Ramakatha Rasavahini

Rama is the Indweller in every body. He is the Atmarama, the Rama (Source of Bliss) in every individual. His blessings upsurging from that inner spring can confer peace and bliss. He is the very embodiment of Dharma of all the codes of morality that hold mankind together in love and unity. The Ramayana, the Rama story, teaches two lessons: the value of detachment, and the need to become aware of the divine in every being. Faith in God and detachment from objective pursuits are the keys for human liberation. Give up sense-objects; you gain Rama. Sita gave up the luxuries of Ayodhya and so, she could be with Rama in the period of “exile.” When she cast longing eyes on the golden deer and craved for it, she lost the presence of Rama. Renunciation leads to joy, attachment brings about grief. Be in the world, but not of it. The brothers, comrades, companions, and collaborators of Rama are each of them examples of persons saturated with Dharma. Dasharatha is the representative of the merely physical, with the ten senses. The three Gunas (qualities)—Sattva (calm serenity), Rajas (passion, activity) and Tamas (sloth, dullness)—are the three queens. The four goals of life—the Purusharthas—are the four sons. Lakshmana is the intellect; Sugriva is Viveka or discrimination. Vali is despair. Hanuman is the embodiment of courage. The bridge is built over the ocean of delusion. The three Rakshasa (demon) chiefs are personifications of the Rajasika (Ravana), Tamasika (Kumbhakarna) and the Satvika (Vibhishana) qualities. Sita is Brahmajnana or the awareness of the universal absolute, which the individual must acquire and regain undergoing travails in the crucible of life. Make your heart pure and strong, contemplating the grandeur of the Ramayana. Be established in the faith that Rama is the reality of your existence.

—Baba