Disclaimer: The review is on Ram Sethu and the same topic from Ramayana by Shri C.Rajagopalachari and is not a book review of Rama Revealed.
Extracts from the Chapter Great Causeway and its relevance to Ram Sethu
Atheism** is one thing while playing evil with Nature is another. Atheism can be followed as an ideology, but cannot be imposed on theists to garner monetary and political mileage. On the name of atheism, religious bigotry cannot be tolerated because it colours the minds of people with unwarranted supreme thoughts of each religion over the other without going into the facts and fallacies of History.
Mr Nidhi goes on to alienate the sentiments of the religiously devout by making blasphemous remarks on top of evil perversions to play havoc with Nature. C Rajagopalachari’s simple elucidation of Ramayana, gives us a strong reminder of callousness of such acts and treats the subject of Ram Sethu in the context of God and Nature as one single entity which has to be worshipped as One who(which) gives us only the path of righteousness and good deed.
The Narration:-*
Sugreeva, Lakshmana** and Vibeeshana deliberated on how to cross the Sea. They thought it best to begin with a prayer of Ocean God and opinionated this to Rama. Rama began with a prayer and fast to the Sea God for three days sitting on the grass.(our Mr Nidhi performs a fastidious Fast when whole state goes to a standstill) With no result to his penance, Rama gets infuriated and orders Lakshmana to bring his Bow and Arrow to open the Seas and bring it to its senses.
When bow and arrow blazed, it looked as though Rama in his wrath would convert the sea with its infinitude of waters into a desert of Blazing dust bereft of all life. The Sea God could stand it no longer. Shining like a rising son behind Mount Meru, he appeared in front of Rama.
Oh Lord Ramachandra, ” I am subject to the laws of Nature like Earth, the air, space and all constituents of the Universe. How can I depart from the Nature which is to be vast, wave filled and impassible? Tell your Vanaras to bring boulders and trees and fill me. I can only take them but cannot change my course. There is Nala, son of Vishwakarama who has the ability to build the path. May victory be yours, the righteous one.
Rama accepts in humbleness and the work begins with the Great Vanara sainya. Valmiki describes this episode in length as gigantic project. Rama succeeded in making the causeway
Principle expounded:-*
The Ocean God says to Rama, ” The Five elements Earth, Air, Water, ether, fire must follow the eternal laws of the Nature. Tempted by pleasure or reward, frightened by punishment, can I ever swerve from my nature. Can water harden and become stone. Can I become a shallow pond for every crossing of yours. Valmiki puts in the mouth of the Ocean God the fundamentals of Hindu philosophy. He explains the primordial relation between God and Nature. The laws of Nature were created in such a way that the Universe can proceed by itself. So too, the laws of Karma, the five elements. All living and non living things must follow these permanent laws.
Text taken from Valmiki Ramayana without editing*
yaa ca iyam jagato maataa sarva loka namaskRitaa|
asyaaH ca calanam bhuumeH dRishyate kosaleshvara
Translation: *"This Mother Earth who is the mother of worlds and venerated by all animate and inanimate, or even celestial beings, oh, king of Kosala kingdom, even she undergoes tremors and earthquakes.
Mother earth is not only held as a mother of living beings on her surface, but even Moon, Mars etc., planets are said to have emerged from her, and she is lone female in planetary system capable enough to produce offspring, and hence she is regarded as the wife of Vishnu, and hence Vishnu has to incarnate Himself on her periodically, to ease her of her problems. As such'your weeping for your loss is subjective, while putting your other wife, namely bhuu devi, Mother Earth, to suffering by earthquakes, storms, whirlwinds, twisters, and what not. is it appropriate of you to make her suffer periodically, while you say that your one-time-suffering such as this one is nonpareil. or what. world's disposition is as such. not even you can change it, lest it boomerangs.'
Stanzas from Bhagawad Gita which have semblance to Valmiki Ramayana in its earthen values.*
maya tatam idam´ sarvam´, jagad avyakta-murtina
mat-sthani sarva-bhutani, na caham´ tesv avasthitah
In the Lord, all universe is pervaded and all beings are in him.
prakrtim´ svam avastabhya, visrjami punah punah
bhuta-gramam imam´ krtsnam, avasam´ prakrter vasat
The cosmic world is under me, manifested again and again and then annihilated in the end.
avajananti mam´ mudha, manusim´ tanum asritam
param´ bhavam ajananto, mama bhuta-mahesvaram
Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know my transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be.
The above stanza describes the supreme’s body as eternal and full of knowledge and he is not foolish like Man who thinks that he is only Human.
Mr Nidhi is a man and is acting like one foolishly thinking that Lord Rama was only a Human Being. Mr Nidhi also thinks that Nature and God are different and also takes it granted that he can humiliate both merely categorisng them as just a dead body(Universe) and Human Being(God)
So he merely ends ups chastening the supreme being with professional qualifications and comparing the deeds with Human beings who are merely actors.
We should understand the gravitational calamity which results in such actions against Nature which can treacherously cause devastating effect to mankind as was seen in the case of Tsumani in the same state
Every time, we tamper with Nature under the belief that it is ours, we have to think twice on its repercussions and it is an important lesson to understand Valmiki Ramayana not merely as an epic but a course to understand the power of nature and its course and path which cannot be controlled by ordinary mortals when the Supreme being failed to do so. Narmada and Polavaram Projects are two which come to mind the devastating effect which is likely by tampering Nature.
Man will live and die, but Nature will not.
Thanks for reading.
