RAMAYANA AND MAHABHARATHA ARE THE TWO PRIMARY SOURCES OF ENABLING THE  UNDERSTANDING OF

1. THE EVENTS THAT SHAPE OUR LIVES.
2. THE RULES BY WHICH WE SHOULD LIVE INCLUDING CODE OF CONDUCT
3. THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THIS EXISTENCE
4. THE STEPS TO EVOLUTION TO A BETTER AND MORE ADVANCED STATE OF EXISTENCE.

WHEN WE READ THESE EPICS THERE IS NO NEED TO QUESTION THEIR "ACTUAL OCCURRANCES". THE REMENANTS OF THE RAMAR PALAM AND THE CITY OF DWARAKA ARE ADEQUATE EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE PHYSICAL REALITY OF THESE HAPPENINGS.  AS WE READ THEM, ALL THAT WE HAVE TO DO IS TO RELATE THE EVENTS NARRATED IN THE PASSAGES TO THE EVENTS IN OUR OWN LIVES.  THE NARRATIVES SHOULD ALSO BE UNDERSTOOD AS DESCRIPTIONS OF THE WORKING OF OUR OWN MINDS.  WHEN WE READ THEM IN THIS LIGHT, ALL DOUBTS ABOUT THE TRUTH OF THE NARRATIVES WILL DISAPPEAR. 

Ithihasas are descriptions of actual events that took place in the "past" and were handed down through the generations by Bhrahmins chanting the verses of description, which were composed by Veda Vyasa.  These were then written on palm leaves before being transcribed to a printed document in modern times. 

The two major Ithihasas of our religion are the RAMAYANA and MAHABHARATHA.  

The Puranas use the narrative method to describe the different attributes of the Paramathma.  Incidents that are not necessarily related are narrated with a moral attached. These include extracts from the Ithihasas as well as an insight into the intent of the Paramathma in the enactment of the Ithihasas. In other words the Puranans have been scripted to enable the Bhaktha to relate to the actions of the Paramathma at a more humane level and develop love and affection and bonding with the Paramathman.  

Through the development of this bonding, the Bhaktha is able to enhance his own insight and knowledge of his inner self.  In other words, through the path of love, affection and bonding with the Easwara, the bhaktha enables the revelation and realization of the absolute truth, which is the Paramatha.

Questions and doubts frequently occur in the mind about whether these events described in the Ithihasas actually occured.  

The doubt emanates from one confusion between the perceived world and the forces of perception.  That for which physical evidence of occurance exists today (in the present) is considered to be the Truth. That which cannot link the present physical world to the events in the past is considered false. 

The existence of RAMAR PALAM (or Rama Sethu or Nala Sethu) between Dhanushkodiand Talaimannar,  and the CITY of DWARAKA under water off present day Gujarat constitute evidence of these historical events.

The questions then raised are - "How do we know that Ramar Palam was "man-made" and not a creation of nature?" Also asked is -  "how do we know that the ruins under water off Gujarat is Dwaraka (where Krishna lived) and not some more recent construction that was flooded because of global warming?"

The implication in these questions is that Man and Nature are real, but the creator or almightly is not.  So the people asking these questions rely on "their own" sense perceptions to differentiate between "Truth" and "Fiction".

The simple fact that does not occur to these people is that "Truth" and "Fiction" exist in relation only to the Mind. OTHERWISE, without the MIND there is no differentiation between these concepts.  Without the MIND there is no abolute truth, there is no differentiation of past and present and there is no difference between OCCURANCE and Non OCCURANCE. 

Reemember one other fact - what the MIND knows and perceives to know is only based on sense perceptions, which in turn depends on occurance of CHANGE. If there is no CHANGE, sense perceptions do not work. But if everthing is changing, ho can the mind establish the TRUTH?

TRUTH, by definition in the scriptures, is something that NEVER CHANGES.  Here in lies the anamoly or differentiation between consciousness and perception. Consciousness relates to the absolute, that never changes. Perception relates to a "reality" that always changes. 

The TRUTH of the ITHIHASAS are to be realized only at the CONSCIOUS (unchanging level) level. 

So the ITHIHAHSAS and the Puranas are to be learnt through the COSNSCIOUS and unchanging level of human knowledge and applied to the ever changing world of perception. 

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE UNCHANGING TRUTH EMBEDDED IN THE NARRATIVES BE UNDERSTOOD, ABSORBED, ACCEPTED AND APPLIED TO EVOLVE FROM THE EVER CHANGING WORLD OF THE MIND. 

IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT AS LONG AS WE DO NOT KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT OURSELVES, WE ARE NOT IN A POSITION TO QUESTION THE TRUTH ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE.  

LOOK AROUND WITH OPEN EYES AND WE WILL SEE ALL THE CHARACTERS AND EVENTS OF RAMAYANA AND MAHABHARATHA OCCURING IN THIS WORLD EVERYDAY. THEY ARE NOT EVENTS THAT OCCURED JUST ONCE IN THE PAST.THEY WILL OCCUR UNTIL DHARMA IS ESTABLISHED AND THE TRUTH IS KNOWN.