Today, we're celebrating Ram Navmi, the birthday of the supreme Lord, Shri Ram. Why do we celebrate Ram Navmi? What is this secret of Ram Navmi? We'll hear a little bit. First, as customary, and to get our mind in tune, we'll chant the praises of Shri Ram for a few minutes, then we'll listen a little bit.
भजो रघुपति राघव राजाराम पतित पावन सीताराम ।
Bhajo raghupati rāghav rājrām patit pāvan sītārām
Now let's be very attentive and listen carefully. As we all know, we're all here today celebrating Ram Navmi. Who is Ram? And why should we celebrate Ram Navmi? There is a little bit of time, so listen carefully. First, the name Ram. This name has many meanings. One meaning in Ved, ‘ra’ means ‘sansar’. The universe, this entire universe, the whole world, the uncountable solar systems, ‘ra’, and ‘ma’ means ‘governor’. So the One who is the governor of the entire universe, He is Ram.
यतो वा इमानि भूतानि जायन्ते । येन जातानि जीवन्ति । यत्प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्ति । तद्विजिज्ञासस्व । तद्भह्मेति ।
Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. Yen jātāni jeevanti. Yatprayantyabhisamvishanti. Tadvijigyāsasva. Tadbrahmeti.- Taittiriya Upanishad 3.1
The Vedas say, “That from which the entire universe is born, that by which it’s sustained, and that into which it merges upon destruction that is Ram.” Brahma. Bhagwan.
Those who are Vaishnavas who worship the supreme Lord in the form of Ram or Krishna etc. have the knowledge that Shri Ram and Shri Krishna are one and the same. (इस में भेद नहिं है ।) We should not see even a difference of point 0001%. The same Ram is the same Krishna. In Ved a beautiful rendition comes.
कह परमो देवः |
Kah paramo devah.- Gopal Tapani Upanishad 2nd mantra
“Who is that supreme Brahm, that supreme power above Whom there is none?”
कुतो भयह |
Kuto bhayah.
“Who is that One that even death is afraid of?”
कस्य विज्ञानेनखिलम्…
Kasya vijnanenakhilam…- Gopal Tapani Upanishad 2nd mantra
“Who is that One by knowing Him, all knowledge will come?”
Not many questions? And for the answer, the Vedas itself is given, the answer.
कृष्णो वै परमं दैवतम् |
Krishno harvai param daivatam.- Gopal Tapani Upanishad 3rd mantra.
“Shri Ram, Shri Krishna is a supreme Brahm. Above Him, there is none.”
गोविंदन मृत्युर बिभेटी |
Govindan mrtyur bibheti.- Gopal Tapani Upanishad 3rd mantra.
“That Shri Ram is such a terror, He's so terrifying, even death is afraid of Him.”
गोपीजनवल्लभ-ज्ञानेन तज ज्ञानम् भवति |
Gopijanavallabh-gyānena taj gyānam bhavati.- Gopal Tapani Upanishad 3rd mantra.
“And by knowing that Shri Ram, the Lord of the universe, all knowledge will automatically come.”
यथा तरोर्मूलनिषेचनेन तृप्यन्ति तत्स्कन्धभुजोपशाखा: । प्राणोपहाराच्च यथेन्द्रियाणां तथैव सर्वार्हणमच्युतेज्या ॥
Yathā taror mūla-niṣhechanen tṛipyanti tat-skandh-bhujopaśhākhāḥ. Prāṇopahārāch-cha yathendriyāṇāṁ tathaiv sarvārhaṇam achyutejyā.- Bhagavat Mahapuran 4.31.14
The Bhagavat says, “Just as you pour water in the root of a tree, and automatically the water will go to the branch, the leaf, the flowers, etc., you don't have to make a separate effort, just pour water in the root.”
Just as someone is hungry, and you eat. And you're not thinking about how the food is going to nourish the body, or add to blood, flesh, bone, marrow, etc. You just eat because you're hungry, and the food naturally nourishes the body in the same way. Once one attains knowledge of Ram, he automatically attains all knowledge.
Okay, so Ram is God, the supreme power, but I can't understand that He takes birth. We're celebrating His birthday. For answer, Shri Krishna Himself says,
बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि जन्मानि तव चार्जुन ।
Bahūni me vyatītāni janmāni tav chārjun.- Gita 4.5
“Hey, Arjun. I have taken uncountable births and so have you.”
See, the Lord, He's certifying that He has taken birth. But the theory is…
जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च ।
Jātasya hi dhruvo mrityurdhruvam janm mritasya cha.- Gita 2.27
“That which takes birth must die, and that which dies must take birth.”
So does the Lord take birth like us? Does He enter into the womb of the mother, hang upside down, tied from the mouth to the toe, hung upside down in the womb for nine months, ten months, and then come outside?
पुनरपि जननं पुनरपि मरणं पुनरपि जननीजठरे शयनम इह संसारे खल दुस्तारे कृपयाऽपारे पाहि मुरारे।
Punarapi jananam punarapi maranam Punarapi jananījțhare shayanam Ih sansāre khal dustāre Kripayā’pāre pāhi murāri…- Bhaja Govindam Verse 22
So does He enter the womb again and again and die again and again? This question comes. In Bhagavat Mahapuran and in the Ramayana the description is given of Kaushalya, the mother of Shri Ram, and Devaki, mother of Shri Krishna. While they were pregnant, they had all the symptoms of mothers in the world. The womb kept increasing. They had morning sickness, everything like a mother in the world. So it means that He was in the womb. And if He was in the womb then His body must be material. It means that He is not free. And if He's not free, then how can He make me free? Why is He called Bhagwan, God, and I, the individual soul, jivatma?
For answer, Shri Krishna says,
तान्यहं वेद सर्वाणि न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप ।।
Tānyaham ved sarvāņi na twam vet-tha parantap.- Gita 4.5
He says, “Look, Arjun. I have taken uncountable births and so have you, but there's a difference. The difference is I know all of them while you don't.”
There's no doubt that there's a big difference, But this only proves that God, Shri Ram, is all knowing (sarvagya), all pervading, while we, the individual soul, are ignorant (alpagya) and very little-knowing.
ज्ञाज्ञौ द्वाजावीशानीशावजाह्येका भोक्त्त्कृभोगार्थयुक्ता । अनन्त आत्मा विप्र्व रूपोह्यकर्न्तात्रयं यदा विन्दते ब्रह्मेतत ।।
Gyāgyau dwājāvīshānīshāvajāhyekā bhoktkribhogārthayuktā. Anant ātmā vipra roopohyakarntātrayam yadā vindate brahmetat.- Shwetashvar Upanishads 1.9
So He's all knowing (sarvagya) while we, the individual soul is very little-knowing or ignorant (alpagya), but He also takes birth just like us.
We might be confused by this word, janm, to take birth. When we want to know the meaning of a word in Sanskrit, we look for the root of that word (dhatu). So the root of the word ‘janm’ means to appear, pragat hona. It means we also appear just as the Lord.
भये प्रकट कृपाला दीन दयाला कौशल्या हितकारी । हर्षित महतारी मुनि मनहारी अद्भुत रूप विचारी ।
Bhaye prakaț kripālā deen dayālā kaushalyā hitkārī. Harșhit mahatārī muni manhārī adbhut roop vichārī.
Just as Bhagwan Ram appeared before Ma Kaushilya, in the same way we appear in the womb of our mother. The philosophy is that neither God nor the individual soul takes birth.
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि नायं भूतवा भविता वा न भूयः । अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ।।
Na jāyate mriyate vā kadāchin nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ. Ajo nityaḥ śhāśhvato ’yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śharīre.- Gita 2.20
“God and the individual soul do not take birth nor do we die, nor having come into existence do we cease to be because we are unborn, eternal and most ancient.”
We're not destroyed even (when our) bodies are destroyed - eternal elements. But if, okay, He appeared, we appeared. But if His body was formed in the womb of the mother, then it must be material, mayic. And if it is not formed in the womb, like our body is a form in the womb of the mother, then it will not be material. It will be Divine, Divya. What does Divya mean, Divine? That which is not material. That is Divine; for now, just understand that. This is as much as we can understand. What Divine really means we will know only when our intellect becomes Divine.
So Sri Krishna says to Arjun,
जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यमेवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः । त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर्जन्म नैति मामेति सोऽर्जुन ।।
Janm karm cha me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janm naiti mām eti so’rjuna- Gita 4.9
“Arjun, My birth, janm, as well as My karm, action, they are Divine, both.” Whereas your birth is material and your action is also materialm mayic. If after doing bhakti under the shelter of a genuine Saint, you attain God realization, then your action will become Divine, but your birth will be material.
But as I mentioned, in Bhagavat Mahapuran as well as Ramayan, Kaushalya and Devaki experienced all the symptoms of women in the world, mothers who become pregnant. The baby is kicking in the womb. The womb is increasing with all the sickness. So it means His body must be material just like ours! For the for the answer to this question, Shri Krishna says,
अवजानन्ति मां मूढा मानुषीं तनुमाश्रितम । परं भावमजानन्तो मम भूतमहेश्वरम ।।
Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣhīṁ tanum āśhritam. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto mama bhūta-maheśhvaram.- Gita 9.11
“Arjun, the one who thinks My body to be material, he's the greatest fool.”
Look, is it written anywhere in any scripture that God has taken birth? It is written,
तमद्भुतं बालकमम्बुजेक्षणं चतुर्भुजं शङ्खगदाद्युदायुधम् । श्रीवत्सलक्ष्मं गलशोभिकौस्तुभं पीताम्बरं सान्द्रपयोदसौभगम् ॥
Tam adbhutaṁ bālakam ambujekṣaṇaṁ chatur-bhujaṁ śhaṅkha-gadādy-udāyudham. Shrīvatsa-lakṣmaṁ gal-śhobhi-kaustubhaṁ pītāmbaraṁ sāndra-payoda-saubhagam.- Bhagavatam 10.3.9
भये प्रकट कृपाला दीन दयाला कौशल्या हितकारी । हर्षित महतारी मुनि मनहारी अद्भुत रूप विचारी । लोचन अभिरामा तनु घनस्यामा निज आयुध भुज चारी । भूषन वनमाला नयन बिसाला सोभासिन्धु खरारी ॥
Bhaye prakaț kripālā deen dayālā kaushalyā hitkārī. Harșhit mahatārī muni manhārī adbhut roop vichārī. Lochan abhirāmā tanu ghanasyāmā nij āyudh bhuj chārī. Bhūșhan vanmālā nayan bisālā sobhāsindhu kharārī.
Bhagavat Mahapuran and Ramayan are describing the exact same thing. When Shri Krishna came in Dwapar, and when He came as Shri Ram in Treta, the same Lord stood before Kausalya and before Devaki, a 16 year old boy appeared wearing beautiful yellow clothes, beautiful ornaments, crown, jewels, a garland of wildflowers around the neck, holding with four arms, and holding weapons - the shankh (shell), chakra (discus), gadha (mace), padma (lotus) the mace and discus, sudarshan chakra, the lotus, padma and with the mark of Srivast Maha Lakshmi on the chest. This description is given. Now a 16 year old boy holding a weapon and the kind of weapon, the sudarshan chakra; it is so sharp that it can destroy the whole universe. Uncountable solar systems. The temperature of the gadha, the mace, is greater than millions of suns.
That kind of weapon came from the womb of a mother without massacre in the womb! Impossible! It means there was no baby in the womb. There was no baby in the womb of Kaushalya. There was no baby in the womb of Devaki. So what was there? Ved Vyas tells us in the Brahma Vaivat Puran, Ved Vyas said there was no baby in the womb. There was vayu; vayu means wind. Not the wind that is outside which is very windy. Not that kind of wind. This wind means yogmaya. Yogmaya, the special power of Shri Ram and Shri Krishna. That power which makes the impossible possible. Something is not happening, but you guarantee it's happening. I saw! I felt ! It never happened. That is the miracle of yogmaya. Look, God is sitting in the heart of everyone.
ईश्वर: सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति |
Īśhvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛid-deśhe‘rjun tiṣhṭhati.- Gita 18.61
So also here, so when God is sitting in the heart of every living being, is it strange that He's sitting in the heart of Kaushalya and Devaki, and has given them all the experience, making them feel there is a baby when there's none? From the heart, He's given all the experience. There's a soccer ball. When there's no air in the ball, it's flat. You take a pump and start pumping air, and the ball starts getting bigger, bigger, bigger. So Bhagwan started to pump Divine air, yogmaya, in the womb of Devaki and Kausilya. And then He gave them all the experiences sitting in the heart. “There's a baby!” And at the time of Divine revelation, just as you pull out the valve stem from the soccer ball and it goes down flat, the Lord appeared before Kaushalya Ma and Devaki, and the belly went flat. The womb, the stomach went flat, and then He smiled and He gave experiences to the devotees.
Seeing the Lord standing before her. In all his radiance with four arms upholding weapons, Devaki put her hands together and prayed.
उपसंहर विश्वात्मन्नदो रूपमलौकिकम् । शङ्खचक्रगदापद्मश्रिया जुष्टं चतुर्भुजम् ॥
Upasaṁhar viśhvātmann ado rūpam alaukikam. Shaṅkh-chakra-gadā-padma-śhriyā juṣṭaṁ chatur-bhujam.- Bhagavata Mahapuran 10.3.30
“Oh my Lord, oh father of the universe.” She's recognizing this is my father. “Oh, father of the universe, please take away this transcendental form of Yours, holding weapons - shankh, chakra, gada, padma. In a previous birth, I had asked You for Your boon to come as my baby, as my child. Instead, You have come as my father? Is this a way to treat Your devotee?”
The same thing is happening to Kaushalya Ma. She's also seeing the Lord standing. “Oh, Father of the universe, please take away this transcendental form and become a baby! Become a baby so I can enjoy that infinite bliss that words cannot describe! Become my baby as that boon I had asked you for.”
(The Lord said), “I can do everything! But first, I had to come in My transcendental form to prove it is Me, because if I just came as a baby, there can be doubt. Where did the baby come from? So I had to come in this transcendental form to prove that the supreme Lord came.”
And then what did He do? He became a little baby and started to cry. All the devotees forgot everything, “Oh, a baby and this is a mother!” When she has a baby she is so happy. Kaushalya Ma said, “My baby!” And she's very happy. Devaki is thinking the same thing.
So much more, but time is very limited today. So I hope in this short little lecture, we have understood who is Ram and why we are celebrating Ram Navmi. There's much more. We'll have some other time.
