Ramayana
I’m currently reading the Ramayana. I’ve heard the stories of the Ramayana through friends and family, but I’ve never actually sat down and read it. So it’s been cool, there’s so much detail, and so much depth to the story than I’ve ever been exposed to. Check out this exerpt I read last night on my way home from work. At this point in the story, Ram and his brother Lakshman are walking with Vishwamitra, a sage that’s asked Ram’s father to allow him to take Ram to all the sacred places the Rakshasa’s have been raiding to get rid of them and return the spaces to their sanctity. At this particular point, Vishwamitra’s at the end of explaining his family’s history to Ram and Lakshman:
“…and my generous sister Kushiki assumed the form of a river for the welfare of all creatures. My sister is now a noble river issuing from the Himalayas. Out of affection for my sister, Kushiki, I lived in the vicinity of the Himalayas. It was for the purpose of completing the sacrifice that I came to Siddhasram. I have told you the history of my life. Now you retire to sleep. The trees stand motionless, the birds of the air and beasts of the fields are hushed in silence. The sky is illuminated with bright stars like blooming eyes.” Ram and Lakshman then retired to sleep.
How pretty is that? Since reading that, I’ve been thinking about how our ancestors were so in tune with our surroundings, and how nature around us reacted to us and things, and how we react to nature around us. Looking at our surroundings with open eyes like that is such a beautiful thing, and speaks volumes about how we are all drops of water, working together to create waves.