Diwali celebrates the return of Sri Rama to Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile. This follows immediately after Rama’s great victory over Ravana in Sri Lanka and his recovery of his beloved wife Sita. As such, Rama’s return indicates the triumph of light over darkness and dharma over adharma, truth over falsehood. It marks the establishment of Rama Rajya, the rule of dharma that allows the flowering of our highest human and yogic potentials in harmony with Universal Consciousness.
Yet, metaphorically speaking, Sri Rama’s exile from India lasted for centuries – including the first seventy years of India’s independence – though the wish for Rama’s return always remained. India’s independence did not bring about the long sought for return of Rama Rajya and the light of dharma that the independence movement aspired to.
The aspiration for Rama Rajya and the rule of Dharma that inspired the independence movement was derided and rejected by post-independence intellectuals and leaders who preferred to put their own images upon the country over that of Sri Rama, and teach their own personal opinions and political ideologies over the wisdom of the great seers and yogis since ancient times.
Today the temple at Sri Ram’s birthplace (Ram Janmabhoomi0 in Ayodhya is being constructed following up after a unanimous Supreme Court ruling in its favor. The aspiration to Rama Rajya can now be fulfilled, and India as Bharat can truly rise again in its inner light of wisdom. This can become a beacon for the entire world in the planetary age.
The towards Rama Rajya has been made and there can be no going back. Yet, the battle is far from over and there can be no relaxing of efforts or reduction in determination or resolve, as adharmic forces remain very powerful in the world and will never give up without a prolonged struggle.
Implications for the Future
This return of Ram Rajya in India is not the imposition of some out-of-date rigid Hindu law or Sharia on a helpless population as its opponents would bleakly portray. It is yogically progressive, advancing the cause of higher consciousness and oneness in the world back to the ancient Rishi traditions that guide us from within. It continues the work of the great Gurus from India who have brought the message of Yoga, Vedanta and Vedic knowledge worldwide since Swami Vivekananda over a hundred years a go. Such a new dharmic focus and higher values is desperately needed at a time in which humanity overall is confused about its true purpose and place in the cosmos, caught in social division and false beliefs, alienated from the greater universe, and now caught in a prolonged global pandemic as well.
This return of Sri Rama as a guiding force promises a renaissance of India’s dharmic civilization and yogic way of life. It sets the stage for a return of Ma Lakshmi as prosperity for all, and a protection of the Earth, Bhumi Devi, with a renewal of India’s magnificent sacred sites. It is not a mere nostalgic dream from a bygone era, but the future vision of a higher humanity following a kinder and sacred way of life, where our inner Consciousness can unfold, not just our outer technology. Rama Rajya as the rule of dharma is not the imposition of rigid codes or social control, but an awakening to our inner connection to the cosmic reality within and around us, with respect for all beings and all ecosystems.
In this struggle between light and darkness (jyoti and tamas), knowledge and ignorance (vidya and avidya), we must awaken Sri Hanuman within us, the inner magic of a higher motivation, a new energy, zeal and seeking of transcendence, which it necessitates that we leap beyond our ordinary boundaries born of ignorance and fear. We may physically reside in restricted time and space, but our immortal inner being stands far beyond them and need not be circumscribed by their boundaries. We can awaken an inner transformative power if our dedication is to the highest excellence, Sri Rama within us.
Rama Rajya is the universal order of cosmic intelligence and compassion, which we can enter into whenever we look beyond our personal limitations to the light of Self-awareness (Atma-Jyoti) that is the basis of all existence. Diwali and the lights that we shine sustains the promise of an enlightened humanity, which we should dedicate our lives to manifest. This is not a matter of mere material prosperity, science and technology, but an understanding of our true nature as cosmic beings, centers of boundless light and awareness.
Jai Sri Ram! Jai Sita-Ram!
David Frawley (Vamadeva)
