Rāma Rājya Re-lived in Tattvāloka

An account of an inspiring lecture on the grand principles of life and governance

As part of the lecture series by eminent personalities on the subject ‘Onward March to Rāma Rājya’, Tattvāloka had arranged on April 15, 2018, a talk by Smt. Vishakha Hari, an eminent exponent of Harikathā and music. In an enthralling presentation to a packed audience at the Tattvāloka auditorium, she expounded the key principles of dharma mentioned in the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa that could help usher Rāma Rājya in any society.

The audience consisting of young students as well as elders listened to her with attention. Sri Gopal Krishna Gandhi, former Governor of West Bengal and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, was also in the audience.

At the very outset, Smt. Vishakha Hari acknowledged that it was her passion to awaken the spirit of mother India which prompted her to accept the opportunity to speak. “It is my dream that my country should prosper and become an enlightened superpower,” she said.

Stating that creating Rāma Rājya is the goal of true Indians, she thundered, “We mustn’t stop with these lectures. Rāma Rājya is the need of the hour. We must start acting this very moment and fulfill the mission.”

The speaker highlighted that the true purpose of education is to use it to serve the country. She stressed the need for a fundamental shift in the research and study of Indian history. “Distorted Indian history mostly handed by foreign scholars is one of the reasons behind the inferiority complex of many Indians”, she said. Such accounts of history have made our children look to the west as the ideal environment.

“The study of real history, on the other hand, instills pride and patriotism in the hearts of youngsters. Citizens must love to be in this country. For this, they must be exposed to the glory of our civilization right at the beginning. It should inculcate devotion towards the great people of our land,” she said adding that this alone will check brain-drain and inspire people to work for society.

The speaker mentioned that the governance model described by Vālmīki is practical and she juxtaposed the descriptions in the epic with the modern times.

Daśaratha Rājya

The vidūṣī began by outlining king Daśaratha’s reign. According to her, perhaps Rāma himself was inspired by his father’s idea of governance.

The first condition for an ideal rule, she said, was a state in which its citizens are joyful. The state must be self-sufficient. Food depends on agriculture which in turn depends on water-resources. Every river, therefore, must be protected.

Rāmāyaṇa speaks about the attention paid by the rulers on infrastructure, including dams and lakes, as well as the quality of roads and streets in Ayodhyā, inlayed with flowering plants.

Vālmīki describes the beauty of kingdom as one where there was no poverty since the rich donated liberally to support the poor. The society supported and encouraged talent of different genres. The kingdom consisted of scholars who were seekers of knowledge. The ministers were always engaged in the welfare of citizens.

Ideal Citizens

The citizens of Ayodhyā were described as literate, virtuous, happy and healthy. They were contented with their own hard earned wealth. People had lived long. They had large families and they took care of parents and children.

There was none without faith in god. There were no thieves, and no one lied. People had controlled their senses. All were rāja bhaktas and there were no traitors.

Ideal Ministers

On governance aspects, the epic describes the quality of ideal ministers who were virtuous and learned. Even highly learned administrators were humble, and they were respected for their knowledge of nīti śāstra even in faraway lands. Control over senses was one of the key criteria for appointment of ministers.

The ideal ministers were engaged in public service round the clock. They supported justice and were versatile. They were truthful and delivered what they promised. They were well dressed and understood decorum.

Rāma’s Vision

Smt. Vishakha Hari referred to the governance vision of Lord Rāma contained in the Kascit sarga of Ayodhyā kāṇḍa, where Rāma counsels Bharata on administration.

Rāma advises that ministers must be chosen carefully. People must like the ministers and the ministers must have complete empathy for people. Ministers should be spiritually rooted and they should have good preceptors. They should not be tempted under any circumstances. Ministers must not hanker after power, but rather, they must be so good, that power hankers after them.

Protection of the state territory was vital, and defence matters were crucially important. Warriors were respected and paid highly, so that they never became corrupt. At the same time, there was strict espionage in place so that any undesirable activity was nipped in the bud.

The epic says that ambassadors or those who represent the land must be loyal, have presence of mind; they should not interpolate their own views on matters of policy and must always be in tune with the state’s views.

Rāma advises his brother Bharata against autarchic decisions and against involving too many people in planning. A ruler should be careful not to disclose his plans unless he was definite about their materialising.

A vital lesson Rāma teaches is to reap maximum results through minimum efforts. For this, delegation of authority is important. Jobs and qualifications must match and superior jobs should be assigned to those endowed with superior talents.

The government’s income must be more than its expenditure. The treasury should never yield to the undeserving. While all creative endeavours of citizens should be encouraged to flourish, grants must be made to the deserving.

Rāma warns Bharata that adversities may crop up at any time and for this disaster management is very important. Preparing for any eventuality is crucial.

On managing environment, Rāma advises against felling of trees under any circumstances. Where it becomes absolutely necessary to remove a tree, care should be taken to transplant it. He also suggests building prayer halls. Prayer is an unfailing means of cleansing the soul and bringing peace.

Rāma then gives some personal cues to his brother. Never become a prey to excess sleep; eat well but not in excess. Every early morning, the ruler must plan for the day and think what he would do for people’s welfare.

Highlighting Rāma’s injunction that women should be treated properly, the speaker reflected that if only this single glorious principle is deeply ingrained in the modern society, we can be rid of many social issues.

The picture painted by the speaker left the audience yearning for such an ideal society at once.

The vidūṣi concluded the presentation with a kritī of saint Tyāgaraja, ‘Kāru bāru’, in rāga Mukhāri that extolls Rāma’s rule, “Who else other than you, Rāma, could have wielded the scepter to the delight of every section of society?”