Victory of Righteousness
over Unrighteousness
 

     Toward the end of their stay in the forest, Ramayana portrays a powerful climax, complete with drama, emotion, and action. The mighty, learned, but evil-minded and misguided king of Sri Lanka, Ravana, arrived on the scene to depict the havoc of lust in human life. Lured by the beauty of Sri Sita, Ravana first sent his ally Maricha in the garb of a golden deer to tempt the gullible her, who at once fell for his outward appearance. She persuaded Rama to follow the deer and try to capture it for her amusement. When Rama had not returned after a considerable time, Sita sent Lakshmana to search him. Before leaving, Lakshmana drew a line across the doorway and instructed Sita not to cross the line, for her own security. Ravana now came himself in disguise, and he approached Sita as an ascetic for alms. He then lured her with deceptive words to come out, crossing the line drawn by Lakshmana.
     Many centuries later, parents, elders, and others who cared for young men and women would tell them not to cross the Lakshman Rekha—the limit of propriety—to safeguard against any evil in hiding. They would be warned, especially the women, to observe the rules of the discipline; otherwise, they might suffer the consequences of protracted harm and humiliation, which Sita had to suffer at the hands of the wicked Ravana. Valmiki chose the most powerful character of Sita, the mother symbol in all Hindu culture, to depict human weakness and to prove beyond any shadow of doubt that a person may be vulnerable at any time. This powerful tale of Ramayana has held Hindus spellbound for hundreds of years.

     After Ravana abducted Sita, Rama sent his emissary, Hanuman, to search for her. Hanuman was the monkey god, and he told Ravana—directly and through other noble souls in his court, especially his brother Vibhishna—to wean himself from the path of vice and return Sita to Rama. But Ravana was too obsessed with the desire of physical indulgence with Sita. Desire makes man blind, and he loses his power of discretion. Also, Ravana was too arrogant. Even though Ravana had obtained special boons from God because of his knowledge and meditation, in the end he lost everything. Any man who follows the path of sin and arrogance is, therefore, called a Ravana. Ramayana is the story of victory of virtue over vice.

     In the Ramayana, the relationship of Lord Rama with Hanuman is indeed most special. Hanuman, who is considered to be the son of the wind god, Vaayu, has been portrayed as monkey and is thus symbolic of subhuman genesis. But his devotion, sincerity, strength, love, and sacrifice have been much more than any human capability. In this epic, once again Lord Rama cuts across the false barriers and puts the greatest honor on the head of Hanuman—he is elevated to be a god in Hindu religion and even is considered to be the avatara (incarnation) of Lord Shiva. He is also known by many other names: Pavansuta, Marutsuta, Mahavira, Bajrangabali, and Pavankumar, each name highlighting and underscoring a new attribute of his character. He was the living embodiment of the power of Ram Naam (name of Lord Rama). He was an ideal selfless worker, a true karma yogi, who always worked measurelessly. He is called the true Brahmachari (celibate with divine attributes), who served with utmost humility and sincerity. When Lord Rama asked him, “O mighty hero, how did you cross the ocean?” Hanuman humbly replied, “By the power and glory of thy name, my lord!” Then Sri Rama asked, “How did you burn Lanka?” And Hanuman replied, “By thy grace, my lord.” Hanuman, however, is considered as both a devotee (bhakta) and a realized soul (chiranjeev). He tells Rama, “From the point of view of the body, I am thy servant and you are my master; from the point of view of the soul, you and I are one!”
     There are many temples in all corners of India that are dedicated to Hanuman. Many devotees sing a long prayer, Hanuman Chalisa, especially when one is in trouble or crisis. Hanuman is hailed as the savior.

     After defeating Ravana, Rama gave back the kingdom to Vibhishna, the brother of Ravana, thus establishing an eternal legacy for the Hindus that they might not usurp any possession that does not belong to them. Winning a war does not alter this principle. After winning the war and releasing Sita from the wicked Ravana, the period of fourteen years was over. It was time to return to Ayodha. The people of Ayodha were most eagerly waiting for this day. They welcomed their beloved Rama, along with Sita, Lakshman, and Hanuman, by lighting candles to welcome them. To this day, nearly one billion Hindus across the world celebrate the coming of Rama as their most important festival, Diwali—the Festival of Lights.

     In the Hindu pantheon, Rama is considered to be the seventh advent of the Vishnu incarnation. He is thus God personified. In the long reign over Ayodha, which is also hailed as Ram Rajya, there occurred unmatched prosperity and happiness for its people. This time period, therefore, is called the Golden Age. The concept of Ram Rajya would become a role model for all future generations.

     Valmiki has described the Golden Age: “Untimely death visited not the subjects of Rama. They enjoyed freedom from disease. Women had not to bewail the loss of their husbands or children. No robbers, cheats, or false dealers were found anywhere, and each man loved his neighbor as himself. Trees yielded fruits as each season came, harvest never failed to fill the granaries to overflowing, and people were satisfied with the fruits of their labor. Everywhere there was joy, health, and happiness.”

      Swami Vivekananda has described the immortal character of Rama in these words: “Rama, the ancient idol of the heroic ages, the embodiment of truth, of morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband, the ideal father, and above all the ideal king, this Rama has been presented by the great sage Valmiki.”60

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