Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana encounter Viradha in the form of a terrible beast. It had a spear in its left hand on which the carcasses of several wild animals were impaled. It was eating raw meat, and blood was oozing out of its mouth. All the Rishis had fled the forest because of him. Rama slays Viradha. A composed human form emerged out of Viradha's fallen body and started extolling Sri Rama's glories. The human said he was a Vidyadhara who had been cursed by Durvasa for no reason. Now that he had seen Rama, he surrendered to him. Rama tells him, “By seeing me, you have overcome the limitations of Maya and have been liberated. Pure devotion is seldom found. If one has that type of Bhakti, he attains Mukti immediately and is no longer in this world of beings in bondage. Endowed with such Bhakti, you will now, at my command, attain Mukti.” Picture Credit: Anna Johansson from the “Queen of the Elements”

The Rishi immersed himself in devotional service and welcomed them with open arms. He said that he had been waiting to see Rama with Janaki and Lakshmana. He wanted to relinquish all the merit gathered over several years of penance and shed his physical body. He lit a fire and dissolved himself into the flames. His soul was then lifted to the heavens. Picture Credit: J. Martin and Manoj Publications

Hearing that Sri Rama was in the Ashram of Sarabhamga, several rishis and sages from the nearby hermitages assembled to meet him. They invited him to visit their Ashrams. Near the Ashrams, Rama saw a heap of bones as tall as a hill and asked the Rishis about the human skulls and bones. The Rishis replied that the demons kill and eat sages whenever they can, and that they had lost several Rishis already. Rama assured them that he would put an end to this atrocity. Rama stayed with different sages at their Ashrams, protected them as promised, and eventually reached Sutikshna's Ashram. Picture Credit: J. Martin and Manoj Publications

Rama visited Rishi Agastya’s Ashram. The Rishi narrated how everything sprang from Rama, or pure bliss. From Rama came Aham and Samsara, the three gunas (Satva, Rajas, and Tamas), the five elements, the organs of perception, and the mind. From these came the Virata Purusha, and then Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahadeva. The Rishi also narrates that great men know the path to liberation is to be in the company of noble people (Satsang). Great men are characterized by their dispassion. When someone gets a chance to be in the company of great people, they develop a keen interest in hearing the noble tales of pious individuals and devotional stories about Rama. This leads to them being devoted, and a devoted mind becomes wise in due course. This ultimately leads to liberation. The Rishi thus narrates how everything sprang from Brahman and how one can merge back and attain liberation. Picture Credit: Picture Ramayana palm leaf painting

The sage gave Rama a special bow entrusted to him by Lord Indra, along with a sword and a quiver full of arrows that would never be exhausted. He reminded Rama about his mission, which was to annihilate the demons. He continued, "When you walk another two yojanas, you will see a holy land known as Panchavati. There, by the riverbank, you can build an Ashram to stay for a while along with Sita Devi and Lakshmana." Picture Credit: J. Martin and Manoj Publications

On the way to Panchavati, they met Jatayu, an old vulture, resting by the wayside. Rama was furious, thinking he might be a demon waiting to attack them, and signaled to Lakshmana that he was ready to fight. The bird overheard the conversation between the brothers and told Rama that he was an old friend of Dasaratha and a devotee of Rama. Rama blessed Jatayu and requested that he work for him henceforth. Picture Credit: Dr. K.U. Krishnakumar and Guruvayoor Devaswom

While living in Panchavati, Lakshmana approached Rama and asked him to teach him the method of achieving liberation (Moksha). Rama teaches Lakshmana. The field of activities (Kshetra) for the five senses, the organs of action, the mind, the ego, and Chitta (the mind unsullied by memory) is the body. As they become active, the body is presided over by the Jivatma, which is an expression of the Paramatma, the supreme truth principle. Jivatma and Paramatma are synonymous in effect, though ignorant people do not see the oneness in them. Wisdom develops when we are devoid of base tendencies. Wisdom or knowledge is the surest path to knowing Me as the unattached reality, Paramatma. Moksha is knowing the truth experientially that the Jivatma is the Paramatma—knowing the microcosm as the macrocosm. Picture Cerdit: J Martin and Manoj Publications

Two features stand out in the Adhyatma Ramayana. One of these is the inclusion of many philosophical discourses in various parts of the text. They teach fervent devotion. More importantly, they give simple, non-technical, but profound explanations of the doctrine of Advaita. In the Aranya Kanda, the discussion between Agastya and Rama, as well as Rama’s teachings to Lakshmana, are profound. They cover the evolution of the Jivatma from Brahman, how Samsara clouds our knowledge, and the way to dissolve back into Brahman. We will review the second feature of the Adhyatma Ramayana next week. Additional Source: Adhyatma Ramayana, Swami Tapasyananda. Picture: Rama on a hour boundary wall, Bangalore