Sunday, April 23, 2006

Ram versus Ravan

My son was taught that Ram and Ravan reside in our minds. And that there is a constant tussle between them.

Every time, after any of his misbehavior, for which he is scorned, he apologizes saying at that juncture, Ravan had won over but now Ram has emerged victorious.

How long does this war go? By the time, we are adults, isn’t that one should have emerged victorious. Is it possible, that at this age also, there are times that Ravan out powers for a few minutes and brings out the devil in us? Is it normal behavior? Can this go as an excuse for my outbursts?

I invite you all for a debate on this.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

a good one..!! ;-)

Anonymous said...

The fight I guess will continue forever but as an adult one develops the power to wage that war and know which one you want to emerge victorious.
Being adult does not equal to being a saint. Devil and angel do reside side by side in all of us and our intellect is that tool which makes us aware of that conflict and be conscious of the struggle. And not try and hide it or ignore it.

These are my views (well honestly learnt this theory from a book but it made loads of sense!!!)

Padma

Anonymous said...

We all find some excuse to blame it on others...whether they are individuals or a situation we have no control over. This is a typical human tendency. Heard about Chinese Yang-Yin symbol .. It represents the two opposite, conflicting forces found in every action, and which are responsible for the dynamic universe....It is important how cordially 'Ram and Raavan' reside in us..

chitra said...

rm: Ram and Ravan coexisted as long as they were not aware of each other or for that matter, till one didnt tread other's path. Similarly, all of us are in general good human beings, saying the right things, but there are times, when the devlish thought comes onto us.As Padma says, it shall be on our level of intellect and also the circumstances, either Ram or Ravan wins .

dharmabum said...

to my mind, there is nothing to debate about. the fact that our mind has its inherent tendencies is beyond any doubt.

in the mahabharata, duryodhana once approaches krishna and confesses something to the effect that he is able to discern the right and the wrong and the difference between the two, and yet is driven towards doing the wrong.

to me, whats important is the awareness of our inherent tendencies - in that sense, your son has gone a long way, and quite soon. god bless!

why i say awareness is important is because awareness marks the beginning of our personal struggle - a journey that culminates in Self Realization. till that happens, it will be a constant battle. the fact that we look at it as an 'excuse', is because we, in our limited understanding, are unable to accept others' behaviour when it comes to them not conforming to our standards and morals. in fact, i'd even go to the extent of saying that ultimately, there is nothing really 'good' or 'bad' - its all in the mind.