Closing Adhyatma Ramayan blog

Dear Friends,

I am not writing on Adhyatma Ramayan anymore. Closing this blog. However, I have not stopped writing. From now on I will maintain only one blog http://atmajyoti-prasad-prabhu.blogspot.com/ on spirituality, and will post all my articles there.
These 7 postings gave me good understanding of Ramayana. I hope the readers have gained the same benefits.

Thank you,
Prasad

Maricha's liberation

Rama knowing the plan of Ravana to abduct Sita, tells sita to create a maya sita, a chaya (shadow sita), and hide in fire. Sita creates a shadow sita and enters fire and stays there. Maya sita sees the maya mriga (Maricha, deer) and asks Rama to bring it so that she can play with it. Lakshmana says that it is none other than Maricha. Rama hurries towards Maricha on the pretext of bringing him to sita, but it is actually to give him liberation. This shows the karuna (grace) of Rama on even Rakshasa (evil person) when the evil person takes his refuge. When it is clear to Rama that the deer is indeed a Rakshasa, he shoots an arrow and kills the deer. Maricha cries out loud, Hey Lakshmana, Hey Sita and dies. While all the devatas (Angels) are watching, Maricha merges with the Lord Rama. All the devathas are surprised at the emanicipation of a evil person and says to themselves " this Maricha has done many misdeeds, killed many good people, yet he is able to reach Lord, because he has spent his last moments in remembering Rama, albeit with fear. Whoever remembers Rama at the time of leaving the body will reach him".

Meaning :

Meaning 1: When a person's consciousness is that of Rama (witness) at the time of leaving the body, he doesnt take another janma (birth). The key to remember Rama at the time of death is to constantly remember him, either with love or with hatred.

Meaning 2: Ego is nothing but a chaya (ghost) entity of the real I. Ego is a thought process of I, which assumes the role of master. Ravana the ten headed demon wants to takeover the ego also. When real sita enters fire(third chakra), Ravana takes the chaya sita who is in the prithvi tatva (muladhara) symbolically shown by Ravana carrying Sita along with the very earth she stands on.

Rama can put an end to illusion of life (Maricha).

Maricha's sadhana

Sri Sadgurubhyoh namah
Ravana discusses with Maricha about his plan to abduct Sita, and requests help. Maricha is horrified on hearing this. He advices Ravana against this plan and narrates his story.
Maricha : Ravana, once when Rama was 16 years old, He protected Vishwamitra yaaga which I tried to obstruct. At a tender age he shot me down with a single arrow which threw me hundred yojana away. Later when he was roaming in Dandaka Forest, I became an Ox and tried to kill him, He again threw me into ocean with a single arrow. I am living in fear of Rama since then. Wherever I look, I see Rama. Even in sleep I think of him. I am afraid of words like Raja, Ramani, Ratna, Ratha that starts with sound 'Ra'. I am always thinking of Rama. Ravana, you cannot fight and win with Rama. Entire Rakshasas will be wiped out. Please desist from this act.
Even after hearing this Ravana didnt heed Maricha words and ordered him to become a golden deer to attract Sita. Ravana gives Maricha two options, either help Ravana in his mission or face death.
Maricha decides that Death in the hands of Rama will give him liberation, heaven, whereas death in the hands of Ravan will take him to hell, so decides to help Ravana.
Meaning :
Maricha(individual self/ego under the control of Ravana=demon) has left the four attachments (Raja=Kingdom, Ramani=Women/desires, Ratna=wealth, Ratha=Grandoiseness) and started thinking of Rama=Atma. This was done out of fear of Rama, not out of love of Rama. This is one kind of sadhana. The liberation is not happening out of Grace. Grace is not flowing. But his death is certain. He has two options. Help Ravana and get killed by Rama and go towards liberation, or meet his doom in the hands of Ravana by refusing to help him.
Ravana the ten headed demon symbolises the evil that afflicts the ten indriyas, 5 jnana indriyas(sight, touch, smell, taste, hearing) , and 5 karma indriyas (tongue, hands, legs, genital-organ, anus) . Ravana is fully enamoured with Sita (maya/prakriti).
Prabhu's correction :
Maricha is also maya mriga - one which appears golden but not so. Mirage - illusion. Maricha represents illusion of life.

Sethubandhanam-Rameshwaram

Sri Sadgurubhyoh namah
When the construction of bridge across ocean is started (sethubandhanam), Rama consecrates a Shivalinga. This is called Rameshwaram. Rama proclaims "Whoever visits the sethu (bridge) and prays to Rameshwara will get rid of Brahma hatya dosha (sins commited). Further whoever bathes in sethusamudram and visits the Rameshwaram temple and does sankalpa of going to Kasi (varanasi) and brings Ganga water back to Rameshwaram to do Abhisheka (pouring of water on shivaling) will definitely reach Brahmapada (Ultimate abode)" .
Meaning :
Ocean stands for Samsara sagara. Varanasi is ajna chakra, Ganga water is jnana ganga. Rameshwara is the paramatma that is residing in Ajnachakra. Whoever worships Paramatma with wisdom , beyond Ajna chakra, he reaches the ultimate abode.
Prabhu's correction :
Brahma hatya dosha is killing brahma = self. Ignorance of self

Dandaka Aranya , Viradha (Fear)

Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana enter the forest 'Dandaka Aranya'.
Rama says : Lakshmana, I will proceed first, you be at the rear end and let Sita be in the middle as maya is between Paramatma and Jiva and we will protect her.
On entering the forest they encounter a rakshasa named viradha, who is a terror to all. Rama cuts his arms, legs, and finally his head with arrows. Viradha is actually a gandharva named Vidyadhara. On being emanicipated, he praises Rama and goes back to his gandharva loka.
What could be the meaning of this ?
Between Jiva and Paramatma there is a veil called maya.
Viradha is the demon called fear factor in all of us. This fear is in muladhara chakra in every body. Rama, Sita, Lakshmana entering forest is akin to the start of spiritual journey with muladhara chakra. The first enemy in any sadhaka is fear factor, and with the help of Rama (Atma) we can overcome fear.
Danda (staff) that is used by rishis is symbolic of spinal chord. Dandaka Aranya can be related to the uncleaned chakras in our body/spine.
Rama weilds Kodanda (wisdom) with which he kills Fear (Viradha).

Ahalya worshipping Rama

AdhyatmaRamayan is told by SriRama to Shiva, who in turn told it to Parvati. Hence it is a version that is directly told by the person who lived Ramayana.
Story of Ahalya
Ahalya becomes a stone by the curse of her husband Gautama because of the sin she has committed with Indra. By the mere touch of the feet of Rama, Ahalya's sins are washed away.
She opens her eyes and recognises Rama as Narayana, Known by Omkara, Unreached by words. Entire universe is Rama as Shabda+Artha (Names and Meaning). Ahalya says "You are the creation, creator, and cause of the universe. You are the ulitmate goal and means to attain that".
Ahalya thus becomes purified by worshipping Rama.
What I understood from the above story
Ahalya is Antahkarana (mind+buddhi+ego), gets corrupted or influenced by the desires of the mind (Indra) . Such antahkarana becomes a stone, it cannot reflect ParamAtma. Vishwamitra shows the stone to Rama.Vishwamitra is Guru to Rama (Atma) to show Grace on the antahkarana which has become stone. On opening of eyes, Ahalya recognises Rama (Atma) as none other than Narayana (ParamAtma) , Who is reflected fully on the purified Antahkarana.
While Eye-opener is the Grace of Guru and Rama, It is the worship/Bhakti of Antahkarana which acts as purifier.

Sri Sadgurubhyoh namah

Sita the doer, Rama the Witness

Rama Hridayam as told by Shiva to Parvati

Rama tells Sita to impart wisdom to Hanuman.

Sita to Hanuman : Son, Understand clearly that Rama is one without second, Parabrahman, substratum of all, cannot be percieved by mind and other sensory organs, ever blissful, Purest, Peaceful, Nirvikara (undisturbed), Omnipresent, Self-illuminated, and Unsinned.

Know me as the prakriti who is the originator of universe. I create universe by the power of mere proximity to Rama. Ignorant impose creation and other activities to Rama while it is actually I who does that. Entire Ramayana is an act (karma) of mine.

Rama is Omnipresent, hence there is no coming and going, We can also say, he wont stay at one place. He is always blissfull, so he doesnt have shoka. Rama is Poornakama (who's desires are fulfilled), He has no desires. He doesnt have dualities like 'likes' and 'dislikes' so he doesnt have Raaga(I want) and Dvesha(I dont want). He is beyond birth and death. He is immutable. He is not the doer.

I will tell you about Paramatma, Atma, and Anatma now.

There are 3 three types of Akasa (space or sky).

1) Maha akasa : The undivided space or sky above

2) Jalavachchinna akasa : Sky divided into two by the ocean

3) Chidakasa : The Sky in your mind which is a reflection of sky on your intellect. This is Anatma.

1) Paramatma : Unidived consciousness, Omnipresent, Witness to Prakriti.

2) Atma : Divided consciousness, Amsha to Paramatma, witness. Not different from Paramatma.

3) Anatma : Reflection of Atma in Buddhi (Jiva) this is a mirage, not real. Because of the dosha in the Buddhi (Intellect), the doership and enjoyership, knowership is attributed to the Atma. Buddhi is the creation of Prakriti. It is anatma.

Atma is amsha of paramatma hence it is not different from Paramatma. The non-difference between Undivided space (Paramatma) and divided space(Atma) is understood when a Sadguru points out through Shruti vakya like 'Tat tvam asi'.

Here I am adding as an afterthought what Prabhu told about Viveka and Vairagya as the topic of Atma and Anatma came above.

Viveka : Discriminate and know clearly what is Atma and what is Anatma

Vairagya : Attach to Atma and detach from Anatma

Viveka and Vairagya are the two paduka of Guru, that helps one cross over the ocean of samsara without leaving footprints.

Sri Sadgurubhyoh namah

Rama a Human ?

Sri Sadgurubhyoh namah

Adhyatma Ramayan is told by Shiva to Parvati.
Parvati asks Shiva "If Rama is ParaBrahman, why did he cry for loss of Sita, and acted like a mortal?".
Shiva replies : Rama is indeed Parabrahman, beyond prakriti (matter), blissful, one without second, and Purushottama. He creates the universe with his Maya, He is omnipresent inside and outside of the universe as Akasa (space), He is the Atma in everybody's Antahkarana (Mind, Intellect, Ego), He makes the world move.
Iron moves because of magnet. Matter, Universe appears as if it is alive and moving because of proximity to Rama even though they are Jada or achetana.
Ignorant people attribute their ignorance onto Parabrahman. They think that Rama is like them.
There is no day and night in Sun. Similarly there is no question of Knowledge and lack of knowledge in Rama, He always is full of wisdom. There is not a hint of ignorance in Rama. He is the origin of Prakriti and Maya or avidya or ignorance cannot influence Rama.

Sri Sadgurubhyoh namah