Ram was anything but an opportunist. Being a prince, he had access to all the pleasures that life could offer, but he never indulged in anything unethical. This is the reason that Ram is also famous as Maryada Purushottam, the best of men.
Below are some of the qualities of Ram that he exhibited throughout his life, without any room for exceptions:
He was heir apparent to the kingdom of Ayodhya, yet he sacrificed his kingdom on a single command from his father. His brother Laxman loved him so much that he threatened to revolt against the entire kingdom, and overthrow his own father, the great king Dasratha. But Ram refused this request and asked Laxman to maintain his composure, while wiping away the endless tears in the eyes of Laxmana (Ayodhya Kanda - Sarga 23).
Ram renounced his kingdom and relocated to the forest with his wife and brother Laxman to spend fourteen years as an ascetic. His younger brother Bharata came to persuade him to come to the palace but Ram, who was ever truthful to his words, decided to complete the harsh period of fourteen years of exile in the forest, despite being completely unaccustomed to the hardships of the forest. His brother Bharata literally pleaded for Ram to return, but since Ram had already given word to his father, held firmly to his conviction. Bharata also told him about his fathers demise, who died because he was unable to bear the pain of separation from his beloved son Ram. Upon hearing this unbearable news, Ram fainted then and there on the ground (Ayodhya Kanda - Sarga 103). Upon coming back to his senses, he still held firmly to his vow of completing the period of exile, despite the great despair that had befallen him. Bharata ultimately decided to take Ram's slippers instead and rule in his name, till the time Ram returned after completing the exile.
Below are some of the qualities of Ram that he exhibited throughout his life, without any room for exceptions:
Ram renounced his kingdom and relocated to the forest with his wife and brother Laxman to spend fourteen years as an ascetic. His younger brother Bharata came to persuade him to come to the palace but Ram, who was ever truthful to his words, decided to complete the harsh period of fourteen years of exile in the forest, despite being completely unaccustomed to the hardships of the forest. His brother Bharata literally pleaded for Ram to return, but since Ram had already given word to his father, held firmly to his conviction. Bharata also told him about his fathers demise, who died because he was unable to bear the pain of separation from his beloved son Ram. Upon hearing this unbearable news, Ram fainted then and there on the ground (Ayodhya Kanda - Sarga 103). Upon coming back to his senses, he still held firmly to his vow of completing the period of exile, despite the great despair that had befallen him. Bharata ultimately decided to take Ram's slippers instead and rule in his name, till the time Ram returned after completing the exile.
After going through the pain of losing his kingdom, the pain of losing his father, the pain of living in the forest despite being a prince, the pain of separation from his beloved mother and two younger brothers (Bharat and Shatrughan), the burden of fighting off demons from Janasthan on request of Rishis, the pain of separation from Sita when she was abducted, the anxiety of locating her on foot, the death of his father’s friend Jatayu in his arms and many other events that unfolded later; by no means was Ram enjoying his life. Any other man would have broken down, but Ram always moved forward, always devoted to truth and virtue despite everything he was going through, ever so compassionate even towards his enemies. He even gave the gift of life to Ravana in the middle of battle, He defeated Ravana and shattered his chariot, along with its wheels, charioteer, and his different weapons. After thus being defeated by Ram, Ravana returned to Lanka (Yuddha Kanda – Sarga 59) and resumed war later on after recuperating.
After Ravana was killed and the period of exile was over, Ram and his friends boarded the Pushpak Vimaana gifted by Vibhishan and flew to Ayodhya. However, Instead of entering Ayodhya directly, Ram landed near its boundary and asked Hanuman to approach Bharata, who was ruling Ayodhya in his brother’s place. Hanuman was asked to narrate the whole story as it happened to Bharata and closely observe the subtle reaction on the face of Bharata. If Hanuman were to find even the slightest bit of apprehension on the face of Bharata regarding the handover of the kingdom, he should simply come back and report this to Ram. He further stated that fourteen years was a long time and if Bharata, his younger brother wanted to continue to rule the kingdom of Ayodhya, Ram would silently turn away, leaving the kingdom under the ruler ship of his brother (Yuddha Kanda – Sarga 125 – Verse 17)
If there was a human who walked the earth, who was the epitome of virtue, the best of all men in his time and the times to come, it was Shri Ramchandra himself. Despite the hardships that Ram had to endure throughout his life, he demonstrated his great mental strength and unwavering conviction towards Dharma that helped him eventually overcome all his problems and set a great example for the generations to come.
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