The Lord in his graceful tone declared
" matchitta matgata pranah bodhayanta parasparam
kathayinthischamam nithyam thushyanticha ramanticha".
meaning that those whose heart is situated in me relish and rejoice
eternally sharing my pasttimes. They derive supreme pleasure in doing
so. On behalf of the Lords appearence on saturday April 9th, we begin
our celebrations with Ramayana Pravachana.
Sri Ramayana is a benediction on mankind. It is our great fortune that
the Lords biography in unparalleled detail has been passed on to us by
our ancestors. It is appropriate if one declares that it is our only
inherited treasure. It also becomes a great responsibility to pass
this treasure of supreme pleasure and wisdom to our children and
friends.
The learned and the wise may question, how does Ramayana benefit us in
our present day life?. Ramayana is a fountain resource of unfailing
plenty. It is up to the reader and the hearer to take home with him
the greatest treasure in his capacity.
Disproportionate to our capacities, there is a promise of change of
heart by hearing this auspicious epic pasttime of the lord. It is
infact his consorts story. Rama himself declared "Sitayascharitam
mahat". This is the story of Sita, Said the lord and encouraged one
and all to listen to it. He himself joined the audience and shed tears
upon listening to Ramayana.
Ramayana and Ramaavatara are two most dear things to the lord. How do
I know?. Arent we hearing day in and day out the wake up call given to
the lord. How does it start?. Kausalya Supraja Rama...
and it continues "Abhirama gunakara Dasarathe, Jagadeka dhanurdara
dheeramate". Is there any other pasttime of the lord detailed out like
it is done in Ramayana?. No. Ramayana is the only first hand account
detailed document and which is centered on the Lord. Why is it only
Ramayana and why is it only Valmiki Ramayana?. The answer lies in the
question itself, It is Ramayana and it is Valmiki.
The grand sire Valmiki's great taste is evident in his Ramayana. The
life of his Hero is very similar to the modern day life style. One
wife, two children; only difference; The Hero is an embodiment of
dharma. The poets heart is not satiated praising the innumerable
qualities of his Hero. So great was valmiki's Rama, that Dasaratha
declares, that if one finger points at my Son, there are no fingers
left to fold back. One cannot point at Rama, for he is impeccable.
Some people rejoice in accusing the Son of Dasaratha for having exiled
Sita, for killing Vali. They should understand that only Ravanas
accuse Rama and such Ravanas meet their end in ignominous shame. One
should learn the epic and then talk about Rama. It is the light of the
epic and the guidance of a pure devotee of Sri Rama that will reveal
things as they are. Else, we are like the blind led by the blind.
Aah, the pure devotee of Sri Rama. Hanuman. The first words uttered by
Hanuma in Ramayana are "Sambramah tyajathamesha". They mean "cast of
all fear and doubts". True to his fame, Hanuman wards of any fear of
evil. He is the one who instilled an unflinching fear in the heart of
evil when he destroyed Lanka like Rudra at the time of dissolution. He
struck terror in the hearts of Rakshasas and they trembled upon
hearing his name.
The deeds of mighty Hanuma, Lightening Sugreeva, Agile Nila, Wise
Jambavan and Noble Vibhishana will remind us our relationship with
them. By remembering our ancient relatives, our mind is also fixed on
treading the same path that which they have laid. It is this
cultivation of noble spirit that will establish us firmly as a first
class man.
The program:
8:30 am- Srimad Ramayana Pravachana Invocation
9:00 am - 10:00am - Balakanda
(Sita Rama Kalyanam)
-------------------15 min break--------------------
10:15am - 12:00 pm - Ayodhya Kanda (Paduka Pattabhishekam)
------------------ Prasadam Break-----------------
12:30pm - 1:30pm - Aranya Kanda
-----------------15 min break--------------------------
1:45pm - 2: 45pm - Kishkindya Kanda (Hanuma meets Rama, Rama kills Vali)
-----------------15 min break------------------------
3:00pm - 3:45 pm - Sundarakanda
-----------------15min break---------------------------
4:00 - 5:00 - Yudha Kanda(Vibhishana Saranagati) followed by Sri
Rama Pattabhishekam
2 comments:
Questions:
- Did Hanuma get the curse of forgetting his powers until someone reminds him? This is not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana but he keeps quiet until Jambavanta tells him.
- I am trying to understand the timeline of Seetha's abduction:
- Ravana gave Seetha a deadline of 12 months to change her mind.
- When Rama mentions that the bloomed branches of Ashoka tree, it must be between Feb thru April that Seetha got kidnapped.
- At spring time, Rama & Lakshmana reached Pampa lake near Kishkinda and at Autumn, Rama sends Lakshmana to Sugreeva. The time from spring to autumn is lets say 6 months.
- Sugreeva dispatches southern search party and asks them to report back within a month. When Hanuma reaches Lanka, its already past the deadline but dont' know how long. And when Hanuma meets Seetha, she tells him that 10 months have passed and only 2 remaining.
Does it mean the search party was off by their target by 3 months? Are there any other mention of seasons or timelines that I missed?
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