Ravan's Advice to Lakshman, brother of Ram



For most of us, we do things, We find ourselves in a trap where everything is faster than we are. And we have to catch. And we trying to catch up with everything. With the projects that din't get done, all the ideas that we have. And don't feel bad about this, because goes back to hundreds and thousands of years ago. It's documented. When Ravan (Anecdote from Ramayana, one of the greatest epic from India) he was the bad, he stole Ram's wife Sita. Finally Ram did him in. As he's dying. Ram sends his brother, Lakshman, saying "Actually he's quite literate, quite a wise person, ask him a few questions."

Ravan is lying there, he's dying slowly. Lakshman comes upto him and says "Tell me how to run a kingdom, what is good, what is bad." And of-course, Ravan stays very quiet. Lakshman comes back to Ram and says "The rope is burnt but the twists are still there. He's so proud of himself that he won't answer!" Ram asked, "No. No. what did you do?" Lakshman says, "I went by his head and asked him". Ram said, "No. Don't go by his head. Pay him all the respect that is due to him. Then very nicely and kindly ask him." So Lakshman does that.

And one of the things that Ravan says is just that "I had so many wonderful dreams. I wanted to do so much good, but I din't do those things. I started doing things that were no consequence. If at all they were of any consequence, they were of bad consequence. I didn't choose consciously the things that I wanted to pursue in my life. And today the result is, I'm lying here. And I've had so many blessings from different deities that nobody would be able to kill me. But here I'm, I'm dying. Because I din't pursue the good. I pursued those things that were of bad consequence."

He talks about his dreams, and his dreams are really big! He wants to convert entire ocean into sweet water so that people will have good supply of clean water. He said "But I din't do that. Instead, I started pursuing, how I could Kidnap Ram's wife."
Stupid!
Of-course in that moment he says "I understand this is stupid, but there is nothing I can do about it now. I wasn't conscious." We're all guilty of not pursuing the good, and pursuing things good for nothing. We're all guilty of that. As far back as that story goes, that has been the case.



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