Om apadāmapa hartaram dātārām sarva sampadām
Lokabhi Rāmam Srirāmam bhūyo bhūyo namāmyaham.
Sri Rama Navami is a day of festivity and joy. Since Rama is the personification of dharma, His birthday causes unexplainable enthusiasm in the minds of one and all! If just hearing the name ‘Rama’ showers bliss in the minds of saints and yogis, worshipping of Rama brings about endless joy to his ardent devotees. This is undoubtedly true.
To the Ashtakshari mantra (8 sylabled mantra), the prana beeja (seed sound of energy) is ‘Ra’. To the Panchakshari mantra (5 sylabled mantra), ‘Ma’ is the prana beeja. The merger of these two mantras results in the ‘Rama’ mantra. Puranas extol the greatness of this Rama mantra and declare that this in itself is the ultimate Taraka mantra.
When it comes to Rama, one should adopt 3 approaches- Dharmika drishti (righteous outlook), Tattvika drishti (metaphysical outlook) and Upasana drishti (worshipful outlook).
Dharmika drishti teaches the rules of righteousness applicable to humans. It ensures adherence to righteousness at the highest scale. Upasana drishti increases and strengthens the feelings of faith and devotion towards the Supreme and prevents such feelings from getting distorted. Tattvika drishti teaches the Supreme Essence.
Dharma is very subtle. At times of conflicting situation, the person fails to figure out which way to proceed. This is called ‘dharma sankata’. During such conflicting situations, one should emulate Rama. If we carefully study His actions and policies as Bala Rama (child), Kousalya Rama (son of Koushalya), Ayodhya Rama, Dasharatha Rama, Raghu Rama, Seeta Rama and Kodanda Rama (Rama who took up weapons), we will find answers that will guide us out of our conflicting situations.
Rama was a man of his word. Very stringently He abided by truth (satya vak). Due to this, He could procure the grace of Akhandeshwari. He became worthy enough to receive worship even from the Devatas themselves. He practised equanimity in all aspects and treated everyone equally. He was a valiant and courageous warrior who was very humble, selfless and who led his entire life solely for the welfare of the world. Using friendship he conquered the kingdom of Kishkinda; using dharma He conquered Ravana’s Lanka.
Rama Navami is a very special day as it is not only the birthday of this Supreme soul, but also his wedding day. On this auspicious day, Rama kalyana should be conducted and worship should be offered to Him. May his grace cause everyone to move on the path of dharma!
