10 Life Lessons you can learn from The Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Indian epic, composed some time in the 5th century BCE, about the exile and then return of Rama, prince of Ayodhya. The Ramayana is one of the grandest epics in Indian mythology. Its influence is felt and resonated in different walks of life through its diverse learnings. Here is taking you through 10 profound lessons from Ramayana that you could implement in life and start your journey towards bettering yourself as an individual.
Lesson 1. Association with bad people could affect your perspective as well. Everyone in Ayodhya was aware of the love Kaikayi had for Lord Rama. She loved him just like his son. However, as she was influenced by the malicious Mantara, her inclinations saw a drastic drift. She ended up being engulfed in a vicious trap of jealousy, insecurity and vice. On her insistence, Lord Rama was sentenced to a 14 year old exile.
Lesson 2. Nothing can ever defeat nobility and virtue. Sita was lured by Ravana by guile and deviousness. The ensuing saga was all about Lord Rama treading the path of magnanimity to bring evil powers to a fair end.
Lesson 3. Within humility lies your biggest strength. Ravana was known to be a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva with boundless knowledge of the scriptures, but his pride and arrogance undid him. He could never reap the fruits of his wisdom. Hubris and conceit led to his downfall at his own hands.
Lesson 4. The propensity to serve matters much more than authority and the love for power. Lord Rama left the throne of Ayodhya just to serve his father- Lord Dashrath’s wish. This is one lesson our politicians could do with learning in the contemporary times. The greed for power is to be given up and the sense of service is to be imbued.
Lesson 5. Your relationship with your siblings says a lot about you. Lakshman gave up worldly luxuries to accompany his brother for a 14 year old exile. Cut to the present, when brothers fight over financial and legal matters, such virtues should be taught and extolled to children to make sure they do not end up in a feud like the Ambani brothers.
Lesson 6. If you want to learn a thing or two about devotion, you should immediately turn to Lord Hanuman. His unparalleled loyalty towards Lord Rama is the stuff ideal relationships based on love, respect and friendship are made of.
Lesson 7. Realization comes hard. Kaikeyi was disowned by Bharat for her plea to banish Lord Rama. Bharat resented her to an extent that he vowed not to address her as mother ever again. He also cursed her saying that no man will ever name his daughter Kaikeyi. This made her realize the grave mistake she did and she spent 14 years repenting her actions. On his return to Ayodhya, she apologized to Lord Rama.
Lesson 8. It is important to value your words and hence, critical to use your words carefully. Dashrath had promised Kaikeyi three boons and she used two of those demanding an exile for Lord Rama and the throne of Ayodhya for Bharat. Sending his son away for 14 years broke Dashratha but he stood on his promise and kept it. This teaches us how important it is to value one’s promises and thus being careful before committing to something that might become too difficult to bring about once its time comes.
Lesson 9. A woman’s honour and respect is to be protected above everything else. Jatayu gave up his life to protect Sita’s honour. His sacrifice teaches us the importance of putting others before ourselves.
Lesson 10. You are defined by how you handle challenging situations. Lakshman was provoked by Shrupnakha and he ended up severing her nose. This was a testing time for Lakshman and if he would have put up a mature front, the ensuing events could have never happened. His brazenness manifested itself into a war.
Apart from these you can also learn so many life lessons from the great Ramayana.