History is curiously amazing. When read as an insipid syllabus homework, it haunts us days and nights; but, when studied just out of curiosity to understand the folly of our most revered ancestors, it itself gets haunted.
The story I am going to tell you today is not just an uncooked (and a very long and interesting) concoction of history and time. It is a blend: a consummate but sadistic approach to the understanding of our past. And it’s queer meeting with the present…
Caution: A word of caution here. The following story may hurt your religious sentiments if you do not hate Hinduism. I am an Indian and just like everyone of them have the right to speak my mind. I am not speaking of course but I think that writing does make an impact.
In the long remembered and usually craved past, Lord Rama cruised upon the lands of Demon Ravana with a diversified army of monkeys and eagles and men.He was in war with him.
There have been many wars in the history of the universe, each of them having a worthy and unique reason behind them. The war of Mahabharata, the war of right against wrong, was nothing but some brothers’ revenge against their cousins because the latter had publicly insulted their mother’s daughter-in-law who by sheer coincidence was the wife of all five of them.
The reason behind lord Rama’s action against the demon king was also of similar nature. When lord Rama was on a fourteen year exile in the lands of Panchvati following the order of his old father and his step mother, Ravana, the demon king, with the help of Mareech, abducted Sita with a clever contraption donning the looks of a hermit in order to avenge his sister’s humiliation by Rama’s younger brother. He did use the undesirable methods of treachery and crook but for his sister’s Honor he had to take that step. Even Lord Rama had used such deceit while fighting with Vali who being the elder brother, had seized his kingdom from Sugriva, after he, considering him to be dead, had taken his kingdom and his wife Tara.
Why did Lord Rama shoot Vali, an unsuspecting victim behind a tree? Why didn’t he just try to convince him to take his younger brother back? Why was it that lord Rama did not fight with Vali man to man? Was he afraid of him and his powers?
There are many justifiable answers to such questions. But do they really satisfy you?
And there are many questions…
Why did Lord Krishna kill Bheeshma,Drona and Karna using unfair means? And if he did that, why is he called a lord?
You will say: Anything done in defense of dharma is dharma.When the other side follows adharma in war, you need not hesitate to use adharma. Everything becomes fair in war.
Prithvi Raj Chauhan followed dharma when he let off Mohammed Ghauri the first time. India still hasn’t recovered from that mistake.
Vijayanagar empire defeated Bhamini sultans for 3 centuries in many wars.But it did not destroy them and let them off.It lost one war in 1565.Just one war.Just visit Humpi today to know what happened then.
Gandhi fasted to force Nehru to give Pakistan 55 Crore rupees as share from reserve bank.He cited dharma as the reason.Later Pakistan waged a war against India with that money.
Was Surpnakha wrong on part of her desire to enchant the handsome Lakshmana to be her husband? Many women had had done that in the past. Ulupi, one of the many wives of Arjuna also got him to married her after giving him drugs and abducting him. Even Arjuna was married at that time. Why didn’t he cut her nose then?
Ravana was also infatuated with Sita’s beauty. He also abducted her like Arjuna had done with Subhadra with the aid of Lord Krishna. He did that against her wishes of course, but he took great care of her in his kingdom and never did he try to even touch her against her wishes. He thought he would make her fall in love with him since he was all powerful and was indeed, the lord of Demondom. But Sita was in deeply in love with Lord Rama and she would not betray him. She passed her time in Ashok Vatika in the hope that her husband would come to rescue her. But what did she get in return?
Don’t you think Sati system owes its birth to Ramayana?
Why did Lord Rama waged a war and killed many innocent people just to free his wife and then make her walk in the flames of fire? And if that was not enough, he banished her from his kingdom and that too when she was pregnant with his two kids.
It is said that Lord Rama stayed in the hut of a woman of lower birth and in spite of all the differences treated her like a normal person. It was definitely great of Lord Rama to have done that thing.
After pleasantly receiving the Lord and offering Him some fruits, Shabri asked him a question: “When even my guru (a great sage) could not obtain your darshan, how could I – a socially disadvantaged, uneducated woman – attain it?” In reply, Rama explained that His remembrance is not influenced by gender, caste, title, or age but finds its source in devotion alone.
Don’t you think caste system owes its existence to Ramayana?
My full name is Rahul Sharma Vashishitha. And my father says that I am a direct descendant of Hermit Vashishtha. Am I of higher caste and anyway different than others?
THE SKEPTIKAL OBSERVER 
As an anthropologist and a confirmed agnostic am having the satiation. I agree with all your questions .
Oh my Dog…
When emotions/religion/god/love start, logic stops.
Aryans used literature as a powerful means to convert the native Indian ethnic religions and dravidians into the then versions of Hinduism. Sanskritisation of dravidians is reflected in the south indian languages.
There is no rama and krishna in the so called sacred vedas.
Not just hinduism, mythology based religions flourished all over the world with multitheism. Then came mono theisms like islam, christianity, buddhism where religion is all about a person rather than stories. Hinduism is probably the only surviving multitheism as of now after successfully dealing with buddhism by making it as one of its branches .
There was no hinduism ever. We had different religions altogether, Shaivism, veera shaivism, vaishnavism, vasudeva cult, vedic cult, devi cult etc(Vaisnavites and shaivaites massacred each other, destroyed each other temples). Vaishnavaites converted buddhist temples. All the so called sacred scriptures were mainly written to establish supremacy of 3 castes in the name of sanctity and hence domination through caste purity.
But people are worshiping rama not just because he killed vaali frm behind a tree….what matters to them is their interpretation of Rama as their god. The concept of god arises when things go beyond one’s capacity.
Yes, its true Sati roots are in ramayan.
Interpretations?. Yes. Ramayana has nearly 43 versions.
What we are referencing here is Vaalmiki raamaayan.so it is interpretation of Valmiki.
What matters ultimately to a normal devotee is the PRAYER rather than the validity of God as devotion is a state of mind.
Mythology is more of imagination rather than logic and thats why it is called myth. Moreover, applying 21st century thinking to the BC writing creates certain communication gap and interpretative incompatibility and hence everyone has got their own interpreted god.
Am restraining myself from writing more points so as to not to hurt sentiments of believers of god/followers of hinduism
What we need is buddhist agnosticism (not as god).
Anyway, it all depends on whether you want to watch the movie inspite of knowing that it is not real or you want to analyse how each actor acted in every scene. It is a personal choice.
Rama is now a vote bank logo.
I agree with every word you have spoken Mahesh. And yes you seem to have a lot of knowledge on these things.
The issue of gandhi is quite subjective
I could say a lot of things but I will refrain by saying one simple thing: History is written by the victorious. You have to understand that stories (even epics) have changed in their meanings over time to fulfil man’s own warped sense of right and wrong. There are much deeper, crucial issues in this than what you have written. And I think you tried to keep it less.
But I find the disclaimer saying “if you don’t hate Hinduism” very wrong. Hinduism is NOT Ramayana or Mahabharata. People never understand that.
But I will not say more, except, always remember, Little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
There are two aspects of everything that exists under the sun and over and around it.
One: Just the study. The various implications it can have on other things and itself. Its like pure science. Here we study everything that is possible. Here we know a thing dangerous for someone may be useful for some other.
Two: The application and the result. We seldom think about the cause. Only the result appears most important. There is no “little knowledge” here. But just a one sided perspective. Here we just want the thing to be useful to a certain section.
Talking of Hinduism, there are many “crucial” issues seldom discussed. But the ones usually discussed are more crucial than them.
Cast system and sati system owe their birth to Ramayana and Mahabharatha because they are the only one intelligible enough for common people. Common man has or rather had no time to read and study beyond what was available to him. So Hinduism is Ramayana and Mahabharata for him. Just as bible is for christian and Quran for Muslims.
Interesting Post!
Caste system has always been there in the Hindu Society. And Hindusim is mostly identified with Casteism.
But, to me it does not matter and no, you are not different than any one of us!
I gives me a breathe of fresh air if you think so…
i have a few thoughts which are quite similar to yours… am planning to text it down soon… that would be my reply…
I am waiting for it.. 😛
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Sadly everything in life especially in India is going to be debated till death to such an extent that you forget where did u originally start from! For every point you have made here- there will be counter points to be made by many am sure ( whether they are courageous enuff to do it here or not is besides the point:)) – suffice to say I personally don’t believe in no one religion! Believe in harmony and believe in humankind. When India has education for all and a more equal division of wealth caste system will naturally dissipate. But the corrupt governance and the rot in our system including our own individual insecurities will never allow that to happen- sorry to sound fatalistic- dnt think I am going to see much change in my lifetime:(