{"id":184,"date":"2009-10-03T20:41:00","date_gmt":"2009-10-03T20:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.triniview.com\/blog\/?p=184"},"modified":"2010-01-01T04:35:27","modified_gmt":"2010-01-01T04:35:27","slug":"the-ramleela-celebration-told-by-pundit-ravi-maraj","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.triniview.com\/blog\/?p=184","title":{"rendered":"The Ramleela Celebration Told by Pundit Ravi Maraj"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Pundit<\/a><\/p>\n

The Ramleela celebration really has its genesis taken straight out from the Holy Scripture, the Ramayana. It is set in an age called Treta Yuga. Of course, in Hinduism\u2026 in the Hindu traditions we have four ages. We have the Satya Age which is the Golden Age, we have the Dwapara, we have Treta Yuga and we have Kali Yuga, in that order.
\n
\nFirst of all, the author of the Ramayana where the Kathak comes from is not really a story or a fable but in the Hindu tradition we call it a Kathak. It is the life story of the main player Shri Ram. It is set in Treta Yuga and it is written by the first poet called Valmiki. Valmiki is referred to as Adi Kavi, the first Poet, and the text is the Valmiki Ramayana and is referred to as Adi Kavya, or the first poem. So based upon that we must have a little bit of the history of Valmiki; a little history of Valmiki we will be able to better comprehend the text itself and the author itself. <\/p>\n

Valmiki in his early part of his life was a robber, a highwayman, a Dacoit as you would call it in the vernacular of Hindi language. He was living a very negative form of life. He used to rob people on the wayside and so on and he fell into [bad] company. One day, some sages were passing through the forested region and he decided that he wanted also to rob these sages. So this encounter with the sages, he had a dialogue, a communication with them and they asked him, \u201cWhy is it that you are living this negative form of life? Why don\u2019t you get some legitimate form of occupation?\u201d But actually, what he was doing was his livelihood because he had a wife and children and he was actually utilizing that sort of negative way of life to support his family. So they asked him, \u201cWell listen, you are living a negative life, you are doing it for your wife and your children. Why don\u2019t you go back to them and ask them if they are willing to share in your transgressions, your sins that you are committing?\u201d So he went back and he inquired with them, he asked them and he got the answer, a very negative response from them and from that moment Valmiki – his name was Ruksha at that time – turned his life around. He went back to the sages and he fell at the feet of the sages asking for mercy and guidance and they taught him and then they invited him to chant the name of Ram. <\/p>\n

The name of Ram according to the scriptures is a sanctifying one, it is a purifying one, it is one which transforms a person, and when you do it with intense devotion and Mukti it becomes a purifying one. So after many, many years of chanting that name Ra-Aa-Ma, Rama, and when we analyze the name Rama what do we get? We get three syllables: Ra Aa and Ma. Ra is the sun, it refers to the Sun God. When you invoke the Sun God what you are doing is you are asking the Sun God to give you that energy, that spiritual energy. So he got the spiritual energy from the Sun God. The Aa, Agni\u2026 in the Hindu tradition the Aa referrs to Agi the God of Fire. Fire represents purity. So when he chanted the Rama with the Aa in it, the fire now came and burned away all those negative\u2026 Tamasic qualities we call it. And what are those Tamasic qualities I am referring to? The pride that you have, the jealousy, the lustful nature, the envy, the hatred, the sinful nature, the sinful sort of life that he was living. And then there is the Ma syllable which refers to the Moon God Chandrama, which when you chant the Rama and you include the Ma it gives you a tranquil, soothing, rational mind. So when he started to chant that name over and over a transformation took over him and the same sages came back many, many years after and they found that he was sitting in that same lotus position chanting the name until an anthill grew over him and shrubs and so on. And at that time now, when they heard the name of Ram, they realized it was the same highwayman who they had inculcated into chanting the name and they lifted him out of the anthill and they re-christened him Valmiki. So he was the person who wrote the Ramayana where the story or the kata of the Ramleela originated. <\/p>\n

So we have the story. We have the kata where he wrote it and the setting is in Treta Yuga. Treta Yuga is where we had a lot of demon-like people who were coming out now and were actually in the society and they were causing problems. They were creating problems for the righteous people who were living a righteous way of life. They were creating problems for the saints and the sages and so on and with that terror and terrorism that was taking place all the saints and the sages decided to have a meeting.<\/p>\n

They met in a particular common ground and they started to work out what they can do in order to be relieved of this situation, so they started to give suggestions. One of them said, \u201cWell let us go to Bramha the Creator himself and ask him to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

So they did go to Bramha the Creator himself and they found him in his abode and they asked him, \u201cWhat can we do? We are getting these problems with these rakshas demons who are terrorizing us and having taxes on us and disrupting our sacrifices and so on. We cannot meditate\u2026 they are demanding so much leaving us in a terrible situation?\u201d So the Creator said, \u201cListen, I cannot assist you all. You all go to Lord Shiva,\u201d and Lord Shiva is you know\u2026 the one who disintegrates the Universe. <\/p>\n

So they went to Lord Shiva and he was residing in his abode. All the Gods had their special abodes so he resides in the Kailash Parbat Mountains high up in the Himalayas. And so they went to him and he also said, \u201cListen, I am not able, I am not the correct person to be able to rectify this situation. You all have to go to Maha Vishnu.\u201d Vishnu is the sustainer and preserver of the Universe. <\/p>\n

So they started to pray and when they started to pray the congregation prayer, that energy which vibrated out of the heavenly regions, they heard a voice and that voice was saying, \u201cFear not oh sages that I will manifest myself in the home of the king, King Dashrath (there was a king living in Ayodhya with his three queens [b]Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi), that[\/b] I will manifest as fours sons in order to relieve you of your distress and your problems.\u201d <\/p>\n

And so the kata unfolded itself that Dashrath who was ruling in Ayodhya, which was situated on the banks of the very fertile Sarayu River, he was there but he had no sons. So he consulted his Guru and the Guru advised him that he should go and get the prescribed Rishi (a Rishi who was living in the Dhandaka Forest) called Shringi Rishi to perform a special Puja; a special Yagya called a Putreshti Yagya, to get his sons – the begot sons.<\/p>\n

So they got the Rishi to perform the Yagya and out of the fire came three bowls of Kheer called sweet rice. He distributed the three bowls of sweet rice to the queens and after some time, nine months and so on the queens became pregnant and the four sons were born.<\/p>\n

Kaushalya, one of the queens, she had Ram who was the God himself; Kaikeyi had the son called Bharata, and Sumitra the third queen had Shatrughna and Laxman. So there is the setting now of the kata itself that the play is going to be based upon\u2026 the king with his four sons. <\/p>\n

Early in the play now what happens, what transpired? The king was getting old, feeble and so on and he decided that he wanted to transfer the crown to one of his sons, and he consulted his Guru and his Ministers and so on. And he called this big congregation and he was ready to announce that he was ready to crown the king Ram as the king. But at that time, there was this maid servant of one of the queens called Manthara. She, because of her close association with one of the queens called Kaikeyi decided that she is going to change the whole position of what was going to take place and influence her queen Kaikeyi to ask the king that instead of the crowning of Ram as the king that her queen Kaikeyi\u2019s son Bharata should be crowned. <\/p>\n

So she influenced the queen Kaikeyi to ask for two boons, two wishes that the king had promised her a long time ago when he went to fight a demon called Sambara in the southern region and she nursed him back. She took the reins of the chariot and so on and she nursed the king back to recovery and so on and at that particular time he promised her two wishes and she at that time said, \u201cAt the opportune time I will ask you.\u201d <\/p>\n

So her mind being distorted and influenced by her maid servant Manthara, she decided to ask for those two wishes and what were those two wishes? That instead of Kaushalya\u2019s son Ram who was favored to be crowned the king, that her son Bharata should be crowned the king and the favored king should go into exile for fourteen long years in the Dhandaka forest. <\/p>\n

So the wishes had to be carried out because the king was of a particular lineage and it is said in the scriptures that whenever he gave his word he had to carry out the word, there was no doubt about it. In his tradition, all the kings in this tradition they were very righteous upright kings – when they gave their word they had to stand by their word and the Guru reminded him of it. There are in particular, two lines in the scriptures which says… I will sing it for you (sings it in Hindi). It simply means that whenever you give your word you have to uplift your word; you have to uphold your word. So the Guru reminded the king, \u201cListen, you cannot go back on your word. You promised her the two wishes. Now she is asking and demanding it. There is no way that you will be able to get out of it, you have to.\u201d So the king now had to call his son Ram and indicate to him, \u201cListen, this is what the situation is, Bharata will be crowned the king, and you have to go.\u201d <\/p>\n

So Shri Ram had to go into the forest. Preparations were made. He went into the forest accompanied by his wife Sita who made also a petition to him that her place is with him rather than in the palace. And there was no way, when she got married she made those vows for better or for worse, and she decided that she was going to spend those fourteen years in the forest. In fact, she said that the forest life will become the palace life that she was residing in. And then the brother of Ram, Laxman, decided that he will also accompany him into the forest because he was going to take care of him; he was going to be at his side. Whatever needs he has he will be able to assist him in providing for those needs, so he went into the forested region.
\n
\nWhilst in the forested region he met many, many saints and sages. He met very, very holy, highest people and one of them was a saintly lady. She was a very pious lady who in the earlier part of her life, when she was about to get married (her parents were a king and a queen), she went to the stables and she saw a lot of sheep and goats there and when she enquired from her parents what they were there for, they told her that those goats and sheep were going to be slaughtered in her honor on her wedding night. <\/p>\n

From the moment she heard that she turned around and she left the palace because she did not want innocent animals to be slaughtered in her honour for a wedding and so because of her good karma, because of the good deeds that she had, she found herself within the environment of a mandir, and the Guru of the mandir was a person called Matang Rishi. She stared to serve the mandir.<\/p>\n

She started to sweep and clean and provide fresh water and wash the clothes of all the Rishis and so on, provided the flowers and so on for the mandir and so she also started to hear the chantings of the saints and the sages and she became also purified. And the Guru of the mandir prophesied to her, he told her, he said, \u201cListen, you are here doing all of this service with love and devotion. I who have been here for so long would not be favored. I am not favored to see the lord himself come here, but you, you have made the necessary preparations and the lord will be coming your way.\u201d And so, Shri Ram passed that way and gave her the blessings and she was able to be liberated. <\/p>\n

And so he had met many sages in the forested region and he also met many rakshas demons in the forest and he was able to liberate them. The mere fact that he was able to destroy them they got liberation at his hands. So it shows that the lord is a merciful lord, he is a benevolent lord, he is a compassionate lord. Although you might be living a negative way of life, if you come into contact with him you too can also be purified, you too can also be elevated\u2026 your consciousness and so on.<\/p>\n

After some time, the brother who was supposed to be the king indicated to his mother, \u201cListen, what you have done is not the right thing. What you have done was that you have destroyed our family life. You asked for something [and] I am not prepared to usurp the authority of my brother. He is the rightful ruler and I am not prepared to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

So he decided to go into the forest and bring back his brother. He went with an entourage of people and he made petitions to his brother to come back. However, his brother Shri Ram did not favour that because he said he wanted to fulfill the words of his father and he had to go for the fourteen long years. But he advised him on the administration of how to rule the empire, how to rule the country and so on and he gave him his two sandals and he said, \u201cPut these sandals on the throne and you put the administration in my name and when the period has elapsed, the fourteen years, I will come back and I will take my rightful place. <\/p>\n

So said, so done. And he went back and so the story unfolds where Ram and Sita and Laxman were in the forested region and they met with a rakshasa demon-like lady called Soorpanaka. Soorpanaka was the sister of King Ravana and she actually was the queen of the forest and she used to roam the forest day and night. She had the power to transform herself at will in any form; a beautiful form, an ugly form, any form that she wants.<\/p>\n

And so one night while she was roaming she saw Ram, Laxman and Sita there and immediately it struck in her mind, \u201cEither one of them could be my husband because I am alone. I am lonely in the forest, I need someone.\u201d And so she made advances and so on in order to gain their attention. What happened after some time, she realized that she was not getting anywhere and she decided that Sita who was Ram\u2019s consort was the problem in the whole issue because she was there. So she decided to confront Sita and when she did so, Laxman, Ram\u2019s brother disfigured her nose and her ears and so on with his sword.<\/p>\n

And she ran to her brother Ravana and complained to Ravana saying, \u201cListen, you are sitting on the throne here. You are the king of this Lanka here and look at my position. You have two young warrior princes here roaming our forest and they have disfigured me. They have the most beautiful woman in the world and the revenge I want is that you should go and abduct her and I will get my revenge.\u201d <\/p>\n

So that plan was hatched now in order for the King Ravana to go and abduct the wife, the consort of Ram. So Ravana then consulted his uncle Maricha who was a sorcerer and he could have transformed himself into any form. He took the form of a golden dear and he went near to where Ram, Laxman and Sita were staying in the forest and he tried to entice Sita into Ram catching the golden deer as a pet or as she indicated to Ram, \u201cI would like to take the skin back to Ayodhya so that we could have it as a souvenir.\u201d <\/p>\n

So Ram decided to follow the golden deer; following the golden deer, the plot was to take him further and further from the place. After some time, Ram got weary and he shot the deer. And when the deer fell now, the deer started to call out the names of Sita and Laxman in such a loud manner that they heard it and Sita, Ram\u2019s wife, decided that her husband was in trouble so she immediately made demands to Laxman to go and look for him because she is hearing his voice and he is crying out as though something is wrong. <\/p>\n

So when she demanded that Laxman go into the forest to look for Shri Ram, King Ravana transformed and he went into the form of a beggar begging for alms and came now to where Sita was alone and decided that he was going to sort of seduce her and be able to take her away and he was successful. He took her away and he placed her in his grove, in his garden, his beautiful Ashoka groove and he had all his demonesses and so on guarding her. <\/p>\n

And so the kata unfolds where now that Ram and Laxman met and they came back looking for her but they couldn\u2019t find her and not finding her they decided to search all over. When they started to search all over they came into contact with a king called Sugriv. Sugriv was actually taking refuge in the forested region from his brother who he had a conflict, a family feud with.<\/p>\n

And there with Sugriv was Hanuman and they had Nal, Neel and Angadha and all of these warriors with him there in this cave taking refuge. And so the king Sugriv sent Hanuman to meet with these two young warriors in the forested region and find out who are they, why are they here and for what purpose are they traversing that particular region. So Hanuman went and he enquired and so on and he realized that he was in the form of divine presence. He had good intuition so he brought him to his king Sugriv and they made an alliance.<\/p>\n

The alliance was that Ram would help him get back his kingdom and he would be able to assist Ram in getting back Sita. And so they formed this alliance and with this alliance all the messengers and servants of the king Sugriv decided now that they were going to search. So they went to the four cardinal points, north, south, east and west and when they went into the southern part they met with a vulture called Sampati. Sampati was able now to have communication with them and he told them that although he is old and he cannot fly as far any more, he is seeing, he has keen eyesight and he is seeing that Sita is placed in the Ashoka grove in Lanka being guarded by demons and so on. <\/p>\n

So they decided that somebody has to go and the only person who was most favored was Hanuman. Hanuman was the son of the Wind God so he could have flied. He was able to make leaps and fly in the air and go so he went and he found her and he had communication with her and he told her, \u201cHave no fear, your husband is coming and we are going to be able to relieve you of all this distress and destroy Ravana.” <\/p>\n

But before he went he was able to have a little discussion with Ravana and he advised Ravana, \u201cListen, if you favour your kingdom, your race and your people, my advice to you is to give up Sita to the lord and seek forgiveness that you would be able to save your race from death and destruction. Failing that, your country will be alienated, destroyed and all of you will die.<\/p>\n

So Ravana, because he also was granted boons at one time in his life, but an earlier part in life to be very powerful… so he decided that he was not defeated by any Gods as yet in his life so he says, \u201cUnder no condition I am going to give up, I am prepared to die,\u201d and so a battle took place and he had all his warriors and Ram with all his warriors. So they were able now to traverse the sea and they were able to cross over into Lanka and there the battle unfolded. And in the final analysis, Ravana was killed, all his warriors were killed and so on. Sita was saved and they went back to their kingdom in Ayodhya. <\/p>\n

Also Read:<\/b><\/p>\n

Mc Bean Ramleela and Cultural Group celebrates Ramleela<\/a><\/p>\n

Interview with Pundit Ravi Maraj \u2013 His involvemnt with Ramleela<\/a><\/p>\n

Ramleela (Ramdilla) Festival in Mc Bean Village, Couva 2009 in pictures<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Ramleela celebration really has its genesis taken straight out from the Holy Scripture, the Ramayana. It is set in an age called Treta Yuga. Of course, in Hinduism\u2026 in the Hindu traditions we have four ages. We have the Satya Age which is the Golden Age, we have the Dwapara, we have Treta Yuga and we have Kali Yuga, in that order.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[69,21,3,1],"tags":[62,64,33,63,61],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.triniview.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.triniview.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.triniview.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.triniview.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.triniview.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=184"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.triniview.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":283,"href":"https:\/\/www.triniview.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions\/283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.triniview.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.triniview.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.triniview.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}