| During the period
of fourteen years of his stay in the forest, he made it a point to visit the abode of
every rishi residing in it and it was only for their sake that he had to kill Kara and
other Rakshasas who were inflicting untold hardships on these anchorites. Afterwards he
befriended the vanaras and he treated them as his intimate brothers and respected them as
such. When Vibhishana prevented the vanaras from seeing Sita while she approached Rama
after she was informed of Ravana's death in the battlefield, Rama admonished Vibhishana
and told him Please desist from this. They are of my own family." (Ramayana Yuddha
Kanda - 117 sarga - sloka 25). In act, he
considered Sugriva as his sixth brother. Even when he invaded Lanka, he befriended
Vibhishana and regarded him as his seventh brother. Even to his enemies, he was kind. Sage
Valmiki has referred in glowing terms to the universal love, which Rama bore to the whole
of humanity. Rama has declared as his vow to protect and help all mankind: (1) (Ramayana -
Yuddha Kanda - 14 Sarga - Sloka 33 and 34). The Ramayana may be considered as a poem of
love and service to mankind for which the great Rama stood as a beacon-light for all time
to come.
So profound was the influence of Rama's character upon
succeeding generations in India that pious people often pray to Rama for help in distress
of all kinds. There is an soft repeated prayer to Sri Rama invoking His protection and
praying that He and Lakshmana with the drawn bow in their bands should stand by the
devotee and protect him from dangers on all sides. |
