Ram Navami 2023: Lord Rama was the son of King Dasharatha and Rani Kaushalya of Ayodhya. It is believed that Lord Rama was born on the day of "Ram Navami". Ramayana was first composed by Maharishi Valmiki. Since then various people have composed Ramayana in different languages, of which Tulsidas's "Ramcharitmanasram" is the most famous.
This year, Indians will be celebrating the festival of Ram Navami on March 30.
11 Unknown facts about Lord Rama
1. Seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu
Lord Rama is considered to be the 7th incarnation of Lord Vishnu in 10 incarnations. Before Lord Rama, Lord Vishnu avatars are Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise), Varaha (boar), Narasimha (man and lion), Vamana (dwarf), and Parshurama while later as Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki (to be incarnate).
2. Oldest human deity
Lord Rama is known to be the oldest deity worshipped in human form, as Lord Rama was born in Treta Yuga and it is believed that Treta Yuga has ended 1,296,000 years before today. In addition to Lord Rama in Treta Yuga, Lord Vishnu incarnated as Vamana and Parashurama.
3. Lord Rama descendant of Lord Surya
Image source: Barmera Rathore
Lord Rama was born in the "Ikshvaku" dynasty, which was founded by "King Ikshvaku", son of Lord Surya. That is why Lord Rama is also called "Suryavanshi".
4. 394th name of Lord Vishnu is "Rama"
The book named Vishnu Sahasranama lists a thousand names of Lord Vishnu. According to this list, "Rama" is the 394th name of Lord Vishnu.
5. The naming of Lord Rama
Image source: anjaneyamath.org
Lord Rama was named by the Guru of Raghuvanshi, Maharishi Vashistha. According to Vasishtha, the word "Rama" is made up of two spores (bijakshara), "Agni Beej" and "Amrit Beej". These letters provide strength to the mind, body, and soul.
6. Three times the pronunciation of the name Rama is like remembering thousands of gods.
It is mentioned in the Mahabharata that once Lord Shiva said that reciting the name of Rama thrice gives the grace equal to pronouncing the names of thousand deities. You will be surprised to know that Lord Shiva is also the name of Lord Rama in meditation. Let's spell it out.
7. The one who defeated Lord Rama in the battle
Lord Hanuman fought with Lord Rama to protect "Yayati", the king of Kashi. On the orders of Rishi Vikramaditya, Lord Rama came to kill the King of Kashi. To help the King of Kashi in the battle, Lord Hanuman started reciting Lord Rama. Because of this, Lord Rama's arrows had no effect on Hanuman and Lord Rama had to accept his defeat.
Buddhist Mudras, Hand gestures and their meaning
8. Construction and length of Ram Setu
Ram Setu was built by the Vanar Sena, starting from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu to Mannar in Sri Lanka. The main craftsmen of this bridge were "Nal" and "Neel". The length of this bridge was about 30 km and it was built in 6 days.
9. Abduction of Lord Rama
Image source: YouTube
Ravana's brother Ahiravan kidnapped Lord Rama and Lakshmana and took them to Hades to offer sacrifices to Mahamaya Devi. But Lord Hanuman freed Lord Rama and Lakshmana by killing Ahiravan.
14 Years Exile Was Revenge
According to a story, when Lord Rama was a young child, he accidentally hit Manthara's hunchback with his toy. Agitated by the incident she used Kaikeyi as her pawn to take her revenge and sent Lord Rama on 14 years of exile.
Squirrel’s White Stripes
To reach Lanka and rescue his wife, Lord Rama had to construct a bridge across the ocean. The little squirrel decided to lend a hand. Slowly but surely, the entire amount of sand that he had been picking up accumulated. Rama was moved by this act of kindness and raised up the squirrel, blessing him by caressing his back. And since then, the white-black stripes are considered his finger marks.
10. Reign of Lord Rama
Lord Rama ruled the kingdom of Ayodhya for eleven thousand years. This golden period is known as "Rama Rajya".
11. Taking Samadhi by Lord Rama
Image source: HariBhakt.com
It is believed that when Sita abandoned her body after being absorbed in the earth, Rama abandoned the earth after taking water Samadhi in the Saryu River.
Lord Rama has presented the ideals of the right path for us. Ram Navami is a day to remember and adopt all those things in life. So this Ram Navami, let us all adopt the great ideals of Lord Rama in life and his blessings.
This story is just an English translation of this story. All credit goes to the author who wrote it in Hindi.
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