Ram Navami
Ram Navami
Today Ram Navami is celebrated worldwide by followers of Sanatana Dharma, popularly known as Hindu dharma or Hinduism.
This ancient religion stands on the premise that all creation is manifest from a single source referred to as Bramhan, Parabramha or commonly recognized as God. This source is eternal, beyond Time and Space. It was not born nor undergoes change, decay or death. Even when the universe is created from it, it remains intact, unaltered. The creation occurs through its unique power of Maya which projects an ever-changing illusion on the substratum of the changeless Reality.
Per tenets of Sanatana Dharma, whenever righteousness hits rock bottom, the eternal divine Bramhan or God uses his own power of Maya to appear in a visible form to protect the saintly people and destroy the evil powers. The difference between these forms of God and ordinary creatures in the universe is that even in his visible forms or avatars God never forgets his eternal identity and other creatures are non- cognizant of their original identity.
Ram Navami is celebrated to mark the occasion of “ birth” of one such forms of God. This was in a human form. Born in a royal family in Ayodhya this divine human was named Ram. The story of his life has been written by various scholarly poets and is known worldwide as The Ramayan.
The importance of marking the occasion of Ram Navami lies in giving a few moments in the day to think about the virtues of Ram and comparing with our personal behaviors to see how we differ and if there is room for change towards more noble behavior. It is also an occasion to renew hope that all people who follow the path of honesty and good behavior will be protected by the divine power against those who disregard the laws of Truth and Compassion. The occasion is meant to renew our commitment to righteous living.
Whether one believes that Ram’s birth and life is historical truth or mythology, there is still a lot to learn from his life. Whether we agree over Ram’s physical existence or not, the story exemplifies the battle between good and evil, law and lawlessness. Whether we are brave enough to fight the lawlessness outside us or not there are often a lot of falsehoods and weaknesses within us to rise above. So let not Ram Navami be spent in blind celebration or skepticism over the story of Ram. Let us seize to get something positive, whatever it may be, from this day.
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