Spiritual Significance of Sri Rama Navami

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Spiritual Significance of Sri Rama Navami

By

Swami Chidananda Saraswati

Sri Rama Navami is the birthday of Bhagawan Sri Rama.

On this beautiful birthday of Bhagawan Rama, let us ask ourselves the

meaning of His birth. What lessons do we learn from the Ramayana and

from the glorious example of Bhagawan Rama's life?

 

Bhagawan Rama exemplified the perfect person; he showed us how to embody the divine on Earth, how to live our lives in accordance with dharma and the divine principles. The story of the Ramayana is a classic, eternal, universal message of dharma versus adharma, of deva versus demon.

 

Ravana was a Brahmin; he was a great Vedic scholar who wrote numerous

works on scriptural philosophy. He was powerful, dynamic, and beautiful

in appearance. As the brilliant, handsome king of Lanka, he had

everything one would need to be happy and peaceful. Yet, what made him

a demon? He was arrogant, egoistic, greedy and lustful. His insatiable desires led him to crave more and more power, money, and beautiful ladies to fulfill his every whim.

 

Covetous desires can never be fulfilled, and the 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 is, in essence, the

difference between Bhagawan Rama and Ravana. Both were kings; both were

learned in the scriptures; both were charismatic; both were beautiful. What makes Rama a God and Ravana a demon?

 

There is one main difference: Bhagawan Rama's heart overflowed with love, generosity, humility, and a sense of duty.

Ravana's heart, in contrast, was filled with avarice, hatred, and

egoism. Under Bhagawan Rama's divine touch, the animals became his

devotees and his divine helpers. Under Ravana's touch, even humans

became animals.

 

However, we ask how to be like Bhagawan Rama? How to be godly,

peaceful, and righteous? How to win " war of Lanka " within ourselves?

Bhagawan Rama has given us the perfect example through his life and his

actions…The way to attain divinity, the way to be " perfect, " the way to

be in peace instead of pieces, is to follow his clear example.

Bhagawan Rama's primary message is: fulfill your duty without any selfish motives; put other people before yourself.

When he was exiled to the forest, Bhagawan Rama did not complain, " but

hat's not fair.” He did not fight back in anger. Rather, he helped his

father fulfill a promise; he lived according to his duty as a son and

as a future king. He did not once think about himself, his own

comforts, and his own “rights”. Rather, he abided by his dharma and his

duty.

 

Ravana's ego led to his own demise, first the demise of his spirit and

heart and then the demise of his body. He thought he was the one who

ran everything. He thought that he was the " doer " of it all. On the

other hand, Bhagawan Rama was always humble, and he never took credit

for anything. Even after he victoriously slew Ravana, he reported it to

Sitaji only as, " and this is where Ravana died. "

 

As we celebrate this auspicious holiday, as we revel in Bhagawan Rama's

birth, let us ask ourselves, " Has the Rama taken birth inside us? Has

the good in our hearts taken birth?” Ram Navami is not only a holiday about Bhagawan Rama; it’s about examining ourselves.

Life is so short. We never know when the end will come. For how long do

we want to let Ravana live in us? For how long do we want to be

controlled by Ravana? We must give birth today to Bhagawan Rama in our

hearts.