Why is Ram worshipped? Mysteries of Indian Cultural History
Reason for wide publicity of Ram temple
Culture is not limited to any religion or community. It is a way of life, a path that transcends caste and religion, and is a gift given to all of us based on the experiences of our ancestors to help us complete our journey of life in a simple and well-planned way.
It is like the way we collect inventions or discoveries in the present day and pass on our research to future generations for their use through various means. We are also well aware of this ancient cultural tradition, according to which, if we follow the path shown by an experienced person, we can easily reach our destination and goal.
However, the circumstances today are different. The environment is moving towards modernity and the thinking is often seen raising the voice for a comprehensive change. In this environment, all of us Indians, being the pioneers of a culture that teaches the world about excellent human life and values, should definitely make some efforts to save it and revive it in the context of today.
Today, all countries are on the path to becoming economic and technological superpowers, but India’s identity is as a nation that has given priority to values since ancient times and has considered ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the whole world is one family) as its foundation. This was also the motto of the G20 group meeting held under India’s chairmanship this time. This motto inspires mutual harmony, which was also described by Swami Vivekananda in the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893. The whole world still repeats its story. In fact, over time, Indian culture has been a golden bird in the world, where the first university in the world, Takshila, and the Gurukul tradition of taking initiation from a teacher were created.
Our culture is the concept of ‘Sarva Dharma Sambhav’ (equality of all religions) coined by Mahatma Gandhi, which also symbolically represents the equality of the destination of the paths adopted by all religions. The remarkable achievements of yoga and asanas for making life easier and the system of meditation, pranayama and other systems for knowing and grooming oneself, and the benefits of following it, have never been ignored by the world either. So, to bring this glory and integral identity to life, there is a need to highlight its supernatural divine form as well. Therefore, following the culture and construction of Ram Mandir should also be taken as a solution, and accordingly, all of us should also become a part of the solution, not the problem.
These ideas have been explained to us in various forms by our gurus as knowledge, tradition and system, which, in the form of a culture, guides the world in many ways. In the same sense, the worship of any God, the construction of temples, the birth anniversaries of great men, memorials, etc., inspire us to keep their ideals and achievements alive and follow their guidance in life.
In fact, in ancient culture, memorials and idol worship have a different significance, in which we remember the God form and pay our respects to them, and also take a pledge to follow in their footsteps and guidance and walk on the right path. In this context, we all sometimes think about what is the existence of God, why do we worship idols, why should we build temples, etc.? So, we can also imagine it in the form of our present, when we keep the picture of our ancestors, parents, grandparents, gurus, family members and those whom we consider ideal in a fixed place, offer flowers of respect to them and are inspired to follow the right paths shown by them.
A famous incident of Swami Vivekananda comes to mind in this regard. In that incident, when Swami ji saw the pictures of animals killed by the king for entertainment hanging on the walls in the court of Maharaja Mangal Singh of Alwar, he asked whether it is justified to kill animals for entertainment, no animal does this and it seems meaningless. Why do you do this just for entertainment? To that argument, Raja Mangal Singh replied that ‘the idols you worship are nothing but pieces of clay, stone or metal, so I find this idol worship meaningless.’ Hearing such things about culture and faith, Swami Vivekananda was saddened and took the king to the picture of his father in his palace to present the argument. There, he asked the courtier to spit on it, which angered the king. After that, in order to explain to him, Swami ji sarcastically said, ‘Where is your father in this? This is just a piece of paper and a picture on it.’ To make the king realize the point, Swami ji further explained that just as you consider a picture as a reflection of your father and have respect for it, which reminds you of things related to him, in the same way an idol or any image of God is a symbolic form which We consider it as their form and worship them, remembering them and taking their blessings, paving the way to follow in their footsteps.
The philosophy of life of Shri Ram is also a pillar of these thoughts, which shows the utility of human values and is a source of inspiration for all of us and the coming generation. That which is appropriate and accurate in every way when compared to human life is Ram. ‘Ramanti iti Ramah’ means that which dwells in every pore is Ram. Therefore, the construction of Ram Mandir is a symbol that will be known as a symbol of the best human values and will continue to inspire the whole world to find its own high level of identity by showing the importance of character building and the utility of culture in life and the change in history due to it.
In fact, the life character of Shri Ram realistically displays all those ideal imaginations which are useful or exemplary for a particular person in the form of every relationship or for social life. In today’s horrific form of family where relatives sever ties for property, Ram is an example for them as a son who obeys his father’s orders and renounces the kingdom and prosperous life to go to the forest. In the tendency to betray friends, Ram is the symbol of friendship who shares happiness and sorrow with Sugriva in the gift and helps him get back his kingdom and wife, depicting the form of an ideal friendship. For those who cheat their own party, Ram is an example of showing trust by sending Hanuman and Angad as his messengers to Lanka without any rule book and the inspiration from those events proves him to be a skilled leader and management guru. Even after winning over Lanka, Ram is the personality who does not show even an iota of arrogance and makes Ravana’s brother Vibhishan the king of Lanka and at the same time accepts him as a friend and presents a strong example of geopolitics. Beyond high and low, he becomes a symbol of intimacy and gentleness by eating the leftover berries of Sabari of Bhil society and respecting her penance. Humbly accepting the request of Nishad Raj, the king of Kevatas, to wash his feet and giving him a gem ring as remuneration, he simultaneously gives proof of being a king and having devotion and affection. The interpretation of his character cannot be contained in words because according to the Puranas, Lord Rama is the first ideal form of human structure whose character was interpreted by Goswami Tulsidas to compose the epic Ramacharitmanas, which resides in the hearts of all of us.
Ram is truly a great personality who, after killing his enemy Ravana, apologizes to his wife Mandodari and expresses regret for the unnecessary destruction. He also presents a unique example of leadership by explaining the virtues of Ravana, even though he was his enemy, and inspires Lakshmana to learn from him. The great scholar Ravana also goes to the mortal world by giving Lakshmana three important lessons learned from his life. Of these, the first is ‘Shubhasya Shighram’, meaning that if you think of doing something good, you should not delay it and should not postpone any work until tomorrow. Like I used to postpone the dream of world domination every day. Second, never underestimate any task, enemy or thing, as I underestimated Ram and the entire monkey army. And third, one should not share one’s secret with anyone. Like if I had not told the secret of the soul urn, I would not have been lying on my deathbed. All these events inspire all of us too.
But still, different thoughts come to our human mind in many forms. Some consider it real and some imaginary. If we consider the history associated with Rama and consider Rama as a fictional character, even then we get many lessons of life philosophy from the events associated with that historical story and its characters. According to Indian philosophy and mythology, Rama is considered the first common form of man and his character philosophy shows all the qualities associated with an ideal human being. According to philosophy, the four brothers Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna reflect the four pillars of Purusharth. The four pillars of Purusharth are Dharma, which is known as Maryada Purushottam Rama, Lakshmana who is the symbol of work and always remains with Dharma as a shadow. Shatrughna who is the symbol of wealth and shows dedication for the successful operation of the capital and workplace. The same Bharata is the symbol of Moksha, that is, he successfully manages the entire kingdom by keeping even a symbol of Dharma like Rama’s footwear as a symbol.
In the interpretation of Ramacharitra, another incident mentioned in Ramayana comes to mind in which Vishwamitra approaches King Dasharatha and asks to take Ram with him and give him initiation. On that Dasharatha says you can ask for whatever you want, gold coins, kingdom, wealth, glory, but why do you need Rama? What Vishwamitra said to show Ram’s character is an eye-opener for the entire human world today.
Vishwamitra says:
विश्वामित्र कहते हैं-
यौवनं धन संपत्ति: प्रभुत्वमविवेकिता। एकैकमप्यनर्थाय किमु यत्र चतुष्टयम्।।
It means- Youth, wealth, property, power, and lack of wisdom
Even one of these can lead to ruin but Ram has all four, yet he is restrained and wise.
The whole world needs such a great personality. The construction of Ram Mandir will highlight and illuminate that culture in today’s greedy culture. Which shows that a person lives life values in such a way that to obey the command of a father and fulfill his word he renounces his wealth, life of comfort and kingdom and goes to the forest. The second brother imagines the struggles of his brother and becomes his shadow and walks with him and the other brother, even after getting the kingdom, keeps the sandals of his brother as a symbol of dharma and
Walking on their ideals, respecting their word, it would not be wrong to say on this subject that Ravana was relatively great in everything than Ram. Who was considered the great sage, great ascetic, great devotee of Shankar ji in the universe. The Shiva Tandav Stotra composed by him is still used in worship today. Who was the conqueror of the three worlds, who had the strong power to win over anything. But still Goswami Tulsidas composed Shri Ram Charitra Manas because that limited form and character of Rama makes him worshipful despite all this and is a symbol of ideal for all of us and is inspiring for the whole generation.
The imagination and following of such excellent human values definitely leads to the realization of the imagination of creating an excellent society. For these reasons, so that we all can bring such great men Bhagwan Ram into our lives, therefore, the propagation of his philosophy of life and the temple built in his name will be effective in the future as the foundation of a nation built by excellent character.
The purpose of all these discussions is that Indian culture which has been the basis of human values which is also universal. Let us all try to bring it to reality with collective efforts for the good of ourselves and our families. Only then will the imagination of a better life for our future generation and the effort to create an excellent society and nation be meaningful.
