Ram, Ramayan and Assam

Kalpana Bora

(kalpana.bora@gmail.com)

Bharat is a land of rich spiritual and cultural legacy which is known for its ocean-deep Itihaas of Sanskriti and civilisation, which we learn from continuity in families through generations (orally and following our elders) as well as from ancient scriptures and epics like the Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc. And Bharat’s Ishan Assam is no exception. Descriptions about Ramkatha (Ramayan) are found in devotional songs, ritual songs, marriage songs, festival songs, lullabies, incantations, proverbs, folk tales and folk beliefs of different communities of undivided Assam (which earlier included many other states of NortheastBharat). While singing Naam (divine songs sung in praise of Bhagwan Krishna and Bhagwan Ram) in Naamghar, we start with chants of

Krishna Hari Ram Hari Ram Ram Ram…

And the Kirtan in Naamghar ends with chants of ‘Krishna Ram, Krishna Ram’. The Bihu festival is so close to the hearts of Assamese people, and we start the Bihu Husori dance with

 Jai Ram bula, Jai Hari bula

In the Kirtans of Mahapurush Srimanta Shankardev Ji, the great Vaishnavite saint, spiritual leader, social reformer, and erudite scholar of Assam (16th century AD) who gave Assamese their identity, there are mentions of Bhagwan Ram many times. Srimanta Shankardev Ji wrote the Ankiya Nat “Ram Bijoy”, which is a one-act drama based on the story of Ramayan, and Bhaonas are still performed based on this even today in Assam. The scene of the drama is ‘Swayambar of Mata Sita’, when Bhagwan Ram lifts Lord Shiva’s bow ‘Pinaka’ in Janakpur.

So, Bhagwan Ram is an integral part of our lives – “Maryada Purushottam”, i.e., the “Best Purush” (Sarva Guna Sampanna), an ideal role model to follow for leading life while sticking to principles. It is rightly said-

Follow Ram in actions,

Krishna in Gyan

The meaning of the word “Ram” is “Ramnte Itih Ramah”, which means to immerse in something, to get absorbed/lost in something, the element in which the whole world is settled. And that element is Ram. We rebuilt Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir newly (it was demolished by Mughals some 500 years ago) and it was inaugurated in January 2024. Why is Itihaas of Bhagwan Ram known to every child and adult of Bharat alike? Why is it that we say that Ram is our lifeline? Why do we chant ‘Jai Shree Ram’ at any place and anytime? This is because,

Ramayan is our Itihaas, the Living Soul of Bharat and Bhagwan

Ram is Maryada Purushottam

Ramayan as a story told among our families trans-generationally has been a live testimony to our cultural connectivity for thousands of years. A real-time example is that of our great Sants like Gautam Buddha (6th-5th century BCE), Mahavir Ji (6th century BCE, Jain Dharma), Guru Nanak Dev Ji (14th-15th century AD), Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (15th-16th century AD), and Srimanta Shankardev Ji of Assam (15th century AD), to name some – all of these were actually born on this pious land Bharat, and now people worship them as Bhagwan! Similarly, the great king and Maryada Purushottam Bhagwan Ram was born in Ayodhya thousands of years ago!!

Dharma and politics cannot be separated, and Dharma and development can also not be segregated. That is why we worship Bhagwan Ram, who followed the path of Dharma in all his actions and activities. After Lord Ram had become King of Ayodhya, sage Valmiki started writing Ramayana (because Rishi Valmiki had divine powers so that he could see what happened in the past!) – this is reflected in the difference in writing styles of the first six Kandas and the Uttara Kanda of Ramayana. When we talk of how a son, a brother, a husband, a friend, or a king should behave, we look up to Bhagwan Ram. Bhagwan Rama left Ayodhya for Vanwas of 14 years to obey his father, King Dashrath’s order. Mata Sita fulfilled her Dharma of accompanying and supporting her husband, Bhagwan Ram, in all testing times. Laxman left the comforts of the kingdom to accompany his brother Ram to Vanwas. Bhagwan Ram’s younger brother Bharat ruled the kingdom, placing Ram’s Paduka on the throne. How to protect Dharma, fighting against the enemy with courage, is found in Shri Ram. Obedience, social harmony, justice, patience, etc. – all virtues are there in our Ram. Ramji ate berries eaten by Bhilni Mata Shabri, and Ramji took help from Nishadraj (who belonged to the Jati of Navik, fisherman) in crossing the Ganga river. Ram Ji fulfilled true friendship with Vanvasi Raja Sugriv. Even after victory over Ravana, Bhagwan Ram did not annex Lanka to his kingdom. Such a Bhagwan Ram is our role model, who defines our Sanskar and Achaar (action, behaviour). Bharatiya Sanskriti never teaches to exploit and encroach on others, we believe in sustainability and contentment. We believe in co-existence and not competition. All these examples teach us how family members should respect each other and how to respect the sovereignty of other nations. Our character becomes like the role model we follow.

Bhagwan Ram’s Itihaas was known to the people of Assam from an early date. Two seventh-century copperplate inscriptions of King Bhaskaravarmana (seventh century) mentioning Ram and kings Dashrath and Janak; a sculptural depiction of Ram’s story in a relief (difference in the height of a high point and low point on a landscape) at Deopahar (10th-11th century); an elaborate reference to diverse episodes of the Rama story in Kalika Purana (10th-11th century); etc., bespeak an early presence of the Ramayan on Assamese soil. Ruins of Deopahar bear visible signs of destruction. The Shiva Linga from Deopahar, which was taken to safe custody, is the same one that is worshipped today at Baba Than in Numaligarh. Strategically these facts have been hidden by some elements of anti-Sanatani mindsets. Generally, in available literature on Assam’s temples, one hardly finds any mention of invasion, and blame has been put on only natural calamities! These issues need to be reinvestigated carefully. In what follows, we present some of the contexts in support of Ramayan, found in Assam, Bharat and neighbouring countries.

1. Archaeological Findings

At the archaeological site “Deopahar”, dating back to the 10th-11th century, Mata Sita is seen in a scene of Sunderkand with a monkey (Hanuman).

2.  Epical/Literary evidence

Assam possesses a rich Ramkatha tradition, including the first rendition of the Valmiki Ramayan in an Indian language of Aryan origin, composed by Shrijut Madhava Kandali in the 14th century AD. Madhava Kandali’s Ramayan is a faithful rendition of the five Kandas (from Ayodhyakandato Yuddhakanda) of Valmiki Ramayan. In the sixteenth century, Saint poets Sri Sankaradeva and Sri Madhavadeva added the Uttarakanda and Adikanda, respectively, to complete the Kandali’s Ramayan. Srimanta Shankardeva’s Kirtan and Ram Bijoy Nat contain praise about stories of Ramayan. Ananta Kandali Ramayana was composed in the sixteenth century; it was a Vaishnava adaptation of Madhava Kandali Ramayana. Moreover, there are about 300-400 different versions of the Ramayan, with variations due to different languages of Bharat and regional interpretations, including adaptations to Buddhism and Jainism and regional versions in many countries of Southeast Asia, like Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, etc., which asserts the concept of Akhand Bharatvarsha.

3. Inscriptions

Two 7th-century copperplate inscriptions of King Bhaskaravarmana mention Rama, Dasharatha, and Janaka (father of Mata Sita).

4. Kalika Purana

The Kalika Purana, a 10th-11th century text, elaborately refers to various episodes of the Ramayana.

5. Basishtha Ashram

Basistha Mandir is an ashram of the Maharishi Vashista located in the Southeast area of the capital city of Assam, which was constructed by the Ahom King Rajeshwar Singh in the year 1764. Vasistha Ashram is believed to be the home of the famous sage Vasistha, located on the outskirts of Garbhanga Reserve Forest. Sage Vasistha plays a crucial role as the family priest and guru of the Ikshvaku dynasty, to which Bhagwan Ram belongs, who imparted both spiritual and worldly knowledge to Bhagwan Ram and his three brothers.

6. Astronomical contexts

In Valmiki Ramayan, the position of planets and Nakshatra at the time of birth of Bhagwan Ram is mentioned – one can calculate how many thousand years ago it must have occurred. Agastya Muni’s time around 5100 BC also matches with the time of the Ramayana (through visibility of Canopus from Vindhyas; Canopus is known as Agastya Star).

7. Textual, historical and cultural contexts

There are mentions about Ramayan’s events in other ancient Bharatiya texts like Mahabharat and Purans. Inscriptions found in Ayodhya, like the 12th-century Vishnu-Hari inscription, are interpreted as evidence of the site’s connection to Lord Ram. At Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir, Ayodhya, the archaeological evidence of an ancient Hindu temple was found at the site. The Ramayana’s immense popularity and influence on Bharatiya culture are seen as further evidence of its historical importance. Many Puranas attest to Ayodhya as one of the seven Pavitra cities, the other six being Mathura, Dwarka, Haridwar, Kashi, Kanchipuram and Ujjain. Kalidasa, the greatest classical poet and dramatist, mentions the incarnation of Vishnu on earth as Shri Ram. Purans like Bhagwat Puran, Shiv Puran, and Garuda Puran also refer to Bhagwan Ram.

The Ramayana has played an impactful role as a unifying link for the whole of Bharat. Almost all the states of NE Bharat have Ramkatha-based literary and artistic traditions in varying degrees. Ramayana also exists in the Karbi language, Khamti language, Tiwa language, etc. Cultural performances based on the Ramayan are rendered in all states of NE Bharat.

Hence, it is not wrong to say that the Ramayan forms the living soul of Bharat and Assam alike.