meet the bharata with all the gifts and the gift means are the honey and the birds the meat and the deer's meat dear skin and all those things he carried to as a gift to bharata then he talked with the bharata and we know we know that and the last month we discussed about that then when he asked bharata have you come to harm sri ramachandra we wonder how a very ordinary person can speak so openly before the king that means in the society they used to felt feel so equal that was the indian society so they were not afraid of kings they were not afraid of the punishments but they could open up their mind before the kings nowadays we cannot think of going and standing before the president or the prime minister of a country and asking hey have you come to harmas as an ordinary person cannot do that that we can understand that he was not guaca was not an ordinary person by this way but he was also having a great followers he was also having the power and that is the reason siri ramachandra considered him as his friend etc now the guhaka when came to know from the bharata that he has come to search rama to take him back to ayodha he was very happy and agreed to help how he helped there is a big description in the ramayana balmiki ramayana and the other there are many others ramayana the local ramayana there those local people they have written the ramayana in their own way but the balmiki is the original ramayana the sanskrit ramana and there all these descriptions are there now kirtidas ramayana in bengal and the other hindi ramayanas are also there but here the original ramayana and there it says with the he spent the night over there the the bharata next morning he asked the guhaka please arrange the boat and immediately go arranged 500 boats when i was reading this i was wondering that means the so many boats they were already having the population was sufficient otherwise 500 boats is not a matter of joke what they are going to do one or two people if in the jungle only few people are there it is not like that as a big population and they used to use those boats so 500 boats that he arranged what type of boats they were carrying the elephants horses chariots and also the human being the soldiers and others that means they were big big boats not the small the country board that we see now carrying only a few people that they were carrying that and crossing the river and ah then we find the indication that there was a raft magnificient raft its name was swastika this magnificent raft he brought for the royal family it seems by the description nearly 10 to 15 big boards were tied together and on those there was a plane platform and of course on the top there was a like a houseboat cover was there inside there were carpet and the walls or the wooden walls were covered by the costly the clothes and that were all embroidered by the the golden threads then by the description we can understand it was a really costly and very comfortable boat so bharata and satrughna they fast went into that they they and then afterwards their mothers and some important people like rishi bashista and others so they were not going by the boat they were going by the raft and the raft we are having is a huge space to accommodate so many people friends these way we can understand the socio-economical condition of dida in india did in bharat basha even in the jungle they could accommodate so many thousands of soldiers and other people and secondly there were the boats and this raft why this draft was there it seems the kingly people the rich people they used to travel by that otherwise suddenly they were not by the one night they prepared the raft not like that it seems that it was already there and the people used to use that and then they used to cross by that and so obviously there is no other description but only they cross the river by the raft and raft was really decorative and really is meant for the kings so but this hint is sufficient for to understand that the socially we were really rich otherwise people won't be able to use that type of boards that they changed over there then there is a description then before leaving before the departure the troops that was the soldiers and other people they set fire to their temporary shades this clearly indicated the sign of hygiene where there was a 1000 people that spent the night in the jungle and naturally they were using many things a lot of trash was there they burnt it that means it should not create problem for the others like the small birds or the animals if all those things were scattered over there so that could create problem so that is the reason they burnt it completely and we cannot but appreciate their sense of hygiene now saying after this they have crossed the river when they after crossing the river the the people they helped them to show the path towards another destination where they have to go and stop that was the hermitage of bharadwaja rishi bharadwaja the inside the big jungle at different places the different people is to leave so they are going from one place to another first the gohaka send the guaca told you go to the bharat raja rishi and he can tell you from rama also went to him so he must be knowing where the present address of the rama so whole group they went to the varadvaja now here we find one another scene the coming near to the hermitage the bharata he slowly he told stop over here all his retinue all the followers he stopped at a distance not only that he left his arm and changed his dress in a very simple dress and only taking a group of advisors and the rishi bashishta he started going towards the astrama of bharadwaja on foot and they were going a walking coming near to the hermitage he asked even the counselors to wait outside the hermitage so this is the way one should behave when a king is going if he goes with all those people inside the hermitage inside the astrama so naturally they will create a problem for them in the astra asthma is not the palace so what they will do or suddenly so many people if they go over there so the bharata he was really so disciplined he knew what to do and what to do and that way bharata left all those people only two of them now again the re in the description it is there for he asked his guru bashish to lead him not that because i am king i will go fast he never did that he asked the bashishta to lead him bashishta was going first and the bharata was following him at his back and both of them when they entered to the hermitage from the distance you see bharatvaja saw them and he rose to welcome them when both of them entered the bharadwaja rishi asked his disciple to offer water and flower at the feet of the brishi bashishta so the bashist rishi and the bharadwaja they were knowing each other they were the teachers the though in the different places but they were known to each other that they just showed the respect and bharata he showed the respect to the bharadwaja muni so bharadwaja received them as per the system because in a muddy road lot of dust when the people are walking naturally they are walking from on the dust the first thing there used to do were washing the feet they offered the water to wash their feet that was the tradition even today if you go to anybody's house first they will offer little water though it is not necessary do we go by car and we are having the socks our the feets are not the dusty but still in in the villages if you go first they will offer the water to wash your feet so in india there's because it's the warm place the most of the time the airport say there is to work after washing that so why i am giving this description because that shows the culture even in the asrama this wonderful culture was there then they were given the drinking water and little honey and also the fruits to eat the refreshments you are coming from distance now you should have these refreshments so they had the refreshment after the refreshment then the bharadwaja was asking and he asked are you here to harm sri rama the same christian now we can understand the plight of the bharata that what happened when the rishi bharathvaja was asking this question the bharata felt very sad first the he understood that this is the son of the king who passed away so the sharatha passed away that news was already there and this person that naturally a prince his appearance appearance was completely different so the rishi could understand and when slowly they were starting talking he asked this question why have you come with so many soldiers but why the bharata was traveling with all the advisors his ministers and the soldiers and the wealth and the queen and why he was doing like that in in our other previous discussions that that was the greatest decision of a king suppose something happened in his kingdom the moment they have come out maybe someone will kill the other people and capture the property captured the kingdom so he took all of them the none can do any betray so they were always with him so that was a that that called politics the kingly the thinking he knew what to do but other people were doubting why he is moving with so many people and particularly the soldiers to the bharata when he asked this question bharat in a choked voice replied o honorable sir i am undone if you also doubt me i am here only to take back my brother rama by paying my homage at his feet so bharadwaja became very happy hearing his reply so the bharata was telling now i knew it o bharata i knew it very well but you know why i asked it there's so many disciples and the other rishis they're all listening our discussion our conversation when they will know they will hear so that will spread again everywhere that you have come to take back the ramachandra so when you are telling this before me that proves that your mind is completely pure so bharadwaja was joyful this is quite worthy of you being born in the line of rogue control of senses righteous instinct and serving the superiors are your duties i knew your intention from before so how many things he is telling to be to belong to a royal family or a respected family what actually one should do see these are the qualities people they expect the society expect what is that and he says the quite worthy of you being born in the line of ragu rahu is the first person from whom this uh the clan is coming so it is it's a roku control of the senses this is the first thing control of the senses means our anger our desire our all the passions so many so one should control so that is called the gentleness what is gentleness the capacity to control our organs our senses our mind so he is the first thing is this this second righteous instinct righteousness means dharma what is the dharma that the senior brother should be the king not me whatever happens that was the tradition of india the march afterwards we find that one king that the ashoka he slained he killed his brothers for the throne much much afterwards in the history but otherwise we find most of the time the brothers the junior brothers they used to support the senior brother only but not hankering for the throne so that was the beauty and righteous instinct and serving the superiors are your duties i knew your intention from before but i asked you this just for the confirmation of your reputation i know rama he is now living with the lakshmana and janaki at the chitrakuta hills you go there tomorrow but spend the day in our hermitage another huge army so many people even then the hermitage and the astrama was prepared how here we find some miraculous power of the bharadwaja rishi bharadwaja was having some miraculous power by altering the mantra he arranged all this but instead we can imagine in this way as because he was a great sage the all-around people who were there the rich people those who were called as the gods they were also very happy to serve him because sometimes it happens though whenever the the astra is asking for something all devotees around they come forward to help many of you know that here in the chicago in 19 2013 when you organize the 150th birth anniversary of swami vivekananda nearly 700 devotees they came and 55 monastic members they all came over here and we cannot accommodate all the 55 monastics the devotees came forward they told that we will receive the the monk or the naan we will keep them in our home we will bring them to the astrama we will arrange their up and down fear pay their all so by that way everything was arranged the devotees came forward they gave the money so that we could book a big hall and more than 2 000 people accommodation in that hall in a very famous hotel over here so that is the way the all the hermitages the astronauts they work the vein here it's with the description the bharadwaja started praying for that immediately the different gods and goddesses they came forward with the food and the drinks and all were there to feed them the lord let god soma give different kinds of food meat wine and other drinks and beautiful garlands that rishi bharadwaja started praying they told you need not to keep your army there ask them to come let them go and have bath and change their dress so the clothes were arranged and food was given all comfort was given because they were traveling for a long time they got tired in the bharathvaja arranged everything we wonder and really it would have been better if the description was properly given instead it is covered with some mysterious thing the bharadwaja started praying and the gods and goddesses they started bringing all the things instead had there been the pure disc or maybe he was having the miraculous power by that power he was doing it you know we can say in this way at that one time in the ramakrishna mission was very poor the monks were not having proper food then didn't president swamiji of the ramakrishna mission srimad-swami bireshwara nandaji sent out an apple and that was published in the newspaper now we the monks of the ramakrishna order required some money for our maintenance and immediately hundreds and thousands of people they started donating that created a big fund so that i heard so this is the way if we think in this way when the rishi appealed all local the people gods and goddesses like the soma he brought some food drink and all that and it is said a lot of great descriptions are there how many different type of foods came and all here it says the tanks were filled with wines and smoking binions meat of deer the peacocks were kept in harp heaps vessels of rice curries and hundred thousand golden washing balls were kept there so that is the all thousands of people they will be taking food everything was arranged immediately and hearing this and reading this description we can once again understand how rich that society was how capable people were there so they could imagine we can fast we can see that the gohaka he arranged 500 boards and also the wonderful decorated raft now here the muni he arranged the food for all the thousands of people and that too not a single simple food and the food worthy for the kings so that was he did in that way then afterwards we find the bharata was greatly pleased with the hermit's hospitality each and every one got rephrased that naturally the king bharata was very happy and he next morning and they immediately constructed some houses where the bharata went and stayed one of the house he went and stayed then afterwards all these mothers separate separate houses everything was arranged so this is the way our society used to work not the temporary sometimes the guest houses in the astroma's many of the customers they're having the guest houses the only problem if the rishi had given the proper description so that would have been very easy but as if it was done on that particular day itself so obviously some people will be doubting how it is possible but we have already know that we know that the bharata himself was carrying with him all the carpenters thousands of carpenters and the carters and the people who could work in that way so things were arranged they took the rest next morning bharata came out early morning because he was eager to meet the ramachandra so he came out and he met the rishi over there bharadwaja bharat daju asked whether he had a pleasant night whether his troops were satisfied or not bharata said that he and his people were more than satisfied so whenever someone is coming to our asama we try to make him very happy sometimes some people they make the mistake when when they visit asama they will arrange very simple very not very worthy the things and dirty lelands and dirty the bedsheets and not good bait that should not be because when the guests are coming to the asthma if the asthma is accommodating them they should seem of course give them as best as possible why because all they are living gods and goddesses we should not think in otherwise other people are coming why no not at all so these are the teachings that we are learning from here the when the any gifts are coming they are the living gods that is the vedanta that is the hinduism so as first as possible we should try to serve them if we cannot provide that's okay here the bharat bharadwaj showed that and after that not only that he was asking are you satisfied then the bharata said yes more than satisfied bharata then told his people that he asked how far is the hermitage of the rama so i am going to go that is why i have given the name a pilgrimage to rama anything that is happening in his life but bharata is one point only concentration when to meet rama when to meet rama so he was going on asking the how far is the rama bharata said about five miles from this place there is a hill called chitrakuta so how specific when we doubt whether rama is an imaginary figure or a historic i always feel that so the description of the ramayana very clearly mentioning each and every place and also the distances so that that means that something happened if somebody is just going on telling the imaginary thing it becomes difficult but this is totally different only problem is we the indians we always don't like to disclose all things that very categorically so the europeans think they are this is not historical so if we had to say that's why again and again i am mentioning this if the bharadwaj muni is praying to the gods and goddesses who were nearby and they came with because they were rich people they could afford so they brought all the things and they supported all the gay the bharadwaja uh muni and then the bharat khud bharadwaja could serve the guests so it could be normal instead he was uttering the mantras and the gods came so that creates the problem but anyway here when the bharata he asked how far is the rama's cottage he said five miles from here is the chitrakuta the chitraguta hill still there still there in india so the people can go there and it is situated in a deep forest the river bhagirathi flows by the north of the mountain your brother is living there by erecting a heart proceed some distance along the southern bank of the yamuna and then turn to your left and if you proceed along you will find rama so the very clearly mentioning the how to reach to rama so very nicely he's mentioning here whom you find imagine then the another thing is coming the before leaving as usual the people they go to the sage to the saint to the monk and touch their feet and beg for their blessings the bharata took his mothers the three mother they went and they bowed down before the rishi bharadwaja then the bharadwaja wanted to be introduced with the queens now how he is introducing before also he did here also he is telling the same way o holy ser whom you find emaciated with fast and sorrow he is the mother of rama that is the the kaushallah and she who stands with a dejected look is sumitra the hiroyik lakshmana and shatrukna are her sons how wonderfully he is introducing now about his own mother kaiki now he's telling and their stance dishonorable dishonorable means anaria these honorable koikei for whom the rama and lakshmana have been banished into the forest and who is the cause of king dasharata's death though she looks honorable in appearance she is foolish proud irritable and cruel this sinful woman is my mother so bharata himself was feeling very sad for his mother and he was introducing but the rishi told something else rishi told don't blame your mother this exile of rama will surely produce good at the end of all the vrishi bharadwaja they could see the future what is going to happen they knew the past so that's why immediately he said don't tell like that your mother is only playing a role that has been given to her by god you know that whatever happens in our life we sometimes blame this man that man this situation that situation but everything because of our past karma everything is all predestined as we the hindus we all believe in this way so if we are doing good work and praying to god helping others all these righteous things if we do then obviously obviously in the next life we will get the better life and from there again another so this is the way slowly slowly we go towards the godhead to the supreme and one day we merge with the god or realize the brahman but if we do not understand that again and again we take birth and go for this circle of birth and death different type of lives we get not that every time it is the human birth you it may be the different births also so one must be careful about the karma and the karma that we do we do in three different ways usually we think when we are doing the karma this is only the physical karma now physical karma is only one then there is the mental when you are thinking that is also karma and whatever we are talking that is also karma so kaika means physical karma baachika that is the work that we do through words and manasika karma manasika means thinking if you are thinking bad about others that is also karma and bad karma and obviously result will be bad and physically if we are doing good or bad the result will be good and bad and bachika when we are speaking we are talking we should be careful we should not use any words that may hurt others so this is the way that one slowly slowly become purified now the bharata slowly slowly he is moving he asked his people to get ready and the description says such a huge army immediately were ready for the march that means so disciplined army was also there so why i am talking because we are getting a wonderful picture of the society just he gave the order and that was immediately carried out everywhere not the people were here they were scattered a few thousands of people we can understand the huge camp but immediately that was carried and each and every one was ready to move and bharata and his retinue they were moving and when they were nearing the chitrakuta the bharata said it seems we have arrived at the place spoken by bharadwaja bharata gave the description so by that way they came and he said let my army now retire and make search for rama and lakshmana and now the retire means they should break out then small small groups they should go out everywhere because it is the jungle we have to find out a small heart it may be anywhere so go and find out after some time they they came to know and the rama who had been residing in chitrakuta for some time said to janaki and now they're giving another picture rama was very happy you were there and he was telling the janaki means the sita the janaka's daughter so janaki janaka was the the foster daughter you can say as a foster father so his daughter is janaki that is sita the sita he is telling janaki at the side of this beautiful hills i don't so much feel for the loss of the kingdom the rama was talking to his wife and that is a big description how both of them they were living happily though janaki herself was not happy because she was naturally feeling my husband is supposed to be the king and why he should be here but the rama was completely different janaki if i live with you and lakshmana even for a long time in this forest sorrow will never overtake me in any way i feel great delight the rama was telling to janaki i skipped all the description that the the both of them they were having now meanwhile bharata's army drew near and the bharata's people they found that the smoke is coming up and when they found that smoke the immediately they reported to the bharata the smoke means fire and fire means human being because the animals cannot lit the fire it must be the human being so they reported to the bharata i think there is a cottage and as far as we know that except the rama there is no other people it must be the sri rama's cottage and from distance they could notice that the two hermit they were there it must be rama they said like that so they they came on to that place and when they were nearing rama also noticed he noticed a cloud of dust raised by the marching army he said to lakshmana lakshmana a terrific noise like the rumbling of the thunder cloud is being hard in the woods has any king or prince come here for hunting quickly ascertain the cause then lakshmana immediately climbed a shallow tree and began to survey all around the shawl tree are very tall by this way we can understand the lakshmana was very expert in climbing the tree too because the schalter is very tall and very difficult to climb also but the lakshmana went on the top and he surveyed the whole jungle and he from there he said he saw the vast army marching towards the east and he cried out oh lord please put out the fire now because the if the fire is there smoke will be there and they used to keep the fire all the time because naturally the animals were there and the fire was necessary to cooking the food for cooking food etc so this is the way he was telling too wonderful oh lord please put out the fire now and enter the cave with janaki now put on your armor and get yourself ready by fixing string to your bow and have the arrows near at hand rama said fast try to ascertain to whom belongs to this host who is coming the lakshmana was very quick in taking the decision that was the mistake and only everything was good in his character but only he used to get agitated and very quickly and is to act in that way and that is the reason everything happened afterwards when we'll be reading the ramayana will come to know and he was agitated seeing the army and the rama was calm he told first to decide who are the people coming then the lakshmana answered my lord koike-san bharata in order to remove all thorns from his side has come to kill us he has already taken lakshmana took the decision that when he saw how he came to know the kovindra flag of the chariot is visible because their their country's flag the dasharatha's flag was there the kovindra so that is the flag i can see so obviously it is our national flag and i can understand the bharata is coming so he was getting ready today now the lakshmana is telling today i shall kill even koiki with mantara because he could see that the chariots are coming where the queens were sitting so he told i am going to kill them when the mighty bharata has himself calm the rama is telling so this is the difference between rama and lakshmana the rama immediately could understand why the bharata is coming lakshmi nathan bharati is coming to kill them and he told i am going to kill bharata not only that his mother and the lady who inspired his mother to do all this i am going to kill all of them but here rama is telling when mighty bharata has himself come what is the use of bows and arrows i have how to observe my father's pledge then what shall i gain by killing bharata what is kingdom to me the rama was very clear if the bharata is coming to kill me no problem because i don't want the kingdom i have give i should keep the word that's why i was telling their devotees and friends the rama is teaching the righteousness by asking us to practice the oath keeping the oath the words whatever i have given the word i must keep it and that is righteousness that is dharma i'm told i have given the word to my father that i am not going to take that kingdom if the bharata is coming to kill me let him come and kill there is no problem for me and he said i swear to you that righteous merit wealth objects of desire and earthly positions that i may want for you all and i swear by my sword that if i wish for the kingdom it is for the happiness and maintenance of my brothers lakshmana it is not difficult for me even to possess the sea grilled earth but i do not crave even for indra state by unrighteous means what more if i wish for any happiness depriving you all may fire reduce that may fire reduce that to ashes then and there it seems dear bharata after returning from his maternal uncle's house to ayodha has been greatly mortified at the news of our exile so he has come here to see us just to just out of deep love the rama's decision was perfect he immediately understood the bharata is coming because of his love for the rama not to kill the rama so this is how the great person they think this is how the positive thinking the rama knew first he first he said i am confident to conquer the whole world because no one can fight with me that is the first confidence and second he told even if the varath is coming not that i can fight with him i can but i won't fast second i'm sure as far as i know bharata he cannot be that mean he will also coming here with great love for the brothers don't ascribe any other motive to his presence here when someone is telling you something the obviously people are carried by that the information or the suggestions that's why the rama is telling don't say anything against bharata if the lakshmana goes on telling no no bharata is bad maybe the thought against bharata may come to rama's mind that's why rama is telling don't say anything against him but rather then afterwards he is telling if you have said all this for kingdom over lakshmana rama is telling to lakshmana well i don't know if you have the desire to grab the kingdom if you like to become a king then i shall ask bharata in his presence to confer the kingdom on you he will never disagree to my word if i say this so this is the confidence so today whatever we have discussed this is the most important so here the sri ramachandra is telling that if you owe lakshmana you are thinking that he will kill bharata and to grab the kingdom you need not to do anything like that i will tell bharata and bharata will give you that here i will quote from the original ramayana the verse the ayodhya kanda it says like this o lakshmana if for the kingdom if for the rajya if you are telling these words bakshami bharatam drishtva rajjamsmi pradhiyatam i will ask bharata to hand over the kingdom to you what happened to lakshmana lakshmana rama said this and lakshmana was overwhelmed with shame thank you friends today after this from here we find how things are happening the brothers are coming together but they love each other and that is the old indian tradition why none of them are greedy to get the property father's property none of them this is the beauty because all of them knew this is so temporary whatever we are going to get it will be for few days only so rama told i have the capacity to conquer the whole world not that i am afraid i can conquer but i don't want it then he said lakshmana the if you want i can ask bharatha to hand over because he had the great confidence on the varatha the bharata will never do anything wrong for a piece of land you will never do that and we find now the lakshmana who was the shadow of rama he was filled with shame he never wanted the kingdom only he was thinking how to protect the rama so this is the great love among these four brothers thank you friends in next month coming month we will again proceed [Music] that's it