Whereas Ramayanam, Srimad Bhagavadam, are so pleasant that they give me the pleasantness of walking on the Pondicherry Beach on a full moon night, cool breeze all around, listening to the roar of ocean waves, holding hands with my beloved Sri Rama or Sri Krishna, feeling blissful and safe.
But they are two very different works with very different purposes. As far as the equivalent of Bhagawadam and Ramayana is concerned, one has to read Sri Aurobindo, his life unique, or else Tales of Prison life, or the ultimate Savitri. Besides, what most people read is the translation of these scriptures. I am not sure how many read the actual Sanskrit version, which is where the beauty and power reside. Otherwise, one enjoys the TV serials on the Ramayana, the Puranas and the Mahabharata, but these are more like formula milk compared to the original. One enjoys them, but it is difficult to say what their spiritual value is in terms of changing us.
Any commentary on the Upanishad is not easy, neither Sri Aurobindo’s nor Swami Vivekananda’s nor Shankaracharya’s. I have read all of them. Though even here, the easiest is the Isavasyopanishad, a commentary on the first 6 shlokas of the Isha Upanishad given as a Guru-student dialogue.
Similarly, if you read Sri Aurobindo’s introduction to the Gita from Bengali writings translated into English, you will find the Rasa you are looking for more than any commentary on the Gita.
But Ramayana and the commentary on the Upanishad cannot be compared as they stand on different levels and are in different formats.
The other part is about what one is looking for: a beautiful spiritual story or the complete truth.
Even with Savitri.
The force is more, that, though it’s a story format, still it has the same drowning effect.
Yes, because the truth is more complete and the language more beautiful. But why be afraid of drowning in the ocean of nectar? I wonder what is the fear and the resistance?
Affectionately,
Alok Da
