On this auspicious occasion, devotees gathered at Vivekananda Vidyapith in celebration of Lord Rama’s birthday. The birth of Rama, on the 9th day of the Hindu month of Chaitra, is considered very auspicious because of the relationship and significance of the number nine to the yoga of Bhakti and to Mother Durga. There exist nine paths of Bhakti, a spiritual philosophy and practice that Lord Rama himself embodied; there also exist nine manifestations of Durga, the embodiment of compassion. The Ramanavami celebration commenced with the recitation of Pranam Mantras, Manasa Puja, and offerings of flowers. Devotional bhajans, dhoons, and hymns were recited as well. Mahendra Uncle read and discussed portions of the Tulasi Ramayana, which details the birth of Rama. He also discussed the importance of repeating the name of God as an effective and fundamental spiritual practice. He elaborated three points from Tulasidas’ Ramayana regarding the repetition of the name of God: (1) When we repeat the name of God, then the form of God follows. (2) The name of God lies on the boundary of the realm of God with form and God as the formless ultimate Reality. Also, the name of God works as a translator between the language of God with form and the language of the Formless God. (3) Just as a lamp kept at the threshold of two rooms illumines both rooms, the lamp of Japa (repetition of God’s name) kept at the tip of our tongue illumines our inner self as well as the outside world.

Afterwards, several students reflected on Lord Rama’s life and teachings through their presentations. Aneri Rokhad recited Lord Rama’s pranam mantra and its meaning. Kanchan Railkar presented the various names of Lord Rama, and Rishi Dhar, Devanjan Saha, and Samik Patel detailed the birth and life incidents of Lord Rama. Sailesh Doraiswamy discussed the meaning of two prominent Tyagaraja Kritis on Rama, and Devika Gadhavi, Mansi Mehta, and Arvind Krishnamurthy reflected upon the qualities of Lord Rama. Sheila Doraiswamy explained Valmeeki’s conception of the Ramayana and Amit Nigalaye flawlessly recited the Ramaraksha Stotram. To conclude the presentations, Ryan Chaddha related and bridged the philosophy of the Mandukya Upanishad and that of the Ramayana. Finally, the celebration ended with an Arati and the distribution of Prasadam, after which all the devotees returned home, retaining in their minds the tranquil atmosphere and reflecting upon the inspiring messages.

(Written by Anand Krishnamurthy; edited by Nisha Parikh)