Dear Editor,
Mr Anand Boodram’s letter which appeared in the SN on November 3 refers. First and foremost, while I welcome Mr Boodram sharing his thoughts on the greater import of Diwali, I feel compelled to respond specifically to his position that the story of Lord Rama is one of mythology. A myth is a widely held but false belief or idea. It is unfortunate that while the general thrust of his letter is fine, his take on one of Hinduism’s most sacred deities, Lord Rama, is branded as a myth.
I have a difficulty in understanding his reasoning in this regard given that billions of people over time have come to recognize one of the significances of Diwali, namely, the return of Lord Rama from exile after vanquishing the Demon King, Ravana. An extension of this would be that, today after thousands of years, many places mentioned in the Ramayana, still exist. The buildings with their spectacular architecture are sights to behold and many are major attractions for pilgrims and tourists.
Mr Boodram, by positing that Lord Rama is mythical is saying the Ramayana itself is a myth. The Ramayana, which is a scriptural injunction that is intertwined with the history of India, forms an integral part of Hinduism.
Today, Ayodhya, the holy birthplace of Shri Rama still exists. Mr Boodram would be intrigued to know that even the Vedas make mention of “Ashta Chakra Nawa Dwaaraa,Devaa naam puri Ayodhya”, referring to the human body as being the city of Ayodhya, the kingdom of Shri Rama, where the devas reside. For Mr Boodram to therefore suggest that the deeper significance of good triumphing over evil was not entertained, could be reflective of the level to which he has been misguided or the undue influence on him of westernization.
The place in Ayodhya where Hanuman was patiently waiting while Lord Rama was in exile, is now a temple called Hanuman Garhi. There is an actual Janki Temple in Janakpur in Nepal. Janki, as we know, is another name for Sita, Janaka’s daughter.
When Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshman went into exile, they set up a hut in Panchavati, which is an actual area near Nashik. Tapovan, a nearby spot, is where Lakshman encountered Surpanakha. When Sita was abducted by Raavan, they bumped into Jatayu, a vulture, who tried his best to stop Raavan. Lepakshi, in Andhra Pradesh, is said to be the place where Jatayu fell.
Ram, accompanied by Hanuman, met the dying Jatayu and helped him attain moksha by uttering the words “Le Pakshi”, which is Telugu for “Rise, bird”; hence the name, Lepakshi. There is also a large footprint in that area which is said to be that of Hanuman.
Ram Sethu, the bridge made of stones built by Ram’s army that connected the mainland to the island kingdom of Lanka, actually exists, albeit now, it’s underwater.
Meanwhile, in Lanka, Raavan’s devotion to Lord Shiva earned him the respect of the God. So much so that he built his devotee a temple. This is the only time when a temple is dedicated to the one who prayed and not the one being prayed to. Today, it exists as Koneswaram Temple in Sri Lanka. It is said that the Kanniya hot wells near the temple were also built by Raavan. They still exist.
When Raavan brought Sita to Lanka, he first took her to this place called Sita Kotuwa, which is now a tourist spot in Sri Lanka. From there, he took her to the beautiful forest, which in Valmiki’s text was called Ashok Vatika. There is an actual Ashokavanam in Sri Lanka.
After Ram rescued Sita from Lanka, he made her go through Agni Pariksha to test her purity. The place where this is said to have happened is Divurumpola in Sri Lanka. There is a tree in that exact spot and even today, local disputes are settled through debates and discussions under that tree.
The fact that these places actually exist is perhaps not enough to prove the Ramayana actually happened according to Mr Boodram. But then again, we need to understand that this epic was not written as one definite piece of text. It was derived through Valmiki’s knowledge of events which was largely passed down orally through the years and then other writers contributed by adding details.
However, it is a little pointless to argue about the historical accuracy of the Ramayana as maybe the case with some of the oldest scriptural texts, which I am sure Mr Boodram subscribes to. Whether it happened or not, is not as important as the message of good triumphing over evil and the precedence the icons of Shri Rama and Mata Sita have given to this world that after many millennia they continue to inspire billions.
What I found interesting in Mr Boodram’s letter is his explanation that only after he moved to the metropolitan City of New York, he became aware that the story of Lord Rama is mythical. It naturally begs the question as to what in New York would have influenced his conviction. Hindus are not oblivious of Western efforts and determination to diminish the eternal values of Sanatan Dharma.
Are we to believe that the metropolis of New York would have instilled a seemingly high degree of ‘aristocratism’ in his mindset to influence his position on mythology with regard to Lord Rama? One can ask if this a price one pays to live in a foreign country. Of course, I stand corrected. This noble man is not presenting a new position believed by his Samaj.
If by his own argument of “evidence-based”, then one can easily cast doubt over the Vedas, the oldest scriptural injunctions of the world, and deem them as mythical. Of course, we know differently.
Finally, given the thousands of years that have elapsed, I shudder to even contemplate that generations from now may want to deem Mahatma Gandhi as a myth, given that time tends to bury history.
Yours faithfully,
Pt Haresh Tewari
