| On this page we will collect sacred texts, rituals, art, poetry, ideas for liturgy, stories, and more from Hunduism so that we can expand everyone's understanding of each holiday and open people up to new ways of celebrating. We need your help to make this happen. Do you have a special way of celebrating a holiday from your faith that you'd be willing to share with the Tikkun and NSP communities? If so, please click here and tell us about it. Sree Raam Navami On Wednesday March 24, 2010, millions of Hindus all over the world will be celebrating the festival known as Sree Raam Navami. This is the traditionally reckoned birthday of Rama (pronounce Raama) who, in the Hindu vision, is the aspect of the Divine that embodies Truth, Righteousness, and Adherence to the Promised Word. The saga of Rama is known as the Ramayana (Raamaayanaa) which is reckoned as one of the masterpieces of world literature.
Among the many celebrations of this occasion is the invocation of the name of Rama through a devotional song with the famous lines:
Raghupati Raaghava Raaja Raam
Pateeta Paavana Seeta-Raam
{The Divine King Rama with consort Sita takes care of the fallen ones.)
The implication is that Divinity (as Rama) comes to the assistance of the unfortunate ones in the world.
In a modern interfaith version of this song (popularized by Mahatma Gandhi) one also introduces the line:
Ishva Allah thayro naam ? sabko sanmati dhay bhagvaan.
Ishvar and Allah are both Your name (oh God).
Please give this wisdom to one and all.
In the Hindu framework Rama once reigned in an Utopian kingdom (Ramrajya) which the sage poets of India described somewhat as follows:
RAMRAJYA
It has been said in the distant past
When the great Rama ruled,
No disease there was, nor early death,
Nor persons there unschooled.
No man did die in his fruitful phase,
Leaving behind a wife.
Nor mothers wailed the loss of babes
That died in early life.
No thieves there were, nor cheats, nor crooks;
All did what e?er they should.
All loved and cared for those who lived
In their own neighborhood.
Plants and trees did richly grow,
Yielding fruits and grains,
The earth itself enriched the land
With regular rains.
No lightning, thunder or blazing fire
Did bring to hearts alarm;
No gale or hale or quakes that would
Cause to people harm.
With valleys green and flowing streams
All Nature smiled so well,
Men toiled hard and produced goods,
Traders things did sell.
There was law and order, justice fair
In this ancient realm:
That was the kingdom which had the great
Rama at its helm.
The way to greet a Hindu friend today would be by wishing him/her a joyous Raam-navami Day.
V. V. Raman |
