(Everybody knows the story of Ramayana. But, the inner meaning of Ramayan is a bit different than what is seen outside, says Mukundoor Swami.)
Dasharatha-- dasha is ten and ratha means vehicle; five jnanedriya(our 5 sense organs) and five karmendriya, sum up to ten; Dasharatha was the person who was using the ten indriyas as a vehicle, i.e., whoever gets mastery over his senses, is Dasharatha. Such a person always gets happiness. Happiness is 'Rama'. Rama means happiness, bliss.
Seeta has no parents- neither father nor mother, she came by 'herself'--Jnanambika (Mother of Knowledge). King Janaka was a Sadhaka, he did sadhana, he obtained Jnanambika; King Janaka was also a sage.
Rama broke the bow. Bow is the body, breaking the body here symbolises, crossing over this concrete body to reach the abstract, and thus he got Seeta. Thus, Rama, meaning Bliss and Seeta meaning Knowledge, i.e., Knowledge-Bliss, Jnananaanada was obtained.
Now, to Maya Mruga, the deer, golden deer- never does it stay in a single place. Seeta asked Rama to get it. Rama just killed it ! That means, these wordly desires are Maya; Rama killed it.
Means to say, wherever there is Knowledge-Bliss (jnanaananda), Maya does not exist, it dies.
Ravana had 10 heads. The same 10 senses, jnanedriya and karmendriya. Dasharatha rode over them, using them as a vehicle -- means, he made the indriyas listen to him, had control over them. Where as, the demon Ravana, had the same 10 indriyas in his head. He had in his head nothing but the 10 indriyas. The indriyas were controlling him, he was a slave of those indriyas.
He desired Seeta. But, will knowledge be available to those who are a slave of the indriyas ? Never; she was in the 'ashoka vana'. How can she have 'shoka' ?
Sugreeva, means good-head, means, good thoughts, noble thoughts. Jambavanta, son of Brahma, means, brahmaananda and then Anjaneya (Hanuman)-- one who has good vision, noble vision. All these people are allies of the bliss, named Rama !
Destroying the demon, of ego and selfishness, named Ravana, leads to the combination of noble thoughts, noble vision, and gets Knowledge-Bliss, jnanaananda.
If you struggle and do sadhana, everything is there in this body. If you understand, the whole of Ramayana is here.
Watch out for the sage, Valmiki. He is known as the person who discovered the inner meanings and wrote the epic. Who is he ? Valmika means ant-hill(mound). This body is such an ant-hill. One who extracts the Jnanaanada from this body, is a sage. Valmiki was such a sage. Who else, other than such a person, can get to understand, experience and write such a wonderful epic ?
We read the puranas, get to know only the outer part and play only that is there on the exterior. Nobody bothers to know the interiors and the internal meanings.
(From: Yegadagella Aite)
