Sri Rama Navami

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embodiment of dharma, of all the codes of morality that hold mankind together in

love and unity. The Ramaayana, the Rama story, teaches two lessons: the value

of detachment and the need to become aware of the Divine in every being. Faith

in God and detachment from objective pursuits are the keys for human

liberation. Give up sense objects, and you gain Rama. Seethaa gave up the

luxuries of Ayodhya so she could be with Rama during His exile. When she cast

longing eyes on the golden deer and craved it, she lost Rama's presence.

Renunciation leads to joy; attachment brings about grief. Be in the world, but

not of it. Rama's brothers, comrades, companions, and collaborators are all

examples of people saturated with dharma. Dasaratha is the

representative of the merely physical, with the ten senses. The three qualities

(gunas) --serenity, passion, sloth (sathva, rajas, thamas)-- are the three

Queens. The four goals of life (purusharthas) are the four sons. Lakshmana is

the intellect; Sugriva is discrimination (viveka). Vali is despair. Hanuman is

the embodiment of courage. The bridge is built over the ocean of delusion. The

three demon (rakshasa) chiefs Ravana, Kumbhakarna, and Vibhishana are

personifications of the passionate, slothful, and serene (raajasic,thaamasic,

and sathvic) qualities. Seethaa is the awareness of the Universal

Absolute (Brahmajnaana), which the individual must acquire and regain while

undergoing travails in the crucible of life. Make your heart pure and strong,

contemplating the grandeur of the Ramaayana. Be established in the faith that

Rama is the reality of your existence. Baba Ramakatha Rasavahini (The Sweet

Story of Rama's Glory) The entire Ramaayana is like a game of chess. The

scene, in the Ramaayana, is a kind of battlefield, where the forces of right

and wrong are waging war. Rama represents righteousness and Ravana represents

unrighteousness. The battle between the two is the war fought on the

battlefield. Ravana taught a great

lesson to the world. He exclaimed: "Oh men! Do not live as I have lived and ruin

your lives." What is the root cause of Ravana's ruin? Unable to conquer his

desires, unwilling to get rid of his impulses, he ruined his entire clan. His

sons were killed, his brother and other kinsmen were killed, and ultimately his

country itself was reduced to ashes. Ravana confessed, "In the end I ruined

myself." This was Ravana's message to his countrymen in his last moments.

Only by suppressing desires does a man manifest his humanness. A man who is

unable to put an end to his desires puts an end to himself. By his good

conduct, a good man achieves greatness. Ravana sought to achieve greatness but

did not strive to lead a good life. Divine Discourse: 16 April 1997 This day,

the birth of

Sri Rama is celebrated in all lands. Rama had deed, word and thought, body,

speech and mind, ever pure and totally free from blemish. Really speaking, one

ought to revere the story of Rama as a profound allegory. Every act and actor

in that story attracts attention and gets imprinted on the memory because the

allegory is personal to each of us. It is often said that Rama followed

dharma at all times. This is not the correct way of describing him. He did not

follow dharma, he was dharma. What he thought, spoke, and did was dharma and is

dharma forever. Divine Discourse: 18 April

1986 Hanuman, whose heart was filled with love of Rama and Seethaa

Devotees should install Rama in their hearts and celebrate Ramanavami in order

to achieve Aathmic bliss. Going through the Ramaayana epic, they should reach

the state of oneness with the universal spirit (Aathma Rama). In such a state,

there is no ego sense (ahamkara). Divine Discourse: 7 April 1987 From

time immemorial, every individual in Bharat (India) has regarded Sri Rama's

life as an ideal and has sought to sanctify every moment of his life by living

up to it. Sri Rama incarnated as a human being to promote peace and happiness

in the world. "Rama is the very embodiment of righteousness (Ramo Vigrahavaan

Dharmah)." It was as if righteousness itself had incarnated on earth. Dharma

and Rama are inseparable. The word Rama has the triple power of destroying

sins, conferring peace, and dispelling ignorance. When you utter the word

"Ram", you first open the mouth with the sound "Ra". All your sins go out when

your

mouth is open. When you utter "M" by closing the mouth, the entry is barred

against the sins that have gone out. Everyone should recognize the sweetness,

sacredness, and divinity enshrined in the name Rama. It is good to utter the

name Rama with full understanding of all that it signifies. But even without

that understanding the chanting of the name has the power to destroy all sins.

We must learn to chant the sweet name of Rama with a pure, unsullied heart, in

a spirit of selfless devotion. Men should learn to speak sweetly and

pleasingly. Sweet speech confers peace. It is the means to self-realization.

Sri Rama loves to dwell in the heart of the man who speaks sweetly.

Wholehearted chanting of the name of Rama even once can destroy mountains of

sins. But the chanting should not be done mechanically, like a gramophone

record. It should emanate from the depths of the heart. You must seek to redeem

your lives, by living

up to Rama's ideals and proclaiming them to the world. Remember the name of Rama

with love. God can be realized only through love and by no other means. Divine

Discourse: 14 April 1989 Courtesy: http://www.sathyasai.org With Sai love

from Sai brothers - ''

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