Rama Fest Sunday April 13

[Guest guest]

Ram Navami

The Appearance Day of Lord Ramachandra

Sunday April 13th, 5 PM

Krishna Temple

8628 S. State St., Spanish Fork, Utah

Contact: Caru or Vai 798-3559/787-1510

www.iskcon.net/utah

 

Every member of the public is invited to attend the festival of Ram

Navami. There will be a drama depicting the life of Valmiki who wrote the

epic of Rama. Lasya School of Classical Indian dance in San Francisco is

sending their star performer, Anuradha Sivaram*, to tell in dance format

some of the stories of Rama and Krishna. There will additionally be some

Sanskrit chanting, a sacred fire ceremony, and the exuberant chanting and

drumming for which the Krishna devotees are famous. There is no admission

fee, and sumptuous hot vegetarian meals will be served throughout the

evening for a modest donation. Guests and visitors are invited to bring an

offering of fruits, flowers, or even a cooked vegetarian preparation to

augment the feast.

 

There is more background to the festival below.

Ram Navami

 

Lord Ramachandra appeared many tens of thousands of years ago in

Ayodhya, Northern India, as the son of King Dasarath, of the Iksvaku

dynasty. Lord Rama's saga is told by the sage Valmiki in the epic, Ramayana,

which is three times longer than the Illiad and Odyssey combined.

 

Lord Rama is an avatar of Lord Vishnu who came down to earth to battle

the invincible Ravana in human form. Lord Brahma had been receiving

complaints from all the gods about the havoc that Ravana was wreaking on

earth, but because Ravana had been granted so many boons, he could not be

killed by a god. Ravana had become so overconfident that he would never

expect an attack from a human being. So Lord Vishnu agreed to go to earth in

the guise of Prince Ram, the son of King Dasharath and Queen Kaushalya. 

 

The story of Lord Rama as told in the great epic Ramayana is one that

most Indians know irrespective of caste, creed and religion. Lord Rama is a

legendary figure, the epitome of all that is good and true, the man who

vanquished the demon king Ravana. Lord Rama is not just a hero, but God

incarnate as the perfect son, husband, king, and brother. Therefore, it

comes as no surprise that his birth is celebrated year after year with great

pomp and enjoyment on the ninth day after the new moon in Sukul Paksh (the

waxing moon), which falls sometime in the month of April. 

 

Rama is the supreme exemplar of how people should conduct themselves in

the world, how a country should be governed, how the integrity and morality

of human beings should be protected. High-minded actions, ideal qualities

and sacred thoughts are basic foundations of character. Rama is the very

embodiment of these three attributes. This means that every human being

should cultivate sacred thoughts, right actions and good qualities. Rama

demonstrated by his words, thoughts and actions how such a life can be

lived. Rama acted unto the ancient injunction: "Speak the truth. Practice

Righteousness". Eschewing harsh words, Rama pleased everyone by his sweet

speech. He countered harsh speech by others with his composure, patience,

sweetness and smile. He never pried into the affairs of others, never took

notice of their faults, never indulged in ridicule, and never caused any

pain to others by the way he spoke to them. It is essential for everyone to

follow the example set by Rama and cultivate his many noble qualities and do

righteous actions. People should entertain sacred thoughts.

 

Today, in the pursuit of power, men are prepared to commit any kind of

crime and to inflict any kind of harm on people to achieve their ends.

 

Rama, on the contrary, gave up the kingdom and, to honor the pledge given

by his father, chose to face the ordeals of life in the forest as an exile.

He demonstrated to the world that one should never go back on his word. Rama

gave up the throne and became a denizen of the forest. In life, it is not

difficulties and calamities that are important. The supreme importance of

Truth was what Rama wanted to hold forth to the world.

 

*ANURADHA SIVARAM

 

Anuradha has been learning Bharatanatyam from Guru Vidhya Subramanian

from the young age of five. Anuradha has been an active participant in many

Lasya performances. She has performed several times at the Concord and

Livermore temples, as well as the FIA mela, the NASA Ames Multicultural

Festival, the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival of 1998, and other venues.

Anuradha has had multiple roles in Lasya¹s two full-length classical drama

productions, Shakuntalam (1999), and Silappadikaram (2001) and performed in

multiple pieces in Dasaka Natya Samaroh (2002). Anuradha performed her

Arangetram, or solo dance debut, on August 24, 2002. Apart from dance,

Anuradha learns Carnatic music from Guru Asha Ramesh. She has also been

attending Chinmaya Mission Bala Vihar and Tamil Classes since age 5.

Anuradha also attends Gita Chanting instruction classes at the Chinmaya

Mission Bala Vihar, and has received third place in the intra-class chanting

competition. She is also a volunteer teacher aide for junior Bala Vihar

classes. Anuradha will be a sophomore at Lynbrook High School this fall,

where she is an active member of the Speech and Debate Club. She also

volunteers for her school¹s service clubs. Anuradha¹s hobbies include arts

and crafts, reading, and swimming.