Rama Navami 2009

Today is Lord Ramachandra’s appearance day. This day is known as Rama Navami, and it marks the anniversary of when Lord Krishna descended to earth in the form of Lord Rama, to give protection to His devotees and to kill the evil demon Ravana. The best way to celebrate the occasion is to think about Him throughout the day and read about His pastimes found in the Vedic literatures. The following excerpt from the Valmiki Ramayana describes the story relating to His birth. In city of Ayodhya, many thousands of years ago, a great sacrifice had been performed in the royal court of King Dashratha, the most pious of kings, in hopes of attaining a son. In due time, his three pregnant wives, Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra, became pregnant and were due to give birth.

“And then when the six seasons had rolled away after the completion of the sacrifice, in the twelfth month, on the ninth lunar day, under the influence of the Punarvasu asterism presided by the demigod Aditi, when the Sun, the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus were at Arius, Capricorn, Libra, Cancer, and Pisces, and when Jupiter had arisen with the Moon at Cancer, Kausalya gave birth to that lord of the universe, bowed to by all the worlds, Rama, the descendant of Ikshvaku, furnished with excellent marks, the one half of Vishnu, exceedingly righteous, with rosy eyes, and might arms, having a crimson nether lip, and endowed with a voice like the sound of a kettledrum. Then on having given birth to that son of immeasurable prowess, Kausalya looked resplendent, like Aditi on having brough forth that foremost of celestials, Indra.

Then was born to Kaikeyi, a son named Bharata, having truth for prowess, endowed with all the virtues, and respresenting the very fourth part of Vishnu.

Then Sumitra gave birth to Lakshmana and Shatrughna, heroic, and skilled in all weapons, and endowed with the other half of Vishnu.

And Bharata of purged intelligence was born under the asterism Pushya, when the Sun had entered Pisces; while the two sons of Sumitra were born when the Sun arose in Cancer, under the asterism of Ashlesha. (The ninth lunar mansion)

Thus were separately born four high-souled sons to the king, crowed with qualities, graceful, and in loveliness resembling the constellations Prosthapada. Thereat the Gandharvas began to chant sweetly, and the Apsaras to dance. The celestial kettledrums sounded, and blossoms were showered down from the sky.

And high festivities were commenced by the multitude in Ayodhya. The spacious highways became filled with players and dancers, glittering with all kinds of gems, and resounding with the music of singers and performers on instruments. And the king bestowed gifts upon bards and genealogists and panegyrists, and he also gave away cows by thousands to the brahmanas.

When the eleventh day had gone by, the king performed the naming ceremony of his sons. Experiencing great delight, Vashishtha conferred the names. The high-souled eldest one was called Rama; Kaikeyi’s son was called Bharata; Sumitra’s son was called Lakshmana, and the last was named Shatrughna.

The king fed the brahmanas as well as the inhabitants rural and urban, and he bestowed heaps of jewels upon brahmanas.

Thus did he celebrate the natal rites of the princes. Among all those princes, the eldest, Rama, like that of Ketu, (The ninth of the planets) and the special delight of his father, became the object of general regard, even as the self-create Himself. And all of them were versed in the Vedas, heroic, and intent upon the welfare of others.

All were accomplished in knowledge; and endowed with virtues. Among them all, the exceedingly puissant Rama, having truth for prowess, was the desire of everyone, and spotless like to the moon himself. He could ride on elephants and horses, and was adept in managing cars. He was ever engaged in the study of arms, and always occupied in ministering to his sire.

Even from early youth, that enhancer of auspiciousness Lakshmana, was ever attached to his eldest brother Rama, that delight of all. Like to another life of Rama, Lakshmana furnished with auspiciousness was in everything attentive to Rama’s wishes, even at the neglect of his own person. That foremost of persons did not even attain sleep without Rama’s company, nor did he partake any sweetmeat that was offered, unless Rama partook it with him.”

Related books:

Valmiki Ramayana

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The Spiritual Master

“O Rama, there is no one more fortunate on this earth than You since you have Vishwamitra as Your spiritual master.”

Sage Shatananda speaking to Lord Rama (Valmiki Ramayana, Balakanda)

In this material world, the spiritual master is our link to God. God isn’t always directly physically present on this earth, so it is through the spiritual master that we can understand Him.

In all areas of life, we require a teacher. We are all born not knowing anything. After taking our first birth from our parents, we gradually were taught how to crawl, walk, talk, and even eat properly. Our parents taught us right and wrong, good and bad, and how to behave properly. In many ways, we are the reflection of our parents. Children with good parentage usually grow up to be good standing citizens. From youth to young adulthood, we attended school and were educated by our various teachers. If not for them, we would probably not grow up to be productive adults.

In different areas of work, we require training from those who are already expert in their particular fields. Aspiring doctors require training from experienced doctors. Students finishing law school require the guidance of experienced lawyers to learn the trade. So in this way, we can understand that a good teacher is required for success in any endeavor

The spiritual master, or guru, is required for anyone who is seriously seeking self-realization and understanding of God. A qualified spiritual master is one of saintly character who has completely surrendered Himself to Lord Krishna. He knows nothing else but Krishna and through his saintly character, he voluntarily teachers others about Krishna.

From our education on material subjects, we can try to understand God, but our attempts will always fail. God cannot be understood through mere mental speculation. He can only be known through the grace of one who has completely surrendered himself to God. By agreeing to serve the spiritual master humbly, we take our second and more important birth and begin our spiritual understanding.

When Lord Krishna appeared on this earth, He even accepted a spiritual master, Sandipani Muni, just to set an example for us. The Lord taught us to be very humble to saintly people, and to learn spiritual knowledge from them. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but he pretended to be subordinate in knowledge to brahmanas in order to show them proper respect.

In the Ramacharitamansa of Tulsidas, Maharishi Valmiki gives a vivid description of a devotee of the Lord. One of the points he makes is that a devotee loves his guru even more than God Himself. The reason for this is that the spiritual master teaches us about God, and without him, our lives would be meaningless. This underscores the importance of the guru. When Lord Ramachandra was a youth, he and his brother Lakshmana were trained to be the highest skilled kshatriyas, or warriors, by the sage Vishwamitra. Lord Rama was God Himself, but He also humbly submitted Himself before Vishwamitra and voluntarily accepted him as His spiritual master. Vishwamitra was so pious that he was fortunate enough to have God Himself as a disciple. Yet Vishwamitra was held in such high regard by other sages that these sages considered Rama and Lakshmana to be the fortunate ones. Such is the glory of a saint!

In the Vedas, it is said that one of the highest rewards of life is to have association with a saintly person. One doesn’t have to be born in a high class family or possess immense riches in order to make spiritual progress. One simply has to be fortunate enough to come in contact with a saintly person, and then have the good sense to humbly serve that person through taking instruction from them. Anyone who is purely devoted to Krishna is considered a saint and a spiritual master. The perfect spiritual master for this age is A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Though Shrila Prabhupada physically left this earth more than thirty years ago, we can still approach him through his books and recorded lectures. He continues to preach to this day, so we should make the most of this auspicious human form of life by reading his books and following his teachings. In this way, we please the spiritual master, and through his grace, we return back to Godhead.

 

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Maharishi Valmiki

Maharishi Valmiki is the author of the original story of Lord Ramachandra, known as the Valmiki Ramayana. He lived during the Treta Yuga and through guidance from his spiritual master, he wrote the epic Ramayana prior to Lord Rama’s advent.

The Vedas say that the highest benediction in life is to have association with a saint, or a devotee of Krishna. In his early life Valmiki’s name was Ratnakara, and he took to robbing people for a living. Through good fortune, he once met Narada Rishi and tried to attack him. Narada chanted Lord Rama’s name and convinced Ratnakara to give up his life of thievery. Following Narada’s advice, the sage chanted the name of Rama and sat in meditation for many many years, during which time his body became covered by ants. Narada Rishi returned and uncovered the sage from the anthill, informed him that his meditation was successful, and bestowed on him the name Valmiki since he was born from an anthill. Valmiki learned the story of Lord Rama from Narada and was instructed to write the story in poetry form by Lord Brahma.

Valmiki was also present during Lord Ramachandra’s time on earth. He had a hermitage in the forest and was visited by Lord Rama, His wife Sita, and His brother Lakshmana during their fourteen year exile period. Lord Rama asked Valmiki if he knew a good place where they could set up camp. Valmiki in turn gave a beautiful description of a pure devotee of the Lord and told Rama to always dwell in the heart of a devotee. The account is described in detail in Tulsidas’s Ramacharitamanasa. Later on, Valmiki also provided shelter to Sita when she was abandoned by Lord Rama. Sita’s two sons, Lava and Kusha, were born at Valmiki’s hermitage, and the sage acted as their spiritual master during their childhood.

The events of Lord Rama’s life can be found in many Vedic literatures, but the Valmiki Ramayana is the original account. It was very famous even during Lord Rama’s time. Lord Rama’s two sons, Lava and Kusha, committed the Ramayana to memory and would recite it constantly in front of gathered assemblies in Ayodhya. The epic is still being recited today to the delight of Lord Rama’s devotees.

 

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Lord Ramachandra

   Lord Ramachandra, also referred to as Lord Rama, is the incarnation of Krishna that appeared in Ayodhya during the Treta Yuga. According to the Vedas, the universe is constantly created and destroyed and each creation is divided in to four yugas, or time periods; Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and the Kali Yuga which we are currently in.

The reasons for the Lord’s advent were many and they differ slightly for each creation. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita that "whenever there is a decline in religion, I personally come Myself to restore the tradition of the Vedas and to protect My devotees”. Prior to Lord Rama’s advent, there was a very powerful demon named Ravana who was wreaking havoc throughout the world and disrupting the sacrifices of the saintly people on earth. The sadhus of the world prayed for the Lord to personally come and save them and he answered their prayers.

There was a great king who ruled over Adyodhya at the time by the name of Dashrath who was very pious and respected by all. His life was perfect except for the fact that he had no son to whom he could pass down his kingdom. On the advice of his priest Vasishtha, Dashrath performed a yajna (Vedic sacrifice) for Lord Vishnu, and in due time his wives gave birth to four beautiful sons named Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana, and Shatrughna.

Lord Rama performed many glorious pastimes during His time on earth, but His most celebrated pastime was Hs slaying of the demon Ravana, who had abducted His wife Sita. Stories related Lord Rama’s life are beautifully told in the original Ramayana, written by Maharishi Valmiki, who was instructed to write the Ramayana by his spiritual master Narada Muni. Other historical accounts of Lord Rama’s life can be found in almost all of the Puranas (ancient Vedic stories), including the Mahabharata and the Shrimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). Around five hundred years, Goswami Tulsidas wrote his own poem detailing the pastimes of Lord Rama, called the Ramacharitamanasa, also known as the Tulsi Ramayana. In this beautiful work, Tulsidas references all the stories of Lord Rama contained in various Vedic literatures, but especially the Valmiki Ramayana and the Brahmananda Purana, and merges them to tell the story of the Ramayana in a mood of devotion and love, and for this it is considered to be one of the most important Vedic literatures.

Lord Rama is considered an avatar of Vasudeva (Lord Krishna), and thus there is no difference between Him and God. He is usually worshipped along with His wife Sita, younger brother Lakshmana, and His greatest devotee Hanuman, collectively known as the Ram Darbar. Lord Rama played the role of a perfect human being, a role model for everyone. He was an ideal son, husband, friend, and king. He had no other interest in His mind other than to please His devotees and to serve them. Recitation of Lord Rama’s name is the only means of salvation in this age of Kali as it will immediately remind us of His beautiful form and wonderful pastimes.

 

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Goswami Tulsidas

Goswami Tulsidas was a great devotee of Lord Ramachandra (Lord Rama) who appeared in India in the 16^th century. A true saint, he is best known for the books that he authored, the most famous of which was the Ramacharitamanasa.

The original story of Lord Ramachandra, an incarnation of Lord Krishna or God, was written by Maharishi Valmiki during Lord Rama’s appearance on earth in the Treta yuga, and this story is famously known as the Valmiki Ramayana.  Stories relating to Lord Krishna and His incarnations are also found in many other Vedic literatures, such as the Puranas, all of which are written in the Sanskrit language. Sanskrit, known as the language of the gods, is a very difficult language for people to understand in this age of Kali. Tulsidas wanted to make Lord Rama’s story more accessible to today’s society. He wrote the Ramacharitamanasa, also known as the Tulsi Ramayana, in Awadhi, which is a dialect of the Hindi language. His version is based off the historical accounts of Lord Rama found in all the Vedic literatures, but is especially based off the Valmiki Ramayana and the Adhyatma Ramayana found in the Brahmananda Purana. Tulsidas’s Ramayana is written in a mood of pure devotion, using beautiful poetry, making it a wonderful read for anyone.

In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna to “declare to the world that My devotee never perishes.” The popularity of the Ramacharitamanasa is proof of that. Tulsidas’s work is a staple in the homes of all Indians. It is recited regularly during the holy periods of the year relating to Lord Rama.

Aside from the Manasa, Tulsidas also authored several other shorter works relating to Lord Rama, including the Vinaya Patrika, Dohawali, and the Kavitawali. In addition, he is the author of the famous Hanuman Chalisa, a poem which glorifies Lord Rama’s greatest devotee Lord Hanuman.

Tulsidas belonged to the Ramananda Sampradaya, which has a hint of impersonalist philosophy. The Vedas describe the Supreme Absolute Truth as “nirguna”, which means attributeless. Impersonalitsts misinterpret this to mean that God is only an all pervading spirit, or Brahman, and not a person. Nirguna actually means that God is formless in that He doesn’t have a material form, but He is still an individual separate from us. From reading Tulsidas’s works there is no mistaking that he is a pure devotee of God’s form as Lord Ramachandra. In fact, Tulsidas boldly declares that God’s name is even more important than God Himself, since His name directly brings us in touch with Him. He teaches that we should be constantly engaged in reciting the Lord’s name and in this way our lives will be perfect.

Several English translations of his works are available, but sadly they usually include impersonalist and atheistic interpretations which distort the original meanings. Tulsidas’s works must be presented in their original form, with the original meanings preserved. Tulsidas was a great devotee of Lord Ramachandra and his writings leave no doubt about that. He taught devotion to God and nothing else. Krishna’s Mercy is dedicated to honoring Goswami Tulsidas by distributing his works and presenting his teachings without deviation.

 

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Shivaratri

Shivaratri is the celebration festival for Lord Shiva, one of the three presiding deities of the material world. To manage the material world, Lord Krishna incarnates as three guna avatars, Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma, and Lord Shiva. Guna means qualities, and each of the deities preside over a specific quality of material nature. Lord Vishnu represents the mode of goodness, Lord Brahma the mode of passion, and Lord Shiva the mode of ignorance or darkness.

Lord Shiva is known as Mahadeva, or the great god or demigod. He is known as the highest demigod because he is a great devotee of Lord Vishnu or Krishna. Lord Shiva is always seen seated in a yoga posture and meditating, for his mind is in deep concentration on the lotus feet of Lord Krishna. Like other demigods, he has been deputed by Lord Krishna to provide material benedictions to those who worship him. Lord Shiva is generally the demigod to go to for people in the mode of ignorance. People in the mode of ignorance usually crave material benedictions and they know that Lord Shiva is very easily pleased, so they go to him to fulfill their desires.

There have been many examples in the past where demons worshipped Lord Shiva in order to obtain things that weren’t for used for good purposes. The evil Rakshasa demon Ravana worshipped Lord Shiva and was granted many powers through him. He used these powers to wreak havoc throughout the world, until he was finally stopped by Lord Krishna Himself through His incarnation as Lord Rama. Another demon named Vrikasura once asked Lord Shiva for the benediction that would enable him to kill anyone simply by placing his hand on their head. Lord Shiva granted this wish and the demon immediately tried to place his hand on Lord Shiva’s head in order to kill him. Lord Vishnu then intervened and tricked the demon into killing himself. Prior to becoming a great sage, Vishwamitra Muni was a kshatriya king and he worshipped Lord Shiva in order to procure weapons that he would later use to attack the noble sage Vashishta. Vishwamitra was defeated and he eventually became a very pious brahmana.

In all these instances, we see that Lord Shiva was easily pleased based on austerities, and not necessarily the qualities of the person performing them. Though he is a boon granter, Lord Shiva is best known for being a great Vaishnava, or devotee of Lord Vishnu. In the Brahmavaivarta Purana, after Lord Shiva takes birth, he tells Lord Krishna that he wants to spend all his time thinking of Him. Lord Krishna tells Shiva that he must get married to Goddess Parvati, but not to worry, because Parvati will only increase his devotion to Him. In this way, we see that Lord Krishna and Shiva have always had a loving relationship. Lord Shiva is also the narrator of the story of Lord Rama found in the Brahmananda Purana, which forms the basis of the Ramacharitamansa of Tulsidas. Lord Shiva beautifully narrates the life and pastimes of Lord Rama to his wife Parvati. He explains that Lord Rama is the Supereme Personality of Godhead, and that devotion to Him is the highest perfection of life. Since he always resides in the city of Kashi in India, Lord Shiva whispers the name of Rama into the ear of anyone who dies there. In this way, people who give up their bodies in Kashi are granted liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

Bearing all this in mind, Lord Shiva deserves the utmost respect from Vaishnavas. The proper way to worship him is to ask him to grant us the same level of devotion for Krishna that he has. In this way, we will be performing the highest worship of Lord Shiva.

 

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Deity Worship

  Deity worship is one of the central components of bhakti yoga, or devotional service. A deity is a physical representation of the Supreme Lord in the form of a statue, a figure, or even a picture.

Many people mistaken deity worship to be idol worship and that is not the case. Lord Krishna, God Himself, has authorized the process of worshipping Him in the form of a deity. Many of us hold on to and display pictures and posters of our loved ones or people that we admire. When viewing these pictures, we are immediately reminded of the person or people in them. We are reminded of the circumstances relating to the picture. We remember where we were, what we were doing, what our mindset was at the time, etc.

In a similar fashion, viewing and worshipping the deity of Krishna immediately brings our mind into Krishna consciousness. We see the Lord’s beautiful form and we pay our respects directly to Him. God can take any form He wishes to. Sometimes he incarnates through the body of a fish, a boar, a man, or even simply through the sound vibration of His name, as He does in this age. The deity is another one of the forms He agrees to take for our benefit. When Lord Krishna personally appeared on this earth five thousand years ago, He gave explicit instructions to His dear friend Uddhava just prior to His returning back to the spiritual world. Similar instructions are also found throughout the Vedic texts, and through these instructions, authorized deity worship or archanam, has been followed since time immemorial.

Lord Krishna’s deities can be worshipped in various methods depending on the advancement of the devotee. The most sophisticated form of deity worship occurs in temples. Lord Krishna is treated as the chief resident of the temple and so His deity is cared for day and night. Deities are provided beds to sleep in, awoken in the morning, dressed very elaborately, given baths (abhishek) , offered flowers and foodstuff throughout the day, etc. Krishna doesn’t require any of these things, but He allows us to serve Him in order that we may purify ourselves and advance spiritually.

Devotional service is not meant exclusively for residents of temples. Any devotee can have a deity in their home and take care of it by setting up a home altar. In the simplest method, just regularly offering prayers to the deity and keeping the altar clean is good enough. A special benefit of having a deity at home is the opportunity to offer food directly to the Lord and distribute the remnants as prasadam (please see “How to Offer Food”).

Lord Krishna is kind enough to give us the opportunity to always remember Him through His deity incarnation. Why not take advantage of this opportunity by worshipping Him? Home is where the heart is. Make Krishna the center of your home and your heart will be forever pure.

 

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Depend on Krishna

President Obama recently held a town hall meeting to discuss the details of the new economic stimulus plan intended to jumpstart the economy. The meeting itself was very interesting from the standpoint of observing the questions that were asked of the president. Most notably, three questions from three different Obama supporters stood out.

The first supporter told the president that she was in need of a new kitchen and car, and that the government had been slow in meeting her requests. In tears, she begged the president to help expedite the matter. Another supporter had recently lost his job and asked Obama why unemployment insurance doesn’t pay out at the same rate as his previous job’s salary. A third supporter explained that he had been working at McDonalds for the past four and half years and couldn’t find another job. He wanted to know what Obama was going to do to help him find a higher paying job.

Now all these people seemed sincere and Obama was very kind in his responses to them. However, these questions reveal a deeper problem in society. Too many have become dependent on government for their happiness. For the government to provide the needs of one citizen, it invariably must take from another citizen. According to Vedic philosophy, one should be satisfied with one’s allotted possessions and should not covet the property of others. Also, one is taught to live a simple life and to be as self-sufficient as possible, so that one can spend the remainder of his or her time lovingly serving God.

For proper government, the Vedas tell us that a king should indeed treat his citizens as his dependents and is responsible for their happiness. However, during the Vedic times, kings were very pious and strictly adhering to the council of their royal priests, or brahmanas. The king’s main duty was to make sure that their citizens would reach the ultimate spiritual goal of life and break out of the cycle of birth and death.

Contrast that with today’s style of democratic government, and you will see that today’s leaders aren’t versed in any type of spiritual understanding, nor do they look for advice from brahamanas. Though many are well intentioned, most politicians are living on the material platform of life, with the belief that sense gratification is the highest achievement. As a result, they pursue policies designed to increase sense gratification for their citizens. Their constituents are also interested in sense gratification, and thus become dependent on the government to supply their necessities, or what they view as necessities.

By observing nature, we can understand that God alone supplies us with what we need. The birds, bees, fish, and all other animals have no problem finding food or shelter. They don’t look to any politician to supply their needs, for God automatically takes care of that. Knowing this, we should look to God for our happiness. If we surrender to Him, He won’t necessarily give us what we want, but He’ll give us what need, namely devotion to Him.

During Lord Rama’s time on earth, he was once visited by his devotee, Narada Muni. In a previous incident, Narada had asked for something from the Lord and the Lord did not grant his wish. Narada was very angry about it at the time, and he later asked Lord Rama about that. Lord Rama explained to Him that “For my devotees, I give them what is right for them and not necessarily what they ask of Me.”

So in these hard times, we need only look to Lord Krishna to help us. Remembering Him at all times will provide us more peace and prosperity than any politician ever could.

 

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