Reflections of Bhakti in Adhyatma Ramayana

Abstract

The very name “Adhyatma Ramayana” suggests its content: it is the Spiritual Version of Ramayana. While Valmiki deals with the direct meaning of the Rama Saga, the Adhyatma Ramayana is a direct elaboration of its spiritual implications. The prime object of this great text (Adhyatma Ramayana) is to teach that Bhakti and Jnana are not only reconcilable but always go together. This beautiful text contains numerous hymns which are Advaitic in their philosophic content while their tone is intensely devotional. They again and again establish the doctrine that non-duality is the Supreme Truth but the way to its realisation is through devotion and divine grace. Without these, mere intellectualism will never bring spiritual illumination. Thus this great text seeks to reconcile Jnana and Bhakti as the obverse and reverse of an identical spiritual discipline. Being a text of the Rama cult, Rama is held forth as the Deity to be adored by those who seek salvation.

Here, an attempt is being made to study the characters Hanuman and Ravana who are totally antithetical to each other but from one perspective they share a common ground. They are both devotees of Lord Rama!!!

Ravana practices Vidvesha Bhakti to Rama i.e. he ceaselessly remembers the Lord through hatred and enmity. Since his approach is that of antagonism the Lord responds to his supplication accordingly through blows and attacks and eventually liberates him by killing him. Thus the Lord slaughters Ravana in war and there by facilitates his reunion with Lord Vishnu in Vaikuntha.

In stark contrast to Ravana there is the Bhakta Chakravarti, Hanuman. The thought of Sri Rama is inevitably accompanied by Bhakt Hanuman because he is that great a devotee of Lord Rama but unlike Ravana who confronted the Lord with hatred and enmity, Hanuman practised loving devotion to the Lord with humility and selfless service.

Hanuman, the one who undoubtedly possesses a stupendous personality is but a servant in front of his Lord Sri Rama. He is the epitome of Dasya Bhakti and Padasevana which is directed one-pointedly to his beloved Master Sri Rama. There are many instances in the epic Ramayana, which brings to the forefront Hanuman’s sincere bhava of Dasya Bhakti and the timely and most needed service rendered by him to his master (Padasevana)…here in this article these instances have been systematically enumerated and described highlighting Hanuman’s loving bhakti.

The article concludes with the declaration that it doesn’t matter how you remember God – through hate or through love. What matters is that you always ceaselessly remember the Lord. So potent is the Lord’s thought that it purifies the thinker of all his latent tendencies and gives him perfect purity which liberates him to join the Lord in His abode itself.