Lord Ram is considered an avatar of Lord Vishnu who descended to Earth in human form. While the Ramayana tells of his greatness, he was still human and faced human relationships, emotions, duties, and responsibilities. Lord Ram provides inspiration because he showed how to value relationships and fight for family rights, emerging as a true hero. His life teaches lessons of being a dedicated student, dutiful son, loving husband, supportive brother, and fierce but forgiving leader. Lord Ram was not superior but like any human, facing imperfections but overcoming them through hard work and betterment, becoming extraordinary from ordinary.

1. LORD RAM, THE HUMAN AVATAR OF LORD VISHNU? IS HE? IS HE NOT?
Here’sa clichéd question, nonetheless itmustbe asked! Youhave readthe holyRamayana,haven’t
you?Yes, it’sa tale of God, Lord Vishnutobe exact, descendinguponEarthinhumanform,Lord Rama,
and impartinglessonsof virtue,righteousness,dharmaandspirituality. It’satale teemingwithaction
and wisdom,brimmingwithromance andadventure…asagathathas stirredthe world formillennia…a
saga depictingabattle betweengoodand evil andthe formeralwaysemergingtriumphant.We all know
this,don’twe? But,the questionthat prowlsisthis…wasitreallyjusta storyof a greatKing?
In spite of the Ramayana’s historicantiquity,don’twe hearthe resonance of the word ‘Aam’,connoting
ordinary, inthe wordRam? Yes, Ram was alsoa human, justlike youandme.For that matter,he was
not justthe 10th
, but the mosthuman avatar of Lord Vishnu. Ramwasalso boundby relationships,
emotions,duties andresponsibilities. Whenhe wasyoung,he wasthe perfectson,thenhe wasthe
idyllichusband,the ideal brotherand the ideal leader.
So,if he was justlike youandme, whydo we lookto himfor inspiration?I’ll tell youwhy!
Lord Ram’sstory isa stoicremindertoall of us that our relationsmake uswhowe are. Whenwe learn
to value them,fightforthemandtheirrights,we emerge astrue heroes. Here are some wisdoms that
we learnfromLord Ram and if we embrace them, theywill make ourlivesvirtuous.
Lord Ram was a dedicatedstudent– Assage Valmiki writesit, LordRam acquirededucationfromthe
prodigiousVasishtaandlaterVishwamitra.Now,Ramdidnotgethisskillsbyvirtue of whohe was (an
affluentson) he hadtotoil like anyotherstudenttoprove hissalt.Evenwhenhe was askedtoslay a
rakshasa(demon),despite initialhesitation,he followedhis‘guru’s’ordersdiligently.
He was a dutiful son – WhenKingDasaratha askedRam to follow hisordersof goingtoexile foraterm
of 14 yearsand coronate hisbrotherinsteadasKingof Ayodhya, he immediatelyobliged. Hisreverence
was sointense thatnotonlydidhe oblige,he alsoshowednobitterness towardsanyone. Whenthe
residents of Ayodhyatriedtostop Ramfrom leaving,he stopped themaskingthemtorespecteveryone
and stayin peace. He exhibited hisnobility andgenerosity.
He was a lovinghusband – Like any otherhusband,Ramadored hiswife. He admiredherandtriedto
ensure thatall her desiresare met, despitethe adversities of livinginthe wild.Ataperiodwhen
polygamywas permissible,Ramremained faithful toSitaalone. WhenSitawas abducted,Ramresigned
foodsulkedall the while utteringSita’sname. Ramjourneyed all aloneinthe unknown insearchof his
wife. Isn’tthis somethingthatanyof us whohas losthiswife will do?
He was a supportive brother – Lakshmana,Bharatha and Shatrughnawere Ram’sthree brothers andfor
himno one was superiorthanthe other. Ramand Lakshmanaare an ideal exampleof how brothers
shouldlive. Theyshowusthe pathto love andaffection.
He was a fierce leader– Ram permitshisadversaries totake refuge withhimand forgivesthem. He
thenspearheads the enormous ape armyintothe landof the DemonKing Raavan and conquerhim. The
familiarage oldadage of the ‘GoodoverEvil’!

2. The tale of Ramayanis notjust aboutone hero,there were numerous.Whocanforgetthe devotion of
Lakshmanwhenhe became Ram andSita’s shadow intheirdark gloomydays?Whocan forgetthe
sacrifices of Bharathwhen he gave up hisdesire to rule the powerful Kingdomof Ayodhyaonlybecause
of hislove forRam? Whocan forgetHanuman,the monkeyGod,who showedusthe true meaningof
beingsomeone’sdisciple?Andmostimportantly,whocanforgetthe devotionof Raavan,the nemesis in
Ramayanand hisdevotiontowardLordShivaand Ram?
How can we overlookthe fearlessnesswithwhichSitastoodbyRam throughhisstrugglesinexilewhen
she couldhave juststayedback and enjoyedthe spoilsof the palace?Whenshe wasabductedby
Raavan andwhile Ramwas still planningherrescue,itwasshe whocourageouslyfoughtforherown
vanity. WhenRamtriedto malignher,she notonlyfoughtfor herownright, but alsoresorted toan
ashram andunaidedlookedafterherself andhertwinboys. Hervalorisunarguable and isan idol for
everywomanacrossthe globe.
In our lives,don’twe playtheseroles every now andthen? Ramis nota superiorforce,he waslike any
of us,a husband,a brother,a son,a leader. Despite the factthathe wasthe reincarnationof Lord
Vishnu,he wasas humanandas ‘aam’as any of us. While we lookforinspiration inourvedictalesof
Ramayanaand Mahabharata, have we everlookedwithinus? We have the true capacityto inspire
ourselvesandbecome abeaconof lightforsomeone else,justthe LordRam! Ram wasalsonot
immaculate.He wasas blemishedasanyof us. But he swiftly recognized hisinadequacyand labored
hard to overcome them. Shouldn’tthatbe the purpose of all ourlives – to worktowardour betterment
and finallyforthe state?Itall starts withus drawinginspirationfromRamandallowinghimtoemerge
fromwithinus. Itsonlywhenyou overcome yourshortcomings,youbecome aRamfrom the Aam! If we
prioritize ourgoalsinourlives, we become extraordinaryfromthe ordinary. Yousee,there’safine line
that drawsbetweenthe two.