RAMNAVMI
By
Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
SALUTATIONS to Lord Rama, an Incarnation of Lord Vishnu,
who is measureless, who is of the nature of pure
Consciousness and bliss, who is the consort of Sita, Master
of Sri Hanuman, and the Lord of the three worlds, who took
His birth at His own will in order to establish
righteousness, destroy the wicked and protect His devotees.
Ramnavami or the birthday of Lord Rama falls on the 9th
day of the bright fortnight of the month of Chaitra
(March-April).
Rama was the Lord Hari Himself, incarnate on earth for
the destruction of Ravana. He was well accomplished,
beautiful and endowed with royal marks. His glory and
prowess were unlimited. He was peerless on earth. He was
free from malice. He was gentle. He was the protector of all
His people. He always addressed them in gentle words. He
never used any harsh words even when somebody provoked Him.
He held sway over the whole world.
Let Sri Rama be your ideal. Ideals are remembered and
adored for the purpose of adopting them in your own life.
The Ramnavmi celebration or the Vasanta Navaratri every year
is an opportune period for us to saturate ourselves with the
spirit of Lord Rama. We love and adore our ideals because we
express thereby our yearning to unite with them. In our
worship of God it is implied that we should be virtuous,
good and perfect even as God is. Hence the wise instruction:
"One should become divine in order to be able to worship
God". One cannot be a real worshipper of Lord Rama unless
one makes an honest attempt to grow in the virtues that the
Lord represents. On the other hand, worship of Lord Rama is
itself the surest means to develop such virtues.
One who approaches Sri Rama with love and worshipfulness
becomes large-hearted, pure in spirit, good-natured and
dispassionate in thought, word and deed. A true devotee of
Lord Rama is His representative, with His power and His
knowledge.
Lord Rama was the prince of the Ikshvaku race. He was
virtuous and of manly strength. He was the Lord of the mind
and the senses. Brave and valiant, He was yet gentle and
modest. He was a sage in counsel, kind and sweet in speech,
and most courteous and handsome in appearance. He was the
master of all the divine weapons, and a great warrior. Ever
devoted to the good and prosperity of His kingdom and His
subjects, He was a defender of the weak and the protector of
the righteous. Endowed with numerous wondrous powers of the
mind, He was well versed in all sciences--in military
science as well as the science of the Self.
Deep and unfathomed like the ocean, firm and steadfast
like the Himalayan mountains, valiant like Lord Vishnu, He
was the joy of Kaushalya. Though fierce like fire on the
battlefield, He was calm like the cool breeze of the Mandara
Hills, patient like Mother Earth, bounteous like the god of
wealth and righteous like the lord of justice himself. In
the pains and the griefs of His people, His heart swiftly
sympathised with the sufferers. In the festive scenes which
held them in joy, He like a father, shared their joys. By
His honour and heroism, as well as by His gentleness and
love for His subjects, He greatly endeared Himself to the
hearts of His people. Such a great person was the Lord Rama!
Lord Rama was the best of men with a sterling character.
He was the very image of love. He was an ideal son, an ideal
brother, an ideal husband, an ideal friend and an ideal
king. He can be taken to embody all the highest ideals of
man. He led the ideal life of a householder to teach the
tenets of righteousness to humanity. He ruled His people so
well that it came to be known as Ram-Rajya, which meant the
rule of righteousness, the rule which bestows happiness and
prosperity on all.
The noblest lesson embodied in the Ramayana is the
supreme importance of righteousness in the life of every
human being. Righteousness is the spiritual spark of life.
Cultivation of righteousness is the process of unfoldment of
the latent divinity in man. The glorious incarnation of the
Supreme Being in the form of Lord Rama has exemplified the
path of righteousness. Let mankind follow His footsteps and
practise the ideals cherished by Him, for it is only thus
that there can be everlasting peace, prosperity and welfare
in this world.
None but the righteous can be truly happy. None but he
who has the correct sense of duty and the will for its
implementation can be said to live worthily. One must be
imbued with a definite conviction about the supremacy of
moral principles, ethical values and spiritual ideals. These
ought to guide one's day-to-day actions and serve as
powerful means for the culture of the human personality.
That is the purpose of life. That is the way to Self-realisation.
That is the message and the mission of Lord Rama's fife on
earth.
To a devotee, Sri Rama is not simply a good and a great
person, but God Himself. Rama was the son of King Dasaratha
of Ayodhya, but He is also the divine omnipresent,
omnipotent and omniscient God. The destruction of the
ten-headed Ravana signifies the annihilation of the mind or
the ten senses. Worship of Lord Rama is worship of the
all-pervading Godhead Himself. Read the prayers offered by
Mandothari and Brahma in the Yuddha Kanda of the Ramayana.
They refer to Rama as the one Creator of the universe, the
God of all, the Ruler of the universe.
Devotion to God is not a simple emotion. It is the result
of intense dispassion and purity of heart and attitude. You
should strive your utmost to possess the good qualities that
are extolled in the Ramayana and exemplified in the
life of Lord Rama. Otherwise, emotion may rise up in you
temporarily to a kind of ecstasy, but you will not
experience divine consciousness thereby. Devotion is a fruit
which ripens gradually through the processes of
self-restraint and virtue. Without intense dispassion there
can be no real Sadhana for Self-realisation. Only after
detachment from the world of things, is it possible to
attain the Supreme Godhead. Remember this.
Devotion has absolutely nothing to do with age, caste,
creed, position or sex. Generally, the worldly-minded people
say: "We will practise meditation and devotion when we
retire from service." This is a serious mistake. How can you
do serious Sadhana after squeezing out all your energy in
working? How will you be able to practise the strict Yogic
discipline in your old age? Is there any certainty in life?
No, the spiritual seeds of discipline and devotion must be
sown in you while you are young, while your heart is tender
and untainted. Then only will it strike a deep root, blossom
forth and bear fruit when you become old and retire. Only
then can you bravely face the god of death and meet him with
a smile!
I shall tell you the means of attaining the final release
from the great cycle of births and deaths. Devotion to Lord
Rama is a great purifier of the heart. From devotion arises
knowledge. From knowledge comes the realisation of the pure
Self. Knowing this perfectly, one goes to the Supreme Abode
and merges in the Supreme Self.
Without first developing devotion to Rama who is the
Self, who lives in the hearts of all beings, who is all
bliss and who is peerless, how can man cross the ocean of
worldly life which has sorrow, pain and misery for its
waves?
Do thou therefore worship Lord Rama who is Vishnu and the
consort of Sita who is Lakshmi. Abandon all foolishness and
enmity. Take to the service of Lord Rama.
The Lord is extremely fond of those who have surrendered
themselves to Him. He has given this promise in the
Ramayana: "To anyone who once takes shelter under Me
and solicits 'I am Thine', I bestow fearlessness from all
beings. This is My vow".
Even a great sinner who is full of evil qualities and who
is fond of other people's wealth, is freed from all kinds of
faults that pertain to worldly life if only he remembers the
Lord always. He attains purity and goes to the supreme abode
of the Lord.
The Name of Lord Rama is the greatest purifier of the
heart. It wipes away all one's sins. Not only this, but it
wipes away the sinful tendencies as well. The Name is
sweeter than the sweetest of objects. It is the haven of
peace. It is the very life of pure souls. It is the purifier
of all purifying agencies. It quenches the consuming fire of
worldly desires. It awakens the knowledge of God. It bathes
the aspirant in the, ocean of divine bliss. Glory to Sri
Rama and His Name!
O Devotee! recite His Name, sing His glory and serve His
Lotus Feet. Enthrone in your heart Lord Rama of dark hue,
whose image is reflected in the heart of Lord Shiva. Blessed
is the pious soul who uninterruptedly drinks the nectar of
Sri Rama's Name which has been churned out of the ocean of
the Vedas, which removes the impurities of the Kali
Yuga or the iron age, which lives constantly on the lips of
Lord Shiva, which is a sovereign remedy or unfailing
specific to cure the disease of worldly existence and which
is the life of Mother Sita.
Ram-Nam burns ignorance, passion and sin. With or without
knowledge, correctly or incorrectly, when the word "Rama" is
pronounced it showers a rain of good upon the devotee. Sri
Rama is Brahman who takes one across the ocean of worldly
existence. Rama is one in across whom the Yogis sport, that
is, the Self within.
Lord Shiva tells His consort Parvati: "This Ram-Nam is
equal to the Lord's thousand Names, or repetition of the
Mantra a thousand times".
I call this the anti-gossip tonic. When you find that you
are wasting your time in gossip, repeat His Name several
times. You can make up for the time lost, and the mind will
be slowly weaned away from the habit of gossiping.
Sri Rama is also a wish-fulfilling tree. He will bestow
upon you whatever you want! Just read what Lord Shiva
further says:
"The seat of all good things, the destroyer of all
impurities of this age of darkness, purer than purity
itself, the food for the journey of aspirants on the path to
salvation, their only resting place, the very life-breath of
virtuous men, is the Divine Name of Sri Rama. So say the
sages".
On the auspicious Ramnavmi day take a firm resolve that
you will repeat Ram-Nam with every breath and that you will
endeavour to lead a righteous life.
Ramnavmi is one of the most important festivals of the
Vaishnava sect of the Hindus. However, even those who adore
Lord Shiva celebrate the occasion. Some observe a strict
fast on the day. Temples are decorated and the image of Lord
Rama is richly adorned. The holy Ramayana is read in
the temples. At Ayodhya, the birthplace of Sri Rama, a big
fair is held on this day.
In South India the Sri Ramnavmi Utsavam is celebrated for
nine days with great fervour and devotion. Those talented in
the art of story-telling narrate the thrilling episodes of
the Ramayana. The Kirtanists chant the holy Name of
Rama and celebrate the wedding of Rama with Sita on this
great day. It is an extremely colourful ceremony, highly
inspiring and instructive, too.
