Sri Ram: An Ideal King, by Ramesh Chitnis
As we are preparing for celebrations of Sri Ram Janma, which falls on April 14 this year, it befits the occasion to explain the significance of the event. Every Hindu holds Bhagwan Sri Ramchandra, as an ideal king. Everyone in our culture, right from Mahatma Gandhi to the youngest tot, craves for Ram Rajya, the kingdom of Ram which is the ideal society.
Many of us must have seen the picture of Shesh-shayee Bhagwan Shri Vishnu. (And we take Sri Ram as an Avatar of Sri Vishnu.) If not, picture the following mentally:
The Lord, with four instruments in His four hands- Shankh, Chakra, Gadaa, Padma.
He is reclining leisurely, on the coil of a seven-headed Snake—Shesh Naag.
The snake is balancing a Globe, Prithvi, on its hoods, and is floating on the surface of an Ocean.
Laxmi Devi, Goddess of Wealth, is sitting at His feet.
Four headed Brahma, with books in his hands, sitting on a Lotus, Kamal, stemming out of the Lord’s navel.
Narad Muni, with his Veena; Garud, an eagle, the Lord’s Vaahan and Tumbaru, standing in the Ocean, with folded hands, alongside of the coiled Naag, reverentially looking toward the Lord.
In Hindu mythology a King, Raja, is an Avataar, incarnate, (an Aunsh) of Bhagwaan Shri Vishnu, the Protector (Palankarta) of the Universe. The scenario described above, is the symbolic representation of an ideal King (Adarsh Raja).
The Lord is shown having four implements, or aayudhas: Shankh (Conch), Chakra (Disc), Gadaa (Mace), Padma (Lotus Flower) in his four hands. Note the anti-clockwise sequence. First is Shankh, then Chakra, Gadaa and Padma. All is sequential. There is no haphazardness. An ideal king must be ever ready with all these, fully equipped and well organized.
These four aayudhas symbolize the four ‘R’s, four things that are required of any leader. The Shankh represents the clarion call to Rally the nation at the time of danger or invasion. The second ‘R,’ Chakra, symbolizes the Rapidity with which the society is to be mobilized.
The third ‘R’ is the Gadaa, a symbol of Resistance. The ideal king’s armory must always be filled with a variety of Shastraas and Astraas, conventional, as well as unconventional weapons.
The fourth ‘R’ is Padma, which represents Resources, the nation’s needs that are continuously and uninterruptedly supplied by the society, as the situation demands. The whole society, in fields and factories, in offices and institutions, in homes and out, works together to provide the necessary resources to maintain the security and prosperity of the entire nation.
Laxmi Devi is at his feet. She is His Dasi. She is serving Him, His cause. He is not serving her. He is Laxmi Pati, not Laxmi Das.
Brahma, with the four Vedas in hands represents the Vidwad Jana in the King’s court, Pandit Sabha. All knowledgeable and scholarly, Brahma depicts the learned, giving the king sane counsel.
The Shesh Naag is holding its Chhaya (shade) over the king. Shesh, in Sanskrit means ‘balance.’ An ideal king can rest leisurely, when he has the chaatra of this balance over his head. With no balance in the banks to fall back upon, we would not rest easily, either. Shesh thus symbolizes the Finance or Revenue Ministry of the king. The Shesh Naag is holding the globe, the kingdom, on his seven heads, which represent various departments. This shows that the Ministry has to function for the welfare of the entire kingdom.
Garud, the eagle, is a bird that sores thousands of meters in the sky. But it has its critical eyes on the minutest details on earth. This Garud is a representation of the Planning Ministry of the ideal king. The Planning Minister knows the exact needs of the society. He requires finances for this. These are our ‘Five Year Plans’—First, second, third—each bigger and more ambitious than the earlier! (Currently, the tenth plan is going on.)
And the source of these finances can only be the Revenue/ Finance Ministry. In nature, in the animal kingdom, there is animosity between the eagle and the snake. That is aptly made use of and applied here. “I collect the revenue and you spend it beyond my means,” says the Finance Minister. “I can’t help it. I need the finances,” retorts the Planning Minister. There is constant tussle between the Planning Ministry (symbolized by the eagle Garud) and the Finance Ministry (symbolized by the snake Shesh Naag).
Narad is standing beside Garud. All of us have heard of the pranks of Narad since childhood. He is the one who makes two people fight and runs away with their clothes! He has access to all the Tri-Lokas (three worlds). Actually, in this case, Narad represents an Institution: the Intelligence Department of the king. Spies all over the world! This system must be very efficient for an ideal King. Getting information from inside the kingdom and outside, and conveying it to the King is their job. They would make others fight amongst themselves, for the good of their own kingdom.
Then comes the Tumbru, representing Kalaakaar class in the Society, specialists in various creative arts such as sculptors, painters, writers, musicians, etc. of innumerable vocations. They also need Raj Ashray, patronage of the king.
And, lastly, all this is floating on the surface of the Ocean. This Ocean is not an ordinary ocean of salt water. It is Ocean of Milk (Ksheer Saagar)! From times immemorial, throughout the world, people have described an ideal kingdom as a place where, ‘Doodh ki Nadiyaa(n) bahatee hai!’ (Rivers of milk flow.) Thus, milk represents prosperity. In the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Germany had erected a 40 ft (12 mt.) tall replica of a cow in concrete, at the entrance. ‘This is the symbol of the prosperity of our German nation’, they proclaimed to the world. And thus, this is another symbolism in Hindu mythology.
Does the above narration bring any significant change in you perspective of Sri Ram Janma celebrations this year? Did my earlier article ‘Shiv Ling- A symbol of Nuclear Energy’ bring any changes in your perspective of the Shiv-Ling?
P. S. Incidentally, the following foot-note may be pertinent here:
In the late 1940s when Dr. Raghuvir met then President of Indonesia, Dr. Sukarno, he asked him why the national airline of Indonesia is named ‘Garud Airways.’ Dr. Sukarno, the Muslim President of the largest Muslim Country in the world, answered, ‘The Vaahan of Vishnu is Garud. Raja is the incarnation of Vishnu. In Indonesia, instead of Raja, we have a President. And I am the one. So, naturally my carrier would be Garud.’
And our airlines in India are ‘Air India’ and ‘Indian Airlines!’ Ponder!
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June 19th, 2008 19:02
Being a teenager,Few months ago i was not much into dharma,bhakti and all…But as we all kwow evry thing has it`s tim & place & incidents changes our attitudes and belifs..so as it happned with me and now i am a strong biliver of God,Lord Vishnu.I am spellbound by The almighty Lord Vishnu & Lord Shiva.
as our Shankar Dev once said”THERE IS NO GAIN WATARING THE LEAVES OF A TREE.WE HAVE TO WATER THE ROOTS”.So worship Lord VISHNU and we will get salvasion(mukti)………….
August 21st, 2008 04:08
sri maha vishnu
February 26th, 2009 07:38
i believe in god, he turns imposible to possilble. just have true faith in god
March 14th, 2009 12:26
hi
April 3rd, 2009 15:33
Jai Shri Ram
August 27th, 2009 12:40
Ksheer Saagar is not an Ocean of Milk. But it’s a result of …… reaction.
All the seven Gods has Ksheer Saagar as a personal vehicle whenever they are on Earth.
April 1st, 2010 07:04
Ksheer Sagar IS Ocean of milk.
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Samudra manthan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Hinduism, Samudra manthan (Devanagari: समुद्र मंथन) or The churning of the ocean of milk is one of the most famous episodes in the Puranas and is celebrated in a major way every twelve years in the festival known as Kumbha Mela. The story appears in the Bhagavata Purana, the Mahabharata and the Vishnu Purana.
Samudra Manthan is also known as —
Samudra manthanam — Manthanam is the Sanskrit equivalent of Manthan meaning ‘to churn’.
Sagar manthan — Sagar is another word for Samudra, both meaning an ocean or large water body.
Kshirsagar manthan — Kshirsagar means the ocean of milk. Kshirsagar = Kshir (milk) + Sagar (ocean).
April 6th, 2010 10:40
In the past few years, I had seen 7 Gods twice, and Shri Vishnu alone once.
For many thousand years Hindu people believe that only Shri Vishnu stays on Ksheer Saagar. But in fact, all 7 Gods sit on the Lotus which floats on Ksheer Saagar(wrong name but I don’t know how to correct yet). Ksheer Saagar is full of golden cosmic substance not a cosmic energy with plenty of wave running wild in all dirction.
This is one of the major difference betwenn 7 Gods and any demigod (Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Milarepa, Mataji etc.) who only sits on lotus.
April 26th, 2010 06:12
Being a teenager,Few months ago i was not much into dharma,bhakti and all…But as we all kwow evry thing has it`s tim & place & incidents changes our attitudes and belifs..so as it happned with me and now i am a strong biliver of God,Lord Vishnu.I am spellbound by The almighty Lord Vishnu & Lord Shiva.
as our Shankar Dev once said”THERE IS NO GAIN WATARING THE LEAVES OF A TREE.WE HAVE TO WATER THE ROOTS”.So worship Lord VISHNU and we will get salvasion(mukti)………….
April 26th, 2010 06:13
Being a teenager,Few months ago i was not much into dharma,bhakti and all…But as we all kwow evry thing has it`s tim & place & incidents changes our attitudes and belifs..so as it happned with me and now i am a strong biliver of God,Lord Vishnu.I am spellbound by The almighty Lord Vishnu & Lord Shiva.
as our Shankar Dev once said”THERE IS NO GAIN WATARING THE LEAVES OF A TREE.WE HAVE TO WATER THE ROOTS”.So worship Lord VISHNU and we will get salvasion
July 13th, 2010 12:59
Because Lord Vishnu’s odor is Sun flower.
To correctly worship Lord Vishnu one must use Sun Flower, not Merry Gold.
And it’s true that this Great Lord plays sitar. I heard that once.
So no chant is better than worship this great Lord with sitar music!
And another secret is that Lord Vishnu is always very busy at night.
August 16th, 2010 17:12
i love shri ram ..
jai shri ram ..
October 14th, 2010 16:38
shirsagar is ocean of infinite potential
March 23rd, 2011 16:14
Rama’s day and time of birth, as well as marriage to Sita are celebrated by Hindus across the world as Rama Navami. People normally perform marriage celebration for small statues of Rama and Sita in their houses and at the end of the day the idols are taken in a procession on the streets. Procession of idols in the evening that is accompanied with play of water and colours. For the occasion, Hindus are supposed to fast (or restrict themselves to a specific diet). Temples are decorated and readings of the Ramayana take place. Along with Rama, people also pray to Sita, Lakshmana and Hanumana.
The occasion of victory over Ravana and the rakshasas is celebrated as the 10-day Vijayadashami, also known as Dussehra. The Ram Leela is publicly performed in many villages, towns and cities in India. Rama’s return to Ayodhya and his coronation are celebrated as Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights. The latter two are the most important and popular festivals in India and for Hindus across the world. In Malaysia, Diwali is known as Hari Deepavali, and is celebrated during the seventh month of the Hindu solar calendar. It is a federal public holiday. In many respects it resembles the traditions followed in the Indian subcontinent. In Nepal, Diwali is known as Tihar and celebrated during the October/November period. Here, though the festival is celebrated for five days, the traditions vary from those followed in India. On the first day, cows are worshipped and given offerings. On the second day, dogs are revered and offered special food. On the third day, celebrations follow the same pattern as in India, with lights and lamps and much social activity. On the fourth day Yama, the Lord of Death, is worshipped and appeased. On the fifth and final day, brothers sisters meets . In Guyana, Diwali is marked as a special occasion and celebrated with a lot of fanfare. It is observed as a national holiday in this part of the world and some ministers of the Government also take part in the celebrations publicly.
March 23rd, 2011 16:16
The essential tale of Rama has also spread across South East Asia, and evolved into unique renditions of the epic – incorporating local history, folktales, religious values as well as unique features from the languages and literary discourse. The Kakawin Ramayana of Java, Indonesia, the Ramakavaca of Bali, Hikayat Seri Rama of Malaysia, Maradia Lawana of the Philippines, Ramakien of Thailand (which calls him Phra Ram) are great works with many unique characteristics and differences in accounts and portrayals of the legend of Rama. The legends of Rama are witnessed in elaborate illustration at the Wat Phra Kaew temple in Bangkok. The national epic of Myanmar, Yama Zatdaw is essentially the Burmese Ramayana, where Rama is named Yama. In the Reamker of Cambodia, Rama is known as Preah Ream. In the Pra Lak Pra Lam of Laos, Buddha is regarded as an incarnation of Rama.