Rama Navami is a significant Hindu festival that commemorates the birth of Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, revered for his adherence to dharma and righteousness. Celebrated on the ninth day (Navami) of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of the lunar month of Chaitra, which typically falls in March or April, this festival also marks the culmination of the spring festival known as Chaitra Navratri.
Significance of Rama Navami
Lord Rama is often hailed as ‘Maryada Purushottama,’ the epitome of virtue and the ideal man. His life and deeds, as chronicled in the epic Ramayana, serve as guiding principles for millions, emphasizing values such as honor, courage, and devotion.
Celebrations:
The observance of Rama Navami varies across different regions but commonly includes:
Recitation of scriptures: Devotees read passages from sacred texts like the Ramayana and Shrimad Bhagavatam, reflecting on Lord Rama’s life and teachings.
Fasting: Many devotees observe a day-long fast, abstaining from food and sometimes even water, as an expression of devotion and discipline.
Temple visits: Special prayers and pujas are conducted in temples dedicated to Lord Rama. In Ayodhya, his birthplace, grand processions and festivities are organized, drawing devotees from all over.
Cultural programs: Dramatic enactments of the Ramayana, known as Ramlila, are performed, depicting various episodes from Lord Rama’s life.
Community meals: Charitable events and community feasts are organized, fostering a sense of unity and shared celebration among participants.
[Excerpts from commentaries, letters and articles written by Swami Chinmayananda]
Rama Navami — there is no birth-day connected with it; Lord is Unborn. But He sports in a Maya-Manusha-Vesham! Rama is not a historical person, but the very Essence behind the Universe, which is also in your heart, the ONE enlivening every action in all beings. “Sarveshu ramante iti ramah” – He who revels in all beings is RAMA, the Self of all, of the nature of Peace – Auspiciousness – Beauty, the Atma-Rama.
Sri Rama has been painted very elaborately as a perfect man in all aspects of his life: perfect as a son, as a husband, as a brother, as a friend, as a fighter, as a teacher, as a ruler and even as a father. Such an all-round perfect one — his perfections shining out all the more against a light background of seeming imperfections and extremely teasing and confusing circumstances — should necessarily be the noblest hand that ever wielded an honest bow to shoot out the most creative arrows!!
We have within ourselves all the potential abilities and resources to invoke RAMA whose glory viz: Sita has been kidnapped at the moment by the turbulent demons of lust and passions, of the delusory attachments and fascinations for the gross fields of sensuous enjoyments.
We must pull ourselves from the clamour of these turbulent fields; only then, our inner equipment will have the required poise, the inner stability and the equanimity to re-discover for ourselves the voiceless peace which has been temporarily lost. With an insight into the philosophical ideas and a logical understanding of the spiritual values, with a strong conviction and great strength, overcome the demoniac forces within and re-discover Sita, the Eternal Peace.
Quieten the mind and then, more and more it becomes contemplative. The mind is not quietened till desires are ended. Desires cannot be ended till vasanas are ended. For ending the vasanas, abhyasa is necessary; working in the world outside without ego and ego-centric desires reduce the existing vasanas. No new vasanas are formed.
The pressure of vasanas on the mind gets reduced, it becomes contemplative and by regular sadhana, it becomes a fit instrument to receive the Grace of SRI RAMA. Refuse to dissipate your energy. Resort to japa, puja, meditation and other such healthy exercises. Such a quietened mind alone has the stillness in contemplation, to awake to the Supreme — RAMA JAYANTI !!
The burning of the effigy of Ravana represents the burning of your vasanas in the fire of knowledge, that is, RAMA is born in you. You awake to your higher Consciousness – the Rama State of Consciousness — RAMA NAVAMI. Shift your vision, shift to the Higher. Man alone can, animals cannot. It can come to your heart only when you are persevering and wanting it earnestly. It all depends on your sadhana. When the mind is calm, serene and pure, it is contemplative. This contemplation then gives birth to the RAMA in you, the Reality.
The Self, Rama, wedded to Sita, its own nature of peace, lives joyously with unperturbed equanimity, both in the kingdom of Ayodhya and in the jungles of his exile. His sorrows start when his consort ‘peace’ falls a prey into the hands of Ravana, a ten- headed monster. This represents the lower animal in an individual having ten heads–5 organs of action and 5 organs of perception. Rama, then seeking for his consort has necessarily to cross the ocean of delusory attachment and fascinations, reach Lanka, destroy the demoniac forces of negative tendencies natural in a deluded mind and rediscover Sita, his lost peace. Thus when the inner personality is purified and rehabilitated, Peace, the Eternal consort of the Self is regained. Thereafter the man of realisation rules over the kingdom of life, from his capital called Effortless (Ayodhya).
The more you crave for the RAMA-STATE, the more it will recede from you! For craving comes to the Ego (Jiva) in its feeling that it is separate from RAMA !!
Are you?
“I am in you at all times — I am the very Existence in you!”
See! ….Relax…!
Embrace Him and merge into RAMA.
Disappear in RAMA!!…..
“When will this be?”
What a question!
“When you choose to be,” is the scriptural answer!!
What is ‘within’ is that which is seen ‘without’. Keep within RAMA-MAYAM as Sadhana. To see RAMA-MAYAM is Sadhya; the former the Way, the later the Goal.
Dive deeper and deeper into it, discover RAMA, as the One who revels in all, and invoke Him to express through you so that the veiled and hidden RAMA in all may wake up and reveal Himself!
Sri Rama’s Feet are the object of contemplation for every devoted seeker in the seat of meditation. Hold on to His Feet in your own heart. All the rest will follow. Go beyond the famous “Coronation picture” of SRI RAMACHANDRA into the Ocean of “RAMA Tattva” behind His Golden Throne. Through RAMA to “RAMA-TATTVA”; through names and forms to the “BEYOND!!”
May my consciousness win victory over my little ego!
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