The Ram Lalla Series - Why?

Why is Rama important?

Among the pantheon of Gods in Hindu life, Rama is one God who is not attributed with any super natural acts in his life. He was just a simple man who led a strife torn life like any normal human being. He isn't seen as a dominant character or the orchestrator of events in life's passage or anything subliminal. So, what makes Rama the most revered God of all? Heck, what makes Rama even a God?

The Rama Bhujanga Stotram of Adi Shankara personifies Rama as the manifestation of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss (Satchitananda). He calls Rama "Ekam - the one" (the one without two, Ekamevam Adviteeyam), which essentially equates Rama with the supreme consciousness, realisation of which is the ultimate life goal of all who believe in Dharma. Shankara also equates Rama to Dakshinamurthy by calling out that Rama taught Brahma Vidya to his beloved disciple Hanuman. He beseeches Rama to be always in his mind so he can always be in a state of supreme consciousness. It is a wonderful stotra about Rama and more or less puts Rama as the One.

Now if we read Ramayana (the path of Rama), what we see is troubles and travails for the most part. Deprived of Kingdom, dispatched to forests, wife kidnapped by a depraved Asura, Wars and deaths and eventual victory that isn't necessarily sweet. So, why would someone like Adi Shankara look upto Rama as manifestation of bliss when Rama's entire life was anything but blissful? Coming from Adi Shankara, it cannot be incorrect of course. So, the question remains.

Why is Ramayana called Ramayana and not Rama Charitra? Why the path of Rama and not the story of Rama? I guess therein lies the entire significance of who or what Rama is and shall remain. Valmiki knew exactly what the takeaways from a reading of Rama's story should be and gave a title that conveys the entire essence in one go. And Shankara grasped the essence and elaborated it into its complete meaning beautifully.

The Path of Rama is the path of life for any being. Life in all its glory is full of vagaries and vicissitudes that no one can ever be fully prepared for. So, how does one traverse such a path with no sense of what is going to happen next? A prince who was going to be the king the next day is relegated to a life in the jungle overnight. No time to prepare for a long separation from familiar people, environment and all the adulation that comes from being the darling of everyone. Agonizing otherwise but just another event in a series of events for Rama. And every event after that in the story is just an event. The nature of the event or its outcome causes no bitterness, sadness, euphoria or elation in Rama. At the same time, it is not that Rama was immune to emotion but emotion was just a natural response that is ephemeral with no lasting impression on the psyche. How does one attain such a state?

Rama walked his path in life with zero negative attributes. There is probably no other historical character that holds this unique quality. A man who responded to life like an ordinary human and yet treated it's vagaries as inconsequential to his person. It is impossible to traverse the path of life and be Rama unless one is fully conscious of the ultimate reality of life. And it is impossible to be fully conscious of the ultimate reality unless one is Parabrahma Himself. 

One may ask then if every realized soul is equal to Rama. I don't think there is evidence of any realized soul who has traversed the Samsara (the material world) with all the responsibilities like Rama did. More esoterically put, there was no one who was born with a Karma quotient of zero and was able to keep it that way all along despite leading an ordinary life. So Rama is exemplary in that way. Rama's path is exemplary. Trying to be like Rama and walking the path of life like Rama did, is what the simplified purpose of life is (from a more nuanced and exalted "Self Realisation" as a goal). 

Even the Parameshwara told Bheeshma that chanting the name of Rama is equal to chanting the name of a thousand gods. Chanting the name of a simple man cannot be it obviously. Rama is Shri Rama because He was and will remain the primary example of how to lead a life. And if one probes a little more, Shri Rama tells us what character attributes we need to have to go through this journey of life - unfazed and maintaining the sanchita karma as zero. Does anyone need to know anything more than that knowledge in their lifetime? 

Shri Rama is, at the same time, the model for and purpose of our life. Ramayana is our path. 

There is nothing more crucial or important for an average Hindu than the celebration of Shri Rama - in Ayodhya and, like Shankara Bhagavatpada said, in our minds. Forever.

Jai Shri Ram.

PS: I believe all the characteristics of Rama are equally applicable to Sita Mata too. One may choose either or both of them as a role model for character attributes, in my view.