Adharma to Dharma — Be Inspired
Class notes | October 21, 2018
In a famous dialogue between Duryodhana and Bhagavan Krishna, Duryodhana tells Bhagavan Krishna not to give him a discourse on dharma and adharma as he can do the same. He says he knows dharma, but as it is not his nature, he cannot follow it. At the same time, he knows what adharma is, but he cannot let go of it. We can all resonate with it. We know what our dharma is — to be early risers, to be more patient, but following it is quite different.
We are all fond of giving advice, but still hold onto the vice. We typically feel dejected and frustrated like Duryodhana and Ravana. Our Vedanta in Ramayana course is to transform that dejection into inspiration. Inspiration is when we can tap into our potential and live up to it.
Last week we studied the death of Meghanatha at Sri Lakshmana’s hands. Hanuman-ji then brings Meghanatha’s body to Lanka. When Ravana sees his son’s body, he faints as his son was his only hope to fight Bhagavan Rama. He then decides to fight Bhagavan Rama himself. There are many bad omens that manifest at that time, like owls awake during the day.
Ravana comes to the battlefield in full armor with lots of weapons. Bhagavan Rama is on foot, with only his bow and arrow, facing Ravana. Vibhishana cares for Ravana, but loves Bhagavan Rama and runs forward to stop Him as Ravana seems invincible on his yudharatha. Bhagavan Rama is very happy to see how much Vibhishana cares. He smiles and says that the real war is the one that we fight inside of us, not outside, and is therefore not fought with a yudharatha.
Ravana is a perfect example of an ignorant person because he fails to see. Ravana is not seeing what is going to happen. He is not even paying attention to the bad omens. He considers Bhagavan Rama and Mother Sita as mere mortals and is so identified with his own kama that he fails to see the reality.
That is why we need a Sadguru in our lives, someone wiser who can show us our potential. When we are not following our responsibilities, we find that vices like jealousy, anger and procrastination are hard to overcome. We become fearful when we don’t follow our dharma. However if we follow our dharma, things don’t seem hard anymore as so much potential is released within us. It just takes time. We find ourselves more integrated, we find oneness when we follow our dharma. More responsibilities lead to oneness. Each one of us can ride a dharmaratha and be vice-free. It is for us to make the choice.
When we are more integrated, there are fewer vices, less separation and more oneness. Ravana is the one who is always crying and making everyone around cry. Bhagavan Rama was born to kill Ravana. His death should be the end of Ravana’s crying and our crying as well. How do we stop crying? By criticising less, complaining less, and being more content.
The battle is very gory and Ravana uses all his maya against the monkeys and bears, but each time Bhagavan Rama destroys Ravana’s maya with his arrows. However Ravana still remains undefeated. News comes to Mother Sita that Bhagavan Rama is unable to defeat the unconquerable Ravana. When she is saddened, Trijata comes to console Mother Sita and explains that as She lives in Ravana’s heart, Bhagavan Rama is unable to shoot at his heart. Bhagavan Rama needs to somehow move Mother Sita from Ravana’s heart to his head and then shoot him in his heart. So Bhagavan Rama agitates Ravana to make him stop thinking about Mother Sita, and then shoots him with 31 arrows — at his 10 heads, 20 arms and 1 to his navel, and Ravana finally falls to the ground.
So many rakshasas on the battlefield lay in eternal sleep. They are blessed. If they can be blessed, why not us? Why do we think we have to be born again? Why can’t we be enlightened? When the worst, in the worst times can be free, why can’t we be free? Even Vibhishana at one time during the battle, was able to fight Ravana. It is because he invoked Bhagavan Rama and became strong enough to fight Ravana. If we invoke our true nature which is Joy, we will be able to defeat our enemies within. In this battle, maya created by Ravana is symbolic of ignorance, and the arrows of Bhagavan Rama are the sadhanas. The sadhaka uses his sadhana to reach his sadhya. Just as Bhagavan Rama shoots his arrows at Ravana incessantly, we also have to keep working tirelessly when we feel we are not growing. We have to keep trying and re-trying till we reach moksha. That is the only way to finally dispel ignorance. Only Jnana, Bhagavan Rama, can defeat ajnana, Ravana.
Last week’s RAW — According to Vivek-ji, if we are not able to give up one eatable even for a week, how are we going to give up our ego?
