I want to start this article with the following true story.  

A few years ago, one prominent swami-ji was on a train in India from Ghaziabad to Old Delhi station. Seated next to him was a young man who was in his early thirties. This young man was reading “Ramcharitramanas,” a holy and pious book about how Lord Ram treated his younger brothers Lakshman and Bharat and how they both in turn treated Lord Ram. Seeing the holy sadhu in saffron colored robes, this young man stood up, bowed and touched swami-ji’s feet to pay his respects. Swami-ji noticed that this young man was reading “Ramcharitramanas,” and asked him “are you going to Delhi just for fun or for some business?” 

The young man replied that he was going to Delhi to the District Courts as he and his elder brother had a legal dispute regarding some parental land and property which was going on for several years. Hearing this, Swami-ji told the young man that he was reading the wrong book. Instead of “Ramcharitramanas,” he should be reading “Mahabharata,” the book of great wars and fights between cousins and family. 

Here, we see a big disconnect in talk and walk.  The young man had a legal fight going on and had lots of anger and animosity (feelings of violence or harm or himsa) towards his brother, but on the other hand, just to show off, he was reading “Ramcharitramanas.” The two don’t go together. If he believed in “Ramcharitramanas,” then he should have taken steps to resolve issues and conflicts amicably with understanding and fairness. This is the ahimsak (nonviolent) way.  

Is this not a powerful story with a real-life lesson?  This teaches us that we should not  stay at the first step of just show off pooja of Bhagwan Ram (for that matter of any other gods) but must climb the ladder of gnan (knowledge), reflection, true understanding and imbibing their teachings and virtues in our daily lives 24×7, inside and outside the places of worship. Unfortunately, I see daily that majority of us are stuck at the first step and have not moved beyond the first step. Bhagwan Ram and his life is not just a story for entertainment, where unfortunately majority of us spend our entire lives, but it is a message for a way of life. It is a story of leading our journey of our life with the spirit of dharma (धर्म), guiding us in earning living (अर्थ), and fulfilling sensual need and pleasures (काम).   

Recently one of my  scholar friends from India wrote to me: 

“We all should analyze the messages carried in Ramayana. Notwithstanding the controversy when Ramayana was written: before Ram’s birth or after Ram returned to Ayodhya, one should try to emulate the character of Ram, Sita and his brothers. We should adopt the good things from Ramayana for making our personal and social life comfortable, meaningful and peaceful”. 

Ramayana has been told and retold many times, in many different languages with significant variations in literature and performances. Starting with the first Ramayana by Valmiki, there are at least 300 plus different version of Ramayana in different parts of India.  Just as the Gita has hundreds of commentaries and interpretations written by various scholars, similarly, depending upon time, place, circumstances, environment and culture, many scholars wrote their own understandings and versions of the Ramayana. Each version of the Ramayana is beautiful, describes and enlightens us with many facets, virtues and characteristics of Bhagwan Ram.  The life of such a great personality cannot be described and bound in one book only. It takes many books. If one wants to understand Bhagwan Ram more fully, then one should take time to study all these different versions. Then only, one can discover how beautiful, broad, all encompassing, inspiring, virtuous and great the personality of Bhagwan Ram was.

This is what makes our Bharat a great nation: it gives space to everyone to think what they want, believe what they want and express what they want. Ours is a culture where Parsvanatha and Mahavira (Jain Tirthankars) are as venerated and worshipped  as Ram and Krishna. Accepting multiple points of view has always been our strength. It has made us who we are.  In Jain philosophy, we call it anekantavaad (non one sidedness or plurality of views) or democracy of views and viewpoints.

Bhagwan Ram in Jain Ramayana     

           Let me share a few descriptions of Bhagwan Ram from Jain Ramayana; there are at least eight different versions of Jain Ramayana too and all are much older than Tulsidas’ Ramayana.

• Bhagwan Ram was an apostle of unconditional and complete nonviolence, compassion and love to all. He did not preach but lived by it.
• He was a pure vegetarian.
• No killing and hunting as a sport or a hobby.
• No weapon on his body and no use of weapon to harm anyone – humans and non-humans (no bow and arrow associated with Bhagwan Ram).
• Since he was an apostle of unconditional nonviolence (do and cause no harm, injury and killing of any kind), according to Jain Ramayana, it was Lakshman who killed Ravana and not Bhagwan Ram.   

What do we learn from Bhagwan Ram? 

• Let us resolve to make Bhagwan Ram as a true friend, guide, guru, beacon of light to help us in the spiritual upliftment of our lives.
• Let us take a real and meaningful vow to adopt some teachings of Ramayana in our daily lives. 
• Strict adherence to unconditional ahimsa 24×7 inside and outside the temple.
• Let us not concentrate anymore on war and killing of Ravan. Many of us have been doing this for a long time. Ravan is nothing but our own ego and lust. Instead let us focus on killing and burning that Ravan of ego and lust within. Along with that, let us contemplate on killing the enemies of greed, anger, deceit, and hatred within.
• Respect and obedience to parents, family friends, brothers and sisters
• Love and affection between and towards all brothers and sisters.
• No lust and hunger for power and position.
• Follow the right and moral means to get to the right end.
• All are equal and no caste system. Caste system is himsa.
• Work to promote Emancipation of women.
• Let us understand and contemplate on Ram Rajya beyond slogans.
• Let us graduate beyond pooja or worship of Ram, ritual, entertainment and social events. 

Dr. Sulekh C.  Jain who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada is the Past Secretary and President of the Federation of Jain Associations in North America (JAINA). Dr. Jain also authored a book An Ahimsa Crisis: You Decide, which can be accessed as an e Book free of charge at www.isjs.in  Email; scjainphd@gmail.com

The view, opinion, and commentary expressed above is that of the Sulekh Jain, Ph.D. www.vegasdesi.com is not responsible for its contents.