Ramanavami celebrates the birth of Rama or Ramachandra. On the ninth
day of the first fortnight of Chaitra the birth of Rama is commemorated.
The story of Rama was first written by Vaalmeeki in about the 4th century
B.C. Rama is supposed to have lived during the 8th or 7th century B.C.
The epic known as the Ramayana. In some parts of India, it is a nine-day
festival, coinciding with the Vasanta Navaratri (see also Navaratri).
The public worship starts with morning ablutions, chanting Vedic mantras
dedicated to Vishnu, and offering flowers and fruit to the god. People
keep a fast throughout the day, breaking it only at midnight with fruit.
In some parts of India, especially Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, public gatherings
called satsangs are organised to commemorate the birth of Rama. Excerpts
from the Ramacharitamanas, extolling the glory of Rama, are recited. People
of all castes and creeds participate in these gatherings to listen to
the stories and their explanations offered by the learned.
Rama’s Birth
The country of Kosal was situated on the banks of the river Sharayu. Ayodhya
was the capital founded by the king rishi Manu. During the reign of king
Dasarath, Ayodhya reached a period of great prosperity. But Dasarath faced
a big problem: he had no children. Therefore he decided to perform a sacrifice
known as “ashvamedh”, or horse-sacrifice. Elaborate and difficult rituals
had to be observed. A very holy man, rishi Rishyashring, was chosen to
conduct the sacrifice with the utmost accuracy. The performance of this
sacrifice was a great event in Ayodhya. At the end Rishyashring recited
a mantra and made an offering to the fire. Then the gods, gandharvas,
siddhas, and rishis present arid began to pray to Brahma.
At that time Ravan, king of Lanka, was terrorizing the people, and all
were longing for liberation from his menace. Ravan had acquired great
power because he had obtained from god Brahma the boon that he would never
die at the hands of gods, or gandharvas, or yakshas (demigods) or demons.
As he was not afraid of men he did not care to include men in the list
of his potential slayers. So Brahmadev declared that Ravan would die at
the hands of a man. Then the gods went to Vishnu with the request, “Dasarath
is a glorious king. Please, take birth in the wombs of his three queens
in four different degrees of your divinity.”
When Dasarath’s sacrifice came to an end a shining figure appeared over
the sacrificial kund, and offered the king a divine beverage called “payasam”
to be given to his queens Kausalya, Kaikayi, and Sumitra. In due time
Kausalya gave birth to Rama, Kaikayi to Bharat and Sumitra to Laxman and
Shatrugna. Rama was born at noon of the bright ninth day of Chaitra. He
was believed to be the embodiment of half degree of Vishnu’s divinity,
(ardha ounsh).
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