Video 13

RAMAYANA 013 :”KING’s RESPONSIBILITIES”

so let us begin with this pranam mantra data [Music] [Music] the devotees and friends this is a very happy moment to meet you all and then uh read a few pages from uh the ramayana and this ramayana that we are studying is the original ramayana uh by balmiki so we have in the last month we discussed that bharata returned to ayodha with sri rama's sandal and sri rama with mashita and lakshmana became the guest of the sage atri and his brahmavadhini wife anushua and we had discussed last month that it was a transition period the rama after the fast circle the the rama was establishing the dharma he is the abathara he is the vishnu the avatar vishnu himself and he was giving the responsibility to the women folk that was also changing onusua she was representing the last batch they were brahmavadinis now this was discovered brahma of the was discovered this religion was discovered and then it was established now this time it was the responsibility of the women to follow the another type that was the prathibrata dharma sahabhar mini pratib we had a wonderful discussion last month and this month we will find how this patibrata dharma is manifesting through shita again and again it will be there but this time that wonderfully the mashita will be expressing that we will come to that the patibrata sahadarmini was taking shape and they were anushawa and shetha had a wonderful discussion between them onushua she was having a lot of jewelries but she was not wearing beautiful dresses jewelries but she was not using it she gave it to mahashita and told you should wear it and sheetha she was she put on that beautiful dress given by anushua and also the jewelries and then came before sri rama rama was very happy seeing his wife in that form so this is the change are coming the symbolic way one giving up practicing the austerity and also meditating realizing the truth not being attracted to the worldly things this is this was one type of responsibility and second type they were so close to the husband always following the steps of the husband and at the same time helping the husband to perform the duties and responsibilities with you with the dharma so this dharma was manifesting through the women because it was necessary for them to develop the families this family the mashita was doing with with this ends ayada khanda when that is over and that one condor condominius on chapter we can say it was over today we shall enter into dhandakaranya this famous aranya is dandaka the dandaka aranya here the rama is entering with the lakshmana and marshita rishis and muniz who used to live there with their families and students greeted sri rama offered food and shelter and next day they say to sri rama now the aranya that means forest but it is not that it is there was no locality no peoples to live over there it's not like that they they were there at the same time we find that there is to be the the forest schools and the students were there they used to learn a different type of subjects from the gurus from the rishis the guru kula system that nowadays they say guru kula system the guru kula kula means the family the guru is the head of the family and all other students they will go they may be prince they may be ordinary person but they will all go live together serve the guru physically and then they will learn from the guru the gurukula system why society again then these young people they used to follow the strict brahmacharya that means the restraining the saints says this to develop that capacity and many different type of the knowledge is this to acquire and afterwards according to the choices they they could take their professions so slowly slowly the human life they were having the four goals to achieve and four different ostomers or the uh the time frame was there first brahmacharya that is the student's time goddess the family life householder's life bana prista retirement life preparation for the sannyasa and finally the sannyasa not that they used to leave the heart and home all of them but there was no attachment or attraction for the worldly things so these four goals astronauts were there and the goals were dharma artha karma and moksha so the how wonderfully it all developed the human life the four different stages and they were developing and who used to do that to help them in the beginning all the rishis they were the teachers they used to teach not only the spiritual thing they were highly spiritual just to practice that but they used to teach many different type of things and we know the in the rama also went to a guru and then the guru afterwards he came back and he was taking the responsibility of a king and all those things are there so obviously not that they used to teach only the spirituality they used to teach many other different subjects also so that was the the picture of a society human society that was growing up on the in india on indian soil and the day the students and the family members of the rishis they were not monks they were the rishis they used to have their wives their family their children and they used to give the training to these young people so they offered food and shelter o rama you are our king whether you live in forest or city you are not you are our protector we have taken the promise of non-violence and therefore cannot think of fighting with anyone o king we are worthy of your protection now when they are saying like this we can understand that they are reminding sri ramachandra his duties the duties also were defined the friends we are getting the picture that the human society in india how it is developing first the responsibility of the women that was changing from the brahmavadini to pratibrata sahadarmini and they were supporting the husband and also practicing the dharma along with their husbands so that is prathibdata sahadarmini secondly the human life was divided into four different sections brahmacharya students life goddess banana presta and sannyas the ultimate the renunciation then the goal of these four was dharma artakama and moksha now here the rishis and the munis and the students and they were there they were responsible for different work but along with that there were barnas now the they were all brahmanas and rama is a shatriya so brahmana shatriya bhaisya and sudra these four burners the four different parts of the life different sections of the life four different goals and then four different responsibilities so when the students they are coming the rishis are coming the teachers are coming to sri rama and they knew the rama is now leaving as an ascetic he is just roaming inside the jungle and because the 14 years he has to be in the exile his father promised etc still they are telling you are shatriya and why whether you are in in the kingdom or in the forest being a shatria you are supposed to protect us like in this way we can understand the they were very strictly maintaining these class sections also this appeal of the rishis to sri rama clearly indicate the division of responsibility in ancient indian society those who preferred to live the life of the seclusion and research when known as the brahmana they were developing the intellect they were researching not that constantly thinking about the god or the spirituality as i was telling they were researching on medicine also and on different type of how to grow the good vegetables and maintaining the the horse's cows all every type of things they were researching and developing and some of our philosophy also mentioning that what is dharma what dharma is where the both things are developing one is spirituality another is the worldly prosperity so these two should balance and then both should increase otherwise imbalancing will be destroying the whole human society so when we come to know that is why the ramayana is not just the story book and did that also depicts the society and how the human society is developing recorded in the satya yuga the in the satya yuga it was there but in the tretha dwapar and kali so satya yuga the human society was not very much they were a small group of people and almost all of them they were highly spiritual minded but treta yoga the population increased it was necessary to make the rules and system so we can understand in the trita yuga how things are taking shape in the society those who prefer to live in the life of seclusion and research they were known as brahmana though who are capable to use the weapons they became the shatria the military clan and the division of responsibilities are very clear bushes were responsible for maintaining the economy and sudras were the working force rama assured the rishis and next day while moving through the jungle encountered a terrible person rakshasa who introduced himself as biradha viradha was a rakshasa what is this the rakshasa rakshasa means a group of people one type of people those who were there and we can say that they were not developing that culture so you know in every society we find this different type of people they were not cultured people so hence they were known as the rakshasa so this rakshasas they used to attack the rishis sometimes they will attack the schools then they will disturb their study so it was always there good and bad people all the time in the society so it was like that the this person he came now friends the almost like you know that very mythological way it is presented this rakshasa he came over here his name is biroda and he attacked the rama and lakshmana he was constantly asking them the who are you he wanted to know this identity of these two brothers but they were not telling they were not disclosing they were thinking who is this person why he is asking for our identity then he forcefully took the masita and told unless you disclose who are you i am going to take this lady with me then the rama started shooting the arrows and we can imagine rama and lakshmana both they started shooting the arrows but nothing happened to that person and rama and lakshmana was taken aback what is the what's this our arrows can't touch him and even if they are touching not doing any harm to him what's the matter then again when he asks the birada when he asked that you better tell who are you then rama told we are the children of dasharatha i am rama and he is my brother lakshmana and that is my wife shita then the birada told the now i will tell you about myself then my mother uh and the father and he told about that he told the names of the mother and the father and he told that you won't be able to kill me with any weapon because i practiced austerity and after practicing the austerity i got the boon from the brahma but no weapon can do any harm to me if you like to kill me you have to kill without any weapon then he attacked these two brothers rama and lakshmana then rama told lakshmana i think he's correct we won't be able to harm him with the weapon let us do the wrestling and break both the hands they did that they were very powerful though young in age but both of them were very powerful physically so they broke the hands of that person the birada then the birada and then told uh it is better that we lakshmana rama told lakshmana you better dig a big uh the other well and then i will put him inside and closed it so that it it can die then the birada told you are correct by that way only you can kill me o rama please kill me by your own hand rama told but who were you then he disclosed that i was a celestial being but one day i did some excess and the kubera became very angry with me and we we know the kubera the very rich god so that kubernetes become became angry and he cursed me and he told that you will go and born as a rakshasa in dandakaranna and leave over there then i fervently requested the kubera please tell me how i can get back my old self i'm i've done some mistake now you have given me punishment it is okay but tell me something so that i can again come back then the kubera told wait over there the two brothers the sons of the king the sharatha will come to that land that place and if the rama touch you then only it is possible for you to get back your old self that is why i was waiting over here for years and years now that you have come i could understand to make you angry i should abduct the sita so that both of you will attack me now my wishes are fulfilled i am going to die and going back to my own self so please kill me then after the death he went back but before that this biraatha told rama you better go to sarah bhangra the rishi saravanga will help you there was a great sage see this person he's helping the sri rama because it is a big jungle you do not know where to go utilities not very far a few miles away if you go you will find this type of place and that is the hermitage of the saravanga you better go to sarafanga he will help you friends here let us stop and think what actually happened it's the karma follower now this biraatha he was a yaksa yaksha means a celestial being and the king of the yaksas is kubera that this kubera became angry with this person and cursed that means the mantra shakti this is one thing the power of the mantra if somebody is using that power he can do harm and when i am doing something bad and immediately getting the result of it that exactly what happened with the viradha he became a very bad he had to take the birth or maybe that he himself became there the rakshasa leaving on the flesh and then living a very unhealthy life i feel the life we can say this is the karma fella then if you are waiting with faith and getting the touch of a pure person like sri ramachandra the god himself the with the by the touch of that you can get the transformation once again you can go back to your own self we can remember those who have read the biography of bhagavan we know and there was a person who wanted to do harm to bhagavan si rama krishna the man mata the man mata was his name he was in bhagbajar area of calcutta he wanted to run because someone requested him to do that and not knowing who is bhagavan sirama krishna he came to do the he was a great wrestler very powerful people are afraid of him but when he tried to do any harm to rama krishna and that particular day usually salaam krishna comes with all the devotees a group of devotees was always follow him but that day it seems that he was all alone and in a narrow path both of them they made when he came to do any harm to suramar krishna srama krishna with his finger touched the chest of this mata and this manmata got completely transformed the touch of a holy person also transform the holy person means the avatar they can transform just by touching we know the story of the anguli mala and angali mal he was touched by lord buddha and when the lord buddha touched him the angali mal the cruel killer he also got transformed completely it is the mind that changes and this type of great personalities they have so much spiritual power just by touch just just by glances and through words they change the course of the life here we find the ramachandra he is changing the life of the birada and birada passed away and went back to his celestial body there's rama after hearing he that he mentioned about sarah banga and also directed the how to reach to that rishi he went to video and rama shita and lakshmana they raised to the astra map saurabhanga and so indra is sitting over there from the distance the way we find the rama is approaching and he could see that on the open baranda of a small heart the indra the king of the gods he is sitting with the rishi saravanga then the rama told his brother and the wife you better wait over here outside the astra let me go inside and see what is happening why lord indra is here so when he was going indra also noticed that srirama is coming then immediately told the rishi let me go today and i will rather meet you afterwards in brahmaloka and i don't like to meet and greet sri rama now because he has some responsibility to perform when he complete that then only i will meet the whole thing as if the all the things are set in that way when we do something we think that we are now newly doing something it is nothing like that everything is set and we are only going on performing as was given to us the responsibility and all the duties all that we are doing so this if we can understand then for many difficulties and sometimes the misery sometimes the sorrows we can overcome now these are the things that i have to do and i must do and i try to improve myself and as a as per the guidance in the bhagavad-gita we find when the arjuna was denying that he you should not fight and kill his own keith and keen his all the relatives then the sri krishna said the all these people are already dead i have already killed them because it is their fate that they should die everything is said you only become nimita just for your sake as if that you are doing it otherwise everything is safe so this way if we can understand this is called dharma understanding the thing whatever is happening it goes on like that then what we should do we should pray we should try to be good and by that way only one can develop the spiritual power spiritual liberty this and sharavanga was waiting over there for the sri lama when rama went that the old rishi was so happy and he told o rama i was actually waiting for you then the rama asked i saw from distance that the indra was sitting over here why has he left he could meet me then he said no indra said that you have some duties to perform and when you complete then only he will meet you but he came here to take me to brahmaloka you know there are 14 lokers among the hindu the system they say there are 14 lokers and the below there are seven above there are seven a brahmaloka is the highest loka and the rishi told because of my austerity i have earned that and i am supposed to go to that highest loka the sich position after my death indra came to take me my soul to over there not the physical body but the soul i told indra i like to meet sri rama why because these rishis they knew the sri rama is not human though apparently but he is the vishnu himself so they wanted to see sri rama in the gospel of sirama krishna the bhagavan salam krishna is mentioning a few rishis they understood that though in the form of a human being is the vishnu himself the god himself but they didn't disclose it at that time and according to the language of sudama krishna he said uramah we know that you are that param brahma you are that supreme self but this time we will consider you as the son of the dasharata so why abbatara even the hanuman also could recognize him at the supreme self so he was so dedicated to sri ramachandra 3 rama he came in the form of a human being but he was the supreme self the afterwards much afterwards when the devotees composed about sri ramachandra the rama is a part parabrahma that that is the way they addressed him and the sri ramacandra that means the supreme being which is known as brahman can take the human form but at that time it was not disclosed to the ordinary people and the because they won't be able to understand that that was not the situation then when the krishna came in the krishna same lord came in the form of krishna then it was disclosed and the again and again krishna showed so much of a miraculous power the wonderful power that he showed so that the people can also accept yes if a person a human being can do this type of work like lifting the whole hill on his finger he must be god so the god can come in the human form then recently in the modern time when that rama that krishna came in the form of bhagavan's ramakrishna there is no doubt the people didn't ask how it is possible at the time of sri krishna lot of questions only few they accepted majority people they had great doubt about the sri krishna so now things goes in this way the sharabhanga told that you be here the rama was asking him can you please tell me i have to be here in this jungle for 14 years and he was concerned because the shita was with him so he was telling that where we can stay and pass these 14 years the sharabanga told if you like you can stay here in my hermitage and or otherwise you can become a go this is there where you will find that another hermitage and there one person will be there that is the rishi sutiksna he can also guide you so one after another and if we can close our eyes and wish your lies and this is a huge jungle wherever there is a river there's a fruit wearing trees and the rishis used to start their school over there the asrama and they knew each other they were connected the saravanga that he told orama now it is my time to die to go and there is a sutikshna why he said sutiksna we when we meet sudhikshna we will find again the same thing he was also preparing to go for the brahmaloka and these great rishis through their austerities they achieved that power to go to brahmaloka and they were giving up their bodies as if just like the old garments they are leaving and going away so the rama the shutiksna you can go over there after the saribanga's passing away sarvanga before the sri ramachandra he lighted a pyre entered into that and everyone could see that his old form the old human body that burned away and the very bright body he got and he went from there to the brahmaluka after that lord many rishis they came i am only mentioning three or four the one name many of us we know he is a balakillah balakillamuni and many other almost 12 great rishis they came and made sri rama in the astrama of sarabanga the sarabanga was having all these great rishis with him they were also teachers they were also teaching but as because the sharabanga was the he leader haid he was the most aged rishi so he was the head of that the whole or you can say that locality the after the sharapanga these people they came to see rama and they said to srirama o rama you are the king of the earth as indra is the king of the heaven and this is full and perfect religion has found full and perfect religion has found its permanent abode in you this is the language that they are using full and perfect religion has found his abode in you that means you are the embodiment of dharma the religion the dharma what is dharma keeping the word is the dharma keeping the promises is the dharma again and again when we read the ramayana we find that shri ramachandra he is teaching us this the rama never said you better go and meditate you do this yoga that yoga no he only practiced in his own life and sometimes he said keeping the promises the words and whatever the responsibility that you are having to perform that your dharma here the rishis they are giving that status to sri rama and yet they are telling you are full and perfect religion forgive us if our app will disturb you o rama you are aware that if the king now this is very interesting they they are mentioning about the responsibility of the king and how the king should behave you are aware that if the king who receives one-sixth of the people income that means taxes in those days also it was there the people is to pay one-sixth of their income to the king so that the king will protect them just like our modern day society and after receiving the one-sixth of the people income does not protect his subjects incar great sin so these are the the king's duty king's responsibility and this king who are there the that is see ramachandra is also the king and his father the saratha so there then it incur great scene o rama you also know if the king serves his subject properly reaps great fame on the earth and also attained brahmaloka after death just now we came to know the brahmaloka is the highest position and after that mukti they go beyond that that brahmaloka a king can reach just by performing his duties that is to protect the subjects properly he need not to practice meditation and anything else just by performing his duties friends these are the things we should learn from the ramayana the story when we read it is very fascinating story and when we see the movie that we are also very much happy by saying but actual thing is this how the society human society was growing up and what are a true uh the way to perform religion when the rishis those who have decided to practice in austerity and live in a secluded place and then only thinking about the betterment of the society and they have taken the vow of non-violence and same size sightedness there's a complete different group and the their responsibility only to concentrate to develop the human life and that is called dharma here at another group the shatrias the their responsibility not to practice meditation not to go into secluded place and read the scripture no their responsibilities as long as they are shatriya performing the active shatria life and becoming the kings they should protect this and serve the subject moreover they are getting the money the wealth one-sixth of the income of each and every one so obviously it is their moral responsibility so he is telling the rishis are telling and rishi's means as i mentioned the balconies they are all the very very famous rishis the if o rama you also know if the king serve his subjects properly reaps great fame on the earth and also attain brahmaloka after death a kind and just king receives one-fourth of the religious merit that is acquired by the holy people saint and sages they're very interesting the kings who is protecting and maintaining their balance he will receive whatever the tapasya whatever the austerity these holy people are doing and i am telling you holy people because in a we we can understand they are completely different and they live a complete different life on whatever the austerity they are practicing that one-fourth of their austerity obviously will go to the king who is protecting them orama you are the lord of this land and we fully depend on you for our protection who are leaving on the banks of mandalkani and palma palma please save us then rama got this appeal from the rishis then curry this courteous and gentle sri rama then replied o sages you need not to request me please order me and i shall do my best rama he could say see i am not a king now i had to leave the kingdom i am here come here only to spend some 14 years in the forest because i'm in exile i'm not supposed to do my duty he never said that rather immediately he understood as a shattry or wherever he is people are expecting this type of thing now suppose a doctor he is on vacation and something happened somewhere when he was there in a hotel and if there is a call that if any doctor is present here in this hotel can he please come oh no i am a doctor of course but i won't do any duty because i'm on vacation he cannot say that and he should not even we have seen that the doctors are responding immediately in the flight in the flight sometimes there will be an announcement that some the passengers having some problem if there is any doctor please come and help us i have seen two three doctors immediately the rose and then went over there and helped the person though very the medicine was not there still whatever is possible for them they did and they never said well we have purchased the ticket in the flight and we are going why we should work for this person no no that is the dharma the whatever the responsibility that you have accepted it is your dharma it is your responsibility and that is religion so religion we are getting a wonderful definition of the religion that is performing one's own duty perfectly now when the rama is shatriya though he is in exile even then the rishis they are telling him that reminding him that it is your responsibility to protect me protect us rama said well i will do that sri rama then as sharabanga muni advised him as proceeded to the hermitage of shutikshna seeing sri rama shuttikshnam became very happy and said o rama how eagerly i was waiting for you so why because they knew this people they developed they knew though apparently rama is a human form but he is god my time in this time life is over now i can happily leave my body muni asks free rama to stay in his hermitage but srirama only declined and he said i'd rather go to other places please tell me where i should go next morning see rama shita and lakshmana began their journey now here friends the one wonderful conversation between sri shita and rama now the shita she is the wife of sri rama shita heard how the rishis are appealing to sri rama for protection and rama is also giving his word that i will protect at that time over there she didn't say anything and she is not supposed to but when they are once again started their journey and there was no one except rama lakshman and shita then shita is stealing and we can understand how educated shita was she also knew what is dharma what is the righteousness and what are the difficulties of a spiritual life everything and she is telling and telling with very harmless she is telling oh arya in those days they used to call the wives is to call the husband as the aryan arya and with the great respect and sometimes we find that nowadays in the modern society there when they are studying somewhere they become friends and then afterwards they started loving each other and become the husband wife all this now this is the problem then here it says and the arya arya means a noble soul and that way the they are giving that the hint that you are a noble soul and both husband and wife should have respect for each other love deepens and love really take place when both are having husband and wife both are having respect for each other we have seen the life of bhagavan sidha krishna and maha sharadamani devi they were married but there is no other conjugal relations between them but a great respect for each other sirama krishna was almost 22 years elder than mahasarathamani devi but he was also having respect for the mother whatever that is a different discussion i am not entering into it time is short but we have seen that here also i will just mention this and we conclude today's this ramayana part the here the shita is telling o arya you are aware that the virtue can be acquired by giving up all low desires and one should be careful of three kinds of scenes papa what that falsehood second adultery third anger without provocation first is falsehood the when we are practicing spirituality trying to become religious person trying to get the blessings of god the first thing that we should try not to tell the lies and you know the life of bhagavan sidha krishna and his life's motto is nothing but the truthfulness one should be truthful so when you think about the spiritual life we always think that something that from the sky something will come like this that they're all useless here we have to understand it is the development of our character so how it is the first is truthfulness bhagavan sri ramakrishna said those who are holding the truth they will realize god they were to holding the truth that mashita said that first is falsehood if anyone is telling false and lying then he incurs scene second is adultery and third anger without provocation then she will explain it oh lord you are free from the first two types of scenes she is telling to sri ramachandra rama her husband and shita knew but still as a wife she is telling and why because she heard that rishis are approaching srirama and she was afraid rama will take up the fight with the rakshasas without any cause rakshasas are not harming him so she is telling but i am afraid you may commit the third type of scene by killing rakshasas without any offenses rakshasas are not harming sri rama so why the rama should kill them so that is our question oh lord are the rishis and munis not capable to protect themselves they are for sure then why should you kill them who have not to those who haven't done any harm to you sita we can understand as a wife concerned about rama and she was eager that somehow we have to spend the 14 years in exile and why should we pick up all these things rather in some municimal it should be quietly leaving then after the 14 years let us go back so she's reminding sri rama that one should not kill or do any harm to someone who has not done any harm there is a scene and one should not kill also those who has no power to protect that's why when the people are torturing the women all the children they commit more sin because they cannot protect themselves they are particularly the children so one should not do it oh lord i am not giving you any advice but harmly remind you of this sinful act out of deep love and great regard for you it is not proper to kill any creature unless it does any harm so this is the dharma then one should do oh lord in this forest let us live the life of a hermit after returning to ayodhya you may please resume two duties of a shattriya king the shatriyas they are supposed to protect and all that we can feel that how the is thinking why the and and if the rama is doing lakshmana will follow just as a shadow and if these two brothers are engaged in fighting the shita is wondering what will happen to them the rakshasas will also attack and this thing will do so shita is telling now we will conclude by listening to rama's answer to shita sri rama responded which worthy of a king and king's responsibility and king's duty king's dharma though rama at that moment was not a king but he belonged to that shatriya clan satria group so he is talking perfectly he he's mentioning oh dear srita you have justly explained the dharma of satriya out of love for me rama understood why is telling like that because she is worried about if anything wrong happened to srirama but rama is confident about his power he is not egoistic but he is confident about his power so she he is telling ayan can understand when someone in distress and call for help it is the duty of a shatria to protect them shatriya means those who are in the administration shuttle doesn't mean only the military clan the administrators are also and nowadays the president the prime minister and the ministers those who are in the administration they are all shatriyas and it is their responsibility to perform the shatria dharma and shatriya dharma is only one dharma is to protect the people when they're in distress when they call for health it is this shatriyas they should go and protect them why as we have already heard the munis they are mentioning o rama you are getting one sixth that means the administrative administration they are getting one-sixth of the income of each and every one moreover if you are truly protecting and performing your duty you will be receiving one-fourth of all the austerities of all the rishis all the good people spiritual people wherever they are performing whatever they are performing automatically it will be going to you this is the dharma you just perform your own duty that will be sufficient rama is telling that when someone in distress and call for help it is the duty of israel to protect them in these acid rags of course they can protect themselves they have that power but rama is mentioning they have taken the pow of non-violence hence though able will not harm this evil souls so they will be only receiving all the and the punishments by all the tortures but they won't do anything because they have taken the vow vow up non-violence the sannyasins are not supposed to or the religious people are not supposed to harm others because they have taken the vow vow of same-sidedness vow of non-violence so they should not it is my responsibility and i have given my word i must protect them by destroying the wickeds that this is the king's duty and after that rama added one more line he said o shita for performing my responsibility if i have to give up you and lakshmana i won't mind to do that i will never hesitate to do that that means a shatriya an administrator a king will be ready to even to sacrifice his own family for the sake of the subjects that this is the great teaching that we learn from the ramayana today thank you friends now if there any question or we will say shanti three times and we conclude is there any question devika sardar any question okay i think now let us say shanti three times and we conclude j you