RAMA NAVAMI

6th April 2025

Hindu

This is the birthday of Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu. It is one of the most important festivals for Hindus, particularly for those of the Vaishnava sect. On this auspicious day, devotees repeat the name of Rama with every breath and vow to lead a righteous life. The festival is celebrated especially at twelve noon since Rama was reputedly born at that time, and it takes the form of the ceremony of aarti (pronounced aar-tee). This is usually performed in front of the baby Rama (represented by a doll in a swinging cradle) or a devotional picture showing the scene of his birth.

Dedicated worshippers of Lord Rama normally observe a fast at this time, taking only milk and fruit for all nine days of the festival. Some fast only on the Rama Navami day itself. Apart from fasting, the day is marked by extremely colourful ceremonies. Temples are decorated and the image of Lord Rama is richly adorned. Devotees greet one another with ‘Sri Ram’ or ‘Jai Ram-ji-ki’, and invoke his name to grant them blessings and protection.

The epic poem ‘Ramayana’ is read in the temples and learned scholars narrate the thrilling episodes of the poem. Those who cannot recite the entire epic may repeat a single verse, which contains, in a nutshell, the story of the Ramayana. The two great Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, have exerted great influence on generations of believers. Rama is considered to be the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and the Ramayana tells the story of his life and his search for human values that are a model for all to follow. Rama is regarded as the perfect person, the embodiment of compassion, gentleness, kindness, righteousness and integrity. Although he had all the power in the world at his fingertips, he still remained peaceful and gentle.

Rama Navami occurs in the month of March. Celebrations begin with a prayer to the Sun early in the morning. At midday a special prayer is performed in honour of Rama. A ‘havan,’ or sacred fire ceremony, is also performed.

In northern India especially, an event that draws popular participation is the Rama Navami procession. The main attraction here is a gaily decorated chariot in which four persons are dressed up as Rama, his brother Laxman, his queen Sita and his disciple Hanuman. The chariot is accompanied by several other people in ancient costumes as worn by Rama’s solders. The procession is a lively affair with the participants shouting praises, echoing the happy days of Rama’s reign.

It is claimed that the repetition of his name (Rama Nama) is the surest, fastest and easiest way to attain purity, peace, wisdom, understanding, joy, prosperity and ultimately liberation. Rama Himself said, ‘Repetition of My name once is equal to the repetition of a thousand names of God or to the repetition of a Mantra a thousand times.’

In addition to this meditation, devout followers clean their homes and put pictures of Lord Rama, Lakshman, Sita and Hanuman on a dais in preparation for the puja. Fruit, flowers and incense are placed before the family deities. The ceremony begins with the youngest female member of the family applying tika to all the male members present. A red bindi is also applied on the foreheads of the female members. Everyone participates in the puja by first sprinkling water on the gods and then showering handfuls of rice onto their heads. Then all stand up to perform the aarti, at the end of which ganga water (or plain water if that is not available) is sprinkled over the gathering. The singing of bhajans goes on for the entire puja. Finally, prasad is distributed among all the people who have gathered.