Sri Ramanavami

March 20, 2009

Sri Rama Navami celebrates the Birth Day of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu,

From Ugadi, the next nine days, we celebrate the Vasantha Navaratri which concludes with Sri Rama Navami.

Sri Ramachandra embodies the Qualities of Truth and Purity. Lord Rama was the embodiment of Both these Qualities. Sri Rama voluntarily subjected himself to untold hardships for fourteen years of forest life just to keep up a promise not made or given by him but by another even before he was born. What an ideal of highest purity is this life long vow of Eka Patnivrata. The declaration made by Sri Rama: "The fire may abandon its heat; ice its coolness; jasmine its fragrance, but I never break the promise made to my father" should ring in our hearts today after reading or watching Ramayana.

The heroic adherence to truth that Prince Bharata exemplifies with grand, superhuman resolution for fourteen years. He stuck to his lofty vow and to the little village of Nandigram bowing with folded hands and bent head before the royal sandals of Lord Rama. And at the end of the period, had but Rama delayed a moment more, then true to his word, Bharata would have cast himself into burning pit of a blazing fire. Such is the stuff of Truth which makes man immortal.

Then comes, the marvellous fidelity of Mother Sita Devi in the grove of the Ashokavana. Even when Ravana tries to convince her that Rama is dead by producing an exact likeness of Rama's severed head before the shocked and agonised gaze of Sita, we note the unwavering constancy of Sita who was Truth personified.

The 'Sthala purana' of Kasi says that the deity Kasi Viswanatha initiates the Rama Nama to each and every being at the time of their death, in their right ear.

The Lord Dakshinamurthy observes silence because He doesn't want to waste any time without chanting the Rama Nama.

The Sun God ever chants the Rama Nama as he is proud that Sri Rama came in his dynasty.

The chief among the Mantras for the Shaivites is the Panchakshari mantra, 'Om Nama Shivaya'. Without the letter 'ra', in Om Namo Narayana would read as 'Nayana' that means one without a way (gati), without the letter 'ma', 'Namasivaya' would read as 'Nasivaya' that means inauspicious.

So the Jiva akshara or Life giving Letters 'Ra' and 'Ma' of these two Mantras are put together to form the Rama Nama! So Anyone chanting this Divine Name thus worships both Shiva and Vishnu at the same time!

The Wonderful and Awe Inspiring Bhadrachalam temple of Sri Rama has three Unique features that no other Sri Rama Temple has :

1. It is the only temple where Sri Ramachandra has four hands.

2. It is the also the only temple where Sita Devi sits on his left lap

3. In this wonderful temple Sita Devi has 3 Mangala sutras one from her father - Janaka, one from her father in law - Dasaratha and by Gopanna or Sri Rama Dasu.

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