Appearance of the Most Pleasing Incarnation of God

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Ram Navami - Appearance

Day of the Most Pleasing Incarnation of Supreme Personality of Godhead

Rama Navami falls on the ninth day of the shukla paksha, or bright

phase of the moon, in the lunar month of Chaitra (April-May). The first

day of Chaitra , or Ugadi, also marks the beginning of the Indian year.

According to legend, Rama was born at noon. Rama is the epitome of

perfection, the uttama purusha, fulfilling all his duties towards both

family and subjects.

 

The country of Kosal was situated on the banks of the river Sharayu.

Ayodhya was the capital founded by the king rishi Manu. During the reign

of king Dasarath, Ayodhya reached a period of great prosperity. But

Dasarath faced a big problem: he had no children. Therefore he decided

to perform a sacrifice known as “ashvamedh”, or horse-sacrifice.

Elaborate and difficult rituals had to be observed. A very holy man,

rishi Rishyashring, was chosen to conduct the sacrifice with the utmost

accuracy. The performance of this sacrifice was a great event in

Ayodhya. At the end Rishyashring recited a mantra and made an offering

to the fire. Then the gods, gandharvas, siddhas, and rishis present

arid began to pray to Brahma.

 

At that time Ravan, king of Lanka, was terrorizing the people, and

all were longing for liberation from his menace. Ravan had acquired

great power because he had obtained from god Brahma the boon that he

would never die at the hands of gods, or gandharvas, or yakshas

(demigods) or demons. As he was not afraid of men he did not care to

include men in the list of his potential slayers. So Brahmadev declared

that Ravan would die at the hands of a man. Then the gods went to

Vishnu with the request, “Dasarath is a glorious king. Please, take

birth in the wombs of his three queens in four different degrees of

your divinity.”

When Dasarath’s sacrifice came to an end a shining figure appeared

over the sacrificial kund, and offered the king a divine beverage

called “payasam” to be given to his queens Kausalya, Kaikayi, and

Sumitra. In due time Kausalya gave birth to Rama, Kaikayi to Bharat and

Sumitra to Laxman and Shatrugna. Rama was born at noon of the bright

ninth day of Chaitra.

Rama was the first of the four sons of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya.

When it was time for Rama to be made crown-prince, his stepmother,

Kaikeyi, got Dasharatha to send him to the forest for 14 years. His

wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana also accompanied him. In the

forest, Sita was kidnapped by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. Rama,

together with Hanuman and the monkey army, built a bridge to Lanka,

killed Ravana, and brought Sita back.

 

It is believed that listening to the story of Rama cleanses the

soul. Meditating on the noble Rama and chanting his name is believed to

ease the pains of life and lead one to moksha, or liberation.

 

Though Rama Navami is a major festival for Vaishnavites, it is widely

celebrated by worshippers of Shiva, too.

 

It is considered auspicious to undertake a fast on the day in the

name of Rama. The more devout fast for nine days, from Ugadi to Rama

Navami. The objective of the fast is not to ask for special favours of

the deity but to seek perfection as a human being. Devotees perform

elaborate pujas and chant the name of Rama. Temples of Rama have

special services and bhajan sessions through the day.

Sacred places associated with Rama, like Ayodhya, Ujjain and

Rameshwaram, draw tens of thousands of devotees. In Rameshwaram,

thousands take a ritual bath in the sea before worshipping at the

Ramanathaswamy temple.

Many places in North India host fairs in connection with the

festival, culminating in spectacular fireworks on Rama Navami.

 

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Then in the eighteenth incarnation,

the Lord appeared as King Rama. In order to perform some pleasing work

for the demigods, He exhibited superhuman powers by controlling the

Indian Ocean and then killing the atheist King Ravana, who was on the

other side of the sea - Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.22