Among Hindu deities, Lord Ram is an all-time favorite symbolizing chivalry, commitment and virtue. The seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, he came to earth to annihilate evil forces of the age. Swami Vivekananda describes Lord Ram as, “the embodiment of truth, morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband, and above all, the ideal king.”
Unlike good number of other deities, he is widely believed to be an actual historical figure – a “hero of ancient India.” From the mythological perspective, Lord Rama is seen as eternally blissful and in his earthly form came to exemplify the perfect man, referred to as ‘Maryada Purushottam’. It is this aspect that is recalled and preached to people during the Ram Navami festival.
Lord Rama’s dutifulness, integrity, beneficence, humility and magnanimity are highlighted in the discourses and Bhajans that narrate details from the various episodes of the epic ‘Ramayana’. In the Hindu calendar, Ram Navami is marked as the auspicious occasion that consecrates the birth of Lord Ram.This year Shri Ram Navami is going to be celebrated on Saturday March 28. This festival lasts for the whole nine days, thus the period is called ‘Sri Rama Navaratra’ or Vasant Navaratra.
On the ninth day, vigrah of infant form of Sri Rama Lalla is placed in Palana and rocked by devotees
Invested with divine qualities, he was born to King Dasarath and his wife Kaushalya on the Shukla Paksha ‘Navami’ or the ‘ninth day’ of Chaitra maas, and Ram Navami is celebrated in the spirit of a festival in March/April of every year.
Lord Rama along with brother Lakshman, wife Sita and devotee Hanuman represent various divine aspects of their earthly journey of life. Their life situations have meanings in today’s life where man is confronted with unexpected events that test his ego and moral sense of duty and humanity. Thus, recitations and discourses of the Ramayana help us to take hints from Lord Rama’s demonstration of integrity and courage to win over evil motives and egocentric desires of self and others.
Ram Navami festival helps to inculcate these qualities in our thoughts and actions. It is with this spirit that Ram Navami is celebrated in all parts of the country and wherever Indians reside, with occasions of full nine-day celebrations and fasting rituals to seek Lord Rama’s grace throughout the ups and downs of life.
Lord Rama stands our before the whole world as an ideal king, son, brother, husband and father. He taught us how to respect our Gurus, teachers, parents, elders, women, and youngsters. He showed to the world that all living creatures need to be respected, cherished, and loved as precious lives. He as a prince experienced all the good and bad life situations with a balanced mind and became a role model.
Shri Rama’s heart always overflowed with love, generosity, humility, and a sense of duty. Later, as a king he provided full liberty and freedom to his citizens to express their feelings, problems, and complaints to their leaders without any fear and hesitation.
Lord Rama’s primary message is that fulfill your duty without any selfish motives; put other people before yourself. When he was exiled to the forest, Shri Rama did not complain. He did not fight back in anger. Rather, he helped his father fulfill his promise given to his step mother. He lived his life according to Hindu Dharma as a son and as a future king. He did not even once think about himself, his own comforts, and his own rights. Rather, he abided by his dharma, principles, and his duty.
Greed and desires do not get realized most of the time and a ceaseless quest for them brings only frustration. Therefore, regardless of how smart we are, how rich we are, or how beautiful we are, we are demons if our hearts are filled with anger and greed.
This in a way signfies the difference between Lord Rama and Ravana. Both were kings; both were learned in the scriptures; both were charismatic; both were brave and both were handsome. But, the ideal Hindu Dharmik life led by Rama made him a god and non-ideal Adharmik life lead by Ravana made him a demon king.
In the present world, the celebration of Shri Ram Janma Utsav has more relevance and usefulness than before because listening to Rama’s life episodes helps us to make a move towards becoming a perfect person in life. His personality shows us how to embody the divine spirit on Earth, how to live our lives in accordance with dharma and the divine principles. Our desires and wishes for comforts, contentment, prosperity, and happiness will be fulfilled only after the celebration of Shri Ram Avatar.
The incarnations and preaching of Trinity in Hinduism are not meant only for Indian subcontinent but for the whole universe and everyone on this earth to follow and live a worthy and meaningful life. In this connection, Lord Ram’s avatar and His current Janma Utsav is to bless the whole universe and to establish ideal principles in this world.
Everyone should participate in Shri Ram Janma Utsav to learn lessons from the Ramayana and from the glorious examples of Shri Rama’s life and obtain His blessings for your bright future, prosperity, and happiness and make use of this auspicious opportunity to have Darshan of Lord Ram Lalla and Palana Seva.
Pandit Anil Joshi
