Gaurang Prabhu just told me tonight to talk this topic “Establishing Ramrajya Within”. First of all I would like to express my very sincere gratitude to all of you of attending to night’s program. I feel very much honor and blessed to have the opportunity to serve you all, I can speak you some words on this subject. “How to establish Rama Rajya within”?
Until people establish Ram within there is no possibility of doing so without. The Lord descends to this world especially to each us how to fulfill this most important mission in all of our life, to realize that the kingdom of the God is within our own heart. This is the universal principle. In Bible it is also said, “The kingdom of god is within”. Krishna tells in Bhagavad-Gita, “sarvasya cähaà hådi sanniviñöo mattaù småtir jïänam apohanaà ca” that He is seated with the heart of every living being. He is the source of knowledge, forgetfulness, and remembrance. Wherever the Lord is that is the kingdom of god. Ram is dwelling within us. But why we do not feel Him? Why we do not love Him? Why we do not see Him? How to revive that original consciousness that is within the soul? This is the subject of all great scriptures.
This evening we would like to discuss a few incidents and characters from the Ramayana, which teach us practically as well as philosophically and ideologically, “How to establish Lord Rama within”? How many of you know the story of Ramayana? At least to some extent.
So we know how Ram was living with Sita in Ayodha. Dasaratha planned to coordinate Lord Rama the next day as the prince regent. He who would be the next king of Ayodha, everyone celebrated including Kaikeyi. She was happy as anybody else in Ayodha. She loved Rama as much as she loved her own son Bharata and Rama loved her. Then that hunch that made servant Manthara. She convinced Kaikeyi “The reason Dasaratha put Rama as king because he favors his another wife and what will happen after this because your son is most qualified, your son will be vanished and whatever you have will lost”. So how Kaikeyi could possibly believe that? She was with Rama practically every day in his life. She saw his perfect virtue is pure heart. He is total selfishness and is love for her.
Valmiki Muni and Lord Ram Himself wanted to teach us, the power of bad association. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu recited a beautiful teachings, “how to attain perfection”? Seek the association of saintly persons, avoid intimate association with the people, who are too much egotist people and wordily minded. That’s the beginning because we have become so much affected by what we associate with who we associate. It is the law of nature. Srila Prabhupada said, “Put an iron rod on the fire, it becomes red and hot by fire”. “Put an iron rod on ice, it becomes cold like ice”. We have so much influence by association. So in that association, she became envious. She became wicked and vicious and affected Dasaratha so deeply that he has to vanish Rama to the forest for fourteen years and make Bharata King. When Rama heard about this, He is going to be an escape in the next day. He was that concern with the position. He was only being a king to serve His father that’s all. That was higher service for his father to go to the forest for fourteen years. Because his father gave his words to Kaikei. This is the principle of how to establish Rama Rajya within.
We should be attached to service but not to position. We should be attached to doing the right thing not to look to get out of it. Another thing we can learn from this. Although its such a traumatic heart breaking incident of Ramayana, is Kaikeyi is vanishing Rama to the forest for fourteen years, it is horrible. But actually it is one of the greatest things ever happened in the history. Because Rama’s purpose of descending in this earth.
“pariträëäya sädhünäà
vinäçäya ca duñkåtäm
dharma-saàsthäpanärthäya
sambhavämi yuge yuge”
Bhagavad-Gita 4.8
To protect the innocent, to free the world of these horrible demons, ausras, and to reestablished the principles of the religions. He was to go to the forest, where he fulfilled all of his missions.
Our mission in life as human beings is to kill the demons within our hearts. We heard such nice descriptions of Ravana from Gauranga prabhu, how he had so many has no brains, I do not know what scripture that came from. It is another quote from Gauranga Shamita. He is very very clever but no brain according to … Ravana represents arrogance and lust “I am the controller and I am the enjoyer”. Kumbhakarna, Indrajit, Viradha, and all of these asuras. We must slay within our hearts.
Sometimes very difficult reversals and serious problems are coming to our life are necessary to help us to fulfill our higher purpose. One who is fixed to truth will see every situation as an opportunity to progress, even to such extremes have been vanishing to the forest for fourteen years and loosing everything. Rama understood that this is the opportunity to fulfill his mission. So, yes when reversals come in our lives even crises, even traumas, they will help us to fulfill our mission, if we keep our goal set and fixed before arise. Krishna tells in Bhagavad-Gita
“vyavasäyätmikä buddhir
ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-çäkhä hy anantäç ca
buddhayo ‘vyavasäyinäm”
Bhagavad-Gita 2.41
We must be resolute in purpose and must be seeing message. We must know what are the goals in our life is and whatever comes upon us, it will help us to reach that goal. For the rest of us Rama showed us examples for rest of us we have our karmas. “As you show you shall rip”. According to when we act there will be another reaction. The laws of karma like the laws of gravity, what goes up must come down. If you do good then get good. If you do bad then you get bad. You cannot escape. It is the law. But Krishna tells in Bhagavad-Gita
“sarva-dharmän parityajya
mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja
ahaà tväà sarva-päpebhyo
mokñayiñyämi mä çucaù”
Bhagavad-Gita 18.66
If we surrendered to god, we are free of karma. How is that? Because when we perform our work is an offering to the supreme Lord. It is no longer within whelming of material existence. Just like gravity the law is only in fact within the atmosphere of the earth. Once you go beyond the atmosphere of the earth you can float. The law of gravity is no longer relevant. When we surrendered to Krishna, when we offer our food to Krishna, when we offer our access to Krishna, when we offer our words to Krishna sincerely, will come out of the limitations of material existence. Those actions are free of karma. So Rama leaves. Everyone in the Ayodha comes with Him. How can they give up Rama? They would rather be in the forest for fourteen years than to be in the beautiful comfortable home without Rama. That’s a lesson. Are you willing to loose Rama for the purpose of our won wordily comforts and enjoyments? It is a test that every aspiring transcendentalist must face.
It doe not mean that you unnecessarily have to give up your Karma, you make your priorities. If that’s what necessary you are willing do so. But they walked and walked all day long. Then near the bank of the Ganges, they all fell asleep. What happened, when they fell asleep? Rama left with Lakshmana and Sita. You have to establish Rama Raya within; you have to stay awake, especially during Katha. If we are not alert, does not mean we give up sleeping. But it means to stay alert. We have to stay alert to our saddhana. We have to stay alert to our goals to understanding what is favorable for my real purpose of life and what is unfavorable. If we become – then we loose our vision, we even loose our taste for bhakti, I we are inattentive. One of the offences of the holy name is to be an inattentive. If we are in attentive in the execution of our chanting of our devotional life and we loose our taste for the lord.
So Bharat comes back. I am not going real quickly, please do not leave it. He returns and he sees the whole Ayodha is castanet on an ocean of lamentation. Then he finds out from his mother, “You are going to be the next king because of me”. He dishonored her, “You are no my mother. You are my enemy”. Now is that sounds cruel? It was not cruel. It was compassion because only when he said that it makes sense to her, “The bad thing that she has done”.
Some times the doctor inflicts pain on the patient for higher purpose. So saintly people on the path of truth sometimes may have to cause pain to others but for higher purpose not for the desire to harm them but ultimately desire to help them. Look at Prahalad, little five year old Prahalad, he caused a lot of thing to his father Hiranyakashipu. He made his father miserable. But he did not hurt his father. But he understood that if he became a pure devotee his father would be liberated. If I do it that my father says or if I follow my father’s path will both go to hell. If I surrender to the lord, my father will get liberated. So even though it causes so pain temporarily, ultimately it is best for him and it is best for me and it is best for everybody.
Then Bharata, he goes with the citizens of Ayodha and Bisisthi Muni and everyone. Dasaratha Maharaja is already dead. He could not bear the separation from Rama. But Bharat goes to convince Rama to comeback from Chitrakut to Ayodha to become King. Rama refuses. Now for Bharat, it was small surrender for Bharata to stay in the forest for fourteen years, so that Rama could come back. He wanted to do that. It was a big surrender for him to go back to became but that is Rama wanted to do. Ultimately his goal is to please to Lord Sri Rama and he took Rama’s wooden sandals to place them on the throne and worship them as king. He remained in the little village of Nandigram living like and aesthetic, in his own personal life. He performed all the duties of the Royal king with none of the comforts or facilities. They all belong to Rama in the form of His shoes. He was the caretaker, in order to establish Rama Rajya within in an essential principle. “Nothing is ours”.
“bhoktäraà yajïa-tapasäà
sarva-loka-maheçvaram
suhådaà sarva-bhütänäà
jïätvä mäà çäntim åcchati”
Bhagavad-Gita 5.29
Everything is the property of the supreme lord and everything is ultimately meant for His enjoyment and He is the supreme well wisher of every living being. One who understands these principles, Bhagavad-Gita says can achieve real piece. We are care takers. It is not my wife or husband. It is not my children. They are god’s children. God’s husband, god’s wife, god’s mother or father but we are the care takers. Whatever wealth we have, whatever intelligence we have, whatever abilities we have, god could give god could take away. “Punar mustika bhava”.
The lord can make a mouse into a lion but just as easily can make a lion into a mouse. So what is ours? We are only care takers? A care taker acts according to the will of the proprietor. If you have nice estate and you have care taker and the care taker supposed to learn the estate according to your direction. But one starts thinking in terms of “janasya moho ‘yam ahaà mameti”. I am this body. I am in this position and all these things are mine. So much conflict. It is really amazing, isn’t it? I mean compare this to the world today. Here is Bharat begging Rama to be the king, so that he could stay in the forest and here is Rama begging Bharat to go back and be the king so that he could stay in the forest. How many times we see brothers fighting over wealth, position, prestige even they have so much? Still they fight because they want more and they do not understand. For care takers, what is the will of Rama in this situation?
So Rama was in the forest in Chitrakuta, so many beautiful pastimes took place there. But there was a problem in Chitrakuta. No demons came. He was so happy. Chitrakuta was like Vrindavana for Sita and Rama. They did not even miss Ayodha. The mandakini Ganga and so many sages and risis were performing Yajna and having kathas, beautiful forest, flower blossoming trees, fruits. But Rama had a mission, so He left Chitrakut to go to the deeper and deeper into the Dandakaranya forest, where he came to the Maharashtra, Panchabati. There Shurpanakha came. Shurpanakha happened to be the sister of Ravana and she had mystic powers. Now by our calculations beauty is a very relative thing. Do you know why there are so many rats and cockroaches in Bombay? Because they really think that each other are beautiful. It is a fact. When that female cockroach moves, they way she moves her legs, they way she glances from side to side, enchanting, enticing uncontrollable. How can I ridges? So every one sees beauty according to their particular state of consciousness. You and me, we can tell the difference between male and female cockroach but a cockroach cannot tell the different between a man and a woman. We are just big ugly monsters to a cockroach.
So Shurpanakha was a very very big ugly rakshasi. But she had supernatural powers because she had performed great austerities and receive benedictions from Brahma that she could change her form. She changed her form into a beautiful woman. She wanted Rama to be her consort. She approached Rama, Lakshmana and Sita and expressed her desires. But Rama said, “I have already married to Sita but my brother Lakshmana, he is all alone. He will be a good partner for you”. So she turned to Lakshmana and she was really lusty. Lakshmana said, “You are such an exulted personality. You would never be happy to be the consort of somebody else’s servant. I am just the servant of Rama, so you should go to Rama. Then she realized there was Sita, she is coming between her and Rama. So she went to kill Sita. Who is Sita? Sita is bhakti. Sita is compassion. Sita is the feminine divinity. What is the difference between Rama and Sita? They are one supreme person. This is what the sashtra explained. “rädhä kåñëa-praëaya-vikåtir hlädiné çaktir asmäd” that the one absolute truth takes two forms. The supreme enjoyer and the supreme enjoyed. The supreme beloved and the supreme lover. That is Rama and Sita, Radha and Krishna, Lakshmi and Narayana. So Sita is the essence and the origin of all devotion of love.
Shurpanakha wanted to kill her. Lakshmana took his arrow and slashed up her nose. Thus today we go on pilgrimage to Nashik, the place where the nose was caught. So that what can we learn from here. It is very very special. Anybody can make a show of being great but when would tested then our real colors come out. Have any of you had that experience? Somebody can appear very honest and pious but when there is serious test, where there is their honest, they becomes thieves, they becomes and crooks. Somebody could be very very respectful but when there is test, when there is something to loose, when their noses cut in one way or another, who they are really comes out. Therefore Srila Prabhupada writes, “One’s greatness has to be estimated by one’s ability to tolerate provoking situations”. It is very important.
Shurpanakha was appearing like a charming beautiful woman. But when she was provoked, she was ready to kill, to destroy. Her beautiful – was gone and her real form was manifested. So we want to establish Ramarajya within, we have to live within integrity. What is integrity? The opposite of Shurpanakha that we live with the proper character, with the proper honesty, with the proper humility, with the proper self control and seeking the essence, no matter what or however difficult, however many people caught us, however many test and provoking situations come. That is greatness, according to god’s estimation. Now Sita is bhakti. Sita not be attained by deception. We have to be honest, we have to be real.
Ravana wanted to steal Sita but what did he get, false Sita. According to the Kurma Purana, Rama knew that Ravana was coming and he exchanged Real Sita for a Maya Sita. Looked the same but was not. Ravana Apporach Maricha. Maricha was a mystic yogi, who had already been defeated by Rama twice before. He was like Maya, illusion. Ravana told Maricha, “I want you to disguise yourself as such a beautiful golden deer to allure Rama and Lakshmana away from Sita so that I could steal her”. Maricha said, “Are you crazy? Are you foolish? Rama is the supreme Lord. I know. I am living as a hermit out of fear of Rama. Your entire dynasty will be destroyed. Just be content. You have golden kingdom, you have more wealth than anyone in universe. You have beautiful wives, be happy with what you have, Ravana”.
Krishna tells in Bhagavad-Gita, that this lust burns like fire. Greed also burns like fire. No matter how much you have, you need more and more and more. Greed and lust are never sassed. The more you have the more you inclined to arrogance and envy. It is interesting. If you think people who do not have much or envious of people who have much. But that is usually small time envy. But people who have a lot, when they are envious of somebody has more that’s big time envy. It really burns and in very deep. So Maricha came as a golden deer and like Maya, appeared that he would great happiness but actually only purpose is to cause distress.
Srila Prabhupada defines maya, “Maya is that which is not”. We are attested to the temptation in this world, thinking this will make me happy. If I have this, if I am this, if I get this, I’ll be happy? But actually, it is like a spider’s wave. The spider’s wave, you see they are very symbolic of how the world works. What’s the problem? Where the fly is? For the fly there is nothing more beautiful than a spider wave. They are just fly around all day and they are landing all these hard surfaces and here just like the really nice soft wave. So they can just relax. It is the most attractive thing to a fly, it is just the spider wave. It is just so comfortable. So appealing, but the problem, it is not what just appears to be. It traps you and causes you suffering. So we should be looking into the substance. It is said, “We should see though the eyes of the scriptures not through these eyes. To see through the eyes of scriptures, we can see what as it is but see through these eyes, everything appears to be something is really not. False promises is what Maya is all about birth after birth after birth. She is promising that our happiness is in proportion to the position we have, to the possessions we required but actual happiness is according to the substance of, who we are? Whether we have much or we have little, real happiness is in our own meaningful substantial life and how we are connected to the divine.
So Sita was bewildered, how could she to be bewildered? It was all for the pastime of the Lord. But the part of the pastime is to teach us good lessons. But for the shake of teaching us, she appears to be bewildered. Rama and Lakshmana chased after Maricha and Sita is uphill. Eventually Ravana appears, disguised as a sage. Somehow or other tempts Sita out of that circle that Lakshmana drew around her to protect her. That is the power of Maya also because Maya knows where our weak. What was Sita’s weakness? Her love to serve sages and risis. Is that weakness? That is the greatest strength, anyone could have. But Maya, will even try to make our strengths to weakness. To somehow to get us out of the circle of the instructions of the great souls and our own spiritual disciplines. Ravana took her away. Then the great Jatayu, the bird friend of Rama, fought an impossible war against Ravana. He was very old and Ravana was young and strong. He fought and fought, even though he knew that he could not win. Even Sita told him, “Do not fight. You will die. You cannot do it”. But he would rather suffer and die than stand there and not do something about a great injustice. That was the integrity of Jatayu. He fought to his capacity and he lost. In the end Rama came put him on his lap and embraced him and sent him back home back to godhead. The ultimate victory.
It is a good lesson that if we fight for the right cause with determination, you will be victorious. Because if we please Krishna, if we please Rama that is our victory. It is the teaching of Bhagavad-Gita. Krishna tells Arjuna, “Fight this war for me. Whether you are going to loose or win, it is not important. If you win, you will be the king of the world and if you lose then you will go back to godhead”. For Duryodhnana, “If he wins he loses and if he loses he loses”. Because he was doing for his own greed. For Arjuna, whether he wins, he wins and whether he loses, he wins. Because he was doing it for Rama. That was Jatayu. He tried his best, even though it appeared that he lost, he gained the ultimate triumph because he pleased the Lord. “samsiddhir hari tosanam”. That is our goal. That is our real victory. That is success to please the Lord.
Rama Travelled looking for Sita. He ultimately came to Kiskindha Kshetra area, Pampa-soravara, where he met Savari. Have any of you ever met Savari? She was and aesthetic woman. From a cast prospective, she was untouchable. She was not literary educated person. She was just the simple lady but her guru Matunga risi she served him with faith. When her guru went back to Vaikuntha with all the disciples but ordered her to stay back. How would you like that to happen to you? Everyone else goes but you stay back alone. He said her, “Rama will come and deliver you”. She was there for years and years. Decades were passing. She was waiting but she did not just wait.
Rupa Goswami said, “Two things are required for spiritual progress. One is enthusiasm and determination and patience”. How savari exhibits these two qualities? Everyday she cleaned the whole area of her little ashram and she went and picked flowers and made little path ways to welcome Rama. Everyday she picked these fruits, whatever little fruits were there, some were bitter and some were sweet. She would test them, to make sure, which one is sweet or not. She did it everyday. She worked really really hard to prepare for Rama’s arrival. He did not come for days, weeks, and for months but still she did it because she had faith in the words of her guru and she had patience and she never gave up because the lord appears by his free will and He thinks it is best for us. It is a great lesson, enthusiasm, determination, and patience.
Then the lord met Hanuman and Sugriva. Sugriva heard about these two very very beautiful and powerful people just below the mountain. He asked Hanuman, “Who is this”? Hanuman disguised himself by his own mystical powers. He disguised himself as a learned brahmna. When he saw Rama and Lakshaman, his heart melted. He did not know who they were but his heart melted and ultimately he resumed his original form. It is very important. The lord knew who we are. We cannot put on a soul in front of god. We can disguised ourselves as great devotees but the lord knows what is happening inside and He knows, what are you doing but nobody else is looking. Ultimately if you want to know Rama, we have to be honest with Rama.
As time went on to find Sita Hanuman had to cross the ocean. In a sense the ocean represents the obstacles that come on the path of reaching Sita or pure devotion. The mind and its attachment are some of the biggest obstacles. In fact it is the only obstacle. Krishna tells in Bhagavad-Gita
“bandhur ätmätmanas tasya
yenätmaivätmanä jitaù
anätmanas tu çatrutve
vartetätmaiva çatru-vat”
Bhagavad-Gita 6.6
One who controls the mind, the mind is the best friend for one who cannot do so. The mind is the worst enemy.
We have so many attachments, within the mind. So many obstacles are approached and Hanuman teaches us, how to over come them. First he grows himself very big and then he jumps. He was willing to do things but still maintained his humility. Then Mainaka the golden mountain rose from the sea and said, “Please rest on me. Take a little break”. Hanuman touched it and said, “Thank you but no, I have a mission” the temptation to seek comfort before seeking our real purpose.
Then Surasa approached and opened the mouth really big and Hanuman opened his mouth very big. I mean he grew big and she grew big. She wanted to devour him and ultimately Hanuman just went inside and came out inside and said, “Okay, you got a benediction from Brahma that “Nobody could passed you without you eating”. Now you ate me and now I came out so. It is an obstacle. She was chastising him. She was calling him all kinds of bad things. When we trying to strive for bhakti, people will criticize you. People will chastise you. People will misunderstand you. We have to tolerate those things and carry on. Then all of sudden while he was in the air, Shimika another demon grabbed Hanuman’s shadow and he could not move. She was like the jealousy of the mind. When we are in a lower position, we become envious of people in higher position and we want to stop their progress. Is it not that jealousy was about? We cannot tolerate somebody else is in higher position, making more progress than us. We want to stop them by all means, by our words, by our prayers, by our actions. Hanuman ripped that demon apart and in the same way through our devotional service we have to give up this envy because if we do not give up this envy like Shimika that envy will devour us and stop our spiritual progress.
Hanuman reached Srilanka, met Sita and gave her the message. Then he wanted to do some extra service. He started destroying the Ashoka Grove of Ravana and he wanted to see Ravana face to face. He was tied up and brought before Ravana and Ravana was told by Hanuman that if you do not give up your lust for someone else’s wife. Rama is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He will come to destroy you and your entire dynasty. Ravana could not tolerate that. He wanted to kill him. But he was told by Bibhishana, “You cannot kill a messenger”. But Ravana ordered to tail on fire. Hanuman grew and danced throughout the city and the whole city was blazing with fire. As he was about to live, he called out, “I am only humble insignificant servant of Rama, see what I have done and wait till Rama come”. He jumped on the ocean and put his burning tail out. How did Hanuman do that? Sita was praying for Hanuman. Sita was praying to the Agnideva the fire god that let that fire on Hanuman’s tail feel very cool. So Hanuman was enjoying like anything because he had blessings of Sita.
Meanwhile Mandadori, who was the principal wife of Ravana, a beautiful lady as well as Bibhishana, who was his brother they were warning Ravana that give back Sita. Do not you see, your whole city is blazing on fire from one monkey? Ram has millions of monkeys. They are all going to get us. What to speak of Rama? Do not you see it? Mandodari said, “I am beautiful. I am your chaste wife. I’ll give you everything. Just sent Sita back”. Ravana was furious. He was thinking Mandodari wanted him to sent Sita back because she was afraid that Sita would be a competitor. He was thinking his wife jealousy of Sita. That’s why she wanted him to send back. So he chastised his wife, who was his well wisher trying to save him. Bibhishana was saying the same thing. He considered his brother was taking sides of the enemy and exiled him. This is the nature of Ravana within our mind. We have such arrogance, even we are going up and someone comes to correct us, to give us good guidance. If we do not like what we hear, the world is a mirror of our own consciousness because Ravana was envious. He was seeing his wife was talking because of envy. Because Ravana was so disloyal to the truth. He was considered Bibhishana was taking sides with the envy. His best well wishers, he could not understand their words. This is the quality of demoniac arrogance. “You think you know and you cannot learn”. That’s the principle of Bhagavad-Gita.
As long as Arjuna thought he knew, Krishna just stood there silently but when Arjuna realized “I do not know anything Krishna. Please save me and instruct me”. Then Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-Gita. “tad viddhi praëipätena paripraçnena sevayä”. If you want to know the truth Krishna says, “First thing you have to do is be submissive to understand, I may have Phd but I do not know myself and I do not know god. So I have to humble myself submissively to admit my own short coming and hear submissively within eagerness to serve”. There is no other way. There may be many fashionable new age types of ways to become a little more peaceful and feel a little more confident in your work and be a little more pious, which are good things. But to actually understand what is god and who is god and to understand the self, to transcend birth, old age, disease, and death. Another words to know truth. There is no other way. We have to submit ourselves in a humble mood to hear from those who know and be willing to follow. That is why simplicity and humility are essential for spiritual progress. Because otherwise if we hear something we do not like, I know better. That was Ravana. Should I continue?
Ultimately the battle. That great bridge was build. They would taking gigantic rocks even mountain big throwing it in the ocean. Because there was millions of monkeys, they all to cross the ocean, 800 miles with the name of Rama. The name of Rama made no matter how heavy or light the rock was the name of Rama made it float. So the ocean of death and birth, no matter how bigger, small we are, whether we are little papules or whether we are mountain picks were sinking. But if we take shelter of the name of Rama, we could always be above the ocean of birth and death by the mercy of Rama. It is for that reason and the lord has given all of His holy names to chant, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.
After Ravana’s brothers and generals, they were all getting destroyed then he called his little brother Kumbhkarna. Kumbhakarna told Ravana, “You can not defeat Rama. Please give Sita back”. Everyone was telling him, all his well wishers, who were those, were just trying to use him and exploit him were telling him, “No, what do you have to be afraid off. You are the greatest. You defeated Indra. Fight”. Indrajit was like that. Kumbhakarna was honest. He said, “Yes I’ll go to fight. But you cannot defeat Rama”. Once Ravana told you must fight then he got in his spirit. He said, “I’ll destroy Him and devour Him”. Just as the kshetriyas after be to fight. He was defeated.
Ravana saw every sign of his down fall. But he was attached. When there is pride, attachment “dhyäyato viñayän puàsaù saìgas teñüpajäyate” Krishna tells in Bhagavad-Gita, when you contemplate the objects of the senses attachment. From attachment comes lust. When lust is unfulfilled then anger. From anger memory is bewildered. When the memory is bewildered intelligence is lust. When intelligence is lust we fall down and we finished. Every stage is so perfectly exhibited our Ravana. – less in anybody, total loss of intelligence and ultimately they show down between Rama and Ravana, the greatest fight ever. It is just the two of them face to face shooting arrows. They were fighting all day too. When Rama wants things exciting, it really makes exciting.
Gauranga prabhu was explaining, if Sita wanted to she could burn Ravana to ashes with one glance. She could with her little finger just flick and he went away. She is the pleasure potency of the lord. Rama, He did not need all those monkey soldiers. He is the super soul within the heart. Just as the paramatma in Ravana’s heart, all he had to do is just turn his heart off but for our shake He makes things so exciting. He perform such beautiful pastimes that just by hearing about them we become enthrall, attracted, and purified. He manifest Himself. The more we hear about the supreme Lord the more we associate with the lord because the lord is the all attractive. The more we associated within the more our love naturally grow for Him. By hearing about Krishna, Ramachandra, the love within our hearts that is adornment is awakened. It is the natural process. Therefore it is the most powerful process. By meditating on personal conception, we can feel real peace. But just by hearing and chanting the names and the glories of the lord the adornment love within our heart is naturally spontaneously awakened. So therefore Rama performed such wonderful pastimes.
In this war every time He caught off Ravana’s heads. It has grown back. He had ten heads. Here Rama takes bow and arrow slices the head and all the monkeys are cheering, “Jai Rama”. Then the heads grows back. Then Rama again cuts the heads of Ravana. “Jai Rama”. She took ten arrows to get them all. Then all the ten heads of Ravana were lying on the ground. The monkeys were chanting “Jai Rama”. Then all ten heads were grown back. Ravana was mystic.
So Bibhisana was a great devotee. He also teaches us a good lesson. He was exiled by Ravana that means he lost his family. He lost his home. He lost everything. But what did he do. He went to Rama to surrender. Now if you are fighting against Ravana and his brother comes, what did you do? When the monkeys, Sugriva and the others, when they saw Bibhisana coming, they were immediately wanted to kill him as Ravana’s brother. Bibhisana said, “He wanted to meet Rama”. They were thinking, this is bogus, just kill this rascal, this is Ravana’s brother. He only means to do harm.
Bibhisana knew that he heard them all talking. They were blaspheming him. They were criticizing him. They did not trust him at all. They wanted to kill him. They wanted to imprison him. Ultimately they went to Rama. So what do we do, this is Bibhishana, Ravana’s brother. He wants to meet you. He says that he wants to surrender to you. We do not believe him. Just of a short he wants to get in the inside and causes have it. Rama asked Hanuman, “What is your opinion”? Hanuman said, “I think he is very sincere”. Rama said, “Bring him”.
Bibhisana was willing to risk everything be misunderstood, be chastised even by the devotees. Sometimes it happens, you know, to surrender to the lord. He did it. Bibhisana told Ramachandra that Ravana has celestial nectar stored in his heart. As long as that celestial nectar is within him, nothing could kill him. You could cutoff his heads and arms millions of times and they just keep growing back. He has those boons. But once you drain that nectar, you dry that out of his heart, he becomes like a mortal.
Now Rama knows everything. But in the battle against the arrogance, lust, greed, and Maya even Rama is taking council and advice from a devotee. It is very important. What is our position? Fight against the illusion at every stage, we need he association of devotees to help to give us proper guidance, to put us back in track, without which we will fall. Then what did Rama do? He took the arrow given to Him by Agasti Muni. It was a very powerful arrow. The grace of a saddhu was the arrow that he was going to kill Ravana. He wanted to show the world without the blessings of holy people you could never kill the demons within our hearts. Then He shoot, He pulled the string of the bow back with the celebrated arrow of Agasti Muni. He released it and it pierced into Ravana’s heart and it dried the nectar. Ravana started vomiting from his ten mouths. That was quite a scene. His twenty eyes were rolling, twenty arms were failing all over the place and fell to the ground like a tree that have been cut down by a whirlwind and then all the monkeys “Jai Sri Rama”.
Just after this was done, the Lord coordinated Bibhisana as king and then the fourteen year exile happened to just at that time. So, on the Puspaka, the chariot of Ravana they returned to Ayodha. He retuned first to Nandigram, was reunited with his brother Bharata and they had a procession into Ayodha. Everyone put lamps, beautiful flames to welcome Rama home. This is Diwali, to welcome Rama back home into our hearts. Light dispels darkness. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught
“kåñëa—sürya-sama; mäyä haya andhakära
yähäì kåñëa, tähäì nähi mäyära adhikära”
Caitanya-caritamrita Madhya 22.31
That Krishna is like sun and maya is like darkness. Where there is sun there cannot be darkness. Where there is the light of Krishna, the darkness of ignorance and Maya cannot exist. That is what Diwali really represents ‘to light up our hearts not just by some physical fire but with the lights of God’s grace, by hearing the glories of the lord, by serving the lord, by remembering the lord, these are the processes of devotional service. They are not different than the Krishna. They connected with Krishna. They give light in the darkness of our hearts”. When our heart fully illuminated then we can experience Ramachandra within our self and our love for Him awakens. In that love comes though unconditional compassion to every living being. Then Ramarajya is established within us and the most powerful and important in all means to illuminate our hearts with the presence of the lord in this age of Kali is the chanting of His holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.
Thank you, very much.
