Image source: Wikipedia
by Baby Shaw 21 January 2024
Rama, according to the epic of Ramayana, was a great king who defeated Ravana in a great battle. To establish the truth, to build the Ramrajya, i.e., the kingdom of wisdom, justice and honesty, Rama is an icon of a fight against the odds. Perhaps for this reason, Mahatma Gandhi said, “I myself have been a devotee of Tulasidas from my childhood and have, therefore, always worshiped God as Rama. But I know that if, beginning with Omkar, one goes through the entire gamut of God’s names in all climes, all countries and languages, the result is the same. He and His law are one. To observe His law is, therefore, the best form of worship1“. Hence, Rama, according to Gandhi, is a symbol of eternal truth and fights against the odds of the ill-power of the world, like the battle between good and evil and the battle between God and Satan.
As per the Indian mythology and epics, Rama is a character who had never compromised his conviction against any kind of odds in life. He used to respect the truth more than anything in his life. Rama is an example of a character who always shows us the spirit of fight and believing in the truth. We may say that Rama is an ideal character whose example was followed by various characters in the history of mankind. Who was this Rama to Gandhiji? If we read him, we get— “My Rama, the Rama of our prayers is not the historical Rama, the son Dasharatha, the King of Ayodhya. He is the eternal, the unborn, the one without a second. Him alone I worship. His aid alone I see, and so should you. He belongs equally to all. I, therefore, see no reason why a Mussalman or anybody should object to taking His name. But he is in no way bound to recognize God as Ramanama. He may utter to himself Allah or Khuda so as not to mar the harmony of the sound2“. This is the way Rama was interpreted by Mahatma Gandhi. The characteristics of Rama were thoroughly explained in Ramayana and later, he was the pathfinder of establishment of truth. The concept of Asuras, according to the mythology and epic, was destroyed by Rama and a new kingdom of truth was established by him. However, the allegorical meaning of Rama’s invasion over Asuras also signifies the Aryan invasion over the non-Aryans. This is a completely different story if we look into the matter of Aryan invasion over the Asuras, Rakshashas, as the original inhabitants of India were non-Aryans. They were so civilized that the oldest city-oriented civilizations were built by them, whereas Aryans were nomadic. They invaded Indian primary civilizations and made their own civilizations. However, the concept of Indian civilization after the Aryan invasion was different. The people of Aryan civilization were mixed with non-Aryan sects. Hence, the epic and myths also symbolize the Aryan invasion. Now, the main question arises in our mind. Is Rama history or a myth? Is Rama a symbol of Aryan invasion or a philosophical symbol of inner conflict between just and unjust?
There is another aspect of Rama. Rama is also a symbol of ‘Love’ and ‘submission of self for love’. A dedication. Another aspect is Sita’s dedication of self towards Rama or Hanuman’s dedication of self for the respect & love for Rama. These have a greater impact on the epics, myths and literature of India. Devotion of self in love and devotion of self in spiritual aspects later were expressed in the dohas (poems) of Kabir, Nanak, Dadu, Suradas, Tulsidas etc. The concept of Rama in Kabir is totally different. It has nothing to do with Rama in Ramayana. If we compare, then the concept of Rama in Gandhi is related to the concept of Rama in Kabir’s poems and songs. Kabir was against idol-worship. He took the idol, the shopkeeper Dharam Dass was worshiping, threw it in the river and said to him, “This stone cannot be your god. The weights you weigh with, are made of the same stone.” In the same way, he saw a flower girl plucking flowers for worship and said to her, “life abides in each petal you are plucking. Leaves, flowers and stems you are plucking are the three living gods. The sculptor pressed under his feet, the idol you are going to worship when he chiseled it. If there were life in it, it would have destroyed the sculptor. The rice and lentils you offer to the idol will be eaten by the priest. Only ashes will go into the mouth of the idol. O’ flower girl! You are deluded and so are the people, but I am not. My god is ever living.”
One day a Brahmin asked Kabir, “you advise people to recite the name of ‘Ram’ and I also inculcate his name. Where lies the difference?” Kabir replied. “My Rama pervades the whole of universe while your Ram was one who was born in the house of Dashrath and was next reincarnated as Krishna in Nand’s house. Union with my Ram cannot be attained by wandering nude in the forest. If it was possible, the animals of the forest would all have found him. Nor can God be realized by shaving the head close as the sheep, surely, they would have been liberated if it were so. Celibacy is also not the means of liberation. Eunuchs would have seen the divine light if it were so. Nobody has attained the supreme state without devotion to his name. This repetition, penance, charity, good deeds, religious feasts, sacrifices, bathing at holy places etc. are fruitless unless you make your mind free of ego3.”
It is clear to us that the saga written by Tulsidas encapsulates the soul of the philosophical Rama, which is, by no means, similar to the Rama used in the current political scenario of India. If we consider Gandhiji’s Rama or Kabir’s Rama, then it is beyond our explanation that they deal with the inner soul of mankind. It is the concept of the spiritual Rama which has no connection with the Rama Mandir created at the price of thousands of crores of Rupees, by corporate hotels and investments and a weapon of religious divided India, where religious fanaticism is the driving force of this pseudo democratic nation with fascist impressions. Actually, this is not an icon of religion. It is rather an icon of power. Rama is not established at the Rama Mandir. Power has established itself in this temple. The current regime is not using the philosophy of Rama depicted by the epics, myths and poems written by Kabir or Suradas or Tulsidas, but it is establishing a fanaticism of power.
The current regime of this country is taking us far from the traditional and spiritual significance of Rama. It is leading us to an inevitable destruction where our democratic structure will be endangered. We wanted a real Ramrajya which means a true democracy where every man and woman live in peace and harmony. Instead, we are moving towards an absolute autocracy where people are scared of religious fanatics. This is not the Rama worshiped by Gandhi or Kabir nor by Tulsidas or Valmiki. The Rama the present regime is establishing at the Rama Mandir in Ayodhya is not the Rama that Gandhi, Kabir, Tulsidas or Valmiki worshiped.
Bibliography
- Gandhi, Mahatma, Autobiography, Penguin, 1971 edition (H, 24-3-1946, p56).
- Do,, (H, 28-4-1946, p111)
- Charlotte Vaudeville, A Weaver Named Kabir: Selected Verses With A Detailed Biographical And Historical Introduction, 2023