द्विः शरं नाभिसन्धत्ते द्विः स्थापयति नाश्रितान् ।
द्विर्ददाति न चार्थिभ्यो, रामो द्विर्नाभिभाषते ॥
Rāma doesn’t aim twice, he doesn’t give refuge twice, Rāma does not give twice to a seeker, he doesn’t speak the same thing twice.
He does it perfectly the very first time.
It is said that if our culture was only based on the Vedas and the Upanishads, we would have vanished much like the other ancient civilizations like the Mayas, the Incas, the Greeks, the Romans…
The reason being the rigidity and inflexibility, that were inherent in these cultures. The Vedas and Upanishads provide an invaluable base, but like other ‘principle-based’ cultures, the much-needed emotion part, that is required to make human connect, is missing. That gap is bridged by the epics – the Rāmāyanā and the Mahābharatā.
Sri Rāma was an avatar of Vishnu, a personification of the Universal Consciousness. The concept of consciousness in itself is abstract – not many, other than hardcore spiritual seekers, can identify with it.
The reason being – we have evolved to believe what we hear and see and witness with our own eyes, however deceptive it may be.
And so even the greater powers had to come down and manifest so as to connect with us emotionally…for us to witness the peak of human ability, prospect and behavior – personified in Sri Rāma.
And so Rām Navami is an ode to the ability of man, and his connect with the divine. A day to be spent in contemplation, in exploring the divinity within.
The fasts of the previous eight days culminate in Navami, and the year starts with a fresh body, a fresh mind and a fresh outlook.
The Rāmāyanā had the ability to transform a thug into Rishi Vālmiki, and so imbibing it in it’s original form gives the opportunity to transform one’s own mindset…if you cannot read it in it’s entirety, try meditating on what you know of Rāma and take his name just three times.
श्री राम राम रामेति रमे रामे मनोरमे ।
सहस्रनाम तत्तुल्यं रामनाम वरानने ॥
The Rāma Tāraka mantra, which forms part of the extended Vishnu Sahasranāma, says that meditating on the name Rāma is equivalent to reciting the one thousand names of Vishnu.
Which means, a simple but conscious act of meditation is more potent than reciting a thousand mantras, without consciously feeling any of them.
Try it.
राम नवमी की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ!
Happy Rām Navami!
Jai Shri Rām!