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7 life lessons I learnt from mythology….

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India is a land of mythology, festivals and celebrations. The entire calendar is dotted with festivals celebrated across the land and breadth of the nation. We have just been through with the Navratris (nine nights). Today is VijayDashmi or Dussheraa (10th day), the day Ravana was killed by Lord Rama, a symbol of victory of Good over evil. All festivals are not just meant to be occasions for celebrations. The main aim of the mythological tales is to convey life lessons and strengthen human beliefs in the prevalent value system. 

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Its up to us to draw the right lessons or just eat drink and be make merry. I have drawn my own list of lessons. 

Life is beyond our Comfort Zones… 

‘Ramayana’ is a beautiful example of moving beyond comfort zones to excel. We all get used to certain comfort zone and prefer to function within certain self-drawn limits. But the one who breaks from the limits usually excels. As per the tale, Lord Rama, along with wife Sita and brother Lakshmana, gave up the princely life and lived 14 years in jungle away from the comforts of the palace he was used to. He gave up the comfort of the princely life and ‘Ramayana’ happened. May be, if he had not agreed to obey the decision of his father to spend 14 years in jungle, he would have lived and died as just another prince / King. 

No one is perfect…. 

Ravana was one of the most educated/ intelligent kidnappinghumans of his time but still did the mistake (crime) of kidnapping a married lady, because he wanted to marry her. Because of this one mistake Ravana is remembered as a symbol of ‘Evil’ more so because nobody expected a learned man like him to indulge in such a crime. It’s a must to maintain balance in life, one should not get carried away by power. 

Balance is what matters…. 

Knowledge is the most powerful attribute amongst all.  During Navratri the Goddess is worshipped in various forms out of which ‘Durga’ (Symbolises Power/ Strength), ‘Lakshmi’(Goddess of Wealth) and Saraswati (Goddess of Education) are the most prominent. One got to work hard not just to acquire all three but also learn to maintain a balance between the three to be successful in life. Good education will certainly go a long way in helping maintain the required balance. 

Tridevilakshmi-sarasvati-durga

Celebrate life…. 

Life is a precious gift and is to be celebrated. One doesn’t have to wait for any day or occasion to celebrate; Be happy that you are alive and kicking. Ups and down will be there in life, even Lord Rama went through them but kept moving on and came back successful and victorious. His 14 years of penance in jungle ending in victory over the ‘Evil’ Ravana. Whatever problems one may perceive he/ she is going through, one should be thankful for the gift of life. The nine days of festivities during ‘Navratris’ symbolises this spirit of celebrating life. 

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Nothing is beyond you…. 

Lord Rama did not have a well trained or equipped army but still with the help of ‘Vanar Sena’ (monkeys) succeeded in defeating the large trained army of Ravana, because he believed in his abilities and had trust in God. A well set focus, training and belief can make anything happen. History is replete with many examples of people rising from the rags to achieve success due to their hard work and focus. 

Harmony with nature…. 

One has to learn to adjust and live in harmony with nature to be at peace. Lord Rama lived in harmony with nature and made friends with the animals who helped him in successfully completing the 14 years exile in forest as also in defeating Ravana. Unplanned cutting down of jungles and destruction of nature is proving disastrous for the human race and leading to so much destruction year after year. One must learn to co-exist peacefully with others to succeed in life. More friends you make more support you are likely to have in the time of crisis. 

Respect for Elders…. 

Lord Rama, for sheer respect of his parents, simply respectabides by the directions of spending 14 years in jungle. It doesn’t mean that even illegal directions have to be obeyed, what it means that elders have to be respected for they took care of you when you required it most during your infancy and growing up years. Emotional and physical support of the family and friends matter most during adverse situations. 

It is the evil within which affects us all the most ; if this is eliminated then there will be so much peace and harmony in life.

Get the colors back….Celebrate life……

Deepawali …. winning the battle within…

75 comments

  4. Beautiful lessons to be learned and appreciated!! The folklore behind it, it’s fascinating but you as always take it a step further and come up with a list of lessons to be learned!!

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  9. Amazing post. I especially loved this line: “One doesn’t have to wait for any day or occasion to celebrate”. This is true. I also remind myself to celebrate life’s little victories, which happens pretty much daily!

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  11. Great blog you have here, I like the welcome at the top, some great inspiration to be taken from this article.

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  12. You are indeed full of motivation! I have deep respect for people like you who spread positivity in the world so full of evil and animosity. We studied Ramayana in Literature and love it a lot!

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  14. I really liked reading this post as you have brought out life lessons from Indian mythology very well. Very relevant.

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  16. Knowledge is indeed power. Ravana did not only have a great knowledge but he knew Lord Rama would kill him still he did the Durga Puja which had to be done before rescuing Ma Sita. He also knew if he did not take the brahmastra upon him the world will be destroyed so to keep the balance he took it upon him. He wanted moksha (ultimately) that’s why it was necessary that Lord Vishnu in Rama’s avatar to kill him. As per Vishnu Purana, 48:23.

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  20. The best way to see what you can and cannot do is to move away from your comfort zone, get into the unknown, do things the unconventional way. test your limits and yourself more and more each day, because if you do things like everyone else you may lose your identity.

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  23. I believe that mythology is the older ways of our old folks to understand life and teach kids about these lessons. Life is an adventure and we have to enjoy and explore it.

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  24. Recently read a book on Ram by Amish Tripathi and realised that Ram the ultimate follower of Dharma and Justice. He is known for being so true to himself and followed the righteous path even at the cost of comfort despite being a king. It’s but natural that these lessons are repeated time and again over centuries to guide us through. All the lessons have been duly covered up in your article and that’s makes it for a good reading. Thanks

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  25. I have never been to India, but I have seen it through television, and print. It looks to be such a beautiful place, full of vibrant and rich colors. Not to mention the rich culture. India is actually on my Travel Bucket List, I hope to be able to make it there one day and experience all the beauty for myself.

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  27. I really loved reading this post. So much wisdom and inspiration here 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!

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  28. This is a great post! I love reading about different cultures and how much their beliefs can help us out with our vibes, our train of thoughts, and how to become so much happier

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  29. I love “life is out of our comfort zone”. I have a bad habit to stay in my comfort zone often so this is something I need to practice.

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  30. I love this article. I believe that Life is precious and that we need to live fully. I believe in respect to family members, as long as there is acceptance both ways. Life is our time to explore and grow and make a positive difference to the world, and all those in it.

    Reply

  32. What an interesting post with many valuable lessons. Love your statement: “Life is a precious gift and is to be celebrated. One doesn’t have to wait for any day or occasion to celebrate; Be happy that you are alive and kicking.”

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  33. Awesome stuff, I especially like the lesson you noted about Ravana. It’s important to keep balance within ourselves, I write about mindset and that couldn’t be more accurate!

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  34. I definitely appreciate the tips. Knowledge is indeed power and as well, nothing that happens to you is beyond you. It happened to you because you can do it. Hence we should live life fully.

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  36. I love reading about India’s culture and its festivals. I also appreciate your explaining the meaning of them and it is very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

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