As Karkidakam, the Malayalam month of rain and poverty, sets in, Ramayanam verses begin to rend the air across the State. This last month of the Malayalam calendar has much significance in Kerala, culturally and historically.
Though the practice of reciting Ramayanam on special religious occasions has been prevalent for nearly 500 years, households observing Karkidakam as a holy month (‘Ramayana maasom’ or Ramayana month) has a history of hardly 37 years.
The decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of Swami Chinmayananda, Swami Visweswara Theertha, seers; Karan Singh, regarded as a cultural ambassador; and Rajendra Singh, former RSS chief, in Ernakulam in 1982.
Now, elders as well as children recite the Adhyatma Ramayanam written by Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, regarded as the father of Malayalam literature. Organisations like Travancore Devaswom Board, Mata Amritanandamayi Math, Chinmaya Mission, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Kshetra Samrakshana Samiti, etc. too started popularising Ramayanam recital among households.
“Ramayanam has been an eternal source of inspiration for Indians and Central and South Asians. Our national ideals, concepts of the State and governance, relationships and our attitude to flora and fauna have been influenced by Ramayanam,” says Gopalakrishna Vaidik, Vedic scholar. “Ezhuthachan’s Adhyatma Ramayanam is brimming with spiritual energy,” he adds.
From first to last
Households recite the Adhyatma Ramayanam daily from the very first day of Karkidakam so that they could complete it in a phased manner by the last day of the month.
Global concern
The prayer is for divine blessings for the fulfilment of the sublime Upanishadic dictum Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu , meaning ‘Let all the world be happy.’ Ezhuthachan has narrated the epic in the form of Kilippaatu.
“What we should do in this age of chaos is to pray for global peace by reciting Ramayanam. Each generation of Indians has rediscovered its own Ramayanam for finding solutions to its problems. Rama, Sita, Bharatha, Lakshmana, and Hanuman are companions in our life’s journeys sharing our sorrows and enhancing our joys,” says Mr. Vaidik.
The TDB too has launched the Ramayana Month observance in all is 1,200 odd temples on Wednesday.
