Today, the world is celebrating Ram Navami with pomp and splendour. It is the day when Lord Rama was born to king Dashrath and Kaushalya. Lord Rama was the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu. He was the central character of Hindu epic Ramayana and is considered as the most important avatar of the deity. There is a lot of reverence for Lord Rama among people. He is called as the “Maryada Purushottam” which means the perfect man.
In the present scenario, there has been a lot of talks on Lord Rama and he often features in political narratives of many parties. “Jai Shree Ram” is a slogan which often can be spotted on social media. People use this slogan too often. But do we really know him well? I feel that we should know him more. He is much celebrated figure but still the world that we are living in is still struggling to get better. Lord Rama’s wisdom and thoughts are needed more than before.
Swami Vivekanand had defined Lord Rama as “the embodiment of truth, of morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband, and above all, the ideal king.” He showed the way through his actions. Lord Rama’s life was full of sacrifices and he embraced each one of them with a smiling facade. He can aptly be a role-model for the entire generation. There is a lot that we can learn from him.
Right from moving out of palace for Vanvas to living a life of saint, he never complained. His life was full of thorns. But he knew that what he is doing is for welfare of the masses and he never lost that smile on his face. Lord Rama took decisions which made his life tough but ultimately they helped in shaping the future of the kingdom. He always understood emotions better.
There is one instance that proves how deep he felt for others and he had no ego of a king. Lord Rama once went to ashram of Shabari, who was a sincere devotee. Shabari, an elderly woman, got ecstatic seeing Lord Rama visit her ashram. She was too happy and wanted to offer Ber (fruit) which she had collected meticulously. Shabari wanted to ensure that the fruits are ripe before offering them to Lord Rama. Hence, she started tasting the fruit herself before offering them. Lakshman opposed that the fruits are lipped. But seeing the devotions in the eyes of elderly Shabari, Lord Rama chose to eat those fruits. He could not make others unhappy.
Lord Rama was known for his compassion and he was able to pursue these traits even after being a king. Few traits of Lord Rama were satisfaction, loyalty, kindness, spirituality and humility. He was satisfied with what he had got in his life. He was loyal to everyone. He was a kind soul who wished good for everyone. Despite being a king, he never refrained from performing his spiritual practices. He also never talked about his goodness and greatness.
Lord Rama understood life better than many it is proved through his quotes from Ramayana. Here are some of them:
- Happiness and sorrow both are part of life. Lord Rama said that to be happy always is something which is difficult to achieve. He said that happiness and sorrow are alternate in everyone’s life and there cannot be uninterrupted happiness alone.
- Lord Rama was the one for whom his words were like a rock. As it is said, Raghukul Reet Sada Chali Aayi, Praan Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaayi. For him, once he committed anything, there was no looking back.
- Once Lord Rama said that dharma is rooted in truth. He said that the truth controls the world and dharma is rooted in truth.
- Once talking to Mahirishi Vashishtha, Lord Rama said that it is difficult for children to repay the debt of mother and father to raise them up.
- Lord Rama once said that a wise man should foresee tragedy and misfortune. He said that one should take actions to prevent the tragedy or misfortune. It is important for living a good life.
- Lord Rama believed that elder brothers and teachers should be considered as one’s father. The reason was that they all give knowledge and they tread the path of dharma.
- Lord Rama said whatever is one’s food, it shall be offered to one’s Gods.
Lord Rama is an ideal character whose teachings need to be imbibed. His thoughts stay relevant even after thousands of years.