Festivals
and Events
Sri
Rama Navami
Sri Rama Navami is the festival that celebrates
the birth of Lord Sri Rama, the Avatar of the Treta age. It
falls in the ‘Chaitra’ month in the Shukla Paksha
Navami (ninth day of the bright fortnight) of the Hindu lunar
calendar. Lord Rama is revered as being the very embodiment
of Dharma (righteousness) and one whose life serves as an
ideal for all mankind. The Ramayana, an epic poem composed
by sage Valmiki on the life of Lord Rama, is one of the sacred
scriptures of the Hindu religion.
“The Ramayana, the story of Lord Rama,
teaches two lessons: the value of detachment and the need
to become aware of the Divine in every being. Faith in God
and detachment from objective pursuits are the keys for human
liberation. Give up attachment to sense objects, and you gain
Rama. Sita gave up the luxuries of Ayodhya so she could be
with Rama during His exile. When she cast longing eyes on
the golden deer and craved for it, she lost Rama's proximity.
Renunciation leads to joy; attachment brings about grief.
Be in the world, but not of it.
Rama is the in-dweller in every body. He
is the Source of Bliss (Atma-Rama) in every individual. His
blessing, surging from that inner spring, confers peace and
bliss. He is the very embodiment of Dharma, of all the codes
of morality that hold mankind together in love and unity”.
- From ‘Ramakatha Rasavahini’
authored by Bhagawan Baba.
Excerpts from
Bhagawan’s Discourses:
“The Ramayana teaches the principles
of Dharma and the path of duty to every individual. Though
ages and aeons have passed by, the Ramayana remains ever-fresh
guiding humanity on the path of truth and righteousness. Even
today we think of the characters of Ramayana with respect
and reverence. You can very well understand its greatness.
There is no morality higher than what is depicted in the Ramayana.
The Ramayana should be the subject of our Parayana (worship).
You should install the principle of Rama in your heart and
experience bliss. Practise the teachings of Ramayana in your
daily life. Obey the command of Lord Rama. It is to understand
and assimilate the principle of Ramayana that we are celebrating
the festival of Rama Navami today. It is not enough if the
celebration is confined to merely partaking of sweet pudding
and other delicious items.
- Divine Discourse: April 11th, 2003
“From time immemorial, every individual
in Bharat (India) has regarded Sri Rama's life as an ideal
and has sought to sanctify every moment of his life by living
up to it. Sri Rama incarnated as a human being to promote
peace and happiness in the world. "Rama is the very embodiment
of righteousness (Ramo Vigrahavaan Dharmah)." It was
as if righteousness itself had incarnated on earth. Dharma
and Rama are inseparable.
We must learn to chant the sweet name of
Rama with a pure, unsullied heart, in a spirit of selfless
devotion. Men should learn to speak sweetly and pleasingly.
Sweet speech confers peace. It is the means to self-realization.
Sri Rama loves to dwell in the heart of the man who speaks
sweetly. Wholehearted chanting of the name of Rama even once
can destroy mountains of sins. But the chanting should not
be done mechanically, like a gramophone record. It should
emanate from the depths of the heart. You must seek to redeem
your lives, by living up to Rama's ideals and proclaiming
them to the world. Remember the name of Rama with love. God
can be realized only through love and by no other means”.
- Divine Discourse: 14 April 1989
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