Rama Navami is the day on which Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, incarnated in human form in the land of Ayodhya. He is the Ardha Ansh of Vishnu or has half the divine qualities of Lord Vishnu. The word “Rama” literally means one who is divinely blissful and who gives joy to others, and one in whom the sages rejoice.
The story of the Ramayan is a classic, eternal, universal message of Dharma versus adharma, of deva versus demon, of good versus evil, as represented in the battle between Rama and Ravana.
Ravana was a brahmin; he was a great 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, he was arrogant, egoistic, greedy and lustful. His insatiable desires led him to crave more and more power, more and more money, and more and more ladies to fulfill his every whim.
There is one main difference: Bhagwan Rama’s heart overflowed with divinity, love, generosity, humility, and a sense of duty. Ravana’s heart, in contrast, was filled with avarice, hatred, and egoism. Under Bhagwan Rama’s divine touch, the animals became his devotees and his divine helpers. Under Ravana’s touch, even humans became animals.
Bhagwan Rama teaches that:
- As a son: Respectfully and lovingly obey your father’s orders. Sacrifice your own comfort for your father’s dignity.
- As a step-son: Even when your step mother (or mother-in-law) is not kind to you, even when she clearly dis- criminates against you in favor of her own birth child, do not resent her, do not fight against her. Respect her and her wishes.
- As a brother: Remain loyal to your brother. Care for him.
- As a husband: Protect your wife. Fight for her protection and her purity. But there are times when one’s divine path must even take precedence over the path of householder. Do not keep the role of householder as the ultimate role.
- As a King: Sacrifice everything for your people. Do not worry about your own comfort, your own convenience or your own pleasure. Be willing to put the kingdom ahead of your own needs.
Celebration
- Performing akhanda Ramayana Pat involves chanting the entire Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas, which usually takes 24 hours.
- Chanting Sunderkand takes three hours. Sunderkand discusses some of Hanuman’s exploits and his meeting with Sita in Lanka.
- Temples will usually have the chanting of the Valmiki Ramayana or larger pandal programs in which the Ramayana is discussed for nine days, beginning on Ugadi and ending on Rama Navami.
