Adityahridayam - A classic in its own right
The sermon of Bhagavad Gita is largely considered to be a spiritual classic not only its esoteric contents, but also for the fact that it was enunciated on a battle field to a trepidus warrior . Its eighteen chapters are the crown jewel of the Mahabharata and looked upon as one of the most profound insights into the nature of Self. Interestingly, the Ramayana also contains an intense spiritual discourse by Sage Agastya to none other than the God incarnate Rama. In thirty pli thy aphorisms, the eminent sage wakes Rama from the stupor of battle fatigue and gives him a glimpse of his real self. The poem is called 'Adityahrydayam'. It is a prayer that is chanted everyday in a million Indian homes . Unfortunately, we dont regard it as a masterpiece of spiritual literature in the same breath as the Bhagavad Gita, for the simple reason that the battle in Lanka is not as dramatic a setting as Kurukshetra was; and secondly, here the Lord himself is in a state of self doubt and hence