Author: Sri Nandanandana das (Stephen Knapp)
Publication:
Date:
As of late, in the year 2007, the idea of whether
Lord Rama exists or not has been called into question, by no less than some
of the politicians in India. So it is a wonder how such persons can be accepted
as leaders of the people of India who should be concerned with preserving and
protecting the culture of the country. Obviously, they are neither concerned
nor aware of the depths of information that can be found in support of the traditions
for which India is especially known. Or, they are really attempting to dismantle
or destroy the authority of the timeless nature of the civilization of the country.
In regard to Lord Rama, the point about ancient
history is that the farther you go back in time, the fewer references you can
use that actually refer to the incident in history. There may be many commentaries,
but few quotations to the actual events.
However, when it comes to the Ramayana and the
history of Lord Rama, there have been numerous authors who have accepted the
Ramayana as a history of ancient events. For example, the first Governor General
of India, Sri Rajaji, wrote on the Ramayana and called it a history, as also
did the English Indologist Sir William Jones. Various other western authors
have made a study of the culture and history of the Ramayana, such as Philip
Lutgendorf in his book Rama's Story in Shiva's City, California University;
Joe Burkhalter Flueckiger and Laurie Sears in The Boundaries of Traditional
Ramayana and Mahabharata Performances in South and Southeast Asia, University
of Michigan, Ann Arbor; W. L. Smith on Ramayan Traditions in Eastern India,
University of Stockholm, and others.
There are also numerous places that are indicated
as the locations where various events happened in reference to the pastimes
of Lord Rama and Sita. Thus, they are accepted as historical sites. I have personally
visited many of these places, such as Ramesvaram, Nasik, Hampi, and others where
there are particular locations and sites that are related to the events that
took place in the life and adventures of Lord Rama. Many people accept these
sites as the locations for the events described in the Ramayana. So how can
this be unless there are not some reality behind it?
However, why is there not more archaeological
evidence that points towards Rama's existence? Because such an effort has not
been made in India and systematic excavations have never been carried out, says
historian Nandita Krishnan. She says that to doubt the existence of Rama is
to doubt all literature. There is little archaeological or epigraphic evidence
for either Jesus Christ or Prophet Mohammed, who are known only from the Bible
and Koran respectively. Does it mean they did not exist? If Rama performs miracles
such as liberating Ahalya, the Biblical story of Jesus walking on water or the
Koranic tale of Mohammed flying to heaven on a horse are equally miraculous.
Such stories reinforce divinity.
She also describes in summary what areas the
events of Lord Rama's life took place. She explains: "The Ramayana is geographically
very correct. Every site on Rama's route is still identifiable and has continuing
traditions or temples to commemorate Rama's visit. Around 1000 BC or earlier,
no writer had the means to travel around the country inventing a story, fitting
it into local folklore and building temples for greater credibility.
"In 1975 the Archaeological Survey of India
(ASI) unearthed fourteen pillar bases of kasauti stone with Hindu motifs near
the mosque at Ayodhya; reports of the excavations are available with the ASI.
Rama was born in Ayodhya and married in Mithila, now in Nepal. Not far from
Mithila is Sitamarhi, where Sita was found in a furrow, still revered as the
Janaki kund constructed by her father Janaka. Rama and Sita left Mithila for
Ayodhya via Lumbini. In 249 BC, Ashoka erected a pillar in Lumbini with an inscription
referring to the visits by both Rama and Buddha to Lumbini. Ashoka was much
nearer in time to Rama and would be well aware of his facts.
"Rama, Lakshmana and Sita left Ayodhya
and went to Sringaverapura - modern Sringverpur in Uttar Pradesh - where they
crossed the River Ganga. They lived on Chitrakoot hill where Bharata and Shatrughna
met them and the brothers performed the last rites for their father. Thereafter,
the three wandered through Dandakaranya in Central India, described as a land
of Rakshasas, obviously tribes inimical to the brothers' habitation of their
land. Tribals are still found in these forests. The trio reached Nasik, on the
River Godavari, which throbs with sites and events of Rama's sojourn, such as
Tapovan where they lived, Ramkund where Rama and Sita used to bathe, Lakshmankund,
Lakshmana's bathing area, and several caves in the area associated with their
lives in the forest.
"Rama then moved to Panchavati near Bhadrachalam
(AP), where Ravana abducted Sita. The dying Jatayu told them of the abduction,
so they left in search of Sita. Kishkinda, near Hampi, where Rama first met
Sugriva and Hanuman, is a major Ramayana site, where every rock and river is
associated with Rama. Anjanadri, near Hospet, was the birthplace of Hanuman
(Anjaneya); Sugriva lived in Rishyamukha on the banks of the Pampa (Tungabhadra);
Sabari probably also lived in a hermitage there. Rama and the Vanara army left
Kishkinda to reach Rameshwaram, where the Vanaras built a bridge to Lanka from
Dhanushkodi on Rameshwaram Island to Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. While parts of
the bridge - known as Adam's Bridge - are still visible, NASA's satellite has
photographed an underwater man-made bridge of shoals in the Palk Straits, connecting
Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar. On his return from Sri Lanka, Rama worshiped Shiva
at Rameshwaram, where Sita prepared a Linga out of sand. It is still one of
the most sacred sites of Hinduism.
"Sri Lanka also has relics of the Ramayana.
There are several caves, such as Ravana Ella Falls, where Ravana is believed
to have hidden Sita to prevent Rama from finding her. The Sitai Amman Temple
at Numara Eliya is situated near the ashokavana where Ravana once kept her prisoner.
"All the places visited by Rama still retain
memories of his visit, as if it happened yesterday. Time, in India, is relative.
Some places have commemorative temples; others commemorate the visit in local
folklore. But all agree that Rama was going from or to Ayodhya. Why doubt connections
when literature, archaeology and local tradition meet? Why doubt the connection
between Adam's Bridge and Rama, when nobody else in Indian history has claimed
its construction? Why doubt that Rama traveled through Dandakaranya or Kishkinda,
where local non-Vedic tribes still narrate tales of Rama? Why doubt that he
was born in and ruled over Ayodhya?
"Rama's memory lives on because of his
extraordinary life and his reign, which was obviously a period of great peace
and prosperity, making Ramarajya a reference point. People only remember the
very good or the very bad. Leftist historians have chosen to rubbish archaeology,
literature and local tradition."
Nandita Krishnan also adds that "Nobody
believed that Homer's Iliad was a true story till Troy was discovered after
extensive archaeology. Unfortunately, the sites of the Ramayana and Mahabharata
have now been built over many times and it may never be possible to excavate
extensively either at Ayodhya or Mathura."
To further verify this aspect of the history
of Lord Rama, Pushkar Bhatnagar concludes that geographical evidence for the
epics is abundant. There still exist many places like Rameshwaram, Kishkindha,
Kurukshetra, Hastinapura, etc. where the visits of Rama and Krishna are a basic
part of local folklore.
Lack of archaeological evidence is no excuse
for denying the existence of history, sums up Bhatnagar. "If the buildings
of that time over 7000 years ago do not exist today, can we just infer that
civilizations and personalities of that time also did not exist?"
In literature, we have the Ramayana and other
texts such as the Puranas which also relate and verify the history and existence
of Lord Rama. People from many other regions of the world have also accepted
the Ramayana as worthy of attention, devotion, and historical evidence. For
example, we can see the affects of the Ramayana tradition in many countries
who have adapted their own form of the Ramayana and worship of Lord Rama, especially
in the countries of Southeast Asia. These include Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia
(Capuchia), Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Other
areas can also be found where the influence of the history of Lord Rama is in
affect, such as the continent of Africa was once known as Kushadvipa for having
been ruled by Kush, one of Lord Rama's sons.
The other fact is that many millions of people
feel the reciprocation from Lord Rama whenever they engage in devotion to Him,
or read the Ramayana, or hear the Ramayana in a katha, or watch a television
show or movie about Him, or go to one of the temples dedicated to Him. This
cannot be denied or neglected. Just because we have insensitive politicians
who cannot perceive this reciprocation does not mean that we all are so spiritually
undeveloped. This dedication and reciprocation has spread throughout the world.
There have also been astronomers who have identified
the approximate time of the Ramayana by the descriptions of the stars and constellations
as given in the Ramayana, or even in the Bhagavata Purana and other texts. Pushkar
Bhatnagar, author of the book Dating the Era of Lord Rama, claims that there
is a significant amount of information available to prove that Rama was a historical
personality. He says, "Valmiki, who wrote the Ramayana, was a contemporary
of Rama. While narrating the events of the epic, he has mentioned the position
of the planets at several places." He explains that by using recent planetary
software, it has been possible to verify that these planetary positions actually
took place precisely as specified in the Ramayana. These were not just stray
events, but the entire sequence of the planetary positions as described by Valmiki
at various stages of Rama's life can be verified today as having taken place.
Bhatnagar goes on to explain: "This information
is significant, since these configurations do not repeat for lakhs of years
and cannot be manipulated or imagined so accurately, without the help of sophisticated
software. The inference that one can draw is that someone was present there
to witness the actual happening of these configurations, which got recorded
in the story of Rama."
Bhatnagar provides the following quote from
the Ramayana: "Rama was born on the Navami tithi of Shukla Paksha of Chaitra
masa (9th day of the increasing phase of the moon in the lunar month of Chaitra).
At that time, the nakshatra was Punarvasu, and Sun, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and
Venus were in Aries, Capricorn, Libra, Cancer and Pisces respectively. Lagna
was Cancer and Jupiter & Moon were shining together. - Ramayana 1.18.8,9
The conditions can be summarized as follows,
according to Bhatnagar:
1. Sun in Aries
2. Saturn in Libra
3. Jupiter in Cancer
4. Venus in Pisces
5. Mars in Capricorn
6. Lunar month of Chaitra
7. 9th day after New Moon (Navami Tithi, Shukla Paksh)
8. Moon near Punarvasu Nakshatra (Pollux star in Gemini constellation)
9. Cancer as Lagna (Cancer constellation rising in the east)
10. Jupiter above the horizon
According to the Planetarium software, it provides
the following date: Sri Rama Navami - 10th January 5114 BCE - Birth Day of Rama,
Observation at 12.30 p.m.
Bhatnagar continues: "By using a powerful
planetarium software, I found that the planetary positions mentioned in Ramayana
for the date of birth of Lord Ram had occurred in the sky at around 12.30 p.m.
of 10th January 5114 BC. It was the ninth day of the Shukla Paksh of Chaitra
month too. Moving forward, after 25 years of the birth of Lord Ram, the position
of planets in the sky tallies with their description in Ramayana. Again, on
the amavasya (new moon) of the 10th month of the 13th year of exile the solar
eclipse had indeed occurred and the particular arrangement of planets in the
sky was visible. ( Date comes to 7th October, 5077 BC). Even the occurrence
of subsequent two eclipses also tally with the respective description in Valmiki
Ramayana. (Date of Hanuman's meeting Sita at Lanka was 12th September, 5076
BC). In this manner the entire sequence of the planetary positions gets verified
and all the dates can be precisely determined."
Although this provides verification of the existence
for Lord Rama according to calculations as given in the Ramayana, some people
feel the timing for the day and year of His birth may be different than what
the planetarium software indicates. For example, Vedic astrologer Nartaka Gopala
devi dasi points out that "Regarding the calculation of Lord Rama's birth
as 10th of January 5114 BCE - Birth Day of Rama, Observation at 12.30 PM, there
are 2 reasons why this cannot be correct. His rising sign, or lagna, is Cancer.
That places Aries in the tenth house, and He has the Sun in Aries. The placement
of the Sun in any birth chart will tell the time of day of the birth. Sun in
the tenth house means birth at noontime (approx. 11 AM to 2 PM). There are no
exceptions to this. (Lord Krishna appeared at midnight, the Sun is in Leo, 4th
house for Taurus rising. Birth at 6 PM means 7th house Sun. Birth at sunrise
means 1st house Sun.) Also, in Lord Rama's chart the Sun is in Aries, and the
dates for Sun in Aries are fixed, which means the same each year on April 14th
to May 13th. So how did the January 10 date come up? These two Jyotish corrections
are common sense that any Vedic astrologer would immediately see." So there
may be a difference in what the planetarium software suggests. This also corroborates
why we who follow the Vedic calendar celebrate Lord Rama's appearance in April-May
each year. So the traditional date appears accurate.
Furthermore, some people feel that the appearance
of Lord Rama took place many thousands or even millions of years earlier, in
the Treta-yuga. For example, the Bhagavata Purana clearly states that Lord Rama
became king during Treta yuga (Bhag. 9.10.51). We have been in Kali-yuga for
5000 years. Before this was Dvapara-yuga which lasts 864,000 years. Before that
was Treta-yuga, which lasts over 1,200,000 years. Thus, according to this, the
existence of Lord Rama had to have been many thousands of years ago. And if
Lord Rama appeared in one of the previous Treta-yugas, it would certainly indicate
that Lord Rama appeared several million years ago. And this is exactly what
is corroborated in the Vayu Purana.
In the Vayu Purana (70.47-48) [published by
Motilal Banarsidass] there is a description of the length of Ravana's life.
It explains that when Ravana's merit of penance began to decline, he met Lord
Rama, the son of Dasarath, in a battle wherein Ravana and his followers were
killed in the 24th Tretayuga. The Roman transliteration of the verse is:
There are 1000 Treta-yugas in one day of Brahma,
and it is calculated that we are presently in the 28th cycle of the four yugas
(called divya-yugas, which is a cycle of the four yugas, Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga,
Dvapara-yuga, and then Kali-yuga) of Vaivasvata Manu, who is the seventh Manu
in the series of 14 Manu rulers who exist in one kalpa or day of Brahma. Each
Manu is considered to live for 71 such divya-yuga cycles. So, without getting
too complicated about things, from the 24th Treta-yuga to the present age of
this Kali-yuga, there is obviously a difference of millions of years when Lord
Rama manifested here on earth. Of course, few people may believe this unless
they are already familiar with the vast lengths of time that the Vedic literature
deals with.
Nonetheless, maybe there is further reason why
we should accept that Lord Rama appeared millions of years ago. In the Valmiki
Ramayana, Sundara-Kanda (or Book 5), Chapter 4, verse 27, [Gita Press, Gorakhpur,
India] it explains that when Hanuman first approached Ravana's palace, he saw
the doorways surrounded by horses and chariots, palanquins and aerial cars,
beautiful horses and elephants, nay, with four-tusked elephants decked with
jewels resembling masses of white clouds.
Elsewhere in the Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara-Kanda
(or Book 5), Chapter 27, verses12, an ogress named Trijata has a dream of Lord
Rama, which she describes to the other demoniac ogresses upon awakening. In
that dream she sees Rama, scion of Raghu, united again with Sita. Sri Rama was
mounted on a huge elephant, closely resembling a hill, with four tusks.
The question is how could there be a mention
of the elephants with four tusks unless Valmiki and the people of his era were
familiar with such creatures? A quick search on the Encarta Encyclopedia will
let us know that these four-tusked elephants were known as Mastodontoidea, which
are said to have evolved around 38 million years ago and became extinct about
15 million years ago when the shaggy and two tusked Mastodons increased in population.
Now there's something to think about, eh? So this would mean that the specific
planetary configuration that is described in the Ramayana, and is verified by
Pushkar Bhatnagar, may have indeed happened, but at a time millions of years
prior to merely 10,000 years ago.
In this way, as we go through the evidence,
we can see how Lord Rama was an actual historic personality, as described in
the Ramayana and in other Puranic texts. Nonetheless, there will always be those
for whom no matter what you present for verification, it will not be enough.
Some just won't believe it. Some will, some won't, so what, let's move on. But
many in the world already accept the authority of the Ramayana and other Vedic
texts for the verification of the existence of Lord Rama.
