Who is Rama and who is Ravana in the Sri Lankan war?

Rama, the Hero of Ramayana, does not annex Lanka to His Kingdom. Rama wins the war and hands-over power to Vibheeshana - the younger brother of Ravana who was a spiritual person. No foreigner has defeated the Ravanas on both sides of this ethnic issue. To my mind, Rama from India is Sai Baba to Hindu parts of Sri Lanka. Spiritual Sri Lankans of all religions will lead Sri Lanka out of the current mess.

l by Gaja Lakshmi Paramasivam

(November 22, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) I read with appreciation, the Summary Report of the meeting of UK based Alliance for Peace and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka (APRSL) in the British parliament on the theme of ‘Tamil friends of India and the way forward’, published in Sri Lanka Guardian.

It is reported that Mr. Krishnarajah, a solicitor, claims that his wife had earned the name ‘Madurai Meenakshi’. The Reports says ‘He went into greater length to explain why India is motherland for Sri Lankan Tamils and passionately appealed for the relationship to progress in the best interest of India and the Tamils.’

My question is whether Mr. Krishnarajah continues to need the active help of his mother after being married to his ‘Madurai Meenakshi?’. Meenakshi’s father Thadchan had a bad relationship with his daughter and son-in-law. This morning I wrote as follows to a group of professionals – some residing in the UK: ‘With Legends / Religious messages and even family and alumni - we need to take the essence and apply that essence to our current life.’

We did not physically live with India when we grew up and reached adulthood. Why would we need India now to relate?

Tamils of Sri Lanka, and Tamils of India share common culture. But we did not grow up together physically. Indians have Madurai Meenakshi and we Sri Lankans have Muneeswaram Vadivaambikai. Both are Mother forms of Shakthi/Energy. Once we marry and set up our own family, we do not have strong relationships with parents. We carry our parents as ‘values’ in our minds and to the extent we believe in them – they are a natural part of us – gods within us. They keep reminding us from within – so we would have the confidence to add our own form to their base. The more we use the god/parent within, the less we need to ‘see’ and relate for external purposes.

India’s real value to Sri Lankans on both sides of the war – is this ‘belief’. We need to give our own form to our work in developing our family and home. It’s like Australia developing independent of UK.

The English law practiced in the UK is not likely to look similar to the same English law practiced in Sri Lanka. The forms of our relationships would change as per time and place. That is the way of Nature. Equal Opportunity & Anti Discrimination laws are based on this value that the past needs to be carried as an invisible value/belief and not given form in our current environment of a different culture.

I have stated in the communication referred to above ‘all that is physical is 'mortal'. Death is the end of the physical. Those who are driven more by the physical and less by the intellect - are Asuras and hence they do not get the Nectar of Immortality. It would be against the laws of Nature / Creation / Brammah's system.
Take for example ourselves. The more money we make and hoard - the more fearful we are of Death. This was why in some parts of our community - they have the 'coin dissolving' ceremony to release the soul from someone who is not able to leave this world. I have spoken to a few to help them dilute their attachment and this to me was 'palliative care'. Without losing this attachment - they are likely to have had prolonged suffering due to their attachment. If you find two people who passed away - one with attachment and another with very little attachment to money - you would find that the one with more attachment would have demonstrated greater difficulty before dying. 

The physical has two sides. That is the law of Nature. Hence every birth has equal and opposite death. Hence Asuras could not have had immortality. They were however, entitled to the riches of the ocean. We are entitled to money benefits for our work - the costs. When costs are equal to benefits - we are at breakeven level. At this level - we have steady mind - no mind. This is achieved through meditation. Shiva is known as the Lord of the Mind., because He destroys Body Consciousness. I love that part of Sivapuranam which says 'Veham Kedduththaanda Venthanadi Velha' - Praise be to the Lord who rules by destroying Speed.

It is human nature to work faster towards benefits. Even our publishing work - to the extent we are driven by benefits has speed. When the mind 'sees' more benefits than costs - we are fast. Those who know the answers would deliver fast to get the grades. When we share our benefits - speed is reduced and our mind is steady.

When the mind is steadied , we are not aware of our body - this way or that way. Democratic systems use two sides - for this reason. When we read information and publish it without having personalized it through our own discovery about ourselves - we are either trading or hoarding. Excessive trading also becomes hoarding eventually. The stories / legends about Shiva also would be used at various levels by various persons. Ravana - the Asura king of Lanka was also a Shiva Devotee. A money-rich Sri Lanka making more money than it needs - is Ravana's Sri Lanka - be it Tamil or Sinhala or Muslim. Vibheeshana's (Ravana's brother) Sri Lanka balances itself through meditation on the Lord and would be paradise on earth.

This applies to each and every Sri Lankan. 

The Report about the meeting in UK Parliament says about Rama and Ravana ‘Deva Samaroo , an international Hindu community activist and a well known political figure in the Labour Party circle spoke about the relationship between India and Sri Lanka. Quoting the historical Valmiki Ramayana, he said the Hindu Rama and Ravana’s story goes back to beyond eight thousand years ago. Hindus are the natural inhabitants of Sri Lanka and Buddhism came to Sri Lanka only 600 years ago. Therefore to consider Tamil Hindu’s of second class citizens is a breach of Sri Lankan history and human rights. It is better to live in unity and respect for each other than to experience the division of mother India experienced. He said: ‘It is observed that Sri Lankan constitution incorporate equal rights and opportunities but in practice it is not afforded to the Tamils’.

The question that comes to my mind is ‘Who is Rama and who is Ravana in this Sri Lankan issue?’. As with LLRC, we need to carry forward the essence of Ramayana and use what happened back then to identify with the Truth then discovered. When we are able to, we connect to the ancient powers which are very strong due to having value over a long period of time. Likewise when we are able to connect to the discoveries made by other cultures. The details of the story cannot be directly applied to current environments – unless we are in an extended family system and that too only up to a point. But the belief helps us have a higher start.

Rama, the Hero of Ramayana, does not annex Lanka to His Kingdom. Rama wins the war and hands-over power to Vibheeshana - the younger brother of Ravana who was a spiritual person. No foreigner has defeated the Ravanas on both sides of this ethnic issue. To my mind, Rama from India is Sai Baba to Hindu parts of Sri Lanka. Spiritual Sri Lankans of all religions will lead Sri Lanka out of the current mess.

As per the Report ‘The second keynote speaker was a practising solicitor R Manoharan. He was very assertive and eloquently spoke and served a writ on Sri Lanka stating that Sri Lankan Tamils survival depends on the traditional Tamil habitant north and east of the island becoming a part of India. He went into great detail to explain why this should happen and in summation he said there is no other way for the Tamils and India. He said, the concept of Tamil north and east merging with India as a federal state will take momentum and considered campaign work will start to influence India to accept the fate accompli to incorporate the north and east as a federal state of India’

This ‘easy’ give-away approach is shocking and is an insult to our work to govern ourselves. We are Sri Lankans and we (all Sri Lankans) will realize self governance – the Sri Lankan way. This is different to Indian way even though we share common cultural beliefs. The five fingers of our palm look different. They are all Equal to the palm that holds them together. Likewise, all children to their parents. One child may be good looking, the other intellectually smart and another loving but without looks or smart brains. A genuine parent would discover that they are of Equal value to the parent. Each child is needed by the family in a different aspect. Hence the diversity. Likewise parent-governments of the Globe would know that all child- members are of Equal value to them. A country in that leading position, without realizing this value, has failed as a parent/government. Likewise Government of any country with it Racially different looking children.

Children themselves may not appreciate this even after parents have realized this Equal value. But when they do become parents themselves, they would appreciate the value of their parents and their journey towards this realization, when based on belief in the parents – is shorter and happier. This is facilitated by parents through Devolution or ‘living away from parents’ by the children themselves. Sri Lanka has a history of living away from India. We will become independent our way. We owe it to ourselves.