SKR:OF LOOPS AND SYMBOLISMS #4: 1/08: updated on pg. 132 - Page 61

20/06/2016

Today Bali finally repented. He repented all his sins. And as he rightly said because he got a chance to repent, he died in the presence of his family.

The most beautiful convo was off course Bali-Ram where Ram says adharma doesn't affect a place or one person. If you see adharma and if you don't support people in the path of dharma, then that is an equal or even greater sin than doing adharma oneself. This is a very important learning for all of us. Do we stand up against adharma. In most occasions we will find that even when affected directly many don't stand up against adharma. Because people fear. Fear about their life and by supporting adharma die 100 times and dying once by standing against it.

Then Bali says even at last minute we are thinking about ourselves. Our pride doesn't leave us. And if we leave our pride in the last minute and ask forgiveness atleast we can have a peaceful death.

Now comes Tara who eloquently argues with Ram the need for killing her to. As she is also an adharmi as she is part of her husband. I would say Tara had done a googly. You should be always careful when you speak something to Vishnu. Yes she is part of the adharma done by her husband. But is her punishment death or the life her husband gave to Roma. Ram is going to tell if she believes in punishment to accept Sugreev as her husband. And Tara will have to oblige. If a woman sees the adharma happening to another woman without raising voice against it, the same adharma can happen to her also. Here the only difference can be Tara accepting the punishment wholeheartedly thus saving Kishkinda from further harm.

In Lanka Ravan wants to marry Sita and Mandodari tries to stop Meghnad using her power as a mother. But Meghanad refutes her telling he has to obey a king's orders. He can disobey a father, but cannot disobey a king. But we need to see where does Meghnad's loyalty lies in this sentence. His inner conflicts is beautifully portrayed. He is not only a son, but commander in chief of Lanka army too. So as long as Ravan has power he will have to obey the order of king of Lanka. See the effect of having a bad king. If it was only a bad father, still Meghnad would have survived, but a bad king the youngster suffers.

Here is where Angad survives. As a young boy he loses his adharmi father and taken care by his chacha who is in the side of dharma. And it is the dharma of Bali and Tara because of which Bali's lineage survives whereas Ravan loses Meghanad before his death. A father should have protected son. But commander in chief of lanka army had to go in front for the protection of king. Look at the irony of relations.

21/06/2016

What a contrast today. I am happy that Ram only told Tara needs to be a guide to Sugreev. But Ramayan does talk about Tara marrying Sugreev post Bali's death. So I thought CVs might justify the marriage in the way I mentioned. But Ram doesn't tell that. Tara tells her to be a Pativratha woman. So asking such a woman to choose another man as husband will not do good to Ram's character because she cannot accept. But yes she can be the guide as well as the mother to Angad.

Angad-Ram scene was a beauty. Ram telling Angad he will be angry at his father's killer. But Angad tells Hanuman had told him everything. His father did adharma so he got punished. He doesn't have anything against Ram but as a son he is sad.

On another hand even after multiple warnings from Sita Meghnad goes to take her. I loved the way Sita went and sat under the tree. If possible take me. And I loved her dialogue. A slave cannot take decision of your own. He or she doesn't have freewill. He is slave of Ravan. This is also a message to us. Do we want to be slaves or sevaks. For Ram his sevaks reside in his heart, they are equal to him, but for Ravan they are slaves only to be obeyed and not having independent thoughts.

Because Hanuman is a sevak he is able to convince Angad. Because everyone in Lanka are slaves of Ravan no one can convince them. Trijadha has come out. Sulo has tried. Surpi has tried. Mandodari is trying, but the slavery binds them one way or the other.

And again Angad. Angad is a young boy who has grown in the lap of dharma. His father was not adharmi from beginning and he had known his chacha from childhood. So he has seen how his father went from dharma to adharma. And his mother is a respected lady. Kishkinda had dharma, which eroded. So the boy is able to grasp and come to the path of dharma. So Kishkinda lineage get protected.

Why Meghand doesn't get that irrespective of having Mandodari for mother and Vibhishan for chacha. Because no one decided to mould the boy from childhood. He has always seen his chacha and his mother listening to father. Doing things to protect him , but not confronting him. He grew up obeying his father without understanding dharma and adharma. So unless you practice dharma, dharma doesn't sustain in a place.