NCIC
Issue 2
November 2012
Continued from Page 1
In Vaisnava worship (where one worships
Vishnu and His incarnations like Ram in
Ram Lila), a major objective is to “see”
God in a tangible form. This is why sacred objects like murti-s and pictures are
used. This “seeing” of the deity involves
also “being seen” by the deity. This process is called Darshan.
and its popular metre are now being
heard less and less in Ram Lila performances in Trinidad. There is a spiritual connection that we make with the ancestors
when we continue their traditions. Every
year that connection through the Ram Lila
is decreasing when the beloved chaupaiee-s, doha-s, chhanda-s and soratha-s
In Darshan, the eyes play an important are no longer heard.
role. The devotee “sees” with the physical In Ram Lila, the audience traditionally
eyes and the inner eye. When s/he looks came to see (both physically and with the
at the “eye” of the murti or a picture, it is inner eye) and hear and sing along as
with the expectation that the Deity, they seek the blessings of the Deity whom
through the “eye” of the murti or picture, they normally worship in mandir-s and at
will “look” back at him/her, and when home. In the cases of Ram Lila and
the two glances meet, there is a shower- Krishna Lila, the devotees seek Darshan,
ing of Divine Grace. The split second of primarily of Ram, Sita, and Hanuman,
Darshan when devotees make that and Krishna and Radha, respectively.
deeply spiritual connection with the De- In Ram Lila, the deity, under right condiity, through the eye, is life-changing and tions, is embodied in the young boy who
rare.
has been specially chosen for his age
The devotee “seeing” Ram Lila is not a
passive spectator. S/he is an active participant in the Lila, “looking” for Darshan.
The conditions must be right for this Darshan to occur. That means conditions must
be Satwik. If the Deity is present in the
young boy performing Ram in Ram Lila,
then only can he grant Darshan to the
devotee. If the devotee is Satwik and
comes with the devotional frame of mind,
then only can s/he receive that Darshan.
Another Satwik condition for the Lila is
that of “hearing.” To get Darshan, all the
senses need to be awakened in the Satwik mode. Hence, the use of incense, bells
etc. The “eye” is awakened when one is
mentally ready and in a devotional
frame of mind. The “ear” is awakened to
the Lila when the original verses of the
Ramcharitmanas are recited and their
meaning communicated in English or the
lingua franca of the community.
Originally, Ram Lila was devised on the
pattern of Krishna Lila, to better communicate the message of the Ramcharitmanas. The poetry of the Ramcharitmanas
and ability. Thus, the young boy who has
“fasted” for weeks and performed all
required rites and rituals and developed
a Satwik personality has now become a
deity worthy of worship or a swarupa.
He is no longer the village boy. He is
now the deity personified. This is an awesome responsibility and most persons who
perform such roles usually become transformed after the experience. Many, during the Lila, get transported by the experience of Darshan and feel that they
are another world, altogether, a world
where the deities play along with them in
pure bliss.
This explains why traditionally only prepuberty, Brahmin children could perform
the roles of the swarupa-s in Ram Lila,
i.e. the five deities of Ram, Sita,
Lakshman, Bharat, and Shatrughna. Such
persons had to be pure vessels wherein
the deity would reside for the period of
the Lila. It was expected that young
Brahmin children would be socialised in
an environment of rites and rituals and
Saatwik living, making them more qualified for the roles of the swarupa-s. It is
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the Saatwik concept that drives the tradition to use pre-puberty Brahmin boys in
the Lila. Even the role of Sita is traditionally performed by such a young boy.
Hanuman could be performed by an
adult male. If the swarupa-s are well
chosen and transformed into that image
of the deity they represent, then they will
carry that aura of divinity which conduces to them being worshipped as real
deities.
Nowadays, communities in Trinidad
rarely choose the swarupa-s based on
caste but more on availability, interest
etc. Adult girls now perform as Sita and
in female ro les like queens. Post-puberty
males and females also perform as swarupa-s in some Ram Lila performances in
Trinidad, Guyana and Suriname.
The concept of the Lila as yajna where
the deities (in the body of humans) come
out to “play” with humans and are worthy of worship, is changing. There is a
veering away from the traditional Lila
concept to that of theatrical dramatisations and entertainment. This parallels the
veering away from “Lila as Yajna” to
“Lila as Entertainment.”
Ram Lila has traditionally been seen by
Trinidadians as a kind of Panchaitee Yajna where the community comes together
to organise, perform and see the Lila.
The community folks are the organisers,
performers and the audience for the Lila.
Ram Lila is central to the identity of such
communities. While there are comic elements in the Lila that cater to community
tastes and entertainment, the primary
objective of Ram Lila is perform the sacred text of the Ramcharitmanas and, in
the process, to communicate its teachings
and spiritually transform performers and
devotees. The tension between “Lila as
Yajna” and “Lila as Entertainment” seems
to be more evident as communities become more urbanised with increased en-
By Pandita Indrani Rampersad, PhD.