Today, on the occasion of Shri Ram Navami, a thought just clicked my mind. There is a beautiful piece of advice that we should take from the Ramayana. Obviously with the disclaimer that there is no intent to hurt anyone’s religious sentiment. Rather it is an attempt to get something from our scriptures to be useful in the current scenario.
So here is what the advice looks like…
There are some times in our lives where we should refrain from crossing the line and lurking in danger when staying within can ensure safety !!
Ramayana has emphasized this simple thing and we have heard it quite often enough I believe. Probably what we fail at is converting scriptures to real life lessons.
We all know the line of safety that was drawn as a safety measure and mythology has it as Lakshman Rekha. An advice was given that the line should not be crossed in any circumstance. But then a trap was setup by Ravana to ensure the line of safety is crossed.
Well that is enough of mythology !!
Lets get back to how it maps to the pandemic situation.
Understand the Line of Safety: This is actually the entrance to our home sweet home. Just get an imaginary line out there and while we cant just sit at home, ensure that we go out only for livelihood and medical causes.
Don’t fall for traps: Obviously you wont have a Ravana ringing your doorbell. Rather the Ravana within your head is what needs to be calmed down.
I cannot picturize for you the trouble a person with breathing issue goes through. So do not fall for false beliefs or petty temptations like
- I am young and strong nothing can happen to me. Believe me a lot can happen to people even in the younger age group. Even people in 20s suffer a lot when COVID-19 infects them.
- Even if nothing happens to you, you might still infect your near ones who are weak. Maybe parents or grandparents or those with weak immunity.
- Avoid temptations such as going out for walks, exercise, or maybe some tasty snack (if your city is not locked down yet). Believe me, workouts do not require a gym, atleast not at the moment. And you can always order your favorite food online and avoid venturing out.
The gist here is to keep a tab on your WANTS and get out of the safety line of your home only if it is a NEED (be it livelihood or medical).
Remember, life is more precious than any other temptation !!
For more sarcasm on those who venture unnecessarily Did we just kill someone – A tribute to COVID-19 Spreaders
See you at the next post ! Till then follow all precautions, stay safe !!
Nagesh Naik 
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