Ramayana 1

The Wisdom of the Ramayana (Part 1)

(The Way to World Peace)
By Bapak Hardjanta

The Ramayana is the most famous epic of Javanese literature, widely depicted in stories and especially in the ubiquitous Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet) plays. As the Mahabarata expresses the great moral and spiritual truths of the Indian culture, so does the Ramayana do this for the Javanese and other Indonesian people.

THE RAMAYANA

According to THE MADHYA-LANGKA TRADITION

In response to a report about the Ramayana-Ballet (Indonesian Observer Oct. 16 1961), in which it was stated: “The Indians were eager to know in how far the Indonesian people were versed with the life of Ramayana in the light of his culture, dance, art, and, his philosophy,” I tried for several days to suppress the urge to write something about Ramayana-Philosophy (philosophy in its etymological sense). Since remaining silent would amount to allowing the traditional Indonesian mentality to remain in obscurity, due to the fact that the ballet-form of the Ramayana performance does not permit any dialogue – the usual vehicle for doctrinal exposition – I decided to write this introductory note. By writing, I hope to, on the one hand, eradicate irresponsible guesswork, on the other, to meet the expectations of the Indians in particular and of the world in general.

First I beg your attention to this, usually overlooked, important point: The drama of the Ramayana covers two continents, that of India and that of LANGKA-DHVIPA, the scientific name of which is LEMURIA (with all its converting, revolutionary consequences) in the hypotheses of famous scholars as H.F. Blandford., D .G. Hartlaub, E. Haeckel, D.v.H. Labberton, Papus, W.S. Cerve, J.D. Ward, H. Deschamps, etc.

LANGKA-DHVIPA, the sunken continent of which present Indonesia forms the central region (MADHYA-LANGKA), covered Madagascar in the West, Australia and New-Zealand in the South, Easter-Island and California in the East, and Hainan-Taiwan-South Japan in the North.

The main characteristics of the continent and its inhabitants are as follows :

It is the oldest continent.

It is the cradle of the human race.

Common use of the Third Eye, at the middle of the two eyes, unlimited by time and space, leading to the creation of the Cosmic, Unitary Man, the realization of which is described in detail in one of my books.

The utilizing of bio-atomic power, so that man can pass away whenever he will.

The presence of an Arch-Angelic Guardian in the personality of BHATARA ISMAYA, who is capable of directing Angelic Yogamaya in conformity with the Human Yogamaya of Reincarnated Vishnu.

After its partial submergence: The universal exodus took place to other new, emerging continents :

1. Platonic Atlantis,
2. America (Maya-, Inca-, Aztec- Culture and Klamath Falls Writing),
3. Africa (Pyramid-Culture),
4. Asia (Manu-Culture and Tao- Doctrine) and
5. Japan (Shinto-Culture).

Prophecy:

BHATARA ISMAYA and, BHATARA VISHNU as KALKI-AVATAR will reincarnate themselves, simultaneously with the eruption of Mnt. Merapi.

The developing of Spiritual Science (agama = science; buddhi = spiritual) by BHATARA VISHNU as World-Teacher, capable of preserving World-Peace, by way of His All-Pervading Unitary Power.

In this way, the own identity of the MADHYA-LANGKA people is rediscovered: Buddhi (the spiritual faculty of man) enables man to know the existence of the Omnipotent God, who can be reflected by man, His Image. God will live through the Unitary Man, capable only of unitary action. This amounts to burying the dead God of faith, revitalizing existing, impotent religions and the emerging of a third, unitary, divine power in world-politics.

On a global scale, reciprocal fear has driven both the Eastern and the Western block to unsound politics of artificially creating influence-spheres at the cost of millions of dollars/rubles. If both blocks are honest in preserving the doctrine of irreconcilable co-existence, they have to stop this dishonest, unsound politics. The better, for their own sake, if they are willing to assist and to accelerate the emergence of this third power as a buffer of world-peace, which is merely the application of the Doctrine of Unitary Existence: BHINNEKA TUNGGAL IKA (Unitary in Diversity). This third, Unitary, divine power can teach both the Western block how to harmonize individualism and the Eastern block how to withdraw dictatorship, by practically revealing the Cosmic, Unitary Principle of Man which transcends the egoism-diseases still suffered by the people of BOTH BLOCKS.

The hypothesis, which degrades the people of LANGKA-DHVIPA to the rank of CULTURE-BEGGERS, grows more and more weak in the light of recent geological anthropological cultural, linguistic and metaphysical studies. As the former prejudice dies, and the sophistication and sphere of influence of LANGKA-DHVIPA civilization becomes clear, the limiting of the empire of the Emperor RAVANA, to within the region of Ceylon becomes pure absurdity. Such diminution is incompatible both with the records of the Ramayana itself and its spirit which goes to prove the Omnipotence of God in the form of YOGAMAYA, capable of bringing the impossible into the realm of possibility as dramatically illustrated by the defeat, in the Ramayana story, of the greatest emperor : RAVANA, by the small prince-hermit : SHRI RAMA.

This YOGAMAYA now is the central theme of the Ramayana. The victory of the small prince-hermit SHRI RAMA over the greatest emperor RAVANA is the absolute proof, that SHRI RAMA is indeed Vishnu reincarnated, the only one capable to direct Human Yogamaya, which is symbolically embodied in SHRI RADHA : The Supreme, wish-realizing Goddess. Being the Supreme Goddess, SHRI RADHA is able to regulate willfully the routine, cosmic and social activities of the TRI-SHAKTI : SARASVATI (the power of the Holy Ghost), LAKSMI (the power of God the Son) and PARVATI (the power of God the Father).

Being an incarnation of Vishnu, SHRI RAMA can utilize His BHAVA-SHARIRA (Supreme Body) and proves it by the defeat of RAVANA. The current Javanese verb: ambhavani (to rule) is considered as the outward sign of the metaphysical activity of BHAVA-SHARIRA the realization of which is a prerequisite for an aspirant-ruler as God’s Deputy or Chalifatollah (Ar.) or RATU BINATHARA (Jav.) which means the embodiment of the Supreme Lord.

The Doctrine of SHRI RAMA, taught to VIBHISANA (the youngest brother of Ravana), is called : ASTHA-BRATA (Eightfold Realization). This Doctrine now can never be revealed by a pantomime !

So an introductory note is a must, if one does not want to discredit the MADHYA-LANGKA mentality :

Indonesian-Orientalists may offer the objection, that the Kavi-text does not contain any statement which indicates the incarnation of the TRINITY-LORD.

Only theoritists, possessed by rational myopia, are capable of such illogical apprehension. No one else except SHIVA MAHA-DEVA (Over-lord) can direct the activities of the Cosmic and Social Lords. BRAHMA-SHIVA-VISHNU, the TRINITY-LORD, by way of the TRI-SHAKTI : SARASVATI-LAKSMI-PARVATI, who direct the activities of the Cosmic and the Social Eight Lords, constitute the Cosmic and the Social Dynamics. Before one can utilize the Cosmic and the Social Eight Lords, one must have first attained identification as the TRINIT!-LORD Himself.

Indonesian Orientalists, equipped both with theoretical and practical knowledge of modern psychology in all its branches, will never justify my rendering of the Kavi-word. : “ISTHI” with “APPLY” (and not “CONCENTRATION”) I on my part can justify their distorted. vision. “Forgive them, 0, Father, they know not what they do “, is here the dictum. One, who has gained the know-how concerning the Eight Super-Human Powers (Siddhis) in their application, knows that the applying of these Powers is (the same as) identifying oneself as the Metaphysical Principles which has these Powers in potency, the utilizing of which is shortly termed : “ISTHI”. This term has nothing to do at all with “CONCENTRATION”, since this Western word belongs no more and no less to the psychological, therefore, individual order. It will be more clear for the layman, what is properly involved in the terminology: “ISTHI”, if I render the Eight Super-Human Powers in English :

• The power of becoming as small as the infinitesimal (ANIMAN),
• the power of increasing in size at will (MAHIMAN),
• the power of fascination (VASHITA),
• the power of neutralizing the effect of gravitation (LAGIMAN),
• the power of suppressing any desire (KAMA-VASAYITA),
• the power of irresistible will-power (PRA-KAMYA),
• the power of getting to any place instantly (PRAPTI ), and
• the power of attaining supremacy (ISHITA).

These are now the Siddhis of Shiva, the application of several of which is clearly and fully demonstrated by the Ramayana.

An other objection may be raised, why I have not translated the rest of the ASTHABRATA. My answer is, however, that this introductory note is primarily concerned with satisfying the curiosity of the Indians, who want to know how far the Indonesians are versed in the Ramayana-Philosophy. Since the rest of the ASTHABRATA only concerns the transposing of metaphysical principles into the order of morality and practical politics, I confine myself to the clarification of the metaphysical principles without which degradation has been proven inevitable, as shown in the later versions of the Ramayana, except that recorded in the NITI-SHRUTI (Middle-Javanese Scripture). Contingent values always tend to be considered as ends in themselves, as shown by the history of the Western Christian Religion, the metaphysical principles of which are lost sight of. Metaphysical realization will clearly show, that the Ten Commandments are only derivations from the realization of the UNITY-of-LIFE-PRINCIPLE. Once this realization is accomplished, the Ten Commandments will be transformed into the Ten Consequences, the war between flesh and conscience finished. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

What impotent, existing religions need badly, is the WAY of metaphysical realization as I have shown in my books. In the case of the Ramayana, being a political doctrine, the losing sight of the metaphysical principle, will be tragic, leading to unscrupulous, sadistic jungle-politics, if one follows the pattern of the Lords SURYYA, BARUNA, YAMA. and AGNI, without first having reached identification with the TRINITY-LORD, which amounts to having transcended his human instinctive, emotional and rational faculties. First one has to reach that state of consciousness, in which one can rightly say : “It is not my will, 0, Father, but yours”, before one has the right to throw oneself down and sink in mire of practical politics. The translation of one stanza from the Niti-Shruti, will throw sufficient light on the nature of high politics, according to SHRI RAMA :

Salwir bawane kang sinung wawdhi, ing naya mong
jagad jaga-jaga, arjuning, kang ginulang-gulang ing pangling,
reh SANG RAMAWIJAYA, wijiling pamuwus,
marah ing SANG WIBISANA, SANANING ASTHAGUNA giniteng sa-ri,
Sarehning ASTHABRATA.
Translated :

There is only one characteristic, peculiar to someone who knows the SECRET : In the political field, he vigilantly guards the world (as a father guards his child), he utilizes his metaphysical power solely (saesthine) for safeguarding the world; The Eight-Attributive-Powers-Blend-Together (forming one Super-Power) is the topic of the theoretical drill; this is the Doctrine of SHRI RAMA, as revealed to VIBHISANA; he teaches the condition in which these Eight Attributive Powers can be obtained, including the intricacies involved in the Eightfold Realization.

Due to the creation of the traditional shadow puppet play, the oldest records of which can be traced back during the Kediri epoch, we, as true descendants of VIBHISANA, have been holding the teaching of SHRII RAMA and other personalities in high esteem. Indeed, our shadow puppet play educational system is so perfect, that every grown-up child knows the stories of the heroes of the MAHABHARATA and the RAMAYANA. The influence of the story of SHRII RAMA is indeed so profound that even Western educated leaders turn back to this doctrine after being disillusioned.

Why do they repeat the story of the prodigal son? Is there something of a gap in their Western education which can be filled up by elements from the Ramayana which is as old as the world itself?

This now is a question of paramount importance in this hectic, deadly dangerous and explosive period. Man is on a threshold, leading to heaven or hell. We can repeat the question of philosopher Bertrand Russel in : “Proloque or Epilogue?”. According to him, those who are to lead the world out of its troubles need courage, hope and love. The trouble now is : Where is that stuff to be found? Can it be obtained in the storehouse of modern civilization? If it is to be found there, is its quality good enough to surmount the natural and social troubles of the present time? Where love is still confined to the orotogenic zones of the opposite sex, as is recorded in the statistics of the sexologists; where hope is still founded upon controlling the biggest amount of thermonuclear weapons, accompanied by demagogical, world-annihilating threats; where the maximum of courage only finds its sole expression in suicide, I am afraid disillusion is lurking around every corner. Many thinkers have tried to address these issues but never as comprehensively as does the doctrine of unitary existence.

Albert Schweitzer proves, he can transform himself to the pattern of universal man. But who follows? No second schweitzer is to be found except as a pattern of Mumfordian philosophy. Sociologist Pitirim E. Sorokin points out the absolute necessity of an altruistic love, without which there is no chance for a lasting peace. He admits too, that he know very little about this unselfish, creative love, so that we can add a contingent x to the Sorokinian X, leaving mankind high dry within the dark, only illumined by the phatamorganic light of carnal love. We are still in the dark amidst the universal troubles with the Clue-Question :

How can we possess that X-FACULTY ?

Psychologist C.G. Jung, after a life-long study of the psyche, establishes the dim, starlike existence of an intricate, hidden Arche-type, without being able to explain the behaviour of the East-African sun-worshippers, except hinting that such phenomena are the last vestiges of a Golden Age, when there were men who knew all things and taught wisdom to all nations. Who were these men, whence had they come? Are we not able to trace their trail ?

In accordance with my hypothesis, this trail will lead. us to MADHYA-LANGKA. True descendants of these men are still living there, complete with their literature, one of which is called : DEVA-RUCI, WHICH GIVES EXPLANATIONS in detail about this Jungian Archetype and H 0 W to attain it.

We could. continue to summarize the works of famous scholars from all corners of the world, who are crying for mutual understanding and world-peace, stating the need to transcend oneself and indicating the existence of the eternal religion behind all religions, not to mention those who are producing all kinds of syncretistic systems; but what is always wanting is the sufficient answer to the CLUE-QUESTION : H 0 W ?

There are indeed some scholars who are going in the right direction. P. Brunton for example, tries to answer this question. I am afraid, however, that what he considers as his standard-work (The Wisdom of the Overself) is insufficient, both in technic and scope, to meet the requirements of the modern, atomic epoch, not to speak of its world-annihilating challenge. Compared to the MADHYA-LANGKA’S SPIRITUAL SCIENCE, Brunton’s work only forms first steps. This may sound unbelievable but fact is fact. The Madhya-Langkas have parallel spiritual practices which are more fully realized and whose results can be verified scientifically. For, instance, our sun gazers, who have their counterpart in Brunton’s work, are only considered initial-grade, at the begining of what they will accomplish. Similarly, the Bruntonian vision of our image has been further refined in Madhya-Langka under the name : OUR OWN BROTHER / OUR OWN SISTER (Sadhulur-Dewe), each category comprising of four distinct personalities for whom a ritual ceremony is performed every 35 days, on a person’s Javanese birthday. Also, Brunton’s efforts to overcome sleep has been brought to its highest in MADHYA-LANGKA as SUKSMA. CONSCIOUSNESS (ANGRAGA SUKSMA) or the bio-electronic principle realization, the development of which I have described in one of my books; briefly, it is the spiritual faculty not limited by time.

A.Cannon, N. Bayne and Rene Guenon can be placed in one category. They derive elements from the order of what is in MADHYA-LANGKA called : NYAVA-CONSCIOUSNESS (ANGRAGA-NYAWA) or bio-protonic principle realization; it is the spiritual faculty which is not limited by space. They only differ in degree and in the way of exposition. The reading of R. Guenon is indeed a must for Oriental Orientalists, as far as he has achieved great success in correcting the distorted visions of their teachers, the Western Orientalists. He never loses sight of the basic principle of MADHYA-LANGKA : UNITY IN DIVERSITY (BHINNEKA TUNGGAL IKA).

What, however, needs second consideration is his snubbing of the acquisition of the SIDDHIS (Spiritual Powers) as something unworthy, though in this he is loyal to Indian commentators. This mentality gives birth to the tragic fact, that with the taking out of account of the Siddhis, the separating border-line between theory and practice becomes vague to the point of near obliteration and in its place forming the fertile ground for charlatanism to flourish. For the layman it becomes very difficult indeed to know JESUS among the pharisees. What should remain of Jesus if we should rob him of all his miracles? The sacrificial spirit of man should not have been known through the thousands cases of martyrdom ! ! !

If even God does not despise the Siddhis, but on the contrary always puts them at tho disposal of His Representatives, who, from immemorial times down through the ages, up to now as in the case of MADHYA-LANGKA, have the duty to prove the existence of God whenever erring humanity occasionally needs it and whose authority and authenticity always depend absolutely on the demonstration of these Siddhis, recorded in the Holy Scriptures of the world, is there any choice left over for us but to accept these Siddhis not as a super-addition or “accidental” results, but as a consequence of divine realization?

The Unmanifested can never be reached. except via the Universal Being. Identity with the Universal Being can never be accomplished except via Its Triple Manifestation as Manifesting-Preserving-Transforming Principles with the media of the Eight Lords. Robbing this Triple Manifestation of these Eight Lords is as impossible and illogical, therefore false, as robbing the sun of its sun-shine or fire of its warmth or light of its spectrum. These Siddhis have always to form the proof SUI GENERIS that one is on the right track! Let this be the objective guidance for all those who are struggling to become genuine metaphysicians ! I have only to add this remark, that even the Supreme Lord Himself has promised to come down as low as the earth as KALKI AVATAR, in order to solve the ever-growing problems of the atomic age with its cosmic-annihilating challenge. Should He be deprived of the Siddhis, nothing of Him should remain except empty talking as would ordinary mortals! The prophecy of the Bible, of HANUMAN (Monkey God), of the late poet-metaphysician : RONGGOWARSITO (Last Javanese court poet) prediction has already come true, in the matter of Indonesian’s Independence, why should the rest not follow? More than ever, transcending the proportion of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata-Story, the Reincarnated Supreme Lord will need all the Spiritual Powers mentioned above, if He is to supersede the ever-growing world-crises. If He is to come, He will be the Embodiment of the Kernal of the NITI_SHASTRA :

“Sura-sudhira Jayanikanang rat, svuh-brastha tkapning Ulah DHarmastuti”

Translated : “The most powerful cosmic forces (including the thermo-nuclear bombs) are fully obliterated, if confronted with the Super-Cosmic Power, which is liberated from that state of consciousness, called : DHARMAS-TUTI”. If, in the days to come, the Supreme Lord Himself cannot grant furlough to the Siddhis, neither will the genuinely liberated man get eternal dispensation, as can be clearly illustrated by my own experience :

About eight years ago, at the age of 25, I was as happy as prodigal child ever could be. I lived in a bamboo-cottage with rotting bamboo-pillars at the river-side of an island. I enjoyed the reputation of an accomplished hermit, which was based upon the fact that nature-elements became friendly toward the island ever-since I had arrived: My yard was never inundated; heavy storms did not destroy my cottage; I was surrounded by close friends, from all layers of the society, who were earnest seekers for Eternal Truth. Occasionally I could produce sufficient food for them out of a handful of rice. Being not yet able to protect their own interest, I was their spiritual refuge. Those who were tobacco-planters, needing soft rain at 16 o’clock in the afternoon, got their wish fulfilled; those, who were soldiers were safe; those troubled by school exams, passed, etc. etc. Within a hectic society, I could form a harmonious, peaceful society of friends myself.

Then, in one full-moon night, a sudden change took place. Out of beyond the condition of my daily ATMA_CONSCIOUSNESS, appearing like lightning stars in the Universal, Lightning LIght, I found myself surrounded by the Spirits of former avatars, prophets and sujanas. The Omnipresent Voice gave me the duty to pave the way for the Coming of the Supreme Lord, in order to prevent the recurring of the bloody drama of Mount. Calvary.

The preliminary stage of this Universal Plan consists of :

making the society spiritually conscious, 
exposing false prophets and 
annihilating black magic.

From that night up to this moment, I have been fighting to get my duty done by talking, writing and Taoist actionless activity, at the price of estranging most of my close friends. From that moment, I have been turning down nearly always, requests for help out of personal interest. Even those problems arising out of common interest cannot be solved separately with my aid.. If there is any perspective for a solution, it must be within the framework of the Universal Plan and therefore it must be integrally solved. I am a living witness of the never-ending activity of arch-angels, former avatars and living liberated men. On the basis of this observation, I warn aspirant-metaphysicians, that the Spiritual Life awaiting them is not an eternal repose, but busiest of the busiest. activity, night and day with no rest, utilizing, all the Siddhis at our disposal. The present stage of man is that of a transitional being. From chaotic being, he has to transform himself into a Cosmic Principle. Great men, like MANU VAIVASVATA, NARADA and KRISHNA-DVIPAYANA-VEDAVYASA, have preceded us. Let us follow their example. Let us meet them in their present condition as Living Universal Principles.

Returning to our point of discussion: What has the Ramayana to offer to modern civilization? The Ramayana Doctrine has to teach either nothing or everything to modern civilization! Nothing, if it is analyzed in accordance with the modern mentality of dividing Divinity, Ethics and politics into more or less separate, sometimes interlocking, independent orders. Everything if the Ramayana is considered as it actually is :

The Divine Message of Self-Realization in Its Social, moral and political applications. The failure to recognize this only leads to one conclusion: The Ramayana is the product of a phantasy, transcending far beyond the imaginative power of a Voltaire. When in the Ramayana is a story of courage, hope, love, justice and power, which never could fact, be dreamt of by B. Russell. It is unattainable for that bundle of flesh, called man and equipped with Russellian human knowledge. Judged from this standard, there is nothing worthy of the Ramayana except as a material to enrich the storehouse of fairytales. Obstinately preserving this mentality of deriving these values from the individual order of instincts, emotions and reason, amounts to looking in vain for a Ramayana-way-out. The present chaos will grow and lead man to world-destruction at the very end.

The courage, hope, love, justice and. power found in modern mentality compared with the same qualities found in the Ramayana Doctrine can be likened to the Chevalleyean Tricky Twins (an expression coined by Abel and Marquerite Chevalley in their Oxford French Dictionary, for two terms that have only a superficial and usually misleading resemblence to one another). Modern mentality is derived. from the individual, the Ramayana Doctrine from divine order ! ! ! ! ! The attempt to make the modern mentality understand the nature of this divine order is as senseless as to make the medical student understand the nature of bacteria, WITHOUT THE AID OF A MICROSCOPE.

A new technology is required! This consideration gave birth to my petition to the U.N.E.S.C.0., for the creation of a world-society within an atom-free-zone (1953, thus before Rapacky’s plan), in order to transform man’s consciousness, with the following preamble:

THE WISDOM OF THE RAMAYANA PART 2