It is said that the Vedas took an avatara as Valmiki’s Ramayana. Vedanta Desika says that Ramayana is superior to the Vedas. This is because it highlights the Lord’s qualities much better than the Vedas do. In fact, the purpose of the Ramayana itself is to throw light on His qualities.
Vashnava Acharyas have looked at the Ramayana from a Vedantic angle, said Navalpakkam Vasudevachariar in a discourse. We understand saranagati, Para Tattva, Parama purushartha etc by reading the Ramayana. The Ramayana can also be looked at from other angles. It tells us the dharma to be followed by each one of us. It is of use to us as we carry out our day-to-day activities. It is like reading the purva bhaga of the Vedas. And of course, it can be looked at as literature, and enjoyed by everyone. It is a pleasing kavya, and we can admire the choice of words, and Valmiki’s presentation.
Vedanta Desika says that no poet was born to equal Valmiki. As a story too, the Ramayana has something for everyone, from child to adult. Valmiki gives us nothing but the truth. That is because every conversation in the Ramayana is an accurate reporting by Valmiki. Brahma gave him the boon of being able to see and hear all that happened during the Rama avatara. So his work is a truthful account of what happened. Not all literature has survived. But Valmiki’s work continues to be studied even now. And the entire work of 24,000 slokas has come down to us intact. It is seldom that a work is handed down from generation to generation, without even a small portion being lost.
The Ramyana is an ocean, which contains many gems. In the case of an ocean, one must get to the depths to obtain the gems. In the same way, one must study the Ramayana deeply to get to the gems it holds inside it.
