Hari Aum.
Today, just a little while ago, along with many, many people in India and abroad, I watched the live broadcast of the inauguration of the Rama temple at His birthplace, namely in the sacred city of Ayodhya (in North India).
Many people I know, both family and friends, took time out of their day to watch the event and participate in their own way. Pujas were conducted, mantras were chanted and prayers were made for the peace and prosperity of all.
It was early morning here when the ceremony started in India and I had the opportunity to watch a bit of it before my daughter woke up and needed to get ready for school. She is four-and-a-half years old and has heard a fair amount of mantra chanting at home and sometimes spontaneously decides to join in. She is familiar with Lord Rama's story (in brief!) and I encourage her to repeat some divine names daily for blessings and protection (even if it is just five or ten recitations of 'Rama', 'Krishna', 'Durga', 'Shiva', 'Kali' and so on).
She was not too surprised, therefore, when I showed her the live images of the "prana pratishtha" (invoking the deity to be present in the image) ceremony at the temple this morning and advised her to say "Rama, Rama" a few times (which she obligingly agreed to do!).
Often, getting ready for school in the morning can be a bit of a process with the occasional mini (or big!) tantrum thrown in (she generally likes school but unfortunately is not a fan of getting ready relatively early in the morning!).
Fortunately, by the sheer grace of Lord Rama (!), she was remarkably well-behaved this morning, and watched the temple ceremony with me while having breakfast and cheerfully set off for school. I then had a peaceful morning watching the remainder of the ceremony, performing some mantra meditation and a Rama puja (I work part-time currently for childcare reasons so fortunately had the time for this today!).
After watching the Rama temple ceremony, which was exceptionally beautiful and inspiring, I strongly felt that there could be no better time than the present to make a sankalpa (spiritual vow) to finally read the original Ramayana by Valmiki in full.
I had made a start on reading the Ramayana some time ago but the habit fizzled out in the midst of various other activities and sadhanas. For those less familiar with the subject, the Ramayana or 'story of Rama' was originally composed by the sage Valmiki an exceedingly long time ago. (Since then, many saints and scholars over the centuries have composed their own versions inspired by their own devotional feelings. A particularly famous one is the Ram Charit Manas by the saint and great devotee of Rama known as Tulasi Das.)
As reading the entire Ramayana is not exactly a small exercise (the work is a poem in Sanskrit consisting of 24,000 verses, divided into 534 chapters spread across 6 books!), and given my various existing sadhana, family and work commitments, I have decided to take it very slow and steady. In order to give myself a chance to complete this sankalpa, it needs to be very realistic and based upon my current circumstances.
My plan, therefore, is to read just seven chapters a week on average (either one chapter per day or a few in a single day, but around seven per week). To complete 534 chapters will take around 76 weeks, i.e. a around a year-and-a-half (should be completed somewhere in the middle of next year if all goes well).
I am sharing a link to the Ramayana by Valmiki below (Sanskrit with English translation):
I will probably write an occasional post on some of the teachings of the Ramayana as I go through it. In Kerala, there is a special month dedicated to the reading of the entire Ramayana (a version known as the 'Adhyatma Ramayana') that occurs in the monsoon season. My father told me that my grandmother and great-grandmother were very fond of reading the Ramayana and celebrating the month of Rama so I take inspiration from them in making this sankalpa.
May Lord Rama and Mother Sita bless all of India and the whole world with peace and prosperity. May the divine name 'Rama, Rama' echo all over the world and bring peace in places where there is none, bring good cheer where there is gloom, and prosperity where there is presently a sense of lack.
In this world (where there is presently much conflict and even serious discussion in some countries about preparing for a third global war), the ethos and values represented by Rama are desperately needed, namely truth, justice, compassion, respect and equality for all.
I will conclude by sharing a beautiful performance in praise of Lord Rama (the Sanskrit song 'Bhavayami Raghuramam', meaning 'I meditate on Lord Rama', was composed a couple of centuries ago by Svati Tirunal, the King of Travancore, Kerala who was a great devotee and wonderful musician):
Om Sri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama.
Om Sri Sita-Ramabhyam Namah.
Om Namo Narayanaya.
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
hey vishnupriya, i read a lot of your blogs and i would love to talk to you about multiple sadhanas and help me for my own sadhanas.
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