Differences in the Concept of Ram

Ramayan is all about the story of Rama, the eldest son of King Dasaratha of Ayodhya. However, there is a difference in the concept of Ram used by different authors from Bhakti period. Some of the poets who have used the term Ram are Tulsi Das, Valmiki, Kabir Das etc. Moreover, in Guru Granth Sahib also the name appears for approximately 2,500 times.

The Ram of Valmiki was simply a prince and son of King Dasaratha of Ayodhya, but the Ram of Tulsi Das besides being the prince is Maryada Purushottam (The best of the Man who will never break the ethics). Ram was made the incarnation of Lord Vishnu by Tulsi Das. While writing Ram Charit Manas, Tulsi Das’s prime assumption was that the Ram is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and Maryada Purusottam and therefore, throughout his writings in the great book, this assumption is an undercurrent. On the contrary, the Ramayan by Valmiki is simply a story of Ram and in the conclusion, he had drawn inferences that he is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

The Ram of Valmiki is having all kinds of human emotions which make him a prince just above an ordinary prince, however, the Ram of Tulsi Das is devoid of these worldly emotions which put him in the category of God. For example, Valmiki’s Ram does not forgive Kaikeyi for her deeds and due to which he has to face exile. On the other hand, the Ram of Tulsi Das did not even remember any of the misdeeds of Kaikeyi and always he used to treat her as his mother and most of the time he used to pay respect to Kaikeyi more than Kaushalya, his actual mother. 

There are other contemporary Indian writers from the Bhakti period who have also used the term Ram in their writings. For example, Kabir Das has extensively used the term Ram in his writings. The Ram of Kabir is not the son of King Dasaratha of Ayodhya, but is the Almighty, meaning thereby, he used the term Ram to address the Almighty. Though Kabir Das’s almighty was NIRGUN BRAHMA, still he uses the term Ram to address it and hence ultimately it is the personification of the Almighty which he believed to be without any physical shape and structures. 

  

The reason behind portraying Ram as Maryada Purushottam by Tulsi Das might be many. It may be the fact that he wanted to present before the people of India a person who can be imitated and free from all kinds of defects, needless to say, that it would be an ideal character. Secondly, it might be that fact that he wanted to portray a personality which only on the basis of its character and self-belief can challenge a mighty king of that time. Thirdly, if such character is possessed by any person then he/she can be equated to the God.

In Bible, it is said that “Ability to forgive your enemy is the highest form of spirituality”. Jesus Christ did it. When he was given the punishment of death, he was praying to the God to forgive those people who were involved in it because, according to him, they did not know what they are doing. Similar to that the Ram of Tulsi is full of forgiveness. He forgave many people who tried to harm him in some form or other.

Thus, Tulsi’s Ram is an example to people and a way to attain spirituality. So, any person can attain spiritual heights by following the principles laid down by the Ram of Tulsi Das in Ram Charit Manas.