The end of Rama-Rajya (29 Nov)

We celebrate the victory of Ram over Ravana,

But is that all the Ramayana is about,

There is much more to the epic,

Than just an avenging bout

Sodden is a husband with uncertainty,

Over his wife’s character, and overcome by perplexity,

Sita, to appease him, arranges and overcomes Agnipariksha,

Where fire acts as the guarantor to prove a wife’s fidelity

Though they reunited,

The seeds of doubt remained,

Nourished by the accusations of Nagarasen,

His opinion about Sita did Ram maintain

Exiled her, he did, when his own people had spoken,

Clinging to his image of one who follows dharma,

He sent his pregnant wife away,

Focussing not on the outcome, but on his karma

To prove his supremacy and authority,

Again on the insistence of his people,

Ram set out to conduct the Ashwamedha,

And behold the ones who stopped him, his own children strong and regal

Not knowing the truth then,

He sent forth the strongest in his kingdom,

But Luv and Kush, defeated all,

Bharat, Shatrughan, even Hanuman and Lakshman

Ram arrived himself,

And defeated the young boys, without a partner

Mighty as his children were, smart and spirited,

Their opponent, Ayodhya’s ruler, was still their father

And the truth revealed itself,

A father couldn’t be prouder,

With true intentions,

He asked his wife to come back and end this torture

Nagarasen spoke his venomous thoughts again,

Though this time Sita had had enough,

She teared open the ground beneath her,

And was swallowed through without scuff

After ruling for many years, alone and sad,

He finally descended from the throne, when time was due,

Inseparable and unified, Ram and his three brothers,

Ended their lives by jumping in Sarayu

The people who gossiped and laid accusations,

To sow the seeds of falsities,

Were abandoned by their Gods,

To lead their lives of immoralities

A warrior of immense strength,

And a ruler with unshakable morals,

Led a life of anxiety, miserable and dejected,

Because his own people called his wife disloyal

Ramayana talks about the judgmental society,

Capable of bringing Gods down,

It talks about the price one has to pay,

Of being rigid in principles, and the pressure of a crown