Hindus commemorate Rama_Navarrattree

Rama_navami - A Vedic perception

By Jyotikar Pattni, © March 30^th 2006

Aum Shree Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama; Aum Siya-Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama

‘Raa’maa’ is an immortal sound, an echo of from the celestial world, a thunder that ushers rain on earth to proliferate grains and prosperity, a lightening to ignite fire to dissolve the decay, an illumination of Sun God ‘Surya’ at the dawn and the dusk, a mantra of ‘moksha’ (spiritual liberation) and ‘shantih’ (peace), a hymn for invoking COMPASSION and to release humankind from worldly worries, mundane pain, sorrows, grief, hurt, curses, karmic bond, karmic sufferings, and saviour of virtue, integrity and health of the life of life.   

“Raa’maa” is an immortal word borne out of great communion and extrapolation of the great cosmic transfiguration of time and space and existence by the great divine celestial cosmic Vedic Gods namely Brahma, Vaccashaspatti, Indra, Agnee, Vayau, Yama, Nirritti, Varuna, Kubera, Vasus, Issanaya, Soma, Rudra, Param_manas, Surya_Aditee, Akasha_Ananta, Samam_Apah, prakrutti and param-atman jagad-atman purusha. 

“Raa’maa” is the only spiritual energy that encapsulates IN TOGETHERNESS of one grand Great Spirit of all life ‘Hari’ (aka-narayanaya) or Cosmic God of life (pranna) and ‘Hara’ (aka-mahadeva) or Cosmic God of transformer, dissolver, karma, and liberator of the dead spirits. “Raa’maa” is both paternal and maternal spiritual form of God incarnate. Paternally, ‘Rama’ is fearlessness (abhahaya), strength (shaktee) and courage (baala); and; maternally, ‘Rama’ is love (premm), compassion (daya) and virtuous living (a life of truthfulness) (sattyam). 

“Ra’ma” as a word echoed on the earthly planes long before Shree Rama was conceived by Surya-Narayan’ s fertility nectar given to the king of Ayodhya Raja Dsharatha for his three wives Kaushalya, Keiykaey and Sumitra.

“Ramayana” is such a grand poem of 54,000 lines (some 25,000 verses) that narrates the karmic life of Lord Shree Rama (avatar of Vishnoo-Bhagavan) alias the cosmic God of Life ‘Hari’ in the passage of time. Even Gods do not escape the cycle of karma! Such incarnation of the Celestial God in accordance to the ancient Vedic wisdom is known as ‘avatars’, believed to be twenty seven times. “Ra’ma” is one of the avatars (incarnations) of Vishnoo, Eishwaar, or Hari (Almighty Compassionate Supreme God). What is generally accepted as "great" poetry is debatable in many cases. "Great" poetry usually captures images vividly and in an original, refreshing way, while weaving together an intricate combination of elements like theme tension, complex emotion, and profound reflective thought. It is also set apart by its diversity, divinity, universality, complexity and sophistication.

Euphony refers to the musical, flowing quality of words arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way. Rama hymns and poems are such profound aesthesis.

Srimad Valmiki Ramayana is an epic poem of India which narrates the ‘JIVAN YATRA’ journey of “SATT” (‘Virtue’) to annihilate “ASSATYA” (‘Vice').

“Rama-Ayaana” - Sri Rama is the Cosmic GOD, hero of the earthen clay and aayana His journey.

Sri Rama lived in Treta Yug, some 10,000 millennia BC and we are presently concerned with what Srimad Valmiki Ramayana tells us, rather than when it was told. This epic poem Ramayana is a smriti which is translated as "from memory". Given the antiquity of Srimad Valmiki Ramayana, there have been some interjected verses. Sometimes these verses can be contradicting. However, scholars, grammarians, historians have put lot of effort to standardise the original text, by verifying various manuscripts available from various parts of India, thus trying to stabilize and save the text from further contradictions. 

Srimad Valmiki Ramayana is composed of verses called Slokas, in Sanskrit language, which is an ancient language from India and a complex meter called Anustup. These verses are grouped into individual chapters called Sargas, wherein a specific event or intent is told. These chapters or sargas are grouped into books called Kaandas where Kaanda means the inter-node stem of sugar cane, or also a particular phase of the story or an event in the course of story telling.

Valmiki Ramayana in Sanskrit is being translated and presented by Sri Desiraju Hanumanta Rao (Bala, Aranya and Kishkindha Kanda ) and Sri K. M. K. Murthy (Ayodhya and Yuddha Kanda) with contributions from Durga Naaga Devi and Vaasudeva Kishore (Sundara Kanda); Smt. Desiraju Kumari; Smt. K. Rajeswari, with all enthusiasm and devotion to classical literature of India, with humble and due respect to elders, pundits and to all those who respect Srimad Valmiki Ramayana the epic poem.

Thus the structure of Srimad Valmiki Ramayana is arranged into seven Kaandas or Books, and they are:

1. Bala Kanda ( Book of Youth) [77 chapters]
2. Ayodhya Kanda (Book of Ayodhya) [119 chapters]
3. Aranya Kanda (Book of Forest ) [75 chapters]
4. Kishkindha Kanda (The Empire of Holy Monkeys) [67 chapters]
5. Sundara Kanda ( Book of Beauty ) [68 chapters]
6. Yuddha Kanda ( Book of War ) [131 chapters]
7. Return and coronation of SITARAMA

Empirical traces of Ramayan exists even today at several spots without the shadow of a doubt and from my personal experience, majority of my astrological subjects and substantial karmic sufferings have been reduced by RAA’MAA Vedic healing mantras. Furthermore, reciting of the RAA’MAA katha (short hymn of RAMAYANA) every Sunday brings spiritual peace, spiritual happiness, and spiritual health to the one who recites it offering light of ‘deepam’ in rose water, camphor, flowers, jaggery, and feeds at least one young person under age of 13 or one older person over the age of 60. Positive miracles have been witnessed in many subject’s lives by reciting RAMA-RAKHA- STOTRA (the protection rama-stuti). Short version of Rama-Raksha stotra is given herein for your benefit. It reduces the burden of hurt and grief and increases compassion and love and makes one aware. It brings internal spiritual happiness and restores divinity into a person. Raa’Maa is the only mantra that incorporates both the HARI and the HARA aspect of GODHEAD, hence it is considered to be the NARAYANA mantra.

Sri Rama together with his brother Laxshaman, performed worship of Devi Durga Bhayanasheenee Maha Kali during the Vasanta Navaratri – chaitra month of falling around end of March and first week of April and were blessed with the boon of nine spiritual weapons to assist them in the recovery of pure and chaste mother Sita and later in the destruction of the ten headed demon Ravana on the dusserra (tenth day of the rama-navaratri). Rama navami marks the birth of Sri Rama. It is also the day when Sita-Rama became one.

Theologians worship Sri Rama as a God incarnate, philosophers make him the philosophical Absolute, while at the same time, materialists, condemning the above, appreciate the lyrical values of Ramayana, but as a great devotee-singer said:

"In whom so ever resides the wholeness of RAA’MAA without the congestion of all this that and the other and vagueness of dualism, there in amity the sacred stream of lofty subtle spiritual awareness and humanity forever flows. In whom so ever resides the wholeness of Shree Raa’maa, there in the flow of amity, appreciation, awareness, encouragement, compassion, equanimity, and stillness forever is. In our hearts, minds and intellect, let there be sight and vision of VIRTUE which is ‘SATTYAMM’ or truthfulness or justified rightfulness - ‘RAAH’. In our lives, may our individual spirits of lives be an offering of life towards the grand HUMANITY – a conscious embrace of compassionate love that bleeds every heart of tears of great hurt and sorrow at the sight of the wretched, the cruel, the corrupt, the ignorant, who make this world numbed by poverty, batter, helpless-ness, and  hopeless-ness. In whom so ever resides the wholeness of Raa’Maa, tears of compassion flow from the eyes and non-judgemental love transpires regardless.  In whom so ever resides the wholeness of Raa’Maa, there in the light of soul illuminates the paths of all those burdened by the darkness of ignorance. In whom so ever resides the wholeness of Raa’Maa, adversities, pain and sufferings of the mundane bondages of karma, dissolve to hearken in great patience of devotion and tranquillity of watchfulness. In whom so ever resides the wholeness of Raa’Maa, may the spirit of goodwill transpire to sing the  immortal song of human concord and happiness. In whom so ever resides the wholeness of Raa’Maa, let there be fearlessness, spiritual light, and happiness beyond the metamorphosis of this mortal world of materialism. In whom so ever resides the wholeness of Raa’Maa, there is the light of eternal delight!”

The greatest divine mantra to release us mortal humankind from the miseries of the vi-karma (aparadha) or wrongfulness is:

“Aaapadaam_Apa_haartaarama_daataaram sarvasaMm_paadaam.h .
lokaabhiraamam shriiraamam bhuuyo bhuuyo namaamyaham.h ..Aum namoh Rama Ramaya Jaya Siya_Rama.”

It is a proven fact in many ayurvedic medical cases that the above mantra together with the maha-mrutryunjaya mantra jaapam has cured severest of illnesses and diseases and brought about peace and harmony in many lives. Hanumanji-maharaj recited this mantra.

When someone knocks our doors and is in pain, agony, and distress, our duty is NOT to judge and to discriminate, but to give love, compassion and healing without prejudices whatsoever.

There are three worlds, namely the celestial, the spiritual and the terrestrial.

One seeks spiritual help because one needs it either to overcome the burden of hurt, grief or otherwise to overcome severe adversities, problems, obstacles, and sufferings.

When one becomes over burdened by one’s collective karma, one becomes helpless and hopeless.

One becomes bound by the mundane bondages of humanity, karma and the polarity of RAHU-KETU. To release one’s self and one’s family from the severe adversities and misfortunes of the first two bondages and sufferings, the Vedas recommend the recital of Ramayana and Rama Raksha stotra. Recital of Ramayana and Srimad Bhagavad-Gita are especially beneficial to those families in which sudden deaths have manifested and there are no explanations or any peaceful ‘goodbyes’ between the departed spirits and the family. Furthermore, feeding of children and poor people and recital of Shree Ramayana during the two months of pittiri for fifteen days is also considered to release a family from the burdens of bondages with the spiritual world, in particular tragic sudden deaths.

Bondages formed by the polarity of Rahu and Ketu can sometimes become tiresome and hence we find that some of us suffer adversities and misfortune without justifiable explanations whatsoever. In most cases of kaal-sarpa yoga, it has been proven that RAMA-RAKSHA-STOTRA has decreased the magnitude of sufferings and adversities considerably. Any mantra-remedy, when done with the intention of selfishness, selfish personal power, or selfish gains will reflect short term ‘feeling good’ but longer term miserable severe pains. Ramayan teaches us that it is better NOT to contemplate ANY remedial healing if we are to undertake the wise counsel with half heart and disrespect or distrust. We often forget to revere and respect those that show us the pathway and show us the light. Ramayan teaches us to honour every gift of wisdom or guidance or knowledge or TIME or energies or efforts with respectable appreciation. For example, according to the Vedic wisdom there is the negative collective karma and there is the positive collective karma rather than to blame others and to blemish others for our own shortfall. Therefore, by reciting Rama mantras we cleanse our life karmas, we neutralise our collective negative karmas and we transform our karmic bank into positive proliferations such that our future karmic lives become divine.

A self of all things and beings one and eternal are behind the appearances of the Universe. As such “Raa’maa” is that sound, that word, that mantra, that hymn, that prayer, that invocation facilitating a union between that One Self spirit (jivan-atman) and the grand cosmic Spirit of all life (Param-atman). These two are divided by an ignorance of their true Self, Reality in the mind, life and body. A certain psychological discipline can remove this thin layer that distinguishes consciousness and become aware of the true self, the Divinity within all of us that is NOT differentiated by nationalities, race, caste, colour, creed, religions, and names and forms. Only one Being and Consciousness are involved here in Matter. Evolution method liberates itself, consciousness seen in what appears to be non-conscientious and once it is appeared, it self - implies to grow higher and higher and also to enlarge and develop towards higher perfection - ATMAN.

Life (AYUSH) is considered to be the first step and mind (MANAS) the second step of this release of consciousness. But the evolution does not accomplish with the mind; rather it awaits release into something greater than is a consciousness, which is spiritual and super-mentally subtle and infinitely metaphysical. The next step should be towards the development of Super-metaphysical mind and Spirit as the authoritative power in the conscious being – the self of embodiment, form, ego and mind. Nature had taken the former steps in evolution without a conscious will that prevail in the plant and animal life. Whereas in humankind, nature becomes evolved by conscious will within the instrumental circumferences of time and space. However this cannot be done totally by the mental will in man, because the mind goes only to a certain point, after that it can only move in a circle. A conversion - the turning of consciousness by which mind has to change into higher principles. This method can be found through the ancient psychological discipline and practice of Yoga. The Vedas therefore teaches us that a descent of the higher principle is possible, which will not merely release the spiritual self out of the world, but release it in the world, replace the mind's ignorance or its very limited knowledge by a super-metaphysical Truth – super-consciousness, which will be a sufficient instrument of the inner self and make it possible for the human being to find itself outwardly dynamic as well as inwardly evolving growing out of the stagnant still humanity into a divine race of great delight and greater happiness.

Aum Shree Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama; Aum Siya-Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama

Aum satt- Chidd Ananada Hari Aum Tat Sat Swaha.