RAM NAVAMI

 Ram Navami is the birthday of Rama or Ram Chandra. It falls on the ninth day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra. This day people go to temples of Rama to pay homage to him. A special ceremony that takes place at Janakpur in eastern Nepal is attended by thousands of people every year. Also see Ramayana. This occasion is celebrated for two days as Chaitra Dasain and that Ramanawami happens to be on the second day.  This festival of Dasain is celebrated only for two days whereas the main or bigger Dasain known as Bada Dasain, is celebrated for ten long days during autumn season. Chaitra Dasain is also known as Basanti which means related to the season of Spring as it falls in Spring season. As the spring always inspires human soul to appreciate the glory of god and experience the fullness of life, it has direct linkage with this festival days. According to a holy Hindu texts, Devi or Shakti manifested herself on this day in her most celestial form. So Chaitra Dasain is an auspicious day to worship Devi with great devotion and faith. Rama, the most ideal Hindu god-king is also believed to have obtained all the merits by dint of his sincere devotion to Devi.  According to another traditional belief Rama had killed Ravana  9th day of Chaitra month that is the second day of the festival. That is why this day became widely known as Ramanawami day.

Symbolic interpretation and the popular belief as such about Rama’s incarnation is quite interesting and thought provoking. According to this belief, Rama is the personification of Dharma or the righteousness. Nothing for him is as important as Dharma or the noble deeds. He was the symbol of great feats and performances, of the great fights for the right causes, an ideal person in terms of character and in fulfillment of all promises at all times. Thus, he is also known as Maryada Purusottam Rama, meaning the highly honourable and most perfect person in whom Divinity met Humanity with all of its majestic flavors. In other way, Rama is regarded as a symbol of Eternity or Supreme Brahmah and Sita as Shakti or Primordial Power. Shakti as law of Nature always activates the eternal Purusha or person represented by Rama. It must be remembered how Rama got upset and wandered around in the jungle in search of Sita when he came to know that Sita was abducted by the demon king Ravana. The representation of the  event to illustrate the  basic idea on inseparable linkage of  Purusha or the personality with Prakriti or the nature or divinity around him which is the main source of creative energy. The war he fought with the ten-headed demon king Ravana symbolizes his untiring efforts to conquer over ten sense organs comprising of five knowledge related and five action related senses.