Spirituality
Lessons from Ramayan
Published On: May 4, 2023
, Updated on : February 22, 2024
There are so many books that lose their value with time. When it was written, it might be correct according to that period of time, but after many years it demands some change with time.,.
But The Ramayan is a scripture that holds true even today. What was right thousands of years ago is still right from Ramayan’s point of view and what was wrong then is still wrong today.
Ram Rajya was the best at that time and it is still the best, that’s why we imagine making our country Ram Rajya.
Ram was the ideal and obedient son of that time and even today also every parent wishes their son to be like ram.
Sitaji was faithful and loyal to Ram at that time and even today all fathers wish their daughter to be like her and every man wants their wife to be like her.
Bharat, Laxman and Shatrughan were obedient to Ram, Ram’s order was everything to them, even today everyone wants brothers like them.
Hanumanji was the best servant of his time, who did lifelong service of Shree Ram and till date there is still no best servant like him.
so, In this blog we will go into details of a few characters of Ramayan and we will see how each character has given justice to their respective role and Immortalized their character in the history of mankind. They all have proven that if there is an extreme of any relationship, it must be them.
The characters in the Ramayan may have been about gods and legends, but they were also people who faced challenges and dealt with problems just like us. Sometimes they made the right decision and sometimes they didn’t. But there are lessons to be learned from all these stories. Each time you tell your child the story about one of these legends, ask him what he learned from it. This will help him not only take interest in our culture and traditions but also respect them.
Shree Ram was an obedient son of king Dashrath, who gave up his entire kingdom and went to the forest for hard fourteen years without thinking even for a moment just because of his father’s promise to his stepmother kaikeyi. That too at such a time when his coronation is to take place the next morning and he gets to wander in the forest instead.
He could have easily refused to go because the king had given a promise to his wife and not to Shree Ram, what does his promise have to do with Ram. Being the eldest son, Shree Ram was due to succeed his father as king. But Ram did not even utter a word on this because he wanted to teach us that, humiliating your own father and doing according to your own wish is not a sign of an ideal son. not only this but He did not even bear a grudge against his stepmother Kaikeyi.
Maarich (the demon who has inguise as deer while kidnapping sitaji), even though being man of ravan, he declares Ram, embodiment of Dharma while speaking to Ravan
(Valmiki Ramayan 3-37-13)
“Ram is the embodiment of Dharma, he is an equable person with truthfulness as his valor, and as with Indra to all gods he is the king of the entire world”. (Valmiki Ramayan 3-37-13)
Lord Ram is known for his devotion to righteousness and dharma. Even Ravan’s men cannot stop himself from praising Ram. Because Ram was indeed a living form of Dharma. He was a great leader who was loved and respected by his people. To live life like him, one should strive to always do what is right, even if it is difficult or unpopular. One should also be a good leader who cares for and serves their kingdom or community.
Respect your parents and elders. Be polite to everyone. Follow Dharma, no matter what circumstances may. As parents, we must teach our children to respect and honor the elders of the family. Lord Rama exemplifies the virtues of the ideal son and his actions can serve as a valuable lesson to our children.
Laxman was Shree Ram’s loyal brother who always supported and protected him. Laxman also joined Shree Ram and Sitaji in exile, although he was not given any order from his father like Shree Ram had. He joined them just to serve Shree Ram and Sitaji because they were in the place of Father and mother to Laxman. He took it as a chance of serving, not a chance of enjoying his power and freedom. Many of you will be surprised to know that in fourteen years of exile, Laxman never slept for a moment. He was eager to serve and protect Shree Ram and Sitaji for all the day and all the night.
He is known for his unwavering devotion and service to his brother. To live life like him, one should be loyal and supportive of their loved ones. One should also be willing to put loved one’s needs before their own and serve them with love and compassion. Laxman, as an uncle, played a significant role in the upbringing of Luv and Kush too. He taught them how to be disciplined and obedient, and how to live a life of selflessness and service. To be a good parent like Laxman, one should be a role model and provide guidance to their children.
(Valmiki Ramayan 4.6.22-23)
O Lord, I neither know the bracelets of mother Sita, nor do I recognize her ear rings. I only recognize the anklets that used to be at her feet. Because when I worship the feet of mother Sita my vision is always at her feet.(Valmiki Ramayan 4.6.22-23)
This was the reply of Laxman when Shree Ram showed him the ornaments of Mother Sita. Laxman didn’t know about other ornaments than anklet. he recognized anklets only Because Laksman used to bow down to Ram and sitaji’s feet daily but he had never seen sitaji’s face or body. When he worships sitaji’s feet, his eyes always remain at Her feet and that is why he recognizes only the anklets. This is the vision of Laxman’s dignity. The one who, despite living with her for life, did not even look at the face of his brother’s wife.
Hearing these words of Laxman, tears started flowing from Shree Ram’s eyes and he hugged Laxman with pride towards his act of dignity.
In our sanatan dharma sister-in-law has been given the place of mother and it has also been told that brother-in-law is like the son to sister-in-law. Lakshman and Sitaji also follow this ideal and whenever Shree Ram gave any order against Mother Sita, then Lakshman countered Shree Ram by taking the side of Sitaji like a son.
Dignity of a relationship is not only about knowledge of right and wrong but, it should be in conduct too. Lakshman proved it with the Purity of his mind and his daily activities. We also make our child learn this lesson of dignity of lakshman and make them understand the value of every relationship.
Bharat was Shree Ram’s younger brother who refused to become king in Ram’s absence and instead took care of his duties until Ram’s return from exile .
While Kaikeyi was implementing her plan to expel Shree Ram from the kingdom and to make Bharat the king of ayodhya, Bharat was away at his maternal uncle’s house. Upon his return he found that he was crowned king, his stepbrother Ram was gone in the forest and his grief-stricken father was dead. Bharat was in a state of shock. After finishing the last ritual of his father, Bharat rushed to the Chitrakoot forest where Ram was staying, fell at his feet and begged him to return to the kingdom.He said to ram that he doesn’t need to fulfill his promise now because their father is no more . But Ram declined, saying he had to fulfill the wishes of his late father. He asked Bharat to return to the kingdom and rule it but Bharat had no wish to do so. He knew the kingdom belonged to Ram.
(Valmiki Ramayan 3.105.6)
O lord of the earth! as a Donkey cannot follow the speed of a horse and a bird can not follow pace of Tarkshya (eagle/Garuda), likewise, I do not have the capability to follow you.(Valmiki Ramayan 3.105.6)
Here in this shloka of Ramayan, Bharat is requesting shree Ram to come back to ayodhya and become king to serve his kingdom. Bharat wants to convey to Shree Ram that he is not eligible to be king. Bharat says to Ram that if the wish of their father is his priority then let Bharat wear saffron clothes and be in forest for fourteen years but Ram would have to go to ayodhya and he must be king for the sake of ayodhya’s people.
Bharat did all this because he never had interest in becoming king. Actually, he definitely had a chance to become king because of his mother But his sanskar and devotion to his brother were preventing him from doing all this. He has never imagined himself as king,he has just imagined him as servant of Ram and ayodhya.
Even after much effort, Ram did not back down from his words, then Bharat asked Shree Ram to give him his Paduka (sandals or slippers) and he placed them on the royal throne in Shree Ram’s honor until he returned from his exile.
It would’ve been easy for Bharat to simply accept the kingdom as his own. But Bharat never even considered it. He knew a grave injustice had been meted out to his stepbrother Ram and he did not stand for it. After Shree Ram refused to return, he could have proclaimed himself king until the exile was over. Instead, he placed Shree Ram’s sandals on the throne to let everyone know who the real king of Ayodhya was.
From the character of Bharat we should learn the value of sacrifice. If Bharat has accepted to become king, the whole world will curse him like kaikeyi. We should make our children understand that they too will face many material temptations in their lives. From Bharat, they can learn sacrifice and understand that doing what is right is more important than being lured by unfair offers.
Luv and Kush were Lord Ram’s sons who were brave and courageous warriors. Luv and Kush were taught different skills by sage Vishwamitra and sitaji.
(Valmiki Ramayan 7.94.19-21)
After getting permission, Bharat started giving different gold coins to both the boys. Kush and Luv did not accept the given gold coins. Both those great minded brothers say in amazement that What is the need of this money. We are forest dwellers. We used to love wild fruit and roots. What will we do by taking gold-silver to the forest? (Valmiki Ramayan 7.94.19-21)
These were the words of Luv-kush when Shree Ram offered 18000 Gold coins to each of them in return for singing the life story of Shree Ram in the assembly of ayodhya. It was the teachings of sitaji and sage valmiki which led them to this answer. They said they are singing just to please Prabhu Shree Ram and people of ayodhya, they are expecting nothing in return. But in present days there are many so called preachers who used to take lakhs for preaching.
While there was ashwamegh yagya going on in ayodhya, they kept horse of ashwamegh yagya, despite knowing that if they kept it with them they would have to fight with many great warriors of that time, they didn’t step back.
No one dared step in the way of the mighty horse, no one dared stop shree Ram, but these tiny warriors did it. Battle lines were drawn and the mighty king who could defeat the demon army of Ravan with a bunch of monkeys fighting with sticks, could not beat the two small kids with weapons and trained soldiers. They fought very bravely with every opponent who came forward to take back the horse.
Luv and Kush were courageous and disciplined warriors who always put their duty first . Without support from their father they learnt so well that all members of shree ram’s family and every citizen of ayodhya feel very proud after knowing that they are the real successor of Raghukul and besides this They also respected and loved their father, shree Ram and his family. After Shree Ram went back from this earth they also ruled like Shree Ram, every citizen of ayodhya was very happy. They accurately followed what Ram, Sita and sage Valmiki taught them. They both were well aware of the importance of upholding dharma and fulfilling their duties as prince.
and above all these, When they came to know that their father was a king and till now they were wandering in the forest, they did not utter a word against Prabhu Shri Ram and happily accepted their destiny and obayed Shree Ram for the rest of their life.
From the life of Luv Kush, we get this lesson that the teachings of our mother, father and guru should never go in vain. Their every word should be a command for us. No matter what problem we face or how big our opponents may, we should face our problem with courage.
To live life like Shree Ram, Laxman, Bharat, and Luv-Kush, one should strive to do what is right, be loyal and supportive of loved ones, be responsible and committed to duties, and be brave and courageous in the face of challenges.
Shree Ram, Laxman, Bharat and Luv-Kush provide valuable lessons on parenting. To be a good parent like them, one should lead by example, not just saying or teaching it to their children, but they also should implement it in their life and then they should provide guidance and resources to children. Every parent should take on the responsibility of raising their children with love and care, and need to teach their children the importance of respect, discipline, courage and duty towards elders.