Ramanisblog

Tag: Valmiki Ramayana

  • Lord Rama Had Many Wives, Valmiki?

    Lord Rama as we know has one wife and he is cited as an example of loyalty in marriage.

    I read apiece by Ambedkar on Hinduism ,especially on Lord Rama and Krishna, where he has ridiculed and slung mud at Rama and Krishna.

    In my research to answer him on some points, I came across information that the Valmiki Ramayana we are following now is not by Valmiki but the Ramacharita Manas by Tulsidas.

    Lord Rama's Coronation.jp
    Rama Pattabishekam

    This Tulsidas Ramayana, we have been misquoting as Valmiki Ramayana.

    Can some one clarify with references?

    To my knowledge Rama had only one wife and he had been loyal to Sita.

    This issue , in my opinion, is a classic case of taking things out of context.

    This sloka is about what Manthara speaks about Rama to Kaikeyi just before Lord Rama’s Coronation, Pattabhisheka.

    In her effort to poison Kaikeyi’s mind against Rama, Manthara says that  if Rama was crowned as a King, Bharata’s position would wane:

    Kaikeyi’s Daughter in-laws  , wives of Bharata will be unhappy against Rama’s wives.

    It may be noted that Bharata was married to Mandavi, daughter of Kusatdwaja(Brother of Janaka, Father of Sita)

    Now the fact is that Rama married Sita and Bharata Mandavi.

    Now if Manthara is speaking of facts she would have said as wife of Bharata and not as wives of Bharata.

    Therefore the efforts of Manthara is to incite Kaikeyi with hyperbole, saying that the wives of Bharata, implying that Bharata might marry again, being a King.

    In the same vein Manthara speaks about Lord Rama might have more wives.

    Here Valmiki excels.

    Though he knew the full Ramayana in advance  from Narada before he started writing it, he never divulges the story in advance.

    Valmiki writes in the Ayodhya Kanda,

    hR^ishhTaaH khalu bhavishhyanti raamasya paramaaH striyaH |
    aprahR^ishhTaa bhavishhyanti snushhaaste bharatakshaye || 2-8-12

    12. raamasya= Rama’s; paramaastriyaH= great wives; bhavantikhalu= will become; hR^ishTaaH= delighted; te= your; snushhaaH= daughters-in-law; bhavishhyanti= will become; aprahR^isTaaH= unhappy; bharata kshhaye= of Bharata’s weak position.

    “Rama’s wives will get delighted. Your daughters-in-law will be unhappy because of Bharata’s waning position.”

    Comment: The words ‘Rama’s wives’ here do not indicate that Rama had multiple wives. Manathara refers to a possible future where Rama being a King would marry other women. It was a norm then for a king to have more than one wife).

    (Ayodhya Kanda Chapter 8 Sloka 12)

    ”

    After this Valmiki Ramayan there were several ramayan written by people afterwards.

All these subsequent ramayan contained story of Valmiki ramayan but with plus and minus. 

It means that subsequent ramayana differed from the original ramayan in several ways. 

But there was only one Ramayan which was written after Valmiki Ramayan 

that became highly popular and that was Tulsidas.

(He was contemporary to King Akbar) written RAMCHARITMANAS. 

So Ramcharitmanas was written 
around 2000 years after original ramayan was written. 

And to give you shock - hold your breath - 

the Ramayan that you know today is NOT the original 
Ramayan written by Valmiki ji rather it is Tulsidas written Ramcharitmanas.


    . Shri Ram chandr Ji had several wives apart from seeta. 

Ayodha Kandam 8th Chapter, verse 12 - "Rama's wives will get delighted.





 Citation.


http://www.valmikiramayan.net/ayodhya/sarga8/ayodhya_8_frame.htm


https://archive.org/stream/DifferenceBetweenOriginalRamayanAndTheRamayanaYouKnow/DifferenceBetweenOriginalRamayanAndTheRamayanYouKnow_djvu.txt
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  • Suppressed Ramayana Hanuman Ramayana

     

    There are some interesting facts about Hanuman and The Ramayana of Valmiki.

     

    Hanuman doing Rama Japa. Image.jpg.
    Hanuman doing Rama Japa. Image credit. http://www.bhaktiware.com/

     

    There are over 1600 versions of Ramayana and this include the Regional Editions like Rama Charitamanas, Kamba  Ramayana and the foreign versions

     

    like the Indonesian and Balinese.It may not be proper to call the later as Foreign as they were once part of the Bharata Varsha.

     

    Hanuman  finds a place in many a places in Hindu Purans and even in Jainism.

     

    There are no references to Hanuman in the Vedas.

     

    However Rama finds a mention and there is a Upanishad Rama Rahsyopanishad.

     

    Read my post on this.

     

    Vedas mention Rama and Ramayana mentions Vedas.

     

    Which is earlier?

     

     

    I shall be posting on this interesting subject.

     

    Now to many Ramayanas.

     

    Valmiki is called the Adi Kavi and the Ramayana is the Adi Kavya-the first Literary work(of Mankind)

     

    Yet there is a version of Ramayana considered older than Ramyana .

     

    And it was suppressed so that one Valmiki Ramayana gets prominence.

     

    This is the HanumanRamayana by Hanuman!

     

    After the victory of Rama over Ravana, Hanuman went to the Himalayas to continue his worship of the Lord Rama.

    There he scripted a version of the Ramayana on the Himalayan mountains using his nails, recording every detail of Rama’s deeds.

    When Maharishi Valmiki visited him to show him his own version of the Ramayana, he saw Hanuman’s version and became very disappointed.

    When Hanuman asked Valmiki the cause of his sorrow, the sage said that his version, which he had created very laboriously, was no match for the splendour of Hanuman’s, and would therefore go ignored. At this, Hanuman discarded his own version, which is called the Hanumad Ramayana.

    Maharishi Valmiki was so taken aback that he said he would take another birth to sing the glory of Hanuman which he had understated in his version.

    Later, one tablet is said to have floated ashore during the period of Mahakavi Kalidasa, and hung at a public place to be deciphered by scholars

    Kalidasa is said to have deciphered it and recognised that it was from the Hanumad Ramayana recorded by Hanuman in an extinct script, and considered himself very fortunate to see at least one pada of the stanza.

     

    Lord Chathur-Mukha Jaya Maruthi with four Veda faces, inscribed His version of Lord Shri Ram’s divine story as MARUTHI RAMAYANA on hundreds of thousands of rocks.
     Even though the MARUTHI RAMAYANA pre-dates the Valmiki Ramayana, Lord Jaya Maruthi Hanuman wanted Maharishi Valmiki’s Ramayana to become famous as the first Ramayana and so He did not announce His own version.
     Such is Hanuman’s deep humility, broad mindedness and magnanimity…

     

    Citation.

     

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanuman

     

    http://www.agasthiar.org/a/jaya-maruthi-hanuman.htm

     

     

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  • Sundara Kandam Parayana Procedure

    Sundara Kandam Parayana Procedure

    Ramayana is not only an Epic that sets forth ideals that guide Man in the Righteous path.

    Being compiled by the great Seer Valmiki, it possesses the power of granting the wishes of those who read or recite it with faith.

    Ramanama chanting, the recitation of Rama’s name absolves one of all sins and grants the beneficial results that accrue by reciting the One Thousand names of Lord Vishnu, Vishnu Sahasranaama.

    Goddess Uma asks Lord Shiva the shortest route to get Lord Vishnu’s Grace and Shiva replies that it is the name Rama that will do the trick

    Sri Rama Rama ramethi reme rame manorame,
Sahasra nama thathulyam rama nama varanan.

There is interesting legend on Ramanama.

The Ramayana has 24000 slokas or verses.
    All the Devatas excluding Lord Shiva had taken each Akshara, or letter as auspicious.

Lord Shiva, being late could not take anything
.
When Uma asked him he is reported to have replied that in their hurry the Devatas have forgooten two important letters, Ra and Ma.

and that he would take them.

Together they form Rama, the Bhjakshara of Lord Rama.

This, the Learned say is the origin of the Sloka Sri Rama Ramethi.

Though Ramayana showers benefits if recited, there are specific chapters for specific purposes or problems.

Sundara Kanda,or the Chapter of Beauty ,where Lord Hanuman finds Sita is believed, and, has to grant early marriage and good children.
There are various procedures in doing this Paarayana or daily recitation.

Women can also do the Parayan.

Parents of Children may also do the Parayan for the marriage of their children or for Grandchildren

Procedure.

!.To be done preferably in the Mornings.

2.Take bath and  perform SandhyaVandan.

3.Pray Lord Ganesh  and do Sankalpa, declare what exactly you Pray for.

4.Read preferably soundless the Sundara Kanda which has 68 Chapters.

Different ways of doing the Paarayana.
    Reading 32 times

    This consists of reading Chapter 1 to 38 on the first day and the rest the next day. This should be repeated 32 times in 64 days

    Reading 24 times

    This consists of reading Chapter 1-15 on the first day., 16-41 the next day and the rest of the chapters on the third day. This should be repeated 24 times in 72 days.

    Reading 12 times

    This consists of reading Chapter 1-15 on the first day., 16-32 on the second day., 33-51 on the third day and the rest of the chapters on the fourth day. This should be repeated 12 times in 48 days.

    Reading 7 times

    Read 7 chapters a day and complete reading on the fourteenth day and repeat it 7 times and complete the Parayana in 68 days.

    Reading 4 times

    Read ten chapters per day for the first 27 days and read the remaining 2 chapters on the 28th day,

    Reading two times .

    Read eight chapters per day and complete reading twice on the seventeenth day.

    In all these cases on the last day, the last chapter of Yudha Kandam (131st chapter) should be read. On each day before and after the parayana boiled milk with Sugar should be offered as offering (Naivedya) to the God. On the day of completion it is desirable to give a feast to the Brahmins.

    It is essential to offer Naivedya to God before and after the Parayana. It would be great if at the end of the Parayana, Lord Rama, Goddess Sita and Lord Hanuman are worshipped using Sahasra Nama (1000 names). If someone is not capable of doing it, he can worship using 108 names of the God. As Naivedya boiled milk added with Sugar is supposed to be best offering to Lord Rama and Lotus and Thulasi (Ocimum) flowers are the best to worship the Lord. If not available any flower can be used. However Karavira(Arali) should never be used. Offering to God Pomegranate would bring in immense benefits.It would be better to the devotee to Chant Rama Gayathri during the beginning, Avahana and end of the worship.

    Panaka or Jaggery water with Dry Ginger,Green chillies may be offered as Naivedya every day.

    On the Concluding day Rama Pattabhisheka sarga may be recited in addition and as naivedyam Cooked Rice, Ghee, Dhal, Vada may be offered.

    If you can afford , donate one set of Dhoti and Angavastra and a Saree and Blouse piece for the poor.

    Reference:

    http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Parayana_Vidhana_of_Sundara_Kandam

    Sundara Kandam Text.

    http://www.valmikiramayan.net/

    http://www.scribd.com/doc/2525530/sundara-kandam
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