As Ram Navami approaches it is time to remember Lord Rama. This year will be a special year for his devotees because leaving aside the question of political affiliations, the majority of Hindus were happy with the inauguration of the temple at Ayodhya. It had been a long wait and although it has taken many years, even centuries, with the matter being agitated before Mughal, British and Indian courts, in the end the establishment of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya received the stamp of approval by the highest court of the land.
As Hinduism experiences a revival, it is also perhaps a good time to reflect on similarities that exist between Lord Ram and Jesus, a son of God if not an avatar from another religion. This is not to diminish in any way the importance of the Christian presence in India. In fact, in historical terms Christianity took roots in India much before it spread across Europe.
Jesus is the son of God, it is said. In other words, he partakes of God’s divinity. Rama on the other hand is an avatar of God, a somewhat different concept. Krishna too is an avatar. Rama and Krishna are born at different yugas or eras (Krishna comes later) and they have a connection inasmuch as they are both avatars of Vishnu. Yet Rama and Krishna are very different from each other in many ways.
Jesus and Rama can be said to be closer to each other in terms of an overall personality. They are both somewhat tragic figures for one thing. The life of Jesus is, of course, far more tragic. Jesus is born in a carpenter’s household and never has a taste of the good life, at least as far as we know, for we only have a record of three years of his life. Rama, on the other hand, is a prince born into the lap of luxury, so to speak, but he too suffers like Jesus.
Rama enjoys married life unlike Jesus. Jesus does not marry and does not even have a girlfriend (at least officially). Rumours and surmises in this regard are best ignored. Had Jesus married, given his character, it is likely that like Rama he would have been monogamous. Rama is certainly monogamous and devoted to Sita. According to the Bhagwad Puran, Krishna, unlike both Rama and Jesus has 1608 wives! He is certainly very different from both Lord Rama and Jesus in this regard.
Jesus gets crucified which is another way of saying that he was tortured to death according to the practice of the time. Rama on the other hand faces tremendous obstacles and struggles which he successfully overcomes. He is robbed on his right to be a king, and sent into the forest for fourteen long years for no fault of his. Nonetheless he accepts his father’s unfair decision stoically, that is taken at the behest of his stepmother Kaikeyi, without voicing any complaint or reproach.
Later, while in the forest his wife, Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, a powerful demon, which certainly would have caused him great anxiety and heartburn. Rama doesn’t know Sita’s situation and in what condition she finds herself till such time that Hanuman makes a trip to Lanka to try and find out – in the process setting fire to the city with his tail. Given Rama’s deep attachment to Sita, uncertainty as to her wellbeing would undoubtedly have caused him great anxiety. He could not have been at peace till such time that she was rescued. His sufferings do not end thereafter though. The period of vanvas being over, he returns to sit on the throne in Ayodhya to try and establish ‘Ram Rajya.’
Rama is only thinking of the welfare of the people, his praja but not everyone is grateful though. There is gossip about what might have transpired between Sita and Ravana reminiscent of the tabloid journalism of today. A washerman or dhobi tells his wife that he is not like Lord Rama, simultaneously casting aspersions on Sita’s purity. This eventually leads to Sita leaving the kingdom, an event that must have been personally harrowing for Rama given that she was unjustly and unfairly accused. Rama himself does not doubt her innocence for a second. In the case of Jesus, he himself is accused by Roman authorities of projecting himself as the King of the Jews and fomenting an insurrection. Sita passes a test by fire but nonetheless is estranged from Lord Rama. Jesus is found guilty by a kangaroo Roman court and sentenced to death.
Millions love the stories of Jesus and Lord Rama’s kindness to the poor and downtrodden. Jesus famously said: ‘Blessed are the Meek for they shall inherit the Earth,’ and also ‘The Last will be First and the First Last.’ A story is told about Lord Rama’s kindness to a squirrel. When the Ram Setu bridge was being built to enable Rama’s armies to get to Lanka, Hanuman and his army of monkeys brought over big boulders and rocks to help in its construction. A squirrel too carried across a small pebble and received words of encouragement from Lord Rama. Hanuman was mystified. ‘We are carrying such huge rocks,’ he objected, ‘and you stop to praise a small squirrel.’ Lord Rama smiled. ‘Do not forget, Hanuman,’ he said, ‘that the squirrel is doing as much as he can. You are doing your maximum but so is he, is he not? That is all one can expect from anyone.’
Millions of Hindus and Christians learn from the lives of Lord Rama and Jesus. We would do well to remember and celebrate their similarities on this auspicious occasion of Lord Rama’s birth. Christmas and Diwali may be other occasions to remember them both and their unifying messages of brotherhood, love and communal harmony.
Rajesh Talwar, the author of forty books spanning multiple genres, has served the United Nations for over two decades across three continents. A forthcoming book is titled ‘What Great Religions Can Learn From Each Other: A Hindu Perspective’