Celebrate Ram Navami by Understanding the Divine Re-union with Ram

Ram Navami is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Lord Rama. But besides all the festivities, Ram Navami also offers us the opportunity to revisit and introspect our lives.

The festival offers us an opportunity to introspect how we have been living life; what we have believed ourselves to be; what we have gained as a result of the beliefs we have harbored that were not true; what possibilities does the future hold if we live with the right understanding of who we truly are;  what does it mean to live with the right understanding; what do we stand to lose if we live as the one who we truly are; what conveniences, desires, happiness, or fears would we lose; will the joy of living in the realization of the Ultimate Truth be a better bargain. If we use this day of Ram Navami as a contemplation retreat, it can certainly become the grand birthday of all birthdays.

On this day of Ram Navami, let us remind ourselves of who or what we refer to when we chant the sacred name of Lord Rama. Are we referring to the physical birth of the son of King Dasarath and Queen Kausalya, or the living essence that emerged upon receiving divine guidance from Guru Vasishth? The name “Ram” points to the divine essence of one’s being. It is the essence that hasn’t emerged from physical birth but from the awakening of the right questions and guidance received from the Guru in response. The physical birth acts as a catalyst to awaken Ram, the real essence, the pure consciousness within each of us. This Ram is neither born, nor dies. Hence, it is said, “May the mind receive the understanding, and the body receive healing.” In this article, “Ram” refers to that conscious essence within us.

The story of Ramayana is the story of union and disunion – yog and viyog. In this article, we shall understand this in greater depth.

The name of every mythological character carries a profound meaning. The name Dasarath means Das Rath, the ten chariots – the two eyes, two ears, the nose, the face, the skin, the mind, the intellect, and the vital life force. Ram is the one that enlivens the body and its ten chariots. When Ram is no longer united with the body, the body succumbs to death. Just as there is no use of a radio without the battery to power it, there is no use of the body without Ram. King Dasarath helplessly sentenced Lord Rama into exile, which led to his death. So here, the prime mistake was the separation of Lord Rama from Dasarath, i.e., dissociation of consciousness from the body.

As per the story, the one who could lift the famous bow of Lord Shiva would be deemed worthy of marrying Princess Sita. Besides Lord Rama, even the demon king Ravana had attended the Swayamwar to prove his might and claim the hand of Princess Sita. Here, Sita refers to the ultimate truth, and Ravana refers to the arrogant mind that craves to claim the truth for itself. The mind needs to be convinced that it cannot claim the truth for itself. The truth can manifest only when the mind surrenders. When the demon king Ravana failed to lift the bow despite all his might, he was enraged. Arrogance takes us away from the truth. Arrogance has to surrender. Ravana has to die, and only then can Sita, the truth, emerge. Lord Rama lifted the bow and wedded Mother Sita. Ram, pure consciousness, unites with the the truth and realizes its own existence. This is the state of Self–realization.

After this sacred union, King Dasarath’s wife, Kaikeyi, forced the king to exile Lord Rama from the kingdom. Here, Kaikeyi refers to worldly thoughts that arise in the mind, such as, “What will I gain from this union with the truth? I can live a happy life even without this union. Those who are not self-realized also live a successful life. What is the need for self-realization?”

Let us understand the naivety of this argument through an analogy. Few decades ago, one would have argued that they can be contented even without a computer. However, now with the onset of computers, questioning their utility seems absurd. Similarly, only after our union with Ram can we truly understand the value of this sacred union and its expression in the form of love and harmony. Ayodhya – the kingdom of love and harmony is already present in us, but conflict and struggle arise due to separation caused by our desires and tendencies.

As the story continues, during the exile in the forest, Mother Sita got separated from Lord Rama because of King Ravana and the demon Marich – the desires and tendencies of the mind. They create an illusion that steers us away from Ram – our divine essence. The demon Marich disguised himself as the golden deer and Mother Sita longed for it. This is analogous to how people keep chasing the proverbial golden deer, the lure of the mind to gain material possessions. Despite being instructed to stay inside the hermitage within the Lakshman Rekha, King Ravana intelligently disguised himself as a sage and drew Sita out of the sacred union. This led to the separation of Mother Sita from Lord Rama.

Following this separation, to reunite with Mother Sita, Lord Rama had to build a bridge with the help of his ardent Vanara devotees. Ram setu – the bridge was built with stones that floated on water. This seemingly impossible task was made possible when the name Ram was inscribed on the stones. This symbolizes the awakening of consciousness within the mortal body, after which even the so-called negative incidents in our lives can become a vehicle for this sacred reunion. Ram setu represents the bridge of contemplation that leads us to this sacred union and destroys the illusory attraction of Maya.

Listening to the truth with the right understanding of its symbolism can help us unite with Ram, our true essence. Otherwise, Ram continues to be in exile. This direct listening makes it possible for the hidden Ram to emerge, symbolized by the return of Lord Rama from exile.

May our listening to the truth destroy all our beliefs and tendencies, and may Ram awaken! For this, we need to be wary of the illusory distractions that draw us away from the truth, just like the golden deer, disguised in various forms.

May this Ram Navami lead you towards sacred re-union with Ram – the divine essence, so that you dwell in Ayodhya – the inner kigdom of love, bliss, and peace.

Happy Thoughts!