Ramayan

Our family is a very religious family residing in Punjab. From my childhood days, my mother used to do Ramayan paath on our birthdays. Most of the time this was a 24-hour continuous path without a break and we also used to read to give a few breaks in between to our mother. We used to get halwa prasad after the paath. She also used to tell stories from Ramayana which we all brothers and sisters liked very much.

This thing is continuing for the last 40 years or so and now she does Ramayan path on my children's birthday. However, due to her age paath is now of 5 days.

Two years back mother asked me ''why not you read full Ramayana as it will give you your peace of mind''. Heeding to her advice I started reading Ramayana 1-2 hours daily. Initially, I was not regular but once I found it interesting it became my habit. If due to some reason I could not read it on some particular I always thought of missing something good that day.

Reading Ramayan daily made me a better and peaceful person .out of the seven kaands I like bal kand the most. It describes the birth of lord ram and how Rishi Vishwamitr took Ram and Laxman to the jungle. Ahalya Udhhar and how ram met Mata Seeta and about her Swayamber and marriage to ram.

Ayodhya kaand describes how ram, Laxman and Seeta go on a fourteen years Vanvaas after step mother kekayi wanting to make her son king, makes a conspiracy. This kaand also describes about kewat and bharat milap.

Next is aranya kaand about cutting of nose of Rawana's sister Shroopnakha by Laxman. How Rawana abducts Seeta and how jatayu bravely battles with Rawana and get killed.this kaand also tells us about meeting of Rama with Shabri and eating her half-eaten ber.

Kishkinda kaand tells about meeting of Ram Laxman with hanuman who then took them to Sugreev. He then sends hanuman and army of monkeys in search of Seeta.

Sunder kaand is about the bravery of Hanuman, how he crossed the vast sea and his meeting with mata Seeta and also about burning of whole lanka by him. He then brings Seeta's chudamani to ram.

Lanka kaand describes the battle between two armies and how ram killed Rawana and Koombhkaran, and got Seeta released.

In uttar kand the story after coming back to Ayodhya , ram has to send his wife to jungle and the birth of two sons Luv and Kush in Valmiki Ashram and later Seeta asking mother earth to take her inside.

The knowledge in Ramayana is so vast that you can not understand it reading once. I read Ramayana 5 times since then, and every time it gave me new knowledge and every time each story has new meaning. Ramanaya is my favorite book to date.