THE CYCLE OF RAMAYANA

On the 5th of June which was our second study circle, we discussed
about ‘The Cycle of the Ramayana’ and ……

ONLY THE RIGHTEOUS PERSON IS REMEMBERED AND RESIDES IN PEOPLE’S

HEART
RAMA and SITA, said to be the incarnations of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi respectively,
came into the mrityulok to show the people what ideality is like. RAMA always put the interest of his
people before his interest himself and the people loved him because he was skilled in truth and justice
more than anything. RAMA never failed to follow the path of righteousness. Rama showed us what is
to be a Perfect Son, Husband, King, warrior, God. He went to 14 years of exile to keep the words of
his father (The King), he always fought for the oppressed. He disregarded his personal interests and
griefs, and sacrificed a lot to pursue the path of dharma and duty. Due to this, he is still remembered
as the ideal man and resides in the hearts of people as the ultimate goal of life.

WE MUST CHOOSE OUR FRIENDS WISELY

The history has taught this to us through various tales, that we must choose our company wisely as it
influences our way of thinking. KEKAI loved RAMA more than BHARATA and was genuinely
happy when she heard that RAMA was about to be made the king of AYODHYA. But her handmaid
the humpbacked woman who had a malicious temper. She poisoned KEKAI’s mind and it made
KEKAI ask king DASHRATHA to send RAMA to 14 years of exile and make BHARATA the king
of AYODHYA. This is where and why we learn that we should be in good company so that negativity
doesn’t dominate us in any way.

RELATIONSHIPS MUST BE TREATED AS THE ONLY NEEDED WEALTH

One of the most prominent quality that we see in the cycle of Ramayana is the love between RAMA,
his brothers and all other members of the family. LAXMANA and SITA voluntarily went into the
exile to accompany his brother; when BHARATA discovered that his brother was about to become
the king when he was exiled, he put RAMA’s sandals on the throne of AYODHYA and himself
resided in Nandigram, refusing to become the king in place of his elder brother; All the three wives of
king DASHRATHA loved all their children with the same feel of motherhood and equality; All the
brothers were obedient and loved their family with their heart. We can clearly understand and we
should learn from these instances that how they valued the relationships more than any wealth they
had or could’ve had, and this is why they stood for each other in the times of need.
TREASURE TRUE FRIENDSHIP

The friendship between RAMA and King SUGREEVA with a mutual promise of help is an example for
us to treasure our friendship and keep promises. SUGREEVA and RAMA teamed up to kill BALI. In
return for the favour, SUGREEVA helped RAMA in searching for SITA and fought with RAMA against
RAVAN. Both did excellent work in honouring their promises. One of the most important Life lessons
to learn from the cycle of RAMAYANA is to be an honest friend for lifetime.
A TRUE LEADER ALWAYS PROTECTS THE WEAK

A King must always protect the weak and the helpless. The way RAMA protected JATAYU and stood
up for the vulnerable. Therefore, we must always protect others not only for their loyalty but strong
morals and understanding of righteousness.

LOVE AND DEVOTION BETWEEN TWO PARTNERS

The love of RAMA and SITA is so deep that one can’t decide who loves whom more. The truest form
of love is devotion for your beloved, and that’s what SITA has for RAMA. Great is the love of SITA,
greatest is the love of RAMA. Their relationship wasn’t all about love but also dharma. They both
didn’t seek any pleasures or wealth in life more than they followed the path of righteousness and
truth.

Main thing that we learn from the complete cycle of RAMAYANA is that we must always follow the
path of DHARMA. It indeed is a tough road but it makes one’s own heart satisfied with one’s deeds
and everyone around us will be calmed by our presence.