Miscellaneous - Religion   

Path of dharma

CHENNAI: From time to time, the Lord incarnates in a variety of forms with the specific purpose of protecting the good, destroying the evil and reinstating the code of dharma. Though the Lord is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, He abides by the norms and conditions governing the specific time, place, etc., when He incarnates. He is the true upholder of dharma for He is the very embodiment of it by which His divine Sankalpam (Will) always prevails.

In the Ramayana, the Lord illustrates the path of dharma by living out the code in various aspects of life. He has shown by example the sanctity of obeying the instructions of elders as when he abided by His father's words as much as those of Sage Viswamitra when under his tutelage.

This sage approached king Dasaratha and sought his permission to take the young lads Rama and Lakshmana to the forest to initiate them into the necessary skills and mantras and also to eliminate the atrocities of the demons who plagued the forests and hindered the performance of the yagnas of the sages. The apprehensions that Dasaratha felt regarding Lord Rama's safety considering His young age were justifiable since he was not aware that his son was none other than the Almighty Lord, pointed out Damal Sri Ramakrishnan and Srimati Perundevi in a lecture.

But, being a realised soul, Sage Viswamitra had recognised the true identity of Lord Rama.

In the role of a preceptor he taught the mantras Bala and Atibala to young Rama and Lakshmana, while as a devotee he was aware of the good fortune that came his way when he could savour the company of the Supreme Being in close quarters. The intense love and fondness for young Rama that he felt becomes evident when he gently woke Him with the famous phrase "Kousalya Supraja Rama."

He also facilitated the course of events leading to the wedding of the divine couple, after the killing of Tataka and the salvation of Ahalya. He led the lads to the court of King Janaka and entreated Rama to go ahead and break Siva's bow so that He could win the hand of Sita.

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