Dear friends,
Tomorrow is Sri Rama Navami or Ramanami on the lunar calendar from the ancient Vedas of India.
Rama Navami is the birthday of Lord Rama, one of the 10 avatars of Lord Visnu, who is the maintainer of the manifest universes. In the Gaudiya tradition, Lord Sri Krsna is topmost, possessing all fame, knowledge, etc and the most captivating form and fluteplay!
Freepik
Many years before Krsna, Lord Rama appeared in the sun dynasty, in the city of Ayodhya
His father, King Dasarath, did a ritual so his queens would bear children.
Rama was a very beautiful boy with curling black locks of hair and a green complexion. He was schooled in all the arts and studied mystical warcraft with a sage, and with his most loyal younger brother Laxman, he defeated many demons with his archery skills.
When He was a young man, Lord Rama visited Janakpur where princess Sita’s svayamvar was happening. This is when there is a competition to see who can win the princess, and Sita’s father set an impossible task: one had to lift Lord Shiva’s bow and string it, to win Sita’s hand in marriage.
After many were defeated, Rama not only lifted the bow, but strung it - and it broke! He and Sita were happily married, and Rama’s 3 brothers also married princesses.
But there was a wrench thrown in all the happiness. King Dasarath’s queen, Kaikeyi, had saved him once on the battlefield, so he granted her a boon. Just as Rama was grown up and about to be crowned, Kaikeyi asked for her boon. The common pastime says she was influenced by her evil old servant, Manthara, who wanted Kaikeyi’s son Bharat on the throne. But! The secret is that nothing happens without the Lord’s sanction: when Rama was little, he asked Kaikeyi to do this, and she reluctantly agreed. Her boon, which the King’s honor forced him to grant, was thus:
Bharat would be king over Ayodhya. And Ram would be banished to the forest - for 14 years!!
The whole kingdom loved Rama and was devastated. King Dasarath died the moment his son left, Rama’s name on his lips. A figure of duty over desire, righteousness, Rama left, accompanied by Laxman and Sita, who refused to stay back.
When Bharat returned home from visiting family, he was furious and rejected Kaikeyi, saying he was now motherless. He went after Rama and tried to convince him to return, to no avail - so taking Rama’s shoes and placing them on the throne, he resolved to rule as steward only.
Bazaar Art
After good and bad times in the forest, a demoness named Surpanakha came and tried to woo Rama and Laxman, who cut off her nose and ears when she tried to kill Sita.
Surpanakha told her evil brother, demon king Ravana. Ravana resolved he must have Sita and sent his demon lackey, Marich, in disguise as a golden deer. The golden deer captivated Sita so Rama ran to catch it. Laxman was left to protect Sita.
By Anjan das
Rama realized the deer was a demon and killed Marich, but not before he cried out in Rama’s voice. This scared Sita and she blasphemed Laxman for lack of loyalty and accused him of wanting her; just for pastime purposes, but she is actually faultless, as a goddess. Laxman left to find Rama, and Ravana kidnapped Sita disguised as a sage.
Bridgeman images
The rest of the tale is very famous and very sad! Rama is devastated and searches for Sita, finds help with a group of powerful monkeys, and Sita remains hostage in a garden at Ravana’s palace. He awaits for her to choose him but she refuses; Rama is her life!
By Vrndavan das
Hanuman, monkey son of wind god Vayu, finds Sita by flying across the ocean from India to Lanka. The monkeys start building a bridge there ince they find out. Every stone is written with Rama’s name and mystically floats. You can find this bridge today on Google Earth, and no scientist has been able to explain how the rocks float (Adam’s Bridge).
A great battle for Sita ensues, and she is won back by Rama. Ravana is dead and all is well.
By BBT
But it’s not over yet! After years of happy rule, Rama disguised ad a peasant in His kingdom overhears an old man insulting Sita, saying she’s impure since she lived in another mans home and Rama shouldn’t have accepted her back. Because Rama is the utmost fifjre of eternal duty, or dharma, he sends Sita away with great sadness.
Sita has his twins at the sage Valmiki’s ashram, and they return to Ayodhya and recite Rama’s story - the first recitation of the Ramayana.
Rama begs Sita to return, and when she does, she says in public, if I have never touched or thought of any man but Rama, may My mother the earth return me now to her womb.
Viravaishnava
And the earth swallows up Sita. Rama is devastated again, and after some years, returns to His eternal abode not on earth, where He rules with Sita forever. His faithful brother Laxman every loyal at his side.
It is said that as long as Rama’s name is spoken, Hanuman still roams the earth. In India there are many beautiful areas dedicated to the monkey Hanuman. He is often painted orange and shown tearing open his chest to reveal Rama and Sita there, painted in red lakh earth minerals.
Hinduism Stack Exchange
If you want to read the whole amazing epic, I recommend the version done by Torchlight publishing, translated by Krishna Dharma:
Ayodhya Ram Mandir
Bhavesh KP
Here are some videos and a talk for you to dive deeper into this topic:
Feel free to ask me any questions!
Master Post
I was hoping it could be added.
