Ramayana – The Guide to Samarasatha

Valmiki Jayanti Celebrated 

Dakshinapatha Studies celebrated Adi Kavi Valmiki Janmatithi, Aswayuja Pournami on 17^th October 2024 by conducting a lecture titled `Ramayana – The Guide to Samarasatha’ & `Ramayana in literature’. The lecture was conducted in the 400- year old Lal Das Baba Mutt, an Anjaneya Swamy temple in the old Bolarum area of Secunderabad. Floral tributes were paid to Maharshi Valmiki and Saraswati Mata.

Prof Somanath, Retd Principal Keshav Memorial Degree College presented his lecture. The excerpts of his lecture are as follows:

Ramayana – is the story form of the gist of Vedas. This Adi kavya is historically the first known kavyam in world history. The veda is told in form of Rama Katha. It is pertinent for the people of Bharath to understand Ramayana and follow its ethos. Like the enactments by laws in the present days, the Vedas embodied the ethos and the norms of Sanathana dharma. The Vedangas are explanatory notes and Ramayana itself can be regarded as a case study. Every character, scene or situation in Ramayana is the essence of Vedas. If we follow the Ramayana by letter and spirit, then we are following the Sanathana Dharma. The Bharatiya people were either living in forest areas or plains, those who live in forest areas are Vanavasis and those who live in plains are called Gramavasis or Nagaravasis. There were no differences of traditions, procedures or culture between the people of various regions. To give an example we have Guha, a Nishad king who was a dear friend of Rama and attends his marriage. Guha was the king of Vanavasi areas near the Great Ayodhya. The friendship between Rama and Guha is described beautifully in Ramayana. There are many such characters like Matha Shabari, Jambavantha, Neela, Sugreeva, Angada etc. They all lived together without any differences in the old times, there was clear Samarasatha among all people of the society.

The western colonizers wanted to rule by dividing the people, hence they started creating rogue theories like Arya -Dravida, Adivasi etc. And a few selfish groups are aiding in the spread of this harmful fires. Every Pitthadhipathi and every Swamyji have clearly and vehemently condemned the practice of untouchability in the previous era, and have vouched that there was no untouchability in the ancient bharat or in the Varnashrama Dharma. Still some selfish groups are associated with Breaking India Forces and are have ill-intentions of dividing the unity of Bharath.

To address this problem all of us have to regroup and focus on our ancient texts. We should focus on Ramayana specifically to know what our forefathers have instructed us. We all should understand that we are all one and we are Bharateeyas and share the same culture. Dr Somnath concluded with a remark that the Ramayana and Maha Bharatha are effective documentary evidences of our Sanathana Dharma.

Samvit Prakashan Director Ms Shailaja spoke about how Ramayana influenced people over thousands of years and in all parts of the world, especially in Southeast Asia. Kings of many countries attribute their lineage to the Ramayana. In the history of the last 1000 years, many great poets have written Ramayana and translated the epic in regional languages not only in Bharat but in many other parts of the world. Gona Buddareddy who lived between 1294 CE – 1310 CE has written the text in Dwipada and titled it as Ranganatha Ramayanam. The famed Rama charitha Manas was  written in Avadhi by Goswami Tulasidas. We have an empowered Women Poetess Molla who also wrote the Ramayana in Telugu. Atukuri Molla ( 1440-1530 CE) belonged to Gopavaram village of Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. She introduces herself as the daughter of potter, her father was a great shiva-bhakta. Though she was not formally educated and trained, she was a natural poet – sahaja pandita- and has written the mahakavya in plain and mellifluous language, it is also known for its humor. As is the norm in her times, in which poets have dedicated their works to kings and were rewarded with many titles and gifts, Molla like the famous Telugu poet before her, Mahakavi Pothana, didn’t dedicate her work to any king, and has written the kavya with complete dedication to only Bhagwan Srirama. It is important to note that Molla, a woman poet technically belonged to a Shudra jathi, yet everyone respected her work. If there was a caste hierarchy, how did these translated works of Ramayana have become so famous, equally hailed by the pundits and ordinary people? Both the poets are considered as shudra jathi in the present day context. Bharateeya society lived allways in Samarasatha. Every member of society is equally accepted.

It is important to note that Ramayana and Mahabharata were presented in various forms of literature, Kavyas, Natakas, songs and keertanas by various poets and writers like Annamacharya, Bhakta Potana, Bhakta Ramadasu, Tyagaraja Swami and many others who all played a significant role in the Bhakti Movement in the Dakshinapatha region which effectively served as resistance to the Islamic rule. They all spread the knowledge of Ramayana and Mahabharata to the common people all over the country, which helped in the retention and revival of Sanathana Dharma. When  british have taken thousands of Indians as indentured labor to Africa and West indies, they carried a copy of Ramacharita Manas with them as a reminder of their legacy.

Dakshinapatha Studies Telugu content editor Sri Ramakrishna presented the Vote of Thanks.