A place of eternal peace

Ram’s birthplace is Ayodhya. The meaning of Ayodhya is a place where there is no war. It was a place where there was no conflict, no duality, attachment or aversion, honour or dishonor, joy or sorrow, giving or taking, sense of multiplicity.

From the Vedantic perspective, our inner self (antahkaran) is in a state of war and not Ayodhya. Our mind is full of desires, cravings, feelings, emotions, ambition, pride and attachment. We must attempt to transform the state of internal (yudh) into a state of Ayodhya (peace and tranquility).

The king of Ayodhya was Dashratha. Dash and ratha are two words. Dash means ten and rath means chariot. The chariot is our body and its ten senses. Now let us understand how this applies to us.

The story of Ramayana is our story

Dasharatha is our mind and his son Ram is within. Within the kingdom of ten senses, you are Ram, the Jiva and your wife Sita represents peace. Ravana the representative of ignorance, abducted Sita, your peace. To attain the peace, you need a Guru and that Guru is Hanuman. He counsels one to raise a divine army of non-violence and truth. Ravana’s son, Meghnad represents ego. Therefore, one has to exhaust one’s ego and Hanuman guides one.

The story of Rama cannot be narrated without Hanuman. The moral is one needs a guru to guide one. The Guru destroys the conflict in one’s mind and then one attains peace (Sita). When one is free of doubts and distress, one attains an inner state of peace.

Diwali is external and internal. The external Diwali comes and goes, but the internal Diwali exists within us. Diwali is celebrated on the night of Amavasya (the new moon). Lighting the lamps, symbolizes the removal of ignorance and avidya.

The true celebration of Diwali is when one has lit the lamp of meditation internally, then the light from within radiates every single action and deed of one.

Reference: Anandamurti Gurumaa

Aim Hrim Klim

Photo by Udayaditya Barua on Unsplash

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