{"product_id":"9781877795251","title":"Sundar Kanda","description":"The story of the Ramayana is both the history of a perfect King and a depiction of the perfect role models in every relationship. The king was endowed with immeasurable qualities, which he consistently used for the good of all. . The other characters in the story also manifest the ideal character: the perfect wife, the perfect brother, the perfect servant, the perfect devotee. Every relationship, every utterance, presents the archetype of perfection, even the perfect demon.\u003cbr\u003e  Rama is known as the Avatara of Vishnu, the manifestation of the perfect consciousness in human form. Hence, beyond the history, beyond the mythology, beyond the ethics of ideal behavior, spiritual seekers will see in Ramayana an allegory of the odyssey of the soul.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  In the Sankhya Philosophy the soul is known as Purusha, full, complete, perfect consciousness. Prakrti, literally \"Before becoming this,\" is its Nature. The true nature of the soul has been stolen by the demon who has ten heads - five organs of action and five organs of knowledge, what are known as the ten senses. The one who has the ten senses is the Ego, the one who judges every perception in terms of selfish desire.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The soul goes in search for his perfect Nature which has been stolen by the selfishness of Ego. He is accompanied by his brother, Lakshmana, Brother Determination, and together they leave the Kingdom of Ayodhya - the place where there is no war, the place of Perfect Peace - in the care of their Brother Bharata - He Who Shines with the Light of Wisdom.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Receiving many blessings and teachings from great sages and saints, they ultimately enlist the aid of Hanumana, the perfect devotee with unshakable faith.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Now this is where the story of the Sundar Kanda begins, the Beautiful Chapter.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The Beautiful Chapter is a beautiful story. It tells how Pure Devotion in the form of a flying monkey, jumps across the sea to Lanka, - the Kingdom of the Ego- where he meets Bibhashana, brother of the Ego and Discrimination of Right and Wrong.\u003cbr\u003e  Discrimination does not agree with his brother. He tells Pure Devotion where Sita is hidden. She is sitting at the foot of a tree in the grove where there is no grief. In the grove of pleasure, the Ego hopes to seduce Nature to accept him as her consort. Nature will not agree. She will unite with none other than Consciousness. Pure Devotion witnesses threats and gifts, fears and enticements - all trying to force Nature to submit. She will not. Alone in the night Devotion reveals himself. He sees Nature, delivers his message, gives her the ring, and then goes off to eat breakfast and explore the enemy' s strength. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  After eating the fruits of the Ego' s special garden, Devotion challenges the guards. One by one he defeats the soldiers, whereupon the Ego sends his own son, Meghanada, the boisterous nature of Pride. All of Pride' s weapons fail to defeat Devotion, but in order to meet the Ego, he lets himself be captured. Dragged through the streets in chains, Devotion is taken to the court of the Ego. The ministers read out the charges of his crimes, and the Ego pronounces the sentence of death.\u003cbr\u003e  \"Stop!\" cries Discrimination. \"He is not a thief. He is an Ambassador of Consciousness. Ethics forbid slaying an Ambassador. Think of another punishment.\"\u003cbr\u003e  \"Set his tail on fire!\" pronounces Ego. \"Let our children laugh at the agony of a monkey dancing in the streets with his tail on fire!\"\u003cbr\u003e  Hanumana is taken to the streets where his tail is set on fire. Then he breaks his chains and burns down the entire Empire of the Ego.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Returning to the Divine Mother, he asks for a blessing, and is granted pure devotion for all eternity. He takes her hair ornament to show Consciousness as a proof of his visit, and asks her to have patience.\u003cbr\u003e  Pure Devotion returns to Consciousness to describe to him the visit with Nature and explain to him what her condition is. Consciousness is so pleased to learn of her location that he hugs Devotion with affection. The monkeys assemble their armies and march to the ocean.\u003cbr\u003e  Consciousness, Determination, Pure Devotion, Discrimination and all of their Excellent Friends, build a bridge to the Kingdom of the Ego to secure the return of the pure and divine Nature.\u003cbr\u003e  Essentially that is how we understand the Beautiful Chapter. And that is why it is so beautiful. It is filled with deep Philosophy, with examples and admonitions to the purest ethical behavior, of the most tender dramatic pathos, which is why it is so readily accepted as a classical work of scripture throughout all of Asia. Now, as Hinduism becomes a global culture, it is being translated into the symbols and aspirations of every nation which has been adopted.\u003cbr\u003e  It used to be fashionable to compare the Ramayana with the Odyssey and Homer with Tulsidasa. In recent times, scholars of the stature of Joseph Campbell have compared Star Wars with the Ramayana. The Ramayana is enacted all throughout Asia, the Soviet countries, now North America, Europe and Eastern Africa.\u003cbr\u003e  Tulsidasa' s poetry is so succinct, it is impossible to replicate his language today. It takes so many English words to translate his ideas, and the ideas are so profound that they should be shared. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The Sundar Kand is so much fun to chant. It can be sung in hundreds of ways, various tunes coming from the different cultures of Hinduism, all woven together into a tapestry of joyous sounds in praise of God.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Phonetic Roman and Bengali transliterations have been included along with the original Hindi and English translation, so that devotees can join in singing wherever devotees congregate to sing the name of God. We have also included several fun chants which make satsangha so exciting, Rama Stuthi, Hanumana Chalisa, Bajaranga Bana, Samkata Mocana, Hanumana Arati, Jai Jagadisha Hare, and Raghupati Raga.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  END\u003cbr\u003e    ","brand":"Devi Mandir Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47039483904240,"sku":"9781877795251","price":12.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781877795251_p0.jpg?v=1763602984","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781877795251","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}