Daily Passionate Photography Thoughts – Evening at the Beach and Story of Sree Ramajayam

Posted on May 30, 2020 Updated on July 13, 2022

Daily Passionate Photography Thoughts – Day 2 – Dt 30 May 2020 – Evening at the Beach and Story of Sree Ramajayam

An evening at the beach is a fantasy and joyous thing to do for many.
Let me share the quote of McLachlan and Erasmus (1983)

” What sight is more beautiful than a high energy beach facing lines of rolling white breakers? What battle ground is more ferocious than where waves and sand meet? What environment could be more exciting to study than this sandy interface below land and sea? And yet how much do we know about sandy beaches?”

Beaches in Kerala, particularly in our region are beautiful with rough seas and wild waves. Along with rain, dark cloud, wind, lighting and thunder, the beauty is beyond one can explain.

Today’s presentation is from a set of photos taken during one of my holidays in July 2007. My father was with us and was writing out Sree Ramajayam in Malayalam and enjoying the way, the waves washed them out, each time he wrote it!. (Unfortunately, 10 years later, it was at the same place we immersed his ashes as part of the rituals associated as per our custom).

For those who wish to know, the Story of writing Sree Ramajayam take us to the epic Ramayana and if interested, a weekend challenge for you to attempt.

Faced with the dilemma of how to cross the ocean to Lanka, where his kidnapped wife Sita is held captive by the demon king Ravana, Rama (an Avatar of Vishnu) performs a penance (tapasya) to Varuna, the Lord of Oceans, fasting and meditating in perfect dhyana for three days and three nights. Varuna does not respond, and Rama arises on the fourth morning, enraged by the God’s arrogance. With his bow and arrow, he angrily begins attacking the oceans with celestial weapons – burning up the waters and killing its life and creatures. The Vanaras (Monkeys) are dazzled and fearful at witnessing the enraged Rama demolish the oceans, and his brother, Lakshmana, prays to calm Rama’s mind. Just as Rama invokes the brahmastra, considered the most powerful weapon capable of destroying all creation, Varuna arises out of the oceans. He bows to Rama, explaining that he himself was at a loss to answer Rama’s question. Begging him not to destroy the oceans with the missile, he suggests that Rama re-direct the weapon at a demonic race that lives in the heart of the ocean. Rama’s arrows destroys the demons, and establishes a purer, liberated environment there. Varuna promises that he would keep the oceans still for all of Rama’s army to pass, and Nala constructs a bridge (Rama’s Bridge) across to Lanka. Rama justifies his angry assault on the oceans as he followed the correct process of petitioning and worshipping Varuna, but obtaining the result by force for the greater good.

It is thus believed that when someone writes Sree Ramajayam on the sand at the seashore, the sea (i.e. Varuna) get intimidated and tries to clean it as soon as possible.

Try it wherever you are – write Sree Rama Jayam in any language, a little further than where you expect the waves normally come, and watch the fun of it being cleansed by the waves.

See the video of it: https://clicksandwrites.wordpress.com/2008/03/07/story-of-fight-between-sree-rama-and-varuna/