CONTENTS:
- PASTIMES OF LORD RAMA
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. PASTIMES OF LORD RAMA
Namo om Vishnu padaya Krishna prestaya butele srimate Bhaktivedanta swami iti namine. Namaste Saraswati deve gaura vani pracarine nirvisesa sunyavadi pascatya dese tarine. Jaya Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu Nityananda Sri Advaita Gadadhara Srivasadi Gaura Bhakta Vrinda. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Jay Sri Sri Rama Mahamotsava ki Jai! SitaRama. Laksman, Hanuman ki Jai!
Hare Krishna. Happy Rama Naumi to everyone. So, since its Rama Naumi today we will speak on Lord Ramachandra. Lord Ramachandra as you know appeared in the Sun dynasty. There are two Ksatriya dynasties one is from Sun God and the other from Moon God. Lord Ramachandra appeared from the Sun dynasty, Suryavamsa, and Krishna appeared in Moon dynasty, Chandravamsa. We can see that the Ksatriya dynasty is all over the world actually they are coming from these two lineages. In Japan they consider they are coming from Sun God; therefore, the name Japan is actually Nipan which means the land of Sun. You can also go to Wikipedia and see the Sun dynasty, from Vivasvan all the way down to Ramachandra, everyone’s name has been mentioned and those who came after Ramachandra their names have also been mentioned. This is how genuine this culture is, don’t think that it is a mythology or fairy tale.
It is the real history of the world and at least, we the devotees, followers of Srila Prabhupada should never have any doubt about the authenticity and genuine nature of these descriptions in the scriptures. Scriptures deals with the truth and nothing but the truth, scripture deals with the absolute truth so how can there be any room for falsity when you dealing with the absolute truth. Lord Ramachandra appeared in the Sun dynasty, the Sun dynasty had many illustrious Kings that we already know from Srimad Bhagavatam and other scriptures like Pritu Maharaja, Sagar, then Bagirath one who brought Ganga down to this planet, King Dilip, King Dilip’s son was Raghu, Raghu’s son was Aja, Aja’s son was Dasarath, Dasarath’s son was Rama. Dasarath was the ruler of Ayodhya and he was an extremely powerful personality, he was so powerful that the demi-gods used to request him to come and fight with the demons on their behalf. All Vedic names are very authentic and akin to the characteristic of the personality.
Like after the birth they used to get the horoscope done and from the horoscope they would see what the personality would be like, his achievements and so forth. Dasarath got the name because he used to fight with ten chariots, from ten different directions. The enemy used to see that Dasarath is attacking them from all ten directions, eight directions and upper and lower. Dasarath didn’t have any son, he had three wives: Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. Finally, he decided to perform the Ashvamed yagna to have a son and at that time his minister Sumantha told him that Sanat Kumara, one of the first sons of Brahma (four Kumaras: Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanat). Sanat Kumar told Dasarath when he would perform a putresti yagna, he would get four sons. putresti yagna, means a yagna in order to get a son. Being advised in this way after performing the Ashvamed yagna he performed a putresti yagna.
Here also there is another interesting feature, the putresti yagna needed to be performed by a person who has never seen a woman. The only person with that qualification was a sage called Rishishringa, a son of a sage called Vipandak. It was another whole episode how he was brought to Dasarath’s palace and her performed the yagna and as a result of that yagna from the sacrificial fire a divine personality came out with a pot of sweet rice and he gave it to Dasarath and told him to give that to his wives and they will have children. So, Dasarath took that pot of sweet rice and gave half of it to his first wife Kaushalya, then he gave 1/4th to Sumitra and then he gave 1/8th to Kaikeyi and then after some deliberation he gave that also to Kaikeyi and as a result of that they got four sons. Kaushalya got Rama as her son, Sumitra got Laksman and Shatrughna, and Kaikeyi got Bharata. They actually the caturbuya, the quadruple expansion of the Lord: Vasudev, Sankarshan, Praduymna and Annirudha. Naturally the King was very happy and everyone in the kingdom to have such wonderful children as their future leaders. Lord Ramchandra was exemplary in His character, naturally as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.
When Ramchandra was of age, just finished His adolescence and about to enter His youth at that time Dasarath decided to get Him married to a suitable girl and he was consulting with his kula guru, family priest Vasistha and his minister Sumantha. At that time Visvamitra a very powerful sage appeared there. This is how the culture used to be in those days. The saintly personalities were so respected that even a king used to feel fortunate that he got a personality like him to come to his house. This is the different between present day and those days. Nowadays the saintly personalities although they are the most exalted personalities with their spiritual understanding but people don’t even want to give any recognition to them. They think that these are the characters who couldn’t do anything so that’s why they became devotees. As a matter of fact, what the devotees have, that is what Srila Prabhupada gave is much higher than what those sages used to have.
The sages were at most in santa rasa, many of the sages were in Brahma jnana, in neutrality not Mayavadi, positive impersonalists. The devotees, those who are following Srila Prabhupada’s teachings they have the understanding way beyond the way of neutrality, they have the knowledge of dasya rasa, sakya rasa, vatsalya rasa and Madhur rasa. Anyway, there is no need to feel proud of that but at least we should be aware of that, we have some understanding that is far superior to the knowledge that these sages used to have those days. Of course they were more austere, spiritually more powerful but when it comes to spiritual knowledge by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy what we got is the highest spiritual understanding. What to speak of these sages, this Krishna Prema that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu distributed is rare even for Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva so that is the gift of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and that is the gift of Srila Prabhupada.
When Visvamitra came to the palace of King Dasarath, he was very excited, greeted him, offered him a seat and fell at his feet.
King Dasarath: Please tell me what can I do for you? It’s such a good fortune that you came to my house.
Sage Visvamitra: When I am performing yagna and when the yagna is about to be completed then two terrible demons Maricha and Subahu, they come and spoil the yagna by throwing bones, blood, pus, urine and stool. So, I want your son to come and deal with these demons.
Dasarath was so fond of his son and when he heard that his fifteen-year-old son now has to deal with these demons who are so powerful even the demi-gods are afraid to deal with them. Dasarath just fainted and when he came back to his senses he appealed.
Kind Dasarath: Please Rama is so inexperienced, He never fought a battle how is He going to deal with these demons? Rather I will go and fight to kill those demons.
But Visvamita got very upset.
Sage Visvamitra: If I wanted you to come, I would have told you that. I don’t want you to come. I don’t want you to come even with your entire army. I want just Rama to come.
When Dasarath heard that he fainted again. When he came back to his senses he again appealed and Visvamitra became extremely upset and very angry. He became so angry that the whole earth started to shake as if there was an earthquake all over the world. So, Vasistha became quite concerned and advised Dasarath.
Sage Vasistha: When Visvamitra is asking there must be some reason. Visvamitra himself could have killed those demons but because he has accepted the life of a Brahmana in the mode of goodness he doesn’t want to resort to violence. Since he is asking for Rama, there must be some reason and you can rest assured Visvamitra will protect Rama. Rama will succeed and Visvamitra will give Rama all the celestial weapons that he has.
Being advised by his Guru in this way Dasarath agreed and Visvamitra took Rama. Laksman was inseparable from Rama so he also came along. They stopped at night at Janastali and one terrible demoness Taraka raksasi came to attack them. Visvamitra just told Rama to kill her and with just one arrow Rama killed that demoness. Then they came to Visvamitra’s ashram and he arranged to perform the yagna and it became so ominous it became dark, the wind started to blow and there were all kinds of inauspicious signs and everyone could understand that these demons are coming. Rama took his stand and took his bow and arrow and as soon as the demons appeared (they were flying in the sky), Rama hit Maricha and his body went flying eight thousand miles and landed in the ocean and with another arrow He killed Subahu. Visvamitra performed and completed the yagna and was very pleased and blessed Rama with so many benedictions. Of course, Rama is the Supreme Personality of Godhead but the Lord is performing these pastimes to make it appear very exciting and relishable.
So, then Visvamitra decided to take Rama to the palace of King Janak in Mithila. Janak actually had a daughter Sita who was exceedingly and extremely beautiful endowed with all kinds of divine qualities. Janak recognised that this girl is not an ordinary girl, she needed an appropriate husband and Janak made a condition. In his custody there was a bow of Lord Shiva haradanu, hara means Lord Shiva and danu means bow, the bow of Lord Shiva so he made a condition if someone can string that bow then he only can marry Sita. So many people came hearing about Her beauty but not a single one could string the bow. After all who can string the bow of Lord Shiva? However, when this bow was brought to Rama with His left hand very easily, He lifted the bow and then bending the bow He strung the bow and as He pulled it the bow broke in the middle. So, this is how Rama became the appropriate match for Sita. Who is Sita? Sita is the eternal consort of Ramchandra. Who is Ramchandra? He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu. Vishnu came as Lord Ramchandra and Laksmidevi came as Sita.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
As a matter of fact, what the devotees have, that is what Srila Prabhupada gave is much higher than what those sages used to have. The sages were at most in santa rasa, many of the sages were in Brahma jnana, in neutrality not Mayavadi, positive impersonalists. The devotees, those who are following Srila Prabhupada’s teachings they have the understanding way beyond the way of neutrality, they have the knowledge of dasya rasa, sakya rasa, vatsalya rasa and Madhur rasa. Anyway, there is no need to feel proud of that but at least we should be aware of that, we have some understanding that is far superior to the knowledge that these sages used to have those days. Of course they were more austere, spiritually more powerful but when it comes to spiritual knowledge by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy what we got is the highest spiritual understanding. What to speak of these sages, this Krishna Prema that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu distributed is rare even for Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva so that is the gift of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and that is the gift of Srila Prabhupada.
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
- This is how genuine this culture is, don’t think that it is a mythology or fairy tale. It is the real history of the world and at least, we the devotees, followers of Srila Prabhupada should never have any doubt about the authenticity and genuine nature of these descriptions in the scriptures; and
- Anyway, there is no need to feel proud of that but at least we should be aware of that, we have some understanding that is far superior to the knowledge that these sages used to have those days.
(The content of this E-magazine is based on a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami on Rama Naumi, 2 April 2020 from ISKCON Ujjain via on Facebook)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)