by V. Kumar

Created on: September 06, 2008

RAM NAVAMI is a popular Hindu festival, celebrated to commemorate the birth of RAMA, a king in ancient India, who is considered an incarnation of the almighty god, and an example of an ideal human being.

Ram Navami falls on the ninth day of the first lunar month, called CHAITRA, which also coincides with ripening of harvest in spring. In 2008, it was celebrated on April 14, 2008.

BIRTH & LIFE OF RAMA

Rama's father, king Dashratha, had three wives, KAUSHALYA, SUMITRA and KAIKAYEE. Rama was the son of Dashratha and Kaushalya.

Traditionally, the eldest son inherited the throne of the king. However, Dashratha had once promised his second wife, KAIKAYEE, who had once saved his life during a hunting session, that he will grant her two wishes whenever she wanted. Kaikayee, wanting to make his son the king, demanded that her son, Bharata may be made the king and Rama may be sent to the forest for fourteen years. King Dashratha belonged to the Raghu dynasty, which was famous for keeping their word. Dashratha was faced with a dilemma, as he could neither punish his innocent son, nor get back on his word.

When Rama came to know of his father's dilemma, he decided himself to fulfil his father's promise. He abdicated the throne and went to the forest. Dashratha could not stop him, and died as a sorry father. When Bharat, his step-brother, who was away during all these happenings, came to know about all this, he scolded his mother and tried to bring back Rama, but Rama refused as he considered it his duty to keep his father's promise and his ancestor's tradition of respecting a promise even at the cost of life.

Later, in the forest, his wife, SITA, was abducted by demon king RAVANA, of Sri Lanka. Rama fought Ravana, with the help of forest tribals (VAN NARS), killed Ravana and thereby became an eternal symbol of victory of good over evil. His story is preserved as an epic titled RAMAYANA, the world's most ancient epic, written between 4000 to 4500 years ago (two thousand years before Buddha) in Sanskrit.

RAMA's LIFE - AN EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW FOR ALL

Rama was considered an incarnation of Vishnu and worshipped even during his life-time. His life was a living example of how an ideal human being should strive to be. Rama was an ideal son, an ideal student, an ideal soldier, an ideal husband, an ideal brother, an ideal citizen and finally, an ideal king. His whole life is treated as the domination of good over evil, both within and outside ourselves. His willingness to sacrifice worldly

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