Origin of Ram Navami
Ram Navami – A beautiful root, a Hindu festival celebrated on nine (Navami) days in the Shukla Paksha of Chaitra (March-April). It is associated with birth of Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu. While celebrating Ram Navami, Hindus always take note of that it falls on the ninth (navami) day of Shukla Paksha in the Chaitra Calendar of the year. It means the beginning and end of the Chaitra Navratri.
From the ancient Hindu epic of the Ramayana which was written by the sage Valmiki: Rama (Mr. Rahambho) was born in the Treta Yuga at the city of Ayodhya to King Dasharatha and Queen Kaushalya. Dasharatha, even though he had three queens (Kaushalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra) and three children he was unborn for a long time. To get a successor, he performed a very sacred Putrakameshti Yajna and that too according to Rishyashringa’s recommendation. The result of the powerful yajna was that a deity emerging from a pyre with pot of payasam (sweet rice pudding) emerged with him.
Soon thereafter the queens conceived and on the ninth day of the month Chaitra Lord Rama was born to Kaushalya, Bharata to Kaikeyi and Lakshmana and Shatrughna to Sumitra. So Ram Navami also is celebrated as the birth of four divine brothers.
Rama’s birth is not only seen as a royal event, but also as a divine intervention to restore dharma (righteousness) to the world. Lord Vishnu was born as Rama to combat the demon king Ravana, who had become the master of both demons and all the other creatures of the world. His life is shown to be the ideal of duty, compassion and virtue. The story of Rama, especially his devotional conviction to truth and dharma, has always touched millions of people.
History According to tradition Ram Navami has been celebrated for decades at temples dedicated to Lord Rama and especially at the temples in Ayodhya. Here devotees celebrate Rama Navami with special prayers and recitals of the Ramayana and procession containing idols of Lord Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman. On this day devout people fast and take part in devotional singing sessions and storytelling called kathas.
Eventually the festival has also been depicted as a celebration of victory over evil, almost like the majority of Hindu festivals. Ram Navami is also celebrated in many parts of India (especially north) as the commencement of festivities culminating in Dussehra and Diwali to identify the major events in Rama’s life.
Importance of Ram Navami
Ram Navami is one of the important Hindu festivals to commemorate the birth of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Usually celebrated on the ninth (Navami) day of the Chaitra month in the Hindu lunar calendar (during the end of Chaitra Navratri), Ram Navami comes with great religious, cultural and moral significance to all Hindus of the world.
Lord Rama is the ideal man (Maryada Purushottam) because of his values like righteousness, bravery, compassion and service to society. His life and actions tell us in the epic Ramayana that millions of people are still following the path of truth and dharma (righteousness). This is why on Ram Navami we should recall these eternal values which are worthy of our admiration and should be instilled in our daily lives.
Ram Navami, not only means ringing in the birth of Rama but also symbolizes the victory of Good over Evil. The triumph of Ram over the demon king Ravana – whose name literally means “ego, lust, and greed” – shows us that no matter how powerful and powerful Evil may be at any given moment, it will be defeated by the Truth and Virtue, which in turn brings about a message of hope in an era when Moral values are being struggled to maintain.
RamNavami is celebrated with great devotion by worshipping Rama, reciting the Ramayana, singing bhajans (devotional songs) and going to temples. Although not all communities organize processions with images of Rama, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman to spread the message of harmony and devotionAdvertisementIn some temples, like Ayodhya (the birthplace of Ram), the festival is celebrated in elaborate manner with special rituals and splendor, at which thousands of pilgrims flock.
Culturally, Ram Navami strengthens social bonds. It brings people together and fosters mutual spiritual experiences, and sustains traditional arts like Ram Leela (a dramatic presentation of the Ramayana). Children and youth get an opportunity to know about their rich cultural heritage and its moral responsibilities.
In a nutshell, Ram Navami is not just a religious holiday, but to reflect on timeless values — truth, patience, humility and service. As we remember Lord Rama, we are remembering the ideals that make society just and compassionate, and again we are also reflecting on the fact that following the path of dharma means we can overcome all obstacles and lead a meaningful and purposeful life.