Two of our ancient texts, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, feature internecine wars as the defining elements of their narratives. In both epics, good ultimately triumphs over evil, but not without prolonged trials and tribulations for its main protagonists. It is on the battlefields of these epic wars that some of our greatest wisdom were revealed. The Bhagavad Gita has stood the test of time, where Lord Krishna not only resolves Arjuna's moral dilemma but also imparts a universal code of ethics for future generations.
Centuries after the Gita was orally transmitted by the Sages and learned to the kings and the masses, Goswami Tulsidas, sitting in Ayodhya, composed the Ramcharitmanas in the Awadhi dialect. While Tulsidas drew from Valmiki’s Ramayana and other extant versions, his local idiom in this magisterial work resonated culturally across India. In one memorable episode from the battlefield of Lanka, Lord Rama addresses the concerns of his ‘devotee’, Vibhishan, Ravana’s brother. Their dialogue is filled with insights that remain relevant even today.
The confluence of Krishna’s teachings in the Gita and Rama’s wisdom in the Ramcharitmanas is beautifully distilled in the book Reflections of Ram Sewak: A Sangam of the Gita and Shri Ramcharitmanas. Written by Anirudh Tewari, a 1990-batch Punjab cadre IAS officer, the book offers deeply enriching commentary on commonalities between these sacred texts. It is not every day that one encounters such reflective work from a senior bureaucrat, whose career is steeped in the complexities of public policy and administration.
As one delves into the pages of this book, published by Tree Shade Books, it becomes clear that it is not an academic comparative analysis but rather the culmination of a lifetime immersed in knowledge and spiritual reflection. With its 54 short essays spread over five sections, the commentary brings out the central message enunciated by Krishna and Rama, both considered incarnations of Vishnu. The book is an act of love and devotion, as the title suggests. The author explains that it is also a tribute to his father, whose name was Ram Sewak, to whom the book is dedicated.
Talking of the epic battles, the author says these represent an eternal conflict between good and evil, the 'dharm and `adharm'. “In a way they represent a battle within each individual, family, society, organisation, and even among nations. The universality of these discourses, lies in their surpassing the boundaries of time, age, circumstances levels of learning, prosperity, and social status.”
The author goes on to draw a distinction between the two ancient texts. “The Bhagavad Gita is Shri Krishna's discourse to a despondent Arjuna before the battle of Mahabharat begins in Kurukshetra. It distils the Vedanta', enlightening us on how to successfully navigate life's travails. It answers every conceivable question.”
In Ramcharitmanas, Rama mirrors lustrous shlokas of Gita to Vibhishan as the latter is worried that Rama was without much protective gear to take on his brother, Ravana. “The key difference here is in the mental state of the recipients of the two discourses. Before the battle of Mahabharat begins, Arjun is despondent and delusional and takes the 'sharanagati (refuge) of Shri Krishna only after hearing the entire Gita. On the other hand, in Shri Ramcharitmanas, Vibhishan's diffidence is out of sheer love and not despondency or delusion. He is aware of Shri Ram's divinity and has already taken refuge in Him.”
In the pages that follow, Gita’s shlokas are compared with the Ramcharit Manas’ chaupais, the links, commonalities and comparisons distil effortlessly. The centuries-old wisdom from Gita’s scholarly Sanskrit to the common man's Awadhi in Ramcharitmanas also helps the readers find answers to the questions of the times in which we live.
In a section on Guru, the author refers to dialogue between Rama and Vibhisan on the armour for self-protection: kavacha abheda bipra guru pooja. "Homage to he learned and one's Guru s an
impenetrable armour...”
This idea resonates in Gita where Krishna designates worship of the learned and the 'Guru as a form of tapasya` and lists modesty as a divine attribute.
We are given here an assurance for individual safety in this world and in our spiritual journey if we have these two powerful elements - humility and the blessings of our ' Guru', the author writes.
In a section on Wisdom and Equanimity, the book features Rama discourse in Vibhishan Gita on the Chariot of Righteousness and terms bibek (discretion) as the second horse with Samata (evenness of mind) as its guiding rein. In Gita, Krishna exhorts Arjuna to perform detachment and remaining unconcerned actions abandoning success and failure.
Both texts also define an ‘ardent’ devotee. Ramayana features multiple characters known for their devotion to Rama be it Bharat, Lakshman, Hanuman. However, Sabari shines uniquely, receiving immense recognition and grace from Rama himself, the book adds. Similarly in Gita Krishna makes a similar declaration when he says that while he is the same to all beings, those who worship him with bhakti are in Him, and He is also in them.
For those looking for meaning of self, Rama explains the subtleties of the individual soul. “Unaware of our spirituality and the enigma of Maya', we remain ignorant of the divine and the divinity within ourselves. The Jeev (person) becomes entangled in the web of this Vidya Maya (material creation) and ensnared by the illusion of 'mine, you' and yours.”
In Gita Krishna beautifully expresses that the "Jeev' is an "eternal portion of Myself, having become a living soul in the world of the living.. The Jeev' is eternal and never subject to death; it merely illuminates and animates the living body per its assigned role. Also He is in all 'jeev.,and all 'jeev' are in Him.
The book will make for excellent reading for who those looking for some spiritual guidance, for devotees and the uninitiated alike given his lucid prose and exposition.
Book: Reflections of a Ram Sewak
Author: Anirudh Tewari
Publisher: Treeshade Books
Pages: 295
Price: Rs 350