Life Lessons in the Ramayana

In class a couple of weeks ago, we heard the Sanskrit epic, The Ramayana, through oral tradition. The seven book series tells the story of the perfect man. The story begins with the marriage of Rama and Sita and follows them throughout twelve years of marriage. Rama and Sita are then exiled into the wilderness where Sita is kidnapped by King Ravana. The epic then follows the journey of Rama to retrieve his wife from the King. After a long war and much strife, Rama finally is reunited with Sita until she calls upon the Earth, her mother, and walks into the Earth as the grounds open and is never seen again. At the end of the epic, I cannot help but to reflect on the life of the perfect man and his demonstration of dharma and the righteous path.

The epic forces you to think about what sits, and what we let sit in our minds. As seen by Rama, his reunion with Sita was not a joyous one because of the doubt that took over his mind. Sita has to prove her loyalty to Rama by walking through fire unscathed. Even though she does this successfully, it shows the doubt and negative beliefs that ruminate throughout Rama's head. I can't help but wonder if these drastic measures would have to ensue if Rama didn't allow such doubt and negativity to define his relationship with Sita. In the end, is this instability within the relationship a driving factor in Sita's self-induced removal from the world? To some degree, it must have had some influence. While listening to the epic I related it back to my own life and what I have been going through lately. I have of recent allowed negative thoughts to come into my mind and continue to stay there. Just like Rama, I have invited doubt and negativity to consume my life. It has begun to affect my perspectives, daily life, and my relationships, just as it did with Rama. It was not until today in class that I realized I have the power to change what is in my mind. I have the power to decide what is let into my consciousness. Therefore, I slowly started to take back all of those doubts and insecurities and filled their places with positive and more productive emotions. I can already feel the difference in the way I think and perceive things.

This lesson the Ramayana teaches us was extremely pertinent and applicable to my given situation. For weeks I had not understood why I was feeling so upset and apathetic for most of the day. After hearing about Rama's determination, strength of mind, and will-power, I was finally able to understand that these qualities were everything that I was missing. Through embracing this lesson, I am fully ready to control what goes on in my own mind, making sure it is all positive.