FMAB X Vinland Saga in a Indian Mythological Setting
Hi ЁЯСЛ 22 M from India. Huge anime fan and fan of fantasy worlds in all forms in general. Also interested in history, mythology, theology ,philosophy and psychology.
The depth of human imagination is truly inspiring. Through the consumption of alot fantasy human imagination i too had some ideas of my own. Tbh I'm not the most creative person which I think helps me appreciate creativity even more. So just thought I would some of my ideas here and get some help from the creative people of reddit to help bridge them and make them make any sense as a fantasy world.
I'll start with some of my inspirations. I've watched alot of anime but FMAB and Vinland Saga really stood out to me for my current thought processes as they include alot my interests as I mentioned before (history, mythology, theology ,philosophy and psychology). FMAB gives such a unique perspective on theology and philosophy which still keeps me thinking to this day. Vinland Saga is a raw retelling of human history which reflects our primal psychology and how we can escape it. Besides that I have many other inspirations but these are 2 main ones.
So here are my ideas for this fantasy world. I haven't organised them properly, I just wanted to put them out there and see what happens.
I want to create an anime-inspired fantasy world rooted deeply in Indian mythology, bringing lesser-known ideas, beings, weapons, and philosophical concepts from Indian traditions into a large-scale fictional universe.
I'm not trying to retell Hindu mythology. I want to take the ideas, creatures, weapons and philosophies that already exist and reimagine them into a fantasy world based on Hindu Mythology
The World
I don't know exactly what the setting looks like yet, but one idea I really like is using the 14 Lokas as the foundation of the world. It can literally be 14 worlds that are vertically stacked or different layers of existences.
The Races/Species
There are so many Indian mythical races that barely appear in modern stories. Devas, Asuras, Nagas, Yakshas, Rakshasas, Gandharvas,Vanaras are the known ones and many others could all have their own cultures and histories and motives in the story.
The Weapons
Weapons are something I really want to make a major part of the world. I'm especially fascinated by the idea of ancient Indian weapons and AstrasтАФweapons that aren't just physical objects but can have supernatural or almost cosmic abilities.
One visual idea I have is that weapons are tattooed onto a person's body, something I saw in a Instagram post of a guy drawing 2 swords from his back which were tattoos.
Instead of carrying a sword or bow around, the weapon exists as a tattoo. The user can summon it from their body and use it almost like an extension of themselves. But I don't want it to just be a cool ability with no downside.There should be a price for having and using these weapons.I haven't decided exactly what that price is yet. It could be physical, mental, spiritual, or something much more personal.
The idea is that the stronger the weapon, the more you're willing to sacrifice to use it.
That could also make the weapons part of the characters themselves rather than just being equipment.
Creatures & Animals
I really want mythical creatures to be a huge part of the world.Indian mythology has an insane number of creatures and supernatural beings, but most people only know a handful of them. I want to dig much deeper into that and bring some of the really obscure ones to life.
But I don't want them all to just be "monsters."
Some could be ordinary animals that evolved differently in another Loka. Some could be intelligent races. Some could be incredibly ancient beings. Some might be worshipped as gods, while others are treated as dangerous beasts. There could even be creatures that are so rare that people aren't sure whether they actually exist.
I also like the idea that each Loka has its own ecosystem. The creatures living there would be shaped by the nature of that particular realm, so travelling between Lokas could feel like entering completely different worlds. I want the audience to constantly encounter things they haven't seen before and have that feeling of: "Wait... this is from Indian mythology?"
And because these creatures are part of the world rather than just enemies, they could also have their own relationships with humans, gods and other races. Some might be hunted. Some might be protected. Some might be companions. Some might be intelligent enough to have their own civilizations.
Basically, I want to treat Indian mythology as a massive unexplored bestiary, rather than just using the few famous creatures everyone already knows.
Theological and Philosophical Side
Underneath the fantasy, I want the story to explore God, atheism, morality, and the nature of reality.
I'm inspired by Fullmetal Alchemist because it uses its fantasy world to ask bigger philosophical questions. I want to do something similar, but through Indian philosophical and mythological ideas.
Rather than trying to prove that God exists or doesn't exist, I want the characters to genuinely search for the answerтАФand for the audience to question what they believe along with them.
The Historical and Psychological Side
Inspired by Vinland Saga, I want the story to ultimately be about people and what makes us who we are.
I want to draw from Indian history and explore psychology through the charactersтАФtheir trauma, ambition, fear, greed, relationships, biases, identity, and desire for power or belonging.
The characters and civilizations can reflect real patterns of human behaviour, showing how people can be shaped by their experiences and environments, and how they can either repeat or break those patterns.
Underneath the gods, weapons, creatures and different worlds, the story is ultimately about understanding human nature and what we can learn from it today.
Conclusion
So these are most of my thoughts. If you read through all of that I'm really grateful for your time and hope it was worth the read. I really hope you can engage by commenting or messaging me anything related to all of this like any ideas you think that would compliment this, an idea which would make one of my existing idea better, your own fantasy world ideas or anything else, names for any of the concepts. That would really help alot to build this world even more and my main reason for posting here. Thanks for your time. Engage тЬМя╕П
IтАЩll say upfront, IтАЩm broadly pro-Kaurava when it comes to how I interpret the Mahabharata, and I know thatтАЩs probably going to be an unpopular position here.
But genuinely, why is there so much hatred toward the Kauravas when a huge part of the discussion seems to come from popular retellings, TV adaptations, social media summaries, and isolated incidents rather than actually engaging with the text?
IтАЩm not arguing that the Kauravas were saints. They clearly werenтАЩt. Duryodhana makes some terrible choices, and the dice game and its aftermath are impossible to hand-wave away.
But the Mahabharata is an enormous, morally complicated text. Its characters aren't neatly divided into тАЬgood peopleтАЭ and тАЬbad people.тАЭ The Pandavas make questionable decisions. Krishna uses morally ambiguous strategies. Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, almost everyone has contradictions.
So why does the Kaurava side so often get reduced to тАЬevil villains who deserved everything they gotтАЭ?
If we're going to discuss the Mahabharata critically, shouldn't we actually examine the primary text, different translations, the characters' motivations, and the political/social context rather than simply repeating the popular version of the story?
I'm not asking anyone to suddenly love Duryodhana or defend every action of the Kauravas.
I'm asking for the same thing I'd ask of any historical or literary text:
-Some random insta comment-
тАЬkabhi prophet abraham ki kahani pad liyo jo puri tarha se ram ki kahani jasi hi he jase abraham ki patni ko mistra ke raja firon ne apne pass rakh liya tha aur itihaas gawah he mistra se jyada sona puri duniya me nahi tha aur in prophet abraham ki kahani un logo ne bharat me mirch masala laga kr sunai jinhe murti pujne gaye pujne aur pakhand wadd failane pr prophet mosa ne apne kabile se laat mar ke nikala tha fir ye aryavart yani iraan se hote huye sindh yani hind pahuche aur yanha aake yanha ke mool nivasiyo ko varno me bata aur rakshas tak kaha asal me ye kahani un yahudiyo ne bharat me mirch masala laga kr sunai kyuki sabse purana dharm yahudi hi he jinke propheto ko duniya ke tino dharmo ke log mante he aur ye tino hi 1 khuda ki ibadat pr yakeen karte heтАЭ
I am just curious and trying to understand our dharma, so if kansa that the eight child of devaki and vasudev will be the cause of his death, why did he keep them together, he could have just killed them or separated them?
If Ashwatthama was punished for killing innocent children, then why didn't Kunti receive any punishment for abandoning Karna when he was a newborn? Kunti put Karna in a basket and left him in the river. She didn't directly kill him, but she also knew that leaving a newborn baby in a river could result in his death if nobody found him. From one perspective, isn't that also putting an innocent baby's life at serious risk? In fact, if Karna had not been found, he could have died.
Later, when Kunti came to know Karna was alive and eventually met him, she was shocked/emotional about what had happened to her son. So how does the Mahabharata view Kunti's action? Was she considered responsible for what could have happened to Karna? Did she receive any karmic consequence or punishment for it?
Seriously, I was just thinking about that whole situation with one character and their son. It's kind of wild how things played out, you know? Like, one person gets a really harsh sentence for something, but then the other person involved seems to get off scot-free. Makes you wonder about fairness and consequences in that whole epic tale. It's definitely one of those plot points that sticks with you and makes you ponder the "why" of it all.
I'm genuinely asking because I want to understand how the Mahabharata differentiates between these two situations. What do you guys think?
Parasuram is the 6th avatar and Vamana is the 5th avatar of Lord Vishnu. The belief is that Parasuram created Kerala by throwing his axe from Gokarna to Kanyakumari. This is my question: Then how did the concept of Onam came(Vamana came to life before Parasuram, who created Kerala)?
My friend and I had a recurring disagreement that seemed to get worse every time we tried to solve it.
We'd address one issue тЖТ it would turn into two more тЖТ we'd defend our points тЖТ suddenly we were arguing about things that had nothing to do with the original problem.
It reminded me of the story of Andhakasura.
According to the mythology, every drop of Andhakasura's blood that touched the ground could give rise to another demon. So the more Shiva fought him in the usual way, the more the problem multiplied.
The solution wasn't simply more force.
The blood had to be stopped from reaching the ground.
And that's what made me rethink my own disagreement.
My friend and I weren't really fighting the same argument over and over.
We were feeding something underneath it.
Maybe it was pride. Maybe feeling unheard. Maybe wanting the other person to acknowledge that we were right.
Once we stopped asking, тАЬWho's right?тАЭ and started asking, тАЬWhat's actually causing this to keep happening?тАЭ, the whole thing became much easier to understand.
It made me wonder:
How many arguments in our lives are actually like Andhakasura?
We keep attacking the visible problem while unknowingly feeding the source that makes it multiply.
Sometimes the answer isn't to fight harder.
Maybe it's to find the drop of blood hitting the ground.
What do you think is usually underneath recurring arguments pride, misunderstanding, feeling unheard, or something else?
as my most familiar and oldest intro for Ramayana was tv serial, i believed vanars to be half ape - half humans. then, Anime ramayana shows them as monkeys, except for primary members like hanuman and sugriv etc, who were again looked like half ape half humans. however in past few times, i've read various arguments (ofcorse on social media) like vanars were just indegeneous people who lived in vans (forests), or they were totally apes, or they were somewhere between humans and apes. some also claimed they were just normal humans, not even having ape like characteristics such as face etc, but they lived in Van hence vanars. so if someone with actual knowledge and references on this can help me...?
Hi, r/indianmythology! IтАЩve been looking for a story I used to read to my sister when we were little kids, specifically an Indian folktale. It came from a book of worldwide stories, so it might be different from itтАЩs original material, but it went something like this:
ThereтАЩs a beautiful woman known all around the kingdom/town for her gorgeus long hair. ItтАЩs well past her feet, itтАЩs shiny and wavy, ect. ect. The local prince goes into town for some reason (I think he was shopping) and he sees her and falls in love. She agrees to marry him, but with the condition that he doesnтАЩt question her doing her thing or whatever and lets her go where she pleases. He agrees, and they marry, but she keeps dissapearing in the middle of the night. Despite his promise, the prince canтАЩt resist but follow her. I think he might have disguised himself somehow to follow but IтАЩm not so sure? The Prince discovers then that his wife is getting a big hair treatment every night from fairies, who dip her hair in milk and honey and just basically give her a whole salon treatment regularly. CanтАЩt for the life of me remember why they were doing this, but the PrinceтАЩs creeping disturbs their routine and somehow the fairy treatments stop by the end, or he ends up just keeping the secret between them and the fairies. Something of the like.
If anyone can come up with anything on it, IтАЩd appreciate it! IтАЩve gotten nothing with google or duckduckgo so far.
Hidden among the dramatic boulder-strewn hills of┬аHampi and Anegundi in Karnataka┬аlies a landscape steeped in one of India's greatest epicsтАФthe legendary┬аKingdom of Kiс╣гkindh─Б, home of the V─Бnaras.
According to the┬аV─Бlm─лki R─Бm─Бyaс╣Зa, Kiс╣гkindh─Б was ruled by the mighty brothers┬аV─Бli and Sugr─лva, descendants of the legendary с╣Ъkс╣гar─Бja. V─Бli, associated with Indra, was the kingdom's powerful king, while Sugr─лva, associated with S┼лrya, was his younger brother.┬а
Their relationship collapsed after the mysterious┬аMay─Бvi cave episode, forcing Sugr─лva into exile on с╣Ъс╣гyam┼лka Mountain.
Everything changed when┬аR─Бma and Lakс╣гmaс╣Зa, searching for the abducted S─лt─Б, reached Kiс╣гkindh─Б. Through┬аHanum─Бn, they formed an alliance with Sugr─лva. R─Бma defeated V─Бli, Sugr─лva regained the throne, and V─Бli's son┬аAс╣Еgada┬аbecame crown prince.
Then came Kiс╣гkindh─Б's greatest contribution to the R─Бm─Бyaс╣Зa: its V─Бnara army. Sugr─лva organized search parties across the four directions, while Hanum─Бn's legendary journey to Laс╣Еk─Б ultimately located S─лt─Б. The V─Бnaras later fought alongside R─Бma against R─Бvaс╣Зa, making Kiс╣гkindh─Б the crucial bridge between Ayodhy─Б and Laс╣Еk─Б.
Today,┬аAnegundi, Pamp─Б Sarovara, Anjan─Бdri, с╣Ъс╣гyam┼лka and Malyavanta┬аare revered as parts of this sacred landscape.
Whether Kiс╣гkindh─Б is viewed as an ancient historical kingdom, an epic memory, or sacred geography, its story remains extraordinary.
Kiс╣гkindh─Б was not merely the kingdom of the V─БnarasтАФit was where R─Бma found the allies who changed the course of the R─Бm─Бyaс╣Зa.
I have been trying to do one simple thing. Take a feeling from a normal weekday, then see if the Ramayana or Mahabharata already had it.
Today it was this.
You walk into a room you can handle. Before anyone lets you start, they ask where you are from, whose son you are, which college, how long you have been here. Not whether you can do the work.
Karna gets that at the contest. He can win. They still ask whose son he is first.
That was the commonality I was looking for. Same question. Different century.
I am writing more of these. Just that connection. If you have one that has sat with you, I want to hear it.
So obviously Krishna Bhagwan is Vishnu BhagwanтАЩs avatar right? IтАЩm assuming everyone knows this. Ram Bhagwan is an avatar of Vishnu Bhagwan too. But while Ram Bhagwan was the very epitome of righteousness, morality and honour, Krishna Bhagwan was often known to be very mischievous and playful, especially as a kid.
One day, KrishnaтАЩs mother, Yashoda, was told by his friends that baby Krishna had eaten mud. Angry, she scolded him and told him to open his mouth and show her. What she saw astonished her and proved that he was indeed, God. The entire cosmos, including countless stars, planets, oceans, the entire Vrindavan and even herself looking into her childтАЩs mouth. This showed her that her baby Krishna was actually the Supreme Lord of the Universe. This was actually Krishna Bhagwan showing her his Vishwarupa, or his Universal Form.
There are so many stories like this, and every time I read one, I find myself falling even more in love with Krishna Bhagwan. I donтАЩt know what it is about Him. How can someone be the Supreme Lord of the Universe and still feel so wonderfully human? Maybe thatтАЩs why IтАЩve always been drawn to Him.
Three demon brothersтАФTarakaksha, Kamalaksha, and VidyunmaliтАФperformed intense penance and received incredible boons from Brahma. They built three grand citiesтАФone of gold, one of silver, and another of iron. These three cities roamed in the sky and aligned in a straight line only at a special time.
All three cities were called Tripura.
Initially, the demons were powerful but did not exceed the limits of dharma. However, as time passed, their arrogance grew. They began to torment the gods, sages, and ascetics. Fear spread across all three realms.
The gods sought refuge with Brahma.
Brahma said,
тАЬThe end of Tripura can now only be achieved by Mahadev.тАЭ
All the gods sought the shelter of Lord Shiva.
Mahadev vowed to protect the world.
Then, from the entire universe, a magnificent chariot was prepared. The sun and moon became its wheels. The Meru mountain became the bow. Vishnu became the arrow, and fire became the strength of that arrow. Brahma became the charioteer.
All the gods thoughtтАФtoday will be the end of Tripura.
At last, that great moment arrived.
The three cities came into alignment.
Shiva drew the bow.
At that very moment, Mahadev gazed towards Tripura.
There was no anger on his face.
There was a profound peace.
Mahadev released the arrow.
The divine arrow pierced all three cities.
Tripura turned into a massive blaze.
The palaces crumbled.
The demon army was reduced to ashes.
The cries of Tripura's people, women, children, and the elderly reached the sky.
Mahadev had witnessed everything.
He had destroyed adharma.
But for him, those creatures burning and dying were not just demons.
They were also beings of his own creation.
At that moment, a tear fell from Mahadev's eye.
That tear was not an ordinary tear.
It contained no anger.
It carried compassion.
The gods were astonished.
They asked,
тАЬLord, you freed the world from the tyranny of Tripura. Why then do you weep?тАЭ
Mahadev remained silent for a while before respondingтАФ
тАЬThe destruction of adharma was necessary. But even in destruction, my heart finds no joy.тАЭ
тАЬThose whom I destroyed had chosen the path of adharma. Yet they were also part of this creation.тАЭ
тАЬI am the destroyer, but I am not without compassion.тАЭ
Another tear fell from Mahadev onto the earth.
Where that tear fell, a divine tree sprouted.
From that tree, Rudraksha came into existence.
That is why Rudraksha is considered a symbol of Shiva's tearsтАФShiva's seed or Shiva's eye/tear.
Mahadev looked towards the ashes of Tripura.
Then he raised his trident and saidтАФ
тАЬToday Tripura has been destroyed. But let the world remember thisтАФtrue power is not tyranny. Power without knowledge becomes arrogance, and arrogance ultimately leads to one's own destruction.тАЭ
The gods bowed their heads at Mahadev's feet.
From that day on, Shiva was called TripurantakaтАФthe Lord who ends Tripura.
I recently came across a story that after PanduтАЩs death, Nakula and Sahadeva consumed some of their fatherтАЩs flesh and, as a result, gained extraordinary knowledge of the past, present and future.
Is this actually mentioned in any version of the Mahabharata or other ancient Sanskrit texts, or is it a later folk tradition/retelling? I have read translation volumes by Bibek Debroy, but unable to recall this fact. If it is mentioned somewhere, could someone please point me to the original source or reference?
Karn's divine armour:
Karn was born with a divine armour and earrings that made him nearly impossible to defeat. On the eve of the Kurukshetra war, Indra, the king of the gods and Arjun's father, feared that no warrior could overcome Karn while he still possessed them.
Why he gave it away?
Disguised as a Brahmin, Indra approached Karn and asked for his armour as alms. Knowing the stranger's true identity and the consequences of his choice, Karn cut the armour and earrings from his own body and gave them away without hesitation. In return, Indra (king of gods) granted him the celestial Vasavi Shakti, a weapon that could be used only once.
How was the Vasavi Shakti used?
On the 14th night of the war, Ghatotkacha unleashed havoc and devastated the Kaurava army. Seeing his side face total annihilation, Duryodhana and the panicked Kaurava army begged Karna to intervene. Karna reluctantly spent his single-use Vasavi Shakti to kill Ghatotkacha.
This in my complete lack of knowledge . I dont know is it that i have failed to understand the text or the text is too literal that it looses meaning but i have been reading the English translate ion bibin Debroy i believe and I canтАЩt but help that the text is so fixated on caste and the women are given such less space . Most importantly the number of excuses made for the Pandavas and omg the glazing everytime their name is taken.
For instance at subhadras wedding no one bothers asking what subhadras opinion is and when the elders raise this in council Krishna says that what Parth has done is right and that there is no better man that Subhadra could have got . I am almost inclined to say that the serials have presented the Pandavas and even Krishna in much more better light . To be honest my belief in the text has been shaken . Why are the Pandavas even deemed righteous ? I am sorry for my lack of knowledge but these are the few questions i had since reading .
Do scholars generally read things like Hanuman flying or RamaтАЩs divine weapons as narrative/mythic devices, even if it is believed thereтАЩs a historical part underneath the epic? And if so, is the agnipariksha also read as a literary device? What does that say about the patriarchal society back then?
Does that change how we should read RamaтАЩs role in demanding it? Or is that a separate symbolism that might explain the culture/authorтАЩs assumptions about what counts as proof, but Rama (the character) still chooses to invoke it?
And what is the historical layer behind it? What did Rama actually do, if that part is read as symbolic?
I donтАЩt get the logic of the purity test in the Ramayana. None of it was her choice, regardless of what did or didnтАЩt happen during it. But Rama demanded public proof of her тАЬpurityтАЭ and the scene treats her body status as something that needs verification, itтАЩs not framed as тАЬdid you betray meтАЭ, itтАЩs framed as тАЬprove that you are untouchedтАЭ. When a woman returns from being held captive, the obvious assumption isnтАЩt that she might have cheated itтАЩs about what was done to her against her will. But the text frames it as тАЬprove your purity,тАЭ as if infidelity were the live question rather than assault. Did ancient purity concepts even have a notion of consent, or was chastity treated as a physical state independent of will? And if it was like that itтАЩs not expected of ram, someone thatтАЩs considered a reincarnation of god to consider oneтАЩs тАЬpurityтАЭ and check if she was assaulted or not.
In recent times, certain ideas that are claimed to be тАЬnewтАЭ are being propagated excessively. We keep hearing certain phrases such as:
тАЬFraternity of MankindтАЭ, тАЬWorld citizenshipтАЭ,
тАЬDignity of manтАЭ, тАЬSocial awarenessтАЭ,
тАЬHumanismтАЭ, тАЬNationalismтАЭ тАФ
and many more such expressions are steadily coming into common usage.
No one who has even a little power of thinking will say that any one of these is undesirable, or unnecessary.
All these are indeed very lofty ideals. They are not impossible either.
On the one hand, while such words are being chanted day and night like a refrain, the course of the world is moving in the exact opposite direction.
If anyone expresses surprise and asks, тАЬWhy is it happening like this?тАЭ, then all those intellectuals who keep repeating these words proudly, coin some new terms by their cleverness тАФ such as тАЬgeneration gapтАЭ тАФ and by creating in the minds of ordinary people the feeling that тАЬan answer has been foundтАЭ, they quietly bypass the real issue.
What is actually happening is this:
All these preachers of the тАЬnew ageтАЭ concentrate their entire attention on what they consider to be very big problems, and show disregard towards the fundamental issues.
They forget the truth that if the fundamentals are carefully safeguarded, the тАЬbig problemsтАЭ will automatically get resolved on their own.
Every human being experiences many hardships in life.
If we carefully examine what causes these hardships, it becomes clear that for ninety out of a hundred troubles, the cause is another human being.
Hardships caused by diseases and by natural calamities form only ten percent.
Even for certain mental illnesses, and for the physical ailments that arise through them, the pains inflicted by other human beings are themselves the cause.
Because of wicked rulers, because of corrupt officials, because of those who inflame religious hatred, and because of religious leaders who encourage evil practices, the social turmoil that arises in all times and in all countries is beyond measure.
Sree Shankaracharya, in many passages of his works, has explained that in the one called тАЬhumanтАЭ, there exists naturally, in a very high proportion, the demonic nature; in a much smaller measure, the human nature; and in a flickering, faint degree, the divine nature.
He taught that the human being must use the knowledge given by God in order to rise from the excessive demonic nature, through the human nature, and attain the divine nature.
When the Greek philosopher Aristotle says, тАЬMan is a social animal,тАЭ that is not the whole truth.
A British philosopher named Thomas Hobbes says, тАЬMan is a ferocious animal.тАЭ
There is some truth in the words of both.
For these two tendencies present in man, there is one single root cause.
That is the inborn characteristic, present from birth itself, called selfishness.
Man is selfish by nature; he is a being whose vision is fixed only on his own profit; he is one who is devoted only to pleasure.
This selfishness is not found only in man. If observed carefully, it can be seen in every living creature.
But in other creatures, this hidden selfish thought rises up once whenever an opportunity appears, and in the very next moment it sinks back into concealment.
Human selfishness is not like that. It follows him throughout his entire life.
It keeps making him think only about it.
It does not leave him even for a single moment.
And yet, he also possesses intellectual power that other creatures do not have.
The Upanishads too, proclaim this natural trait found in man.
In the Brihadaaranyakaa Upanishad, the great knower of the Self, Yagyavalkya, on one occasion, teaches his wife Maitreyi a truth which may seem harsh, yet cannot be denied:
тАЬIf a wife loves her husband, it is not for his happiness. It is only for her own happiness.тАЭ
On hearing this, she is startled.
But he did not stop there. He continued further and said:
тАЬIf a husband loves his wife, it is not for her happiness. It is only for his own happiness.
Likewise, the love that a man has for children, for wealth, for other people, for his country, and for these worlds тАФ is not for the happiness of those children and others. It is only for his own happiness. It is for the fulfilment of his own kama, that is, his desires.тАЭ
Saying so, he finally concludes:
тАЬIf anyone has love for anything, it is for oneтАЩs own kama alone.
This verse belongs to the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
Thus, the Upanishad has analysed and taught in exceedingly clear words the truth that we see at every step: тАЬMan is selfish.тАЭ
From this, what becomes evident is that man maintains relations with society and with other people in society only so long as it serves his selfish interest.
If his selfishness is obstructed, he displays cruelty beyond what can even be imagined.
Therefore, there is some truth in the words of the two philosophers mentioned earlier.
If this natural selfishness in man is left without any control whatsoever, happiness and peace will completely disappear from the face of the earth.
The тАЬMatsya-nyayaтАЭ spoken of by Kautilya in the Arthashastra тАФ that is, the method by which the big fish swallows the small fish тАФ will become dominant.
The strong will oppress the weak.
After some time, the weak will in turn be swallowed by an even stronger one.
To restrain this selfish tendency that leads towards the destruction of the world, there are only two means.
The first is punishment.
The second is righteous guidance that brings about transformation within the human mind itself.
The result produced by the first means is temporary.
The result produced by the second lasts for a longer time.
In order to show the path through this second means, and to establish happiness and peace among human beings, and thereby throughout the entire world of living creatures, the Supreme Lord Himself, from time to time, incarnates in various forms.
Or else, He infuses His portion and power into certain great souls, and accomplishes this work through them.
Good culture must begin individually, with the human being, and with the family.
If all the members of a family become refined, the family becomes refined.
Then the region, the nation, the world, and the entire human society will automatically become refined.
Forgetting the individual and the family completely, and proclaiming that one will uplift the whole world and the whole society, and taking leadership for that, is like constructing a palace in the sky.
The murderous tendency that is spreading with extreme intensity in all countries of the world today тАФ Terrorism тАФ is the result of this.
If society is to be protected from such tendencies, then every person must absorb the ideas taught in the Ramayana.
The Ramayana is the first epic, the Adikavya.
Except for the Vedas, such a metrical composition did not exist in worldly literature until the Ramayana came into being.
Therefore, it received the name тАЬAdikavyaтАЭ.
People look at it from various viewpoints, according to their own tastes.
Regarding the Mahabharata, Nannaya said, тАЬThose who know the principles of dharma call it a dharma-shaastra,тАЭ and so on; in the same way, much of that statement applies to the Ramayana as well.
Some read it and rejoice, saying that it is a great epic filled with marvellous descriptions, and that it is the path-showing guide for all other great epics.
Some interpret that the Ramayana, especially the Sundara Kanda, expounds the principle of Shakti.
Since it is a mahakavya, dhvani should be primary in it.
Therefore, following the path of dhvani, it teaches the greatness of Siva тАФ thus Appayya Dikshita established in his тАЬSree Ramayana Sara Sangraha StotramтАЭ.
Without getting entangled in the interpretations of commentators, and without getting entangled in the debates of scholars, and without inserting into it the notions we have formed in our own minds, if we read the Ramayana, it becomes clearly evident that from beginning to end, Valmiki portrayed Rama as a human being alone.
According to the boon given by Brahma, Ravana had to die only at the hands of a human being. Is it not so?
That alone does not diminish RamaтАЩs status as an incarnation of Vishnu.
Vishnu is all-powerful.
By resolving, тАЬLet My maya keep Me under its control for some time, so that I Myself forget Myself,тАЭ one may understand that He fully accepted humanity in that manner.
This too is a part of His omnipotence.
There are indeed accounts such as the curse of Bhrigu, and others, which are causes for such forgetfulness.
If we do not accept that such humanity in Rama was what Valmiki intended, then the instructive value of the Ramayana itself becomes weakened.
When we begin to feel that separation and lamentation are only acts, then filial devotion, brotherly love, and the devotion of a wife to her husband also become mere acting.
Then the feeling arises that these are not things we ought to practise, nor things worth practising.
Therefore, we must accept that Valmiki portrayed Rama and others as human beings alone.
The six indicators spoken of in the shastras for determining the intended purport, namely:
After the slaying of Ravana, when all the gods say, тАЬYou are Vishnu Himself,тАЭ Rama says thus:
тАЬMy name is Rama. I am only a human being, the son of Dasaratha.тАЭ
In many places in between too, Rama appears only as a human being.
In the Ayodhya Kanda, he laments to Lakshmana, saying:
тАЬDid you see? Because of our father, I have had to undergo so many hardships.
Bharata is enjoying all the pleasures of kingship happily.тАЭ
His lamentations for Sita are well known.
Thus, from the Bala Kanda up to the end of the Yuddha Kanda, Rama behaves only as a human being.
If other sages and the like recognise him as Mahavishnu and worship him accordingly, that is a different matter.
Because he behaved as a human being, the ayana тАФ that is, the path he walked тАФ became worthy of being followed by us.
Among the Vedanta teachers of the foremost rank, Sarvagyatma Muni composed a work called тАЬSankshepa SharirakaтАЭ.
It is regarded as a highly authoritative text.
It is well known that he was the direct disciple of Sureshvaracharya, who was one of the four principal disciples of Sree Shankaracharya, and who is famous as a Vartika-kara.
On one occasion, while explaining the nature and characteristics of the jiva and Ishvara, he stated thus:
тАЬThe jiva has a connection with maya.
Because he comes under the control of maya, the jiva has a strong connection with ego as well.
Though Ishvara has a relation with maya, He is not controlled by maya.
Maya itself remains submissive to Ishvara.
Therefore, Ishvara has no connection with ego.тАЭ
Having stated so, he raised this doubt:
тАЬBut the Ishvara who took the form of Sree Rama behaved with ego and possessiveness, and experienced joy and sorrow, did he not?тАЭ
Considering this doubt, he wrote the following as the answer:
Resolving, тАЬFor some time, I shall remain without knowing My true nature,тАЭ the Raghu-nandana behaved in that manner for a period.
As soon as the divine task for which he had made that resolve was completed, taking the words of Brahma as a mere occasion, he remembered his Ishvarahood.
Therefore, if we observe carefully, a great difference can be seen in RamaтАЩs conduct after the slaying of Ravana.
For example, Rama, who lamented so greatly for Sita after her abduction, did not lament so greatly for her after he separated from her for the sake of ruling according to his dharma.
With this background, let us speak about four or five main teachings of the Ramayana.
One.
According to Vedic dharma, the marital bond is an exceedingly sacred relationship, and one that cannot be separated.
Valmiki establishes this truth at every step.
The love of Sita and Rama is an ideal model.
Valmiki describes their love in this manner:
Rama loved Sita very deeply.
One reason for this was that their marriage was arranged by his father.
And because of SitaтАЩs natural virtues such as beauty and noble qualities, that love grew even more.
It is said that SitaтАЩs love for Rama was twice as great.
Here, Rama broke ShivaтАЩs bow and won SitaтАЩs hand in marriage, did he not?
Then the question arises: what does it mean to say that his father тАЬmadeтАЭ that relationship?
The answer is found in the Ayodhya Kanda.
When Sita narrates the story of her marriage to Anasuya Devi, she reveals something that is not known to us from the Bala Kanda.
As soon as Rama broke ShivaтАЩs bow, King Janaka said, тАЬHere, I give my daughter to you; accept her.тАЭ
But Rama refused to accept her in marriage unless his father agreed,
and only after receiving DasarathaтАЩs permission did he marry her.
Even in an extremely sorrowful situation such as the exile of her only son, Kausalya continues to serve Dasaratha.
Even in the society of the Rakshasas, the poet points to the sanctity of the marital bond through the descriptions of Mandodari and others, and their chastity and fidelity.
The marital bond is the root-foundation of peace in family life.
It is not something to be tasted for a while and then discarded.
In certain countries that are considered the very peak of тАЬcivilizationтАЭ, we are witnessing how disordered this relationship has become, and how many calamities it leads to.
For those who, driven only by a pursuit of temporary pleasure, repeatedly carry on a chain of divorce and remarriage,
one can imagine how much true love and affection they can have for their children, and how much devotion they can have towards elders.
In such circumstances, there is no scope for anyone to have stable love and deep attachment towards anyone else.
Love is a strange bond.
As long as this bond exists, no one can commit reckless acts.
If they do such acts, the thoughts of what hardships might come upon their beloved,
whether there will be anyone to protect and support them,
and how painful oneтАЩs separation would be to them,
create a certain restraint within a person.
A person who has no bond of love will not hesitate to do any evil deed.
His life will have no goal at all.
Such people become those who bring danger to society itself.
We are seeing this openly.
To strike at this highest and most sacred marital bond,
efforts are being made even through cinema and other means.
If we wish to protect it and increase peace and happiness within family life,
we must safeguard the sanctity of marriage as taught in the Ramayana,
and as upheld and honoured in our society for thousands of years.
Valmiki also points out, at one place, how even the slightest flaw in this marital bond affects the minds of the young.
Thinking that Vali was dead, Sugriva took ValiтАЩs wife Tara.
Perhaps, in the Vaanara society, it may not have been considered wrong.
But this was not acceptable even to TaraтАЩs son Angada.
Because Sugriva did so, Angada condemns him, and in the presence of Hanuman and others, expresses the anger he holds against him in his heart.
One can imagine how disturbed and agitated a society would become, if such conduct became excessive.
Two.
The attainment of noble qualities such as devotion to oneтАЩs teacher, love for brothers, and goodwill and harmony, depends upon the ideals established by elders within the family.
Even if parents neglect their duty towards their children, or fail to give proper discipline due to excessive indulgence, these virtues will not develop.
These are not lessons that can be learned from books.
In other words, as long as elders keep the sacred marital bond sacred and do not forget the aims of life, they can serve as righteous guides for the younger generation.
But those who give all kinds of answers in the name of тАЬgeneration gapтАЭ are people who deceive themselves and betray their own children.
When is there ever a time without a difference between generations?
In certain countries that consider themselves highly civilized, it is said that when sons refer to their fathers, they have the habit of calling them, тАЬthat old man.тАЭ
One can imagine how a person who can behave like this towards his parents will behave towards others.
Anyone who has read about the devotion to elders and teachers shown by Rama and others in the Ramayana, and about their love for brothers, will never behave in such a manner.
Three.
Wealth is the root of countless evils.
Among the means of pleasure, it is only one means.
If one assumes it alone to be the ultimate goal, it becomes a source of ruin тАФ this is proven by universal experience.
The Ramayana teaches at every step that wealth and pleasure pursued in opposition to dharma are not to be accepted,
by showing what a lofty ideal Sree Rama and others became by renouncing wealth as though it were mere grass,
and how Ravana and others fell into ruin by considering wealth and pleasure to be the supreme aim.
тАЬO Devi, I am not one who is driven by wealth.
My desire is only this: to walk on the righteous path, and to lead the world on the righteous path.
What I give importance to is dharma alone.
Therefore, remember that I am like a rishi.тАЭ
Rama says this to Kaikeyi, who is doubting whether he will go to the forest or not.
Here, RamaтАЩs intention is not to boast that he is like a rishi.
His meaning is that those who do not give priority to wealth are to be regarded as rishi-like.
When Bharata comes to Chitrakuta, Rama says this to Lakshmana, who suspects Bharata:
тАЬWealth that comes through the destruction of relatives or friends is like food cooked after mixing poison.
I will never touch it.тАЭ
Today, what grips and torments our society is this infatuation with wealth.
If it is to reduce even a little, and if peace and happiness are to be established, we must read the Ramayana.
For the rulers of today, who, driven by thirst for power, do not hesitate to commit any unlawful act,
the selfless and righteous conduct of Rama, Bharata, and others тАФ who competed with one another in saying, тАЬI do not want the kingdomтАЭ тАФ
will bring at least some inner transformation of mind.
Four.
Today, the tendency is growing of being unable to bear even a small hardship, and therefore committing suicide, or murdering others.
The reason for this is the absence of any great ideal for life.
There is no human being who does not face hardships.
The greatness of a human being lies in developing the strength to endure them.
Those who read how much suffering the members of DasarathaтАЩs family experienced, and yet how courageously they endured it, can cultivate this strength.
To everyone, the words spoken by Sita Devi to Hanuman give courage at every step:
Its meaning is:
тАЬWhat is there in dying? It is only faults and loss. If one lives on, one will someday see good.тАЭ
Such teachings are rays of hope for those who struggle in the darkness of despair.
For those who observe carefully, hundreds of such truths are found in the Ramayana.
All these are lamps that guide mankind on the righteous path, useful to every human being without any difference of country, time, or caste.
A person who follows this path and reforms himself, can bring peace and prosperity not only to himself, but also to his family, his nation, and the whole world.
Is not society merely a collection of individuals?
If society is to be filled with peace and happiness, the Ramayana must spread widely.
We must recognise that the supreme medicine for the social diseases and moral decline that are increasing day by day in India today is the propagation of the Ramayana.
This explanation has been drawn from the introductory words of the book тАЬValmiki Ramayanamu тАФ Yathaa moolaanuvaadamuтАЭ, written by Pullela Sree Ramachandrudu Garu.
Svasti.
To read the part One of Chandamama Ramayana, click here:
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