Valmiki Katha, life story of Valmiki  

Posted by Ambar jaiswal


Valmiki was the son of Sumali. Maharishi Valmiki was born in a shudra family. His birth name was Ratnakara. But the trust factor of the sources is questionable.When everyone left to travel south Sumali took his son and wife and moved near the bank of Vipasa River (Northern India).The Uttara Khanda tells the story of Valmiki's early life, as an unnamed highway robber who used to rob people before killing them. Other versions name him Valya Meet. Robbing people who passed by was the only source of money for him.
How he became Valmiki
One day Narada Muni was passing by that way when he ran into Ratnakara, who insisted them to give everything he owns, from his clothing to the shoes he was wearing. Narada asked Ratnakara why he was committing this sin. Ratnakara answered that this was the only way to provide food for his family. Narada, then, asked him if his family was part of this sin that he was committing and he told him to go ask his family that same question. Ratnakara tied Narada to a tree to make him stay in that same spot until he was back. When Ratnakara asked his parents if they were with him on the sin that he was doing, they replied that it was his job to take care of them, and that he was only responsible for his own sins. His wife also said the same thing. Ratnakara then returned to Narad Muni and fell to his feet. He told him that he alone was responsible for the sins and asked him to help him get rid of the sins he had committed. Narada told him to repeat Lord Rama's name and that would assist him. Then, after Narada left, Ratnakara went into a deep penance while reciting the Lord's name. Soon, an anthill grew around him. After a long penance, a divine light came upon him and said that he was free from all sins, and that he was to be called "Valmiki" from then (Valmiki meaning 'one who sits in an anthill' in Sanskrit).
Writer of the Ramayana
TheRāmāyaṇa, originally written by Valmiki, consists of 24,000 verses in seven cantos (some say six i.e. excluding the Uttara Ramayana) (kāṇḍas). The Ramayana tells the story of a prince, Rama of Ayodhya, whose wife Sita is abducted by the demon (Rākshasa) king of Lanka, Rāvana. The Valmiki Ramayana is dated variously from 500 BC to 100 BC, or about co-eval with early versions of the Mahabhārata.

The first śloka
Valmiki was going to the river Ganges for his daily ablutions. A disciple by the name Bharadwaja was carrying his clothes. On the way, they came across the Tamasa Stream. Looking at the stream, Valmiki said to his disciple, "Look, how clear is this water, like the mind of a good man! I will bathe here today." When he was looking for a suitable place to step into the stream, he saw a Crane (bird) couple mating. Valmiki felt very pleased on seeing the happy birds. Suddenly, hit by an arrow; the male bird died on the spot. Filled by sorrow its mate screamed in agony and died of shock. Valmiki's heart melted at this pitiful sight. He looked around to find out who had shot the bird. He saw a hunter with a bow and arrows, nearby. Valmiki became very angry. His lips opened and he uttered the following words:

मां निषाद प्रतिष्ठां त्वमगमः शाश्वतीः समाः। यत्क्रौंचमिथुनादेकम् अवधीः काममोहितम्॥'

mā niṣāda pratiṣṭhāṁ tvamagamaḥ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ
yat krauñcamithunādekam avadhīḥ kāmamohitam

You will find no rest for the long years of Eternity
For you killed a bird in love and unsuspecting

Emerging spontaneously from his rage and grief, this was the first śloka in Sanskrit literature. Later Valmiki composed the entire Ramayana with the blessings of Lord Brahma in the same meter that issued forth from him as the śloka. Thus this śloka is revered as the "first śloka" in Hindu literature. Valmiki is revered as the first poet, or Adi Kavi, and the Ramayana, the first kavya.
His first disciples to whom he taught the Ramayana were Kusa and Lava, the sons of Rama.

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Origin of Bhumihar, The Clan of Brahmins  

Posted by Ambar jaiswal


Bhumihar Brahmins also known as Bhumihar (भूमिहार) are an influential Hindu sub-caste who have traditionally resided in fertile regions of Indo-Gangetic plains of North India, in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. They were referred to as Baabhans (बाभन) too, an apabhramsha word for Brahmin.





History of Bhumihar

Bhumihar Brahmins also known as Bhumihar (भूमिहार) are an influential Hindu sub-caste who have traditionally resided in fertile regions of Indo-Gangetic plains of North India, in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. They were referred to as Baabhans (बाभन) too, an apabhramsha word for Brahmin.
Bhumihar is a caste Mainly Found in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand , Uttar Pradesh and in the Bundelkhand area of the Madhya Pradesh . One Story of their origin is that the Bhumihar Brahmins Parashurama destroyed the Kshatriya Many times and he set up in their Place the descendent's of Brahmins. Bhumihar Brahmins is known as Karm Kandi Pandit in the sixteenth Century Particularly in North Bihar. In South Bihar their Most Prestigious King (Gopal Sharan) was the Tekari Family in the Eighteenth Century. In our Country So many Bhumihar Scholars have been born like Swami Sahajanand Saraswati , Sir Ganesh Dutt and Siyaram Tiwary the Former Dean of the Vishwa Bharti university Formerly Known as Shanti Niketan.
Gotra and Pravaras of the Bhumihar
The Gotras of the Bhumihar has been mainly Kept on the name of the Rishis.Initially,there are mainly nine gotras of the bhumihar. But Pravaras are classified into the name of the Seven Rishis, that is given below :-
In Rigved author has been written that the Rishi Jamadagni was a descendants of Rishi Bhirgu While the rishis Gautam and Bhardavaja Were the descendants of rishi Angirasa.
            • Agastya
            • Angirasa
            • Atri
            • Bhrigu
            • Kashyapa
            • Vasishtha
            • Vishwamitra
Etymology: The word Bhumihar consists of two Sanskrit words, bhoomi (भूमि), meaning "land" and har (हर), meaning 'seizer'. There are a lot of theories about the origin of this caste and there is no unanimous accord over any of them excepting one which is the authority of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati who gives the most acceptable account of the origin and history of Bhumihar Brahmins. The name of his book is "Brahmarshi Vansha Vistar". Some of the other theorists owe the origin of the Bhumihar to the displacement of Brahmins from Western India following the Muslim invasion or, a change of religion to Buddhism and reconversion to Hinduism or, a change of profession from priesthood to farming or, a gradual shift from priestly and academic activities to farming and conquest, owing to lack of support from the rulers during the reign of ignorant kings. At some point of time the word 'Bhumi' was also used for some administrative unit or revenue unit or some geographical unit, just like Bundelkhand or Jharkhand. Singhbhumi, Birbhumi and Manbhumi are or was names of districts. Dhalbhumi was an adminitrative unit. Thus the word 'Bhumihar' may also mean Talukdar or Jagirdars etc.
Bhumihar Brahmins is also known for taking the revenge .As for example when Kshatriya King has stolen the Parashurama's Father wish-granting Cow, Kamdhenu. That time he has killed thousands of kshatriya army. But in retaliation the King's Son has killed the Parashurama's Father. Then, he has decided to destroy the Kshatriya and he has fought battles from the Kshatriya 21 times and destroyed all the Kshatriya . This shows the Power between the kshatriya and Bhumihar Brahmins.

THE CLANS

Suryanarayan Pandey in his book Sainik Brahmin has noted that only in two situation they were separated from Kanyakubja brahmin the first was, when they were honoured and given land as AGRAHARAM by the kings of different states and second when they were attacked by muslim ruler. They wanted to preserve Hindu cultural heritage so they came to Eastern Kashi. 
Usually Bhumihar clans are known by the original place from which they come. For example Bhumihars from Dighwa nearby DIGHAWA DUBAULI ( Gopalganj , Old SARAN ) went to Barahiya and settled there and known as Dighwait Bhumihars, similarly, Eksaria Bhumihars belongs to Eksaar village in Balia but spread over complete Saran district of Bihar. But there are others like Jijhoutiya Bhumihar Brahmins who reside in Eastern U.P. and the region of Jhansi. Chitponia Bhumihar of Nawada are from Maharashtra. In fact at times they are considered as a separate Brahmin sub-caste altogether. Swami Sahajanand Saraswati was from Jijhoutia clan of Bhumihar Brahmins. Then there are others like Bhriguvansh, claiming lineage from Maharishi Bhrigu as the name suggests. There are around two to three dozen such clans. Drona Ticar (Domkatar colloquially) is another Bhumihar clan. There were some famous zamindars and feudal lords like:
★ Kashi Naresh (Varanasi)
★ Maharaja Of Hathwa (also pronounced HATHUA, Gopalganj, Old SARAN)
★ Maharaja of Bettiah (Champaran)
★ Raja of Amawan (old MONGHYR)
★ Raja of Tekari (old GAYA)
★ Zamindar of Chainpur, Sheohar, Pandooi
★ Zamindar of HAKAM-REOTITH in Old SARAN (Now Gopalganj)
★ Bagaura Naresh (Siwan)
★ Udayni Kothi near Bagaura estate (Siwan)
★ Goreya Kothi
The Village Eksar from where the origination of Eksaria started is situated in Ballia. The First clan of Eksaria Bhumihar Brahmins was Jaganath Dixit, who migrated probably from Indraprasth or from Hastinapur in the year 1551 A.D. and became mantra guru of Nepal Maharaj. 

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Rama and some truths of his GREAT Ramayana  

Posted by Ambar jaiswal




Since the auspicious home-coming of Shri Raam (Deepawali) is nigh, I thought of writing a post on my favorite Lord. As recognized by the Supreme Court of India, the existence of Shri Raam can not be decided only by historical or scientific evidence, it is a matter of faith to millions of people.

Yet, it is my effort in this post to analyze the historical and literary evidence pertaining to Lord Raam just as we did in the post on Lord Krishna {Krishna - The Historical Enigma}.

The primary source of the life and journey of Shri Raam is the epic Ramayana composed by Maharishi Valmiki. The learned sage wanted to write an epic that would serve as an inspiration for generations to come, and highlight the ideals of human behavior in different roles assigned to him by the society. 

Devarishi Narad, the spiritual mendicant of the Heavens, guided Valmiki and suggested that he should write about the life and times of Shri Raam, the doyen of the Suryavanshi clan and the most beneficient ruler the land had ever seen. This acknowledgement is mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayan itself and is our first suggestion that the story was based on an actual historical figure. 

The Ramayan itself declares that it belongs to the genre of Itihasa (History) and the only other two sacred books in that genre are the Mahabharat and the Harivamsha.




Literary Evidence for Rama

Besides Valmiki Ramayan (4th century BCE), other scriptures also attest to Shri Raam's existence. The Vishnu Puraan declares Rama as Lord Vishnu's seventh incarnation, and the Bhagavat Puraan, recounts the story of Lord Rama in the 9th Skanda. 



The Millenia old Epic Battle between the Forces of God and Evil
 {Image courtesy - Grant Morrison's 18 Days}


Mahabharat mentions the story of Rama in the Aranyak Parva, Dron Parva and theRaam-opakhyan where its is narrated to the eldest Pandav, Yuddhishthir. The Rama Avatar is also mentioned in the Harivansh and the Agni Puraan.

 Not only Hindu literature, Buddhist and Jain texts also record the story of Rama and mention it in their own respective styles. 

In Buddhism, Ramayan is present in the form of Dasarath Jatak, Dasrath Kathanakand Anamak Jatak, the first of which was composed in the 2nd century BCE. This version talks of Rama and Sita as siblings (which is a common symbolic imagery in early Buddhist literature to denote purity of a dynasty). 

In Jain literature, Ramayan exists as the Padma Charita, Charitra Puran, Padmachariyam etc. where, Rama, Lakshman and Ravan represent the Baladev, Vasudev and Prati-vasudev concepts of Jain mythology respectively. Keepin with the Jain tradition of non-violence, it is Lakshman who kills Ravan and due to the use of violence, both go to hell while Rama (known as Padma) goes back to heaven.

All this literature from unrelated sources chronicling the life of Rama can not be false or fake.! There has to be some reason that all these diverse traditions decided to write about Shri Raam and share His life story! 

However, even though we have a lot of literary evidence, archaeology will not be able to help us  in our endeavor unlike the Krishna post {Krishna - The Historical Enigma}, and the reason for that will be clear soon enough!

The following excerpts from different scriptures declare the time of arrival of the 7th Avatar of Vishnu on our Planet: 

Treta yuge chaturvinshe ravane tapseh shakshyat |
Ram dashrtathi prapiye sagane shakyamiyeewan ||  
[Vayu Puraan 70.88]
  Chaturvinshe yuge chapi vishwamitra pure sare |
Loke ram iti khyate tejsah bhaskaropam ||  
[Harivansh 22.104]

Chaturvinshe yuge vats tretayaam raghuvanshaje |
Ramo naam bhavishyami chaturvhayu sanatane || 
[Brahmand Puraan 2.2.36.30]


On the basis of the given references it can be inferred that Shri Raam lived in the 24th Treta Yuga.  The Mahabharat further elaborates that Shri Raam lived during the juncture of the Treta and the Dvapar Yugs:



Sandho tu samanupraptre tretayaam dwaparisya cha |
Ramo daasrathirbhutva bhavishami jagatpati ||   
[Mahabharat 348.19]


Now this is ground-breaking information people and I will tell you why! We are currently in the Kaliyuga of the 28th YUGA CYCLE of the 51 st Day of Brahma. Hence Lord Rama was born not just Two Yugas ago but TWO YUGAS plus THREE CHATUR-YUGAS before present!!

This is why digging for archaeological data to corroborate the existence of Shri Raam would be futile. There is no way we could find any man-made artifacts after a period of millions of years! 

For the same reason, the date of 5114 BCE as the birth year of Shri Raam can not be correct. Even though the dates were arrived at through a thorough analysis of Lord Rama's birth charts and have a very sound basis but based on what the scriptures say we have to make a correction in them. 

The analysis by Pushkar Bhatnagar has shown that there did exist a certain point in time when the planetary configuration mentioned at the time of Lord Rama's birth did indeed exist and thus, has shown us that the numerous astrological references in the Ramayan are not imaginary but refer to actual points in time.



Stars at the time of Lord Rama's birth



A solution to the apparent mismatch of dates can be found if we realize that because of a phenomenon known as the 'Precession of Equinoxes', the stars regain same positions every 26,000 years! Hence, this particular permutation of stars could have belonged to 5114 BCE + 26,000 or the similar period before that or the one before etc.. and this resolves the contradiction as the scriptures put Shri Raam's period around 18 million years ago!

What is amazing is that even today the places related to Lord Rama, the stories, the Geographical co-ordinates of the cities mentioned etc. are still remembered in the Hindu tradition! Therefore, what we can still do is track and analyze this GEOGRAPHICAL evidence in the literary masterpiece of Ramayan and find out if they help us in our cause.




Ramayan - The Adi-kavya


Numerous versions of Ramayan exist throughout the length and the breadth of the country and even outside its boundaries but the oldest of these is the Valmiki Ramayan. Within the Indian sub-continent, chronologically, we have many versions but we will stick to the original as it is the most ancient and accurate one.

The Sundar Kanda [4.27.12] of Valmiki Ramayan, Hanuman sees FOUR-TUSKED elephants guarding the palaces of Ravan. Similar account is given by Trijata, the ogress guarding Sita ji in Chapter 27 when she dreams of Lord Rama coming to Sita's rescue riding an elephant high as a hill and bearing four-tusks!!

Fossil remains show that there were many steps in the evolution of modern elephant and around 20 million years ago, there existed four-tusked ancestors of elephants in various shapes and sizes such as Trilophodon, Tetralophodon, Gomphotherium etc! 

How in the world could Rishi Valmiki have known about the four-tusked ancestors of the modern elephant unless he had seen them himself???



Four-tusked elephants mentioned in Valmiki Ramayan lived millions of years ago!


This is another point that puts us in a time frame closer to what the scriptures say. Let us now see what geographical evidence we can glean out of the masterpiece of Valmiki Ramayan that forms the foundation of cultural traditions right from India to the Far East.



Geographical Evidence from Valmiki Ramayan

The title Ramayan (Travels of Rama) itself indicates a Geographical journey. The story begins in Ayodhya (The Unconquerable City), the center of power for the ruling Suryavanshi/Solar Dynasty kings.

Shri Raam's mother Kaushalya was from the kingdom called Koshala, which corresponds to Chattisgarh of today. Sumitra was from Magadh (Bihar) while Kaikeyi was from Kaikeya which is today's Waziristan. The journey of Lord Rama to recover Sita ji covers the length and breadth of the country and Valmiki Ramayan is extremely correct Geographically.



Major Kingdoms of the sub-continent in Ramayan Times



The authenticity of Geography right from Gandhar to Sri Lanka can not be the result of imagination! Before being judgmental, we should remember that this was in a time when the modern means of transport/communication/internet etc. were not available.

It has to be based on actual witnessing of these places by either the author or the one narrating the story to him, who in this case was Devarishi Narad.



Sites within India


Let us begin with Shri Raam's birthplace Ayodhya which although in dispute because of the political battle centered around it, can still yield a lot of information.  

To begin with, we have to answer the million dollar question - did an ancient temple exist at the disputed site in Ayodhya? Indeed, before the demolition of Babri Masjid, there had been excavations around the temple precinct which gave indications of not one but many older temple foundations existing there.

The Imperial Gazetteer of Faizabad (1881) confirms the construction of three Moghul mosques at Ayodhya on the site of three celebrated shrines: Janmasthan, Swargadwarand Treta-ka-Thakur. Archaeological Survey of India tells us that Mir Khan (on Babar's orders) built the mosque at Janmasthan using many of its columns. The other two mosques were built later by Aurangzeb who was one step ahead of Babar in his zealotry.  

From 1975 to 1980, the Archaeological Survey of India had under the guidance of Prof. B.B. Lal, unearthed (literally) as many as 20 black stone pillars, 16 of which formed the base of the 'Janmasthan Masjid' as it was called colloquially even then. The pillars were much bigger in size than those of the mosque and clearly belonged to a much more grand structure.



Check out the man on the left as reference for the size of the pillars


On further stratigraphic and other evidence, Prof. Lal also found a door-jamb carved with Hindu icons and decorative motifs of yakshas, yakshis, kirtimukhas, purnaghattas, double lotus flowers etc.

Excavation was resumed on July 2, 1992 by S.P. Gupta, Y.D. Sharma, K.M. Srivastava and other senior archaeologists barely six months before the demolition. Prof. Lal's southern trenches had missed a huge pit with 40 and odd sculptures just by 10 to 12 feet discovered by the team even though he DID get the pillar bases which others did not get later. 



Excavations at Ram Janmabhoomi Sthal



The team found artifacts ranging from the 1st through the 12th century CE! These findings included religious sculpture, terracotta images from the Kushan period (100-300 CE) and a statue of Lord Vishnu. They concluded that these and other fragments such as the amakalas, or the cogged-wheel crown of the spire belonged to a temple of the North Indian Nagara style of Temple architecture (900-1200 CE).

The most important finding is what is known as the Hari-Vishnu Inscription written in 12th century CE Devanagari script. Line 15 of this inscription clearly tells us that -

A beautiful temple of Vishnu-Hari, was built with heaps of stones and beautified with a golden spire unparalleled by any other temple built by earlier kings... This wonderful temple was built in the temple-city of Ayodhya situated in Saketamandala.

Line 19 describes god Vishnu as destroying king Bali and the ten headed Dashanan, i.e., Ravan.



 Hari-Vishnu Inscription from Babri Masjid excavation


Archaeology records at least two destructions: the FIRST in the 12th-13th century; the SECOND in the 16th. This agrees well with history and tradition that temple destructions followed the Ghori invasions (after 1192 AD) and again in 1528 by Babar who replaced temples at major Hindu pilgrimage sites with mosques.

Moving on, Sita ji was discovered by Janak in Mithila which now lies in Nepal. It forms a region shared by both India and Nepal and gives birth to the language known asMaithili. The place where the Goddess was found by Raja Janak in a furrow is known asSitamarhi, and is still revered along with the nearby pond called the Janaki kund. 

After their wedding, Shri Raam and Sita ji left for Ayodhya via Lumbini where we have an Ashoka Pillar from 249 BCE, with an inscription referring to the visits by both Rama and Buddha to Lumbini. 

When they were exiled, Lord Rama, Lakshman and Sita went to Shringverpur in Uttar Pradesh where they crossed the River Ganga. They lived on the Chitrakut hill where Bharat met and pleaded for their return. Thereafter, the three wandered throughDandakaranya in Central India, described as a land of Rakshasas and tribals. 



The Journey of Lord Rama



After spending some time there, they reached Nashik, near river Godavari, and the region throbs with sites related to the three Ayodhya-vasis. There is the place where they built their cottage known as Tapovan; Ramkund where Rama and Sita used to bathe, Lakshmankund, for the younger brother's bathing area, and several other caves associated with their lives in the forest.


Shri Raam, Lakshman and Sita ji inTapovan
 



The three then moved to Panchavati, from where Ravan, with the help of his uncleMareech, was successful in abducting Sita ji. On the way to Lanka from Panchvati, Ravan was attacked by Jatayu but died a martyr's death. Sita ji dropped her valuables all along the way that were gathered by the Vanars below.

Shri Raam and Lakshman then reached Kishkindha, near modern Hampi, where they first met Hanuman and then Sugriv, the exiled King of the Vanars. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site and Sugriv is described to have lived at Mount Rishyamukha on the banks of river Pampa (Tungabhadra). Anjanadri, near Hospet, is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman (Anjaneya).



Kishkindha, modern Hampi
http://www.karnataka.com/files/images/rock-climbing-hampi.jpg 


The Vanar army led by Shri Raam, Sugreev, and Jambvant then reached Rameshwaram, where they built a bridge to Lanka from Dhanushkodi on the Rameshwaram Island toTalaimannar in Sri Lanka. While parts of the RAMA-SETU are still visible, NASA had in the early part of this millenium photographed an underwater man-made bridge of shoals in the Palk Straits, connecting India to Lanka. 



Shri Rama Setu connecting Shri Lanka to the Indian mainland



The existence of Rama Setu had already been confirmed by several foreign travelers including the Venetian traveller Marco Polo (1254-1324), and British cartographers who prepared maps of the area in 1747, 1788 and 1804. 

The then Manual of the Administration of Madras Presidency mentions both the namesAdam’s Bridge and Rama Setu. It also says that the Setu was used for pedestrian traffic between India and Sri Lanka right until 1480 when a major cyclone destroyed it!!



The Bridge of Rama



Let us now shift our focus to Lanka and try to find out whether there is any geographical location matching with the descriptions in Valmiki Ramayan. 




Sites in Sri Lanka

Once Ravan had captured Sita ji, he brought her to the place today known asWeragantota in Lanka close to Mahiyangana town; and surprise surprise the meaning of this name in the Sinhalese language is a 'landing place for aircrafts'!! 

According to the depiction of Pushpak Viman (which Ravan had snatched from his half-brother Kuber), it resembled a huge peacock. In Sinhala it is called the Dhandu Monara(flying peacock) and it is believed that Ravan had an aircraft repair center atGurulupotha where Sita ji was first brought and quite fittingly, the name means "parts of birds".  Right next to it is the Sita Kottuwa jungle in which once stood the city of Lankapura. 



Ramayan sites in Sri Lanka


  Ashok Vatika is the garden where Ravan is supposed to have held Sita ji captive and this is in the area of Sita Eliya, close to the popular hill station Nuwara Eliya. The Sita Pokuna is a barren area atop the Hakgala Rock Jungle where Sita ji was kept captive and the Sita Amman Kovil (Temple) is located here.



 The Sita Amman Temple near Nuwara Eliya



About 50 Km from here is the Divrumpola Temple which is thought to be the place where Sita ji performed her ‘Agni Pariksha’. the name means 'a place for making a vow'and is seen inscribed in the moonstone guarding the Temple.

The summit of the mountain next to the Frotoft Tea Estate in Pussallawa is the place where Hanuman is believed to have first set his foot on Lanka! This mountain known asPawala Malai stands between Ravan’s capital city and the Ashok Vatika.  

The Sita tear pond is found en route by the chariot route, and is believed to have been formed by the tears of Sita devi. VThe forest is also colored with the famed Sita Flowerswhich are endemic to this area. The peculiarity of these flowers is the configuration of the petal’s, stamen and pistils, which resemble a human figure carrying a bow, and is said to represent Lord Rama.


Sita flowers



Ella, a small mountain near Bandarawela, boasts of three locations linked to the Ramayan where, local legend dictates, Ravana hid Sita. First there is the Ravana Ella Cave situated in the massive Ella Rock. Then there is Ravana Ella Falls and a nearby pool bored out of the rock by the gushing waters. The tunnels in the Ravan cave believed to have served as a quick means of transport through the hills and also as secret passages. 



Ravana Falls in Lanka

  
The Kelani River is mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayan and Vibhishan’s palace was said to be on the banks of this river. Vibhishan is still considered one of the four guardian deities of Sri Lanka, and temples for Vibishan are found throughout Sri Lanka unlike that of Ravan. 

There are many more spots connected to the Legend of Shri Raam and a complete list can be found at the following link - {Ramayana_sites_in_sri_lanka}.

The Lord of Lanka, Ravan, even though a mighty warrior, a learned pandit, the master of Three Worlds, the posessor of Amrit, was ultimately defeated by the hands of Shri Raam because in his hubris, he desired what belonged to the Supreme Lord Vishnu Himself. 

He sacrificed the lives of his brother, his sons and his entire army just to pander to his ego. Despite all his knowledge and erudition, he was not able to get a grip on his desires and lust which  ultimately led to his downfall.


Lord Rama ready to unleash the final arrow on Ravan
 {Image courtesy - Ramayana 3392 A.D.}

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FAQ on Theory of Karma in Hinduism  

Posted by Ambar jaiswal


Frequently asked questions on Theory of Karma
If you have any further questions, kindly post it in the Ask Agniveer section of the site
Theory of Karma
  1. What is Theory of Karma?
  2. Does it mean happiness alone is goal of life?
  3. What about those people who sacrifice their own happiness for sake of others?
  4. Are thoughts everything? What about actions?
  5. How do we decide what thoughts will lead to happiness and what thoughts will not?
  6. How do we decide what is truth?
  7. How does Theory of Karma works?
  8. What about animals and lower species? How can they exercise their will?
  9. What about accidents and events on which we have no control through our thoughts?
  10. Why do we not remember our past lives?
  11. Why we get punishment for acts of past life we do not even remember?
  12. Why do good people have to face so many miseries when they have good thoughts and good actions?
  13. Why we see bad people getting so powerful?
  14. What is the purpose of Theory of Karma?
  15. Why does God test us?
  16. What is the goal of life?
  17. Even Sex, Boozing, Sensuality et al give us happiness? Is it right as per Theory of Karma?
  18. Does God not forgive all our past sins, if we seek apology for our misdeeds?
  19. Is there a framework to understand how to start using this Will properly?
  20. Where can I learn it?
Question: What is Theory of Karma?
Answer:
Put simply, theory of Karma states that
1. Your thoughts become reality.
2. Inversely, your present reality is nothing but a cumulative manifestation of whatever thoughts you decided to think of till date. These include both the conscious and unconscious thoughts.
3. The purpose of this reality is to help you rise above sorrow and achieve bliss. And you can change your reality to higher bliss by changing your thoughts.Thus, life is not an unplanned random chemical reaction. Instead, life and world around is a well-planned system built to guide you towards bliss. And the way to use this system effectively is through directing the thoughts towards achievement of bliss.
Question: Does it mean happiness alone is goal of life?
Answer:
Exactly. The only goal of life is to achieve happiness or bliss. And the way to achieve it is through proper understanding of the mechanism of the life system and directing our thoughts towards most optimal use of this system.
Question: What about those people who sacrifice their own happiness for sake of others?
Answer:
They do not sacrifice their happiness, they merely sacrifice their short-term conveniences in pursuit of higher levels of happiness. The satisfaction derived from selflessness is way above the happiness derived from mundane activities. You can compare it with our own lives. As children, we enjoy many activities like eating soil. But as we grow up, we seek higher levels of pleasure and will never be eager to exchange these pleasures with many of the childish pleasures.As you will realize, the way the world has been designed, we are all closely interdependent like various molecules of water in a pond. We cannot maximize our individual happiness without maximizing the happiness of the world. So smart people trade-off their short-term conveniences for significantly higher levels of happiness derived from thinking about and acting for betterment of the world.
Question: Are thoughts everything? What about actions?
Answer:
Thoughts are not everything. But they are the only starting point we have in our control. Everything else including our actions are next steps of the process that starts with each thought. All we do and achieve starts with a thought in the mind. Even the thought of ‘empty thinking without action’ is a thought we decide to accept that leads us to the resulting consequences as per Theory of Karma. And decision to act is also a thought we decide to accept.And as we would realize, thoughts that do not culminate into actions, in general, lead us away from bliss. In complete framework, three aspects of this thought should go hand in hand – Knowledge, Actions and Contemplation. A thought system that encompasses all the three is necessary.
Question: How do we decide what thoughts will lead to happiness and what thoughts will not?
Answer:
There are various ways to decide it. But the fundamental principle is that
Truth=BlissConsider two forces to be operating in our lives: Knowledge and Ignorance. Knowledge leads us to truth and Ignorance away from truth. And they are controlled by our most fundamental thought – the Will or Sankalpa in Sanskrit. This Sankalpa or Will leads to further thoughts which result in consequent actions and these result in the reality we face. If we direct our Will to pursuit of Truth, we will move closer to Bliss. And away from Bliss otherwise.The rest of the ways are merely expansions of this basic principle, Truth = Bliss
Question: How do we decide what is truth?
Answer:
There are various ways. Basically its an evolutionary approach. Decision of truth demands exclusion of all sorts of blind beliefs and an openness to change the stand as and when we get new information and facts. The essential component is again, a Will or Sankalpa to accept the truth.The various methods include:
a. Process of elimination. Like a smart CAT or GMAT aspirant, one should immediately reject those choices which are obviously false, based on reasoning and fact. For example, when we know that earth is round, all theories based on hypothesis of earth being flat, including so-called religious books should immediately be rejected.
b. Testing for internal contradictions in an hypothesis. For example, a theory says that God is just. And then it says that He shall put more women in Hell. Now both these statements contradict each other. Hence they are worth immediate rejection.
c. Internal analysis and reasoning.
d. Verification of facts
etc.This is a science in itself requiring detailed analysis and contemplation. But the only prerequisite to understand it is a Will seeking truth.
Question: How does Theory of Karma works?
Answer:
It works instantaneously. Each thought in the mind produces a a certain pattern of neuron firing in the mind. Based on this, various physiological changes start taking place including change in hormonal levels, heart-rate etc. Further, even the neurological patterns start adapting to this thought. Thus, if you think of same thing again and again, the neurons create a pattern that next time it is easier to take that thought process ahead. That is why we see people getting into good or bad habits. These thoughts define one’s thinking patterns, and hence his or her personality, health and actions.Thus, each thought influences who we are. And by changing this thought, we can decide who we would be. Further, the same process is happening among all humans. And when we interact with them, based on our thought patterns we produce a myriad of social patterns and behaviors, which further influence who we are.Not only humans and society, this influence is also extended to nature in general because we are designed to exchange matter and energy continuously with nature. Thus we would see that merely by will-power, at times, unbelievable miracles happen in medical science.Thus thoughts become our destiny. We, the souls, are different from our body and mind. And when we die, the body and mind (brain) stop having sustainable exchange of matter and energy with nature, and hence the system decays to death. But the soul, who was controlling this system, is unaffected.Now it gets into another emerging system (mind-body) and starts its journey again. Because memories are part of brain cells, they get destroyed in this migration process. But the soul carries a vital body with it which carries the Sanskaars (traits) with it. God ensures that the new system provided is the best fit for uninterrupted journey ahead for the soul. Now, based on traits, the soul develops its personality again. It also continues interaction with the world outside in the same manner as it was doing earlier and continues to evolve itself.
At each moment, God ensures that situation we face in the world is best suited for our pursuit of ultimate bliss. This is a continuous optimization process. If we exercise our will to do stupid things, stupid situations emerge and we start a descending to unhappiness. If we exercise our will to do things in pursuit of truth, we ascend. This process is uninterrupted by death.
Question: What about animals and lower species? How can they exercise their will?
Answer:
Broadly speaking, only humans have the potential to exercise their will. Other species can only accept what happens to them and cannot exercise their will? When a soul descends too low that it no more exercises its will as a human, then it gets birth as animals where these tendencies that it had collected can be purged out. Same is case with those born insane or terminally ill.Please note that it is a multi-dimensional world. So depending upon the thought patterns in these various dimensions and aspects of life, the potential combinations are virtually infinite. It is not a discrete system but completely continuous. Thus conditions vary for birth of each soul – in different species, conditions, health, society etc.
Question: What about accidents and events on which we have no control through our thoughts?
Answer:
Critically analyzing, on most of these events we have a control through our collective intelligence. Thus, collectively we all are responsible for terrorism and environmental damage. And we all can do something about it even individually. We can never absolve ourselves of any responsibility on pretext of we being one single individual, as per Theory of Karma.The birth we got on this earth was best suited to our future growth (as bliss seekers) given our traits and tendencies so far. These include our exercise of will in social aspects as well. So the events we face are also consequence of our actions.There are certain events we face without any apparent control of ours. They result out of our past actions. In any case, none of the events hamper our eligibility to seek further happiness ever. At best, there may be a temporary delay, based on theory of Karma. And even this delay can be used to further elevate ourselves on certain other aspects that we may have missed so far. Remember, its a multi-dimensional world with variety of aspects to look into.
Question: Why do we not remember our past lives?
Answer:
Because in general, they are unnecessary to fulfill our goals. Remember that this is a completely optimized process with no scope for redundancies. If we remember our past lives, we would not be able to look ahead. Thus, most of the events of even this birth are not remembered by us, forget about past life. Its a natural law that only what is relevant is remembered. And when people try to break this law by living in past, they get into a variety of mental problems because of indulgence in an unnatural act.The maximum pleasure we derive in life is by living in present and directing our efforts to future. That is why, perhaps the common word to mean Ghost and Past is Bhoot in Sanskrit.
(By the way, there are no ghosts as per Theory of Karma!)
Question: Why we get punishment for acts of past life we do not even remember?
Answer:
There is no concept of punishment and reward, in the sense we normally understand, in Theory of Karma. There is only a continuous self-correcting optimization process directed towards maximization of bliss or happiness. Unlike commonly believed, it is never that suddenly a disaster happens in life out of blue. There are no discontinuities in Theory of Karma.An example is case of diabetes. It does not happen suddenly one night. On contrary, due to bad lifestyle habits, we keep accumulating diabetes. And when symptoms start manifesting in middle age, we term ourselves as diabetic. But in reality, this did not happen in one single day. We were always diabetic from first time we did something contrary to good health habits. And each moment that we lived healthy, we moved away from diabetes. But each moment, we ignored health issues. we were a step closer. The final manifestation of the disease represents cumulative effect of the entire journey. Now we may not remember even 1% of the acts we did to cause our diabetes, but still we turn diabetic, because our tendencies were diabetic.Similarly, even though we do not remember our past lives, our current tendencies are a cumulative summary of our entire history. Details of specific events are not important. The so called punishments that seem to come out of blue are nothing but continuation of those traits that got manifested into visible symptoms presently.And the way out again is simple- refine our thought process. As we refine our thought process and start learning how to use our Will for increased happiness, we shall stop accumulating tendencies that cause grief. And then these so-called punishments will cease to erupt.
Question: Why do good people have to face so many miseries when they have good thoughts and good actions?
Answer:
1. Happiness is a state of mind. What we often consider as misery is nothing but short-term inconveniences that anyone would gladly trade-off for higher levels of happiness. For example, when we play sports, we pant, get injured, get exhausted, but we still keep playing. Because the happiness we derive is much higher compared to these petty pains. In fact we enjoy this pain!2. Many of these miseries are due to cumulative tendencies of past which start showing symptoms now.3. Many other are similar to what happens when we start exercising after a long time. It pains for a few days because our system is not adapted to the healthy habit. But in a few days, the pain vanishes and we start getting the benefits.4. Many other are those natural troubles which we can never get rid of in life. And one of the goals of using our Will is to learn how to ignore being affected by these mentally.5. Some miseries are because even good people are not good in all aspects. Thus, one may be a very honest person. But he does not have a strong body and did not learn how to defend himself. He is killed by goons because he was weak. This is because of his lack of right Will in matters of health and self-defense. Remember, being powerful goes in sync with knowing truth.
Question: Why we see bad people getting so powerful?
Answer:
The inverse of above is true in most cases.
1. These bad people are never at internal peace. Nature did not design us to tolerate being corrupt, cheat, criminal, crooked etc. Even if we learn to ignore symptoms, these do cause their adverse effects. Despite having material power, these people are the most unhappy ones we know – always insecure, tense, trusting none and facing mental troubles. Bad habits or bad traits are like unhygienic or junk food.2. Again, the world is multi-dimensional. Good or bad is not a singular adjective to give to anyone. One maybe bad in almost all aspects of life, but has great confidence, self-belief and tactfulness, which are positive traits. Accordingly, he would succeed in certain areas of life including material aspects, but would fare miserably in other areas.
Question: What is the purpose of Theory of Karma?
Answer:
So that we all can achieve the ultimate levels of bliss. Its a complete meritocracy with no favoritism or whimsicalness. As we think, so we become. It all depends on direction and intensity of our thoughts. If we examine life critically, we will get enough clues to see this theory at work. And we can then use it to gain our happiness, without depending on others’ whims.
Question: Why does God test us?
Answer:
No, God never tests us. Thats a false notion. God only manages this system as per Theory of Karma for us. and has given us complete liberty to decide our fate. What we think to be a test by God, is nothing but our own previous traits that we are battling.
Question: What is the goal of life?
Answer:
To gain ultimate level of happiness, by using this Theory of Karma.
Question: Even Sex, Boozing, Sensuality et al give us happiness? Is it right as per Theory of Karma?
Answer:
No, they do not give happiness. Instead they create illusion of happiness by numbing our senses and intellect. Anything that causes us to act without using the faculty of thinking, is actually a surest recipe for miseries. Our happiness increases only when the source of that happiness is less and less dependent on external sources. This can happen only through knowledge accumulation and acting with full-control over mind. Another way to look at it is by asking ourselves, “What is the purpose of this act?” If answer is merely entertainment or habit or other vague excuse, thats not the right act as per Theory of Karma.The goal of life is to liberate ourselves from these false excuses by enhancing our knowledge. And any act that dumbs us moves the vehicle in opposite direction.
Question: Does God not forgive all our past sins, if we seek apology for our misdeeds?
Answer:
Does that happen in real life? Do we get healed after an accident due to careless driving by saying sorry? If one could get away so easily by saying sorry, people would get lazy and simply say sorry when troubles come. Nature and its laws are nothing but physical manifestations of God’s system. The rules that apply here are applied elsewhere also. In Vedic parlance, it is called, “Yat Pinde, Tat Brahmande” – Whatever happens in micro-system happens elsewhere also.There is no place for apology in Theory of Karma. There is scope only for improvement. And this is exactly like starting to exercise after years of laziness. It will pain initially. System will take time to adapt to it. But the more the will-power, better we come in shape. No miracle will happen out of blue. But sure-shot progress will definitely happen with right Will.
Question: Is there a framework to understand how to start using this Will properly?
Answer:
There is indeed the framework of Vedic Yoga for this. This has nothing to do with the so-called acrobatic exercises and poses you see. This is an approach to master the Self and master the art and science of living each moment as per Theory of Karma. It is extremely intuitive and based on sound principles that anyone can appreciate. Its the only system that works. But its a practical science and needs practice like martial arts or gymnastics.
Question: Where can I learn it?
Answer:
You are already learning it if you are resolving to be on path of Truth and Happiness. Its an automatic internal process. Experts can help you provide distilled knowledge that you can start applying in your life and get results faster. But remember, unlike other arts, this is a process of internalizing. No teacher or guide can help you provide absolute knowledge. They can provide directions and you will have to decide as per your own intellect. In Theory of Karma, there is no transfer of responsibility. That remains 100% yours.If you want more details, mail me at agniveer@agniveer.com

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