Criticism
Chief secretary of the cultural department of Union Government, an ICS, who graduated from a European university and who is a scholar on Ramayan says, ‘Ramayan is history. This means Ramayan discusses individuals and their anger, hatred etc., conflicts in their life, their qualities and vices. Ram is no God. He is a human being’. Shri Krishna is also criticised in a similar manner.
Refutation
Ramayan and Mahabharat are our history. Our duties and performing tasks which are not our duties are determined on the study of our past, experience of the present and estimation for the future. However, some ridiculous shameless individuals say that the history of Ramayan and Mahabharat is a post-mortem.
एकैकमक्षरं पुंसां महापातकनाशनम् । – Ramrakshastotra, Shloka 1
Meaning : Every letter of Ramayan is capable of destroying great sins of man. However, this sycophant of westerners says that this is a postmortem.
इतिहासमिमं पुण्यं महार्थं वेदसम्मितम् ।
Meaning : This history is merit-accruing, provider of great benefits and has been accepted by the Vedas.
Every sentence of history in the Ramayan and Mahabharat is merit-accruing and educative. We seek solace in this history. This is not a type of entertainment. The stories of individuals in the Ramayan and
Mahabharat are not important; they are incidental, secondary. They are like a by-product. However, the Divine plays of Shriram and Shri Krishna are important, because they narrate the glories of Shriram and
Shri Krishna, who are Incarnations of Supreme God. That is the truth, pure, sacred, Sanatan and of supreme merit. The auspicious narration of the glories of Shriram and Shri Krishna’s Divine plays through stories and listening to the narration are the supreme pursuit of man’s life. He gets solace in it.’
– Gurudev Dr. Kateswamiji
‘Since the karmas of God are beyond bhav, they are in a pure state. Hence, they are called ‘leelas (Divine plays)’. When we remember the Divine plays, our defects are removed and our spiritual emotion is awakened. Our chitta (Subconscious mind) becomes pure. This is the uniqueness of the Divine plays.
In the latter part of Skandapuraṇ, the uniqueness of Ramayan finds mention in a conversation between Narad and Sanatkumar.
This proves that whoever says ‘Ram is not Paramatma etc. He is just an ordinary human being’, displays his laughable intelligence. Shriram was indeed Purushottam, God.’ – H.H. Parashram Pande Maharaj, Sanatan Ashram, Devad, Panvel, Maharashtra
Reference: Sanatan’s Holy text, ‘Shrivishnu, Shriram and Shrikrushna‘
