Before taking up the discussion on the two Dharmic principles that need to guide our actions, let me recap some points for context.
The epic Ramayana, that has stood the test of time, is like an ocean of information that enables one to make comments from many diverse perspectives. In this thread however, the ONLY FOCUS is self-growth through study of Ramayana which is the name of the thread itself.
To limit the scope even further in this modest presentation, my intent is to consider the opportunity for growth in terms of
- how we act & speak,
- how we manage our emotions and
- how we leverage our faculty of wisdom.
Each of these areas correspond to our organs of actions, mind & sense organs, and Buddhi & wisdom respectively.
In this post, I would like to conclude the first item above using Ramayana's teaching as a basis.
How we act and speak
Ramayana's story emphasizes the of value of integrity and the power of spoken word.
The end is NOT shown to justify the means. For example, a simple reinterpretation of Dasaratha's boons and its applicability could have avoided all the hardships. But there was focus on following the word given even if it was done anonymously.
But we do find one place where lying is justified. Here the end seems to be justified by a grand lie. For example, Seetha says
गते हि हरि शार्दूल पुनः आगमनाय तु |
प्राणानाम् अपि संदेहो मम स्यान् न अत्र संशयः || ५-३९-२२
"O Hanuman the lion among the monkeys! If after that, there is any doubt about your return, there is a doubt even for my survival too. There is no suspicion about this matter."
She further worries how an army of Vanaras can possibly cross the ocean or if Rama & Lakshmana as human beings will ever be able to cross the ocean. Her destiny, she feels is to die rather than yield to Ravana's desires and ultimatum.
Hanuman consoles her by telling a lie that "You do not know the power of the Vanaras. More than once they have gone around the world with the oceans and land between them" . He concludes that
मत् विशिष्टाः च तुल्याः च सन्ति तत्र वन ओकसः |
मत्तः प्रत्यवरः कश्चिन् न अस्ति सुग्रीव सम्निधौ || ५-३९-३८
"In them, some of the monkeys are superior to me and some are even equal to me. No one in the vicinity of Sugreeva is inferior to me."
अहम् तावत् इह प्राप्तः किम् पुनः ते महाबलाः |
न हि प्रकृष्टाः प्रेष्यन्ते प्रेष्यन्ते हि इतरे जनाः || ५-३९-३९
"When I have arrived here, why to talk about the mighty ones? Generally, superior ones are not sent for errands. Only others are indeed sent."
The above is a grand lie to keep Seetha from feeling pessimistic.
I will let the readers figure out if the above lie is justified where the end is justified by the means (a lie)
Sri Rama is portrayed as a human being in Valmiki Ramayana, which is a blessing
When it comes to our growth in interpreting dharmic actions in our lives, it is useful not to view Sri Rama as a deity but as a human being going through struggles of a human being. In studying Ramayana, Sri Rama's actions reveals to us that his life represents personification of Dharma itself.
Valmiki does not portray a perfect human being in Sri Rama, which is a blessing because it allows us to relate to Sri Rama in a personal manner. If the Bhagavan that we perceive is remote and belongs to another order of reality, it is not possible to have a personal relation with that Bhagavan. This is particularly true when we sift through our own actions in our quest to follow Dharma.
Two important principles of duty
Dharma is the universal principles that hold the universe together. Now we need to ask how the universe appears to each of us. We first sense ourselves as an individual, and as we grow up we realize we are part of a human society which include various other subgroups defined by identities such as family, extended families, religion, town, state, country etc. We realize that we belong to various such groups which has influence on us and that there is an interdependent relation with each of these entities.
In addition, we realize our body (and mind) itself is part of nature and nature includes Jadam (inanimate objects) and Chetana (animals and all kinds of such conscious beings). Here again we have an interdependent relationship with nature.
To the extent, we feel that we may survive death some of us may realize we have a connection to an unknowable entity that seem to be all powerful driver of this intelligent universe and that our lives are not ruled by our wishes alone.
We have a duty toward each of these relationships
- Self as an entity - Vyashti Dharma
- Self as an interdependent part of human society - Samashti Dharma that has elements for each group we belong to
- Self as interdependent part of nature - Srishti Dharma (includes our attitudes towards life forms and our actions towards environment)
- Self in relation to a universal power of hidden variables - Parameshti Dharma
Items 2, and 3 could be covered for this discussion as an all-encompassing Samashti Dharma that include our duty towards our family, extended families, our country (or countries) of birth and growth, animals and other living beings, and earth & environment.
Item 4 is a topic more appropriately discussed in the context of growth of mind and wisdom (covered in later posts).
Vyashti Dharma is all about how we conduct ourselves even when no one is observing us. Sri Rama exhibits Vyashti Dharma as to how he handles numerous situations. One example may suffice for the discussion here.
Locked in mortal battle with Ravana, Sri Rama gives him a second chance when Ravana finds himself in a major disadvantage. Sri Rama tells him " Now Ravana, you are at a great disadvantage, today I have seen you at your best… Still you are tired .. I give you time .., come tomorrow to fight "
Has anyone heard of such an action by any hero in a mortal battle? These are not isolated instances in Ramayana. When it comes to doing one's duty we must but admire the actions of Lakshmana and Bharatha.
Ramayana illustrates throughout the epic the power of following one's Samashti dharma. Many seemingly conflicting situations could be understood if one examines many episodes within Ramayana from the perspectives of following both Vyashti and Samashti Dharma.
The practical way to follow Dharma in our lives is to ask ourselves how we are doing in the area Vyashti Dharma and Samashti Dharma.
Focusing on these two principles of Dharma can help one lead a conflict free life. Ramayana can assist if one studies the actions of various characters from the view point of Vyashti and Samashti Dharma.
We can bring these notions of Dharma to even ordinary actions. How we 'show up' at this forum itself is an expression of our commitment to samashti dharma. Do our actions enhance the value of this forum for example?
Final food for thought on this topic of Vyashti and Samashti Dharma
My view is that Indians in modern India are still striving to follow Vyashti Dharma in their lives though that is changing for the worst with the wave of western culture enveloping the Indian thinking. Study of Ramayana can be very helpful here.
However, we Indians (both in India and elsewhere) seemingly have little regard for our Samashti Dharma. People have no issues spitting on the ground just to give one example. Condoning corruption is another example.
In the west, Vyashti dharma is lacking. Children born outside marriage has reached alarming proportion leading to millions of single parents which has impacted many other aspects of life. That is just one example though there are many.
However, the west has been far more strong in asserting their Samashti Dharma. To give an example, I am reminded of an incident that took place quarter century ago. From wikipedia here is an excerpt about the story of one Rodney King
"Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965 – June 17, 2012) was a taxi driver who became internationally known after being beaten by Los Angeles Police Department officers following a high-speed car chase on March 3, 1991. A witness, George Holliday, videotaped much of the beating from his balcony, and sent the footage to local news station KTLA. The footage shows four officers surrounding King, several of them striking him repeatedly, while other officers stood by. Parts of the footage were aired around the world, and raised public concern about police treatment of minorities in the United States.
Four officers were charged with assault with a deadly weapon and use of excessive force. Three were acquitted of all charges. The jury acquitted the fourth of assault with a deadly weapon but failed to reach a verdict on the use of excessive force. The jury deadlocked at 8–4 in favor of acquittal at the state level. Within hours of the acquittals, the six-day 1992 Los Angeles riots started, in which 55 people were killed and over 2,000 were injured, ending only when the California national guard was called in.
The acquittals also led to the federal government's obtaining grand jury indictments for violations of King's civil rights. The trial of the four in a federal district court ended on April 16, 1993, with two of the officers being found guilty and subsequently imprisoned. The other two were acquitted again."
This black man, a drug addict, was not an exemplary citizen. The reason why justice was served to the police men using excessive force is because most people wanted to see justice.
American people are seemingly slipping in their commitment to samashti Dharma of late.
In all these, the focus is not on the behavior of a Government but by ordinary people as to how they conduct their commitments to both Vyashti and samashti Dharma even if they do not know these terms.
A country and its people that emphasize both Vyashti and Samashti Dharma in their lives is likely to be a great nation. Ramayana if studied properly from this perspective can be a great help.
Next post will be about how life of Sri Rama can help in managing our emotive faculty.