Osho discourse on Lord Rama and Sita

Osho – In India, the ancient story of the Hindu religion is that Rama, their incarnation of God, was fighting against Ravana, who ruled over Sri Lanka, Ceylon, and was nothing but the devil incarnate. And this is absolutely false. He was one of the most learned men the world has known. And if he was against Rama, he had valid reasons for it.

In India, it was a custom, when a princess was going to be married, then all the kings who wanted to marry her would be invited, and they would be given some task to do. The princess would accept the one who could do the task and garland him as her husband.

One beautiful princess, Sita, was going to be married. All the kings were invited; Rama was invited, Ravana was invited, and it was absolutely certain that the task was such that perhaps only Ravana would be able to fulfill it.

There was a very big bow of Shiva, so heavy that you could not move it even, and the task was to take it up and break it into two pieces just with your bare hands. It was as solid as steel. Many kings tried; they could not even lift it up. The question of breaking it would not arise. There were a few who could not even move it on the ground.

Ravana was a very mighty king — physically a King Kong — so there was every fear… and Rama was just a boy. So the only way was somehow to take Ravana out of the competition. So a conspiracy was done by Rama. A messenger, a false messenger, was sent who informed Ravana, just as he was standing up, “Lord, your capital in Sri Lanka is on fire.”

And he had made his capital perhaps the most beautiful capital of those days. It it said his capital was made completely out of gold. Naturally, he rushed. And you will be surprised, because from Ayodhya, India, Ceylon is thousands of miles away.

But Indian scriptures have every description, detailed descriptions of airplanes — he went in his airplane immediately, but found that it was a false report. And in the meantime, Rama broke the bow, married Sita, and this was the reason why finally Ravana stole Sita from Rama’s hands. So Hindus think that Ravana was a devil, and the kingdom of Ceylon was the kingdom of devils.

It is always easy to keep yourself divine, full of light, and to describe anybody who is hostile to you as devils, as darkness. But even the idea, to describe others as devils, darkness, and think of yourself as light, is ugly. And you are asking me, “What is the case with you?”

I am neither light nor darkness. I have transcended the duality in all the dimensions. I look at life as an organic whole. So either you can say I am both light and darkness, or you can say I am neither.
But you have to understand the fact that both are possible as plausible descriptions of me, because I am only a witness. Light comes: I see. Darkness comes: I see.

A saint comes: I see. A sinner comes: I see. I am just a mirror, so whatever is in front of me is reflected. But the mirror is not a film plate; the moment you have moved, the mirror is empty again. In my room I am sitting empty. Most of my day is just a mirror, mirroring nothing. Only when I come to you, or to some interview, to the press, the media, then my mirror reflects.

Whatever I say is not prepared. I don’t know myself what my mirror is going to reflect, because it depends on you, your question. I am transcendental, and that’s what I want you to be. Meditation takes you beyond the opposites, the contradictions, and makes you a pure witness. And to be a pure witness is the ultimate goal of consciousness.

There is nothing beyond it, because whatever will be happening, you will remain the witness. Even if God comes in front of you, you will be only a witness. Witnessing is the highest point of the evolution of consciousness. That’s why I have dropped God, paradise, hell, heaven. What is the point of all this paraphernalia? Stick to the basic essential, and that is: be a witness.

Right now, you are!
Are you not witnessing this silence?
Try to keep this flavor as long as you can.
Slowly slowly it becomes your very existence.

It is — you just have to discover it.