This
episode is described very movingly by Sage Vaalmiki. Among the society of the
devout, there is not an iota of doubt about the truth in Bharata’s proclamation.
They hail him as a devotee par excellence.
Outside this sphere, however, it does challenge man’s innate rational
sensibilities. “A pair of Sandals employed to rule a kingdom! They are deemed
as equivalent to a noble king!” This sounds preposterous!! What do all these
mean? They are after all inanimate objects! It can only be considered as a
crazy action performed by a sentimentally and emotionally charged person having
a mindless adulation for his dear one.
Any attempt to analyze and understand whether this
proclamation is the result of mere devotion and sentiment or if it has any
science behind it, will certainly not hurt the sentiments of the devotees but
would only strengthen their conviction.
Sri Sriranga Mahaaguru (who had
experienced the supreme spiritual state of jnaana
and had the thorough knowledge of its manifestation known as the vijnana in its entirety) explains the
profound principle behind this, using a few simple examples.
Let us consider the case of a cheque leaf. Though a
mere piece of paper, the moment it is signed by an authorized person its value
jumps to crores of rupees depending on the one and zeros! One
who has an understanding of the banking system shall have no doubt about its
validity. Is it an exaggeration if we
say that the piece of paper ‘speaks’ out the mind of the signatory? Does it not
carry his will and order? The banker who is able to ‘read’ the order carries it
out in letter and spirit. This is the case of a lifeless leaf ‘speaking.’
That every mood of a person produces a unique tone is
common knowledge. For example, when we write a word “Ah!” and try getting the
mood behind it through the script, we may fail. But if we hear the sound “Ah!”
we can immediately catch the mood - it may be a painful scream or a surprise or
sarcasm. It is because the mood, when it
fills the mind, naturally produces an associated tone. In other words, the mood
imprints and manifests itself naturally through the tone (or a Raaga). Since we have a first-hand
experience of these mundane moods in our daily life, recognizing the mood in
its imprinted form becomes a simple task.
As an extension of the above idea consider the mood of a
musician. The mood of an expert musician also spontaneously produces within
himself a certain raaga and he, being an expert, brings it out faithfully
through his vocal cord. All through the development of the raaga he
exhibits the same inner mood. A common man may simply enjoy the music but one who
has a keen sense of perception and has acquired a special training can follow
the raaga and trace it back to the singer’s mood. This becomes possible because
the musician faithfully ‘places’ his mood/mind in the raaga.
A skilled instrumentalist ‘places’ his mind not in his
voice but on an inanimate piece of wood and strings smartly put together (a
Veena for instance) to replace his voice box. Any person trained in musicology
can definitely trace the notes, produced by the inanimate instrument, to their
source – the musician’s mood. Thus the idea that it is possible to transfer the
musician’s mood on an insentient object and to decipher his sentiment is also
common knowledge since such trained minds are not ‘very rare to be found’.
One may further
argue that the signature on a cheque leaf and the emotions being vocalized are
clearly visible, while that is not the case with the Paadukas. But it is
not necessary that every change be visible. There are numerous instances
wherein the changes induced are not visible to the naked eye but yet can be
perceived through the understanding of modern science.
For example, a magnet can induce its magnetic
properties in a steel bar and cause it to become a magnet itself. Although
there is absolutely no visible difference in the steel bar, it has acquired the
magnetic energy and so is effectively a magnet now. A scientist who understands
the laws of magnetism may cause numerous materials to be magnetized. He may
even specify the time for which magnetic properties persist. He may at will
switch on or off these magnetic properties in an electromagnet – a specially
designed magnet.
To mention another case, electrical energy can be transferred
and stored in a battery and the physical battery thus charged performs the electrical
tasks.
The above examples are within the purview of our sense
organs, mind and intellect tuned to modern science and hence are easy to
comprehend. But the case of a Jnaani (serene Seer) is radically
different. He, not only transits the familiar roller coaster realm of the
senses and intellect, but also effortlessly flies into the spiritual realm which
transcends all these. These areas are beyond the imagination of a common man who
has restricted himself to the world of sense organs. They are also beyond the
scope of science as we know today, because modern science has not exerted
itself in this direction.
For, a jnaani
is one who has attained the supreme spiritual state and enjoys the bliss
therein. Once he is able to establish himself firmly in that state then his
entire system with his mind, intellect and body gets flooded and permeated with
that bliss. The dharma (mood-state) acquired thereby is termed as the ‘Aatmadharma’. Such a person retains this
mood even after descending to the sensory world. Every thought, word and deed
of his will then reflect faithfully this Aatmabhaava
/ Aatmadharma / Brahmabhaava.
Mahaaguru used to quote an example to illustrate this.
A person chewing cardamom cannot conceal its aroma with his mouth open! Similarly whatever activity a jnaani carries
out would automatically entail along with it the Atmagandha, the perfume of the Atman.
So, just as a
musician instills his bhaava on an
instrument the jnaani too can instill
his Aatmabhaava in any material; it
may be a piece of wood or stone or anything other thing of his choice. He can accomplish
this through his touch or sight or any means he opts for since his entire
system is filled to the brim with that bhaava.
But the Aatmabhaava thus imprinted
cannot be comprehended through our senses; for, the source of this bhaava is far beyond our senses. To decipher as to what is installed one needs
to gain a special spiritual training along with a body system that is sensitive
enough to recognize even subtle spiritual moods.
It is this principle that is to be applied in the case
of Sri Rama Paaduka. Sri Rama is not
just a Jnaani but he is the one being
sought after by the Jnaanis. He is
the Divine Lord residing within the heart of every being. So there is no doubt
that he was full of Divine energy or to be more precise, he was Divinity in
human form. So when he placed his sacred feet on the Sandals he powered them
with his divine energy/the Atmabhaava and that was his seal of authority. The Paadukas therefore, are no longer dead
wood, but sentient wood vibrant with Aatmabhaava,
in short, a personification of Rama Himself. Like a paper cheque getting
transformed into an instrument worth millions, the Sandals got transformed into
Rama’s Pratinidhi (representative).
Rama is nidhi and the Paadukas his pratinidhi. And that was
verily the idea behind Sage Vashishta’s advice to Bharata to seek the blessings
through the Paadukas. The sandals in an
inanimate state (mara bhaava) got
transformed into an eternal glowing state (amara-bhaava)
filled with the Divine bliss. Hence Paaduka Pattaabhisheka (the Coronation of Paaduka) was really equivalent to Enthronement of Sri Rama himself.
Bharata too was not an ordinary soul but was a great jnaani. His devotion to Rama knew no
bounds. He had all the necessary metaphysical sensitivity to recognize the divinity
of the Sripaaduka. That is the reason
why he adorned his head with them! He was such a great soul that when he approached
the Paadukas placed on the throne,
his mind and intellect were elevated and filled with Rama bhaava and he became verily an instrument of the power and will
residing in the Paadukas. His mind,
his words and his actions were all directed by that bhaava and he simply obeyed the `inner’ command. When such was the
case, would it not be right to say that the Paadukas
ruled Bharata and (through him) his empire? This spirit prevailing in him and ruling
him all the time manifested itself in the form of the
proclamation that “Indeed it is Sri Rama Paaduka
which ruled the empire and that he was a mere servant of Sri Rama”. That was
simply his inner experience translated into words! That is why Bharata is
rightly hailed by illustrious people as an exemplary devotee, a devotee of the first
order. `Bharataaya param namostu
prathamodaaharanaaya bhaktibhaajaam’.
Sriranga Mahaaguru has not just stopped by explaining
the scientific basis behind the installation of spiritual energy onto any
material. He used to say that every system brought about by Bhaaratiya maharshis is verifiable even
today and so insisted that his disciples accept the custom only after
experimental verification. He has actually demonstrated how spiritual energy
can be induced in an object by a jnaani
for a specific length of time through his Sankalpa.
Also, a few of his disciples trained in the practical aspects of ‘Naadi shaastra’ were taught to read
through naadi the energy thus transferred.
Such practical lessons from the Mahaaguru
indeed reinforced the conviction in the minds of the disciples.
Salutations to Sri Rama, the divinity incarnate!
Salutations to Bharata who recognized and revealed to the mankind this Divinity!
Salutations to Sriranga Mahaaguru who proved to the world the science behind
the episode and thereby has enhanced our reverence for the great sages of Bhaarata!
May this little garland of words woven with the grace
of the Mahaaguru adorn His Divine Feet!