Rama Navami
Appearance day of Lord Sri Ramacandra
The following quotes are from His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada on Lord Rama's Appearance day.
There is also a lecture (below this) by Srila Prabhupada given in Hawaii, March
27, 1969 on Lord Ramacandra's appearance.
710407LE.BOM Lectures
So this process should be adopted, how to become sukrtina. Sukrti means
yajna-dana-tapa-kriya. One must perform sacrifices as prescribed in the sastras,
and they must give in charity their hard-earned money for Krsna's cause. That is
called dana. Yajna, dana, and tapasya. Tapasya. Just like tomorrow is Sri
Rama-navami. The tapasya will be that all the devotees will observe fasting from
morning till evening. This is called tapasya. Just like Ekadasi day--there is no
eating sumptuously. Simply you take little fruits and flowers. Try to avoid that
also. You don't take even water. That is really ekadasi. But because we cannot
do it--in the Kali-yuga the time is different--therefore we are allowed to take
little fruit and milk, which is called anukalpa. These are different methods of
tapasya. And yajna. This yajna, sankirtanaih prayair yajnaih, yajanti hi
su-medhasah. In this age you cannot perform that big asvamedha yajna, gomedha
yajna, rajasuya yajna, so many other yajnas. It is not possible. First of all,
you have no means to perform such yajnas, hundreds and hundreds of tons ghee
required for putting into the sacrificial fire. You have not even a drop of your
ghee. So forget all those yajnas. In this age, yajnaih sankirtanaih prayaih.
8-03-26.Letter: Mukunda
Please accept my blessings. I am sorry I am delayed to reply your letter
dated March 14, 1968, which I received over a week ago. I am very glad that you
are repentant even for some action which is not sanctioned by me. This attitude
is very nice and improves one in progressing on the path of devotional service.
The Rakhi Bandhan ceremony observed by you under instruction of Prasad isn't
approved by our Vaisnava rituals. Of course, such ceremony is observed among the
Hindu community as a socio-religious convention. But in our Vaisnava community
there is no such observance. Now, forget the incidence, and in future don't be
misled by some unauthorized person. Our next ceremony is Lord Ramacandra's
Birthday, on the 7th of April. It should be observed in the same way as Lord
Caitanya's Appearance Day, namely, fasting up to evening and then accept
Prasadam, and all our ceremonies should be performed with continuous Kirtana, of
Hare Krishna, Hare Rama. That will make all our functions successful.
68-03-28.Letter: Mahapurusa
So far the Advent Day of Lord Rama Candra, it should be celebrated as Lord
Caitanya's Birthday was done. Fasting up to evening, and then take prasadam, and
chant Hare Krishna whole day, and be engaged in reading and chanting off and on,
chant for some time, then read for some time, then again have Kirtana and so on,
throughout the day. If you have not got a Ramayana, then you can read
Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam, that is all right.
770326r2.bom Conversations
Prabhupada: Rama-navami is upavasa up till the... Go to observe fasting up
to the evening.
Tamala Krsna: So moon.
Prabhupada: Sunset.
NOTE:
YOU WILL NEED THE BALARAM FONT TO VIE THE DIACRITICS CORRECTLY
You can download it here - balaram font
Çré Räma Navamé
Lord Rämacandra’s
Appearance Day
Hawaii, March 27, 1969
690327RN.HAW
Spoken by is Divine Grace
Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
(kértana)
Prabhupäda: (chants maìgaläcaraëa prayers)
rämädi mürtiñu kalä-niyamena tiñöhan
nänävatäram akarod bhuvaneñu kintu
kåñëaù svayaà samabhavat paramaù pumän yo
govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi
[Bs. 5.39]
This is a verse from Brahma-saàhitä in which the incarnation of Lord Rämacandra
is described. Rämädi. Not only Räma, but there are many other, innumerable
incarnations. They are compared with the waves of a river. As the waves of the
river or the waves of the ocean cannot be counted, similarly, how many
incarnations are there of the Supreme Lord it is not possible to count. But out
of them, the principal names are mentioned in the çästras. Therefore it is said
rämädi. Rämädi means Räma and also other, many incarnations. And they are
existing. Not that one incarnation appeared and it is finished. No. Not like
that. Just like Lord Rämacandra appeared on this planet, say millions of years
before. He appeared in the Treta-yuga. Treta-yuga means... We have passed only
five thousand years of this age, Kali-yuga. Before that, there was Dväpara-yuga.
Dväpara-yuga means 800,000 years. And before that, there was Tretä-yuga, which
continued for twelve hundred thousands of years. That means at least two million
years before Lord Rämacandra appeared on this planet.
So now Lord Rämacandra appeared in Ayodhyä. There is a place in Ayodhyä, in
northern India. There He appeared. As Kåñëa appeared in Mathurä... That is also
northern India. And Mathurä is about ninety miles down southward from New Delhi.
You have heard the name of New Delhi, the capital of India. So Ayodhyä is also
situated about five hundred miles northeast of New Delhi. So Lord Rämacandra
appeared on this day. Today is called Çré Räma Naumi. On the ninth day of the
moon Lord Rämacandra appeared. His father was the king of Ayodhyä, and he had
three wives. So out of... No. He had two wives. So out of two wives he got four
sons. Rämacandra is the eldest son. The life and activities of Lord Rämacandra
is... [break] ...in a book which is called Rämäyaëa. You have heard the name of
Rämäyaëa. Rämäyaëa is also accepted as history. Vedic literatures are histories
also. The Puräëas, the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, Mahäbhärata, and Rämäyaëa, they are
counted amongst the history. The history of Rämacandra is that His father wanted
to retire. Daçaratha, Mahäräja Daçaratha. And he decided to enthrone Lord
Rämacandra and retire. So everything was settled, but just one day before, his
youngest wife turned the whole thing into different way. Sometimes Mahäräja
Daçaratha was suffering from what is called whitlow, some trouble in the finger?
And this queen served him very nicely, and he was pleased. And he said, “My dear
Çarmiñöhä, if you want some benediction from me, I can give you.” And she
replied that “I shall ask you for the benediction when I require it. Not now.”
So just one day before Lord Rämacandra’s coronation, she approached her husband
Mahäräja Daçaratha and reminded him, “My dear husband, you promised to give me
some benediction, and I told you that I shall ask you when I require it.”
Mahäräja Daçaratha said, “Yes, I remember. You want some benediction just now?”
She said, “Yes.” “And what is that?” She said that “Rämacandra cannot be seated
on the throne. My son should be coronated, Bhärata.” He was surprised. It is a
big demand. So he said, “All right. That will be done. Your son.” Because
formerly, the kings... Not only formerly, even up to date, there are many
kñatriya kings in India. They have more than one wife. And they are, naturally,
there is rivalry between different wives. So the same thing. Human psychology is
the same. Even two million years ago the same mentality was there, and she asked
that “My son should be the king, not Rämacandra.” Rämacandra happened to be the
son of Kauçalyä, the elder queen.
So Mahäräja Daçaratha agreed and called for Rämacandra. “My dear boy, your...”
She asked also that... She was very diplomatic. She wanted that Rämacandra go to
forest for fourteen years. The idea was political, that “The king may agree to
install my son just now. Now, after a few days, this Rämacandra may come with
His army, and there may be some difficulty to continue the kingdom.” So she
wanted that Rämacandra should go to the forest and He should not come back till
the end of fourteen years from this day. So Mahäräja Daçaratha agreed. Because
he was kñatriya. Just see the promise. A kñatriya never goes back from the
promise, never refuses any challenge. If a kñatriya is challenged by somebody,
that “I want to fight with you,” oh, he cannot refuse. This is kñatriya spirit.
He cannot say that “I am now busy.” Suppose somebody comes to you, that “I want
to fight with you.” You may say, “What nonsense fight? I have no time. We are in
the temple.” But a kñatriya cannot deny that. A kñatriya at once must accept.
“Oh, yes. Come on.” And the weapon should be, if he has no sword or weapon, he
should be supplied weapon and fight. This is kñatriya spirit. They were highly
charitable and chivalrous and keeping promise and with a great tendency for
ruling over. They shall rule over. Administrators. Their business is...
There are different prescription for different classes of men for their
livelihood. The brähmaëas, they can pull on their livelihood by six ways.
Paöhana paöhana yäjana yäjana däna pratigraha. Six. And they must be qualified
with twelve high qualities. We have many times discussed. Out of that
qualification, truthfulness is the first item for a brähmaëa. A kñatriya may
speak lies. That is allowed, because he has to be diplomat, politician. But a
brähmaëa, oh, he’s not allowed to speak lie. This is the system, caste system or
varëäçrama system. Everyone was trained. Because these four classes of men are
required in a society. For proper upkeep of society, one class of men must be
very intelligent, highly qualified, with all good qualities. They must be
trained in that way, ideal character so that people can see and follow them.
Therefore brähmaëas were taken to so much respect because they’re ideal
character, learned, and godly, knows the science, spiritual science. Therefore
they’re held in high estimation and topmost of the society. The next, the
administrator, administrative class, kñatriyas. They are trained how to kill.
The kñatriyas were allowed to hunt in the forest to learn the art of killing
because that was necessity for the kñatriyas. Kñatriya, if he... If the king, if
he finds somebody is doing wrong, he can immediately chop off his head if he
likes. The king was so powerful. And it is not that if there was some war, it is
not that the president or the king shall sit down comfortably at home and
ordinary soldiers will go and lay down their life. No. Formerly, the king or the
head of the state, he should first of all go there in the fight. You see in the
picture, the chief men of the fighting in the Kurukñetra, both sides, they were
arrayed, this side, that side, with their chariot. Not that the head man, the
chief man, or the commander is taking shelter back side, protecting himself, and
poor soldiers are (chuckles) thrown into the fighting. No. These were kñatriya
spirit. And it is necessary that a class of men should be trained up in that
way, kñatriya, fighting men. In India, because this training was there since a
very long time, so there is no difficulty in recruiting soldiers there. There is
a class of men, they are very much forward in fighting still. They are called...
Just like the Gurkhas, the Nepalese. You have heard the name of Nepal. Still a
small state, independent state. They are not within India. Between China and
India. The whole Nepal population, they are kñatriyas. Oh, they are very good
fighters. Similarly, the Sikhs, the Jätas. There are classes. So they’re always
forward for fighting. And you’ll be surprised that the British Empire was
voluntarily liquidated because they lost India. The Britishers, they understood
that because we are now losing India, there is no more possibility to keep our
eastern empire. Therefore they liquidated. Why? Actually, the whole British
Empire were being administered or managed by Indian soldiers, these Sikhs and
Gurkhas. They extended their empire. After taking their position with India,
they extended British Empire in the Middle East and Far East simply by these
Sikhs and Gurkha soldiers. They got supremacy on the Burma and everywhere.
So there is necessity of a class of fighting men. You are finding in your
country difficulty in recruiting because the recruiting process is wrong. You
are recruiting from persons... You are training persons just like çüdras, and
you want them to fight. How they can fight? It is not possible. So as it is
stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, that cätur-varëyaà mayä såñöaà guëa karma
vibhägaçaù... [Bg. 4.13]. Lord Kåñëa said that “The four classes or orders of
the society, brähmaëa, kñatriya, vaiçya, çüdra, is planned by Me according to
work and quality.” So this kñatriya quality men is also required, the brähmaëa
quality of men is also required, the mercantile community, they are also
required, and the laborer class, they are also required. Of course, laborer
class, they do not require any training. Laborer class means one who cannot do
anything, neither become brähmaëa, nor become kñatriya, nor become vaiçya. That
means the last balance of the population, they are called laborer class, çüdra.
Çüdra means one who has no training. Çüdra has no saàskära. Saàskära means
training. Everyone is accepted as çüdra by birth. Janmana jayate çüdra. Janmana
means by birth. By birth, everyone is born a çüdra, a fourth-class man. It is to
be accepted, and actually so. Just like a child, innocent child, what does he
know? He has to be trained. Either you train him as a brähmaëa or train him as a
kñatriya or train him as a vaiçya. Or otherwise, he is çüdra already, born çüdra.
Çüdra has no training. Everyone, the basic principle, basic foreground,
everyone, it is accepted çüdra. Now, if you train him as a brähmaëa, then he
becomes a brähmaëa. If you train him as a kñatriya, then he becomes a kñatriya.
If you train him as a vaiçya... So I think this is, this system is very
scientific so that if you want help of a really intelligent man or God realized
man, it is ready, the brähmaëa class. Just like if you require the help of a
lawyer, we have got so many lawyers. If you require the help of medical man...
Because there are trained men. Similarly, the society requires to train a
certain class of men to become brähmaëas. Just like we are training the Kåñëa
conscious. The Kåñëa consciousness is meant for the brähmaëas. They are not
meant for fighting because they are not being trained for fighting. They have
been trained for becoming brähmaëas. Who is brähmaëa? Brahma jänäti iti brähmaëa.
The four divisions are described like this. Janmanä jäyate çüdraù, everyone is
born çüdra. That is accepted. Saàskäräd bhaved dvijaù. Now if you train him,
never mind in which family he’s born, you have to train him. Just like boys are
sent to school for being trained. So everyone is accepted as çüdra, but you now
train him. He goes to the guru-gåha.
Guru-gåha means teacher’s house. Formerly, for being trained, there was no such
big scale school and colleges. Every village... Still, fifty years before in
India, in every village there was a small school conducted by the brähmaëa, and
the village children would be trained up there. So he was sent for training. And
there was no school fee. The boys will go there, and on behalf of the teacher or
spiritual master, they will go, brahmacäré, door to door, and beg and bring
forth alms, rice, dahl, grains, and everything. That was the system. There was
no school fee. There was no problem how to send a boy to the school. Saàskära.
Now he’s trained up. The teacher sees the psychology of the boy, in which way he
should be trained. Either he should be trained as a vaiçya or he should be
trained as a kñatriya. So everyone was trained like that, but generally, the son
of a kñatriya... Just like Mahäräja Rämacandra or Arjuna, from the very
beginning they were trained as kñatriya. Naturally, if somebody is the son of a
medical man his father trains him to become a medical man in future. That is the
natural tendency. If the boy is different altogether that is another question,
but naturally, that is the tendency. So a kñatriya’s son was trained as kñatriya.
A brähmaëa’s son was trained as a brähmaëa and a vaiçya’s son was trained as a
vaiçya, and çüdra had no training. So gradually this became a caste system.
Brähmaëa’s son became brähmaëa. Because formerly, the training was there. But
when it is vitiated, although a person born in the family of a brähmaëa, he is
doing the work of a çüdra. So according to Vedic scripture, one is classified
according to his work and quality, not by birth. That is the classification of
çästra. Just like in the Bhagavad-gétä the Lord says cätur-varëyaà mayä såñöaà
guëa-karma-vibhägaçaù [Bg. 4.13]. Guëa means quality and karma means work. One
must be qualified for the work and he must actually work. Then he is counted
classified into that, I mean to say, category. Just like if you are simply
trained or educated as a lawyer, and if you are not practicing in the court,
nobody comes to you to consult as a lawyer. Nobody cares for you. You must be
practicing also. Similarly, to become a brähmaëa means first of all, he must
know what is Brahman and he must be actually situated in the activities of
Brahman. So devotional service are activities of Brahman. Activities in Kåñëa
consciousness means activities in Brahman. Brähme carati iti brahmä brahmacäré.
Carati means acts. Actually, he acts in life, applies the principles of brähmaëa
in his life, he is called brahmacäré. So these were the trainings.
So just see how the training was, that a kñatriya cannot refuse his promise. So
Mahäräja Daçaratha, he fulfilled the promise of his youngest wife and asked his
son, eldest son Rämacandra, “My dear boy, You’ll have to go to forest for
fourteen years. That is the desire of Your youngest mother. And I promised that
I shall fulfill her promise, uh, request. So please accept.” Rämacandra said,
“Yes father, I am ready.” Just see. This is the quality. Out of the six
opulences of God, this is one quality.
aiçvaryasya samägrasya
véryasya yaçasaù çriyaù
jïäna-vairägyayoç caiva
ñaëëäà bhägam itéìganä
(Viñëu Puräëa 6.5.47)
How one becomes God? God is not manufactured by vote. There are definition who
is God. God must be the proprietor of all the riches. Aiçvaryasya samägrasya.
Samägra means all. Nobody can compete with Him. Here, in this world, material
world, I am rich man, and there is another rich man who can compete with me.
There is another rich man who can compete with him. But nobody can compete with
God in richness. That is one qualification of God. Nobody can say that “I am
richer than God.” You can say “I am richer than Ford or Rockefeller” or this or
that. You can say. But nobody can say that “I am richer than God.” Therefore in
the Bhagavad-gétä it is said mattaù parataraà nänyat asti kiïcid dhanaïjaya.
Mattaù parataraà nänyat kiïcid asti dhanaïjaya [Bg. 7.7]. Dhanaïjaya is a name
of Arjuna, and Kåñëa said that, “My dear Arjuna, there is nobody greater than
Me.” So if anyone claims that he is God, he must prove by practical example that
nobody is richer than him. That is the first. But unfortunately, we are
accepting so many Gods. A rascal in the street, he also claims that “I am God.”
So similarly, the other qualification, nobody can be stronger than God, nobody
can be wiser than God, nobody can be more beautiful than God, and nobody can be
more renouncer than God. So here Rämacandra, Lord Rämacandra exhibited the
quality how He renounced the whole kingdom simply on the order of His father,
His obedience to father. He could have argued with His father, “My dear father,
you, simply for keeping your promise and actuated by the dictation of a woman,
you are doing this. Let us stop it. Everyone is expecting that tomorrow My
coronation will be there, and they love Me so much.” Because He... Just like
Kåñëa was so much loved, similarly, Lord Rämacandra was the life of the people.
They were very much expecting that Rämacandra was going to be enthroned
tomorrow. So how they were celebrating, how they were decorating the whole city.
Everything. He never argued. He accepted immediately: “Yes, father. I am ready.”
So then one of the brothers, Lakñmaëa, He also requested Rämacandra, “My dear
brother, You also take Me. I am Your constant companion. I must go with You.” So
He said, “That’s Your wish. Voluntarily, if You want to come, You can come with
Me.” Then Sétä, His wife, young wife, She also said, “I’ll go with You.”
Rämacandra requested His wife, “Oh, you cannot go with Me. It is very difficult.
You are a king’s daughter, and you are brought up in so nice way, and you are so
beautiful. You cannot go. You cannot take the trouble of living in the forest.”
So she said, “Oh, I am Your wife. Married wife. So I must go even if You go to
hell.” This is ideal wife. She could have refused: “Oh, Your father has ordered
to go to forest. You can go. I shall go to my father’s house or I shall remain
here.” No. This is ideal wife. She must be prepared to accept any circumstances
of the husband. Not that when the husband is rich the wife is very faithful, and
when he has come down to be poor or he’s going to forest the wife gives up his
company. No. Wife means better half. She must abide. Just like, it is said, just
like a shadow follows the reality, similarly, the wife is the shadow of the
husband. Wherever the husband goes, she must go. Whatever the husband wants, she
must carry out. Of course, in this country this interpretation is taken
differently, that wife is made a slave. But actually, it is not so. When Sétä
was kidnapped in the jungle, Rämacandra expected that, that she was beautiful,
she was young, and “We shall be in open jungle. It may be some demons may come,”
and actually it so happened. So for Sétä, Lord Rämacandra massacred the whole
family of Rävaëa. Only for Sétä. So as the husband, so the wife. The wife was so
faithful that she could not remain alone. She must accompany the husband even in
the forest. And the husband was so faithful that, “Oh, my wife has been
kidnapped.” So He massacred the whole family of Rävaëa.
So these are ideal history how... Rämacandra, Lord Rämacandra appeared on this
world to educate or to place ideal example of a king. How the king should be.
Therefore when there is good government... The example is given, Räma-räjya.
Räma- räjya. It is the kingdom of Lord Räma. Because everyone was happy,
everyone. There are so many instances in the life of Rämacandra. One brähmaëa...
Not brähmaëa exactly. Somebody came to Rämacandra. Because at that time there
was no court like this, that you have to go to a court and apply with stamp fee.
Then your judgment will be delivered after six years. It is not like that.
Anyone who has got some complaint, he should... The king used to sit in the open
audience, and the citizens were allowed to approach the king and place their
complaints. Because there was no complaint practically. Everyone was happy. Very
minor complaint. So somebody came to Rämacandra, and he charged Rämacandra, “My
dear king, my son has died. How is that, in the presence of his father, son can
die? There must be something wrong in Your government.” Just see. The charge is
“Why my son has died before my death? This is unnatural.” So there was nothing
unnatural. The king was responsible even for severe cold, severe heat. That we
get from history of Çrémad-Bhägavatam. That is stated. So the kings were so much
responsible. They were always thinking of the happiness of the citizens, and the
citizens were also so nice. One citizen approached Lord Rämacandra and His next
assistant, His brother, Lakñmaëa, informed Him that “He is a brähmaëa. You were
absent on Your tour for, I think for a fortnight or a month, and this brähmaëa
has not eaten even a drop of water during Your absence.” Why? “Because he comes
here to see You, darçana.” Just like we come here in the temple to see the
Deity. So Lord Rämacandra was present personally. So he used to come. After
seeing Rämacandra, offering his obeisances, then he would go home and take
something, his breakfast. That was his vow. And because he could not see for a
fortnight or a month Lord Rämacandra because He was out on political tour, he
did not eat even. Just see. The citizens were similar to the king. So at that
time, there was a statue of Rämacandra which was being worshiped in the family
from Mahäräja Ikñväku. Mahäräja Ikñväku, the son of Manu, happens to be the
forefather of the family in which Rämacandra appeared. So he was devotee of Lord
Räma, and he was worshiping the statue of Lord Räma. So that statue was being
worshiped by the family one after another. But when Rämacandra was actually
present He kept that statue in the closet of the room, and when this brähmaëa
approached and Rämacandra was informed by Lakñmaëa that he is so steady and
strong in his vow, so Rämacandra ordered that he may be delivered that statue so
that in My absence he can offer respect to the statue and do with this. That
form, I mean to say, statue, or arca of Rämacandra is still existing in South
India. It is being worshiped from that time.
So these were the dealings of Rämacandra. Then He, His younger brother Lakñmaëa
and His wife went to the forest, and His wife was kidnapped by the diplomacy of
the demon Rävaëa, and there was fight between Räma and Rävaëa. Rävaëa was very,
materialistically, he was very strong. But the thing is for fighting with Rävaëa,
Rämacandra did not come back to His kingdom and take His army. No. He did not
come back because He was ordered to live in the forest. So He organized army
with the jungle animals, the monkeys. The monkeys. He fought with Rävaëa, an
organized materialist, with the monkeys. You have seen the picture. And He
constructed a bridge between India’s last point to the other side. Ceylon is
considered to be the kingdom of Rävaëa. So there was a bridge, and the stones
were floating.
So there are so many historical incidences in the life of Rämacandra, and we
should remember, because if we remember why we are observing today fasting for
Rämacandra... There were many kings like Rämacandra. Because the kings were
trained in that way. Mahäräja Yudhiñöhira was also as good as Rämacandra, and
Mahäräja Parikñit was as good. There were many such kings. But we are not
concerned because He was a king. He is the King of all kings, parameçvara.
Because He is God, therefore we are observing today. Rämädi-mürtiñu
kalä-niyamena tiñöhan [Bs. 5.39]. So He is not original form of God. The
original form of God is Kåñëa, and Kåñëa expands Himself in various other forms.
Advaitam acyutam anädim ananta-rüpam [Bs. 5.33]. Ananta-rüpam means millions and
millions. The Manu is also incarnation of Kåñëa. So in one day of Brahmä there
are fourteen Manus. So Brahmä lives for one hundred years. Just see how many
incarnation of Manus are there even for one Brahmä, and there are innumerable
Brahmäs also. So, as stated in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam that nobody can count how
many incarnations are there, but some of the chief incarnations are mentioned,
and Lord Rämacandra is one of them. So Lord Rämacandra, He killed Rävaëa and He
installed his brother. His brother was devotee, Vibhéñaëa. So He did not go to
conquer Ceylon, because He was emperor. He went to punish that culprit Rävaëa,
and He installed his younger brother Vibhéñaëa in that... And He came back with
Sétä, and again He was installed after fourteen years, and His brother was so
faithful that so long His eldest brother was away, Rämacandra requested Him that
“Your mother wants that You should be king, and I also wish that in My absence
You should be king.” Bharata, He was so faithful brother, He replied, “No. You
are king. So long You are living, nobody can be king. So I cannot be king.” Then
He requested, “At least You administer.” Because after the departure of Lord
Rämacandra, Mahäräja Daçaratha died out of the shock because Rämacandra was very
pet son, eldest son. He was going to be king, and by his order He was sent to
the forest. The father could not tolerate the shock. He died.
So Rämacandra’s life, God’s activities, pastimes, if we hear, that means we are
associating with Rämacandra. There is no difference between His form, His name,
His pastimes, and Himself. He’s absolute. Therefore either you chant the holy
name of Räma or you see the statue of Räma or you talk of His pastimes,
transcendental pastimes, everything, that means you are associating with the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. So we take advantage of these days when the
incarnation of God appears or disappears, and we try to associate with Him. By
His association we become purified. Our process is purification. Kåñëa
consciousness means simply we are purifying our consciousness. From the birth,
as I have explained, everyone is çüdra. Çüdra means one who laments. That is
called çüdra. For a slight loss or slight inconvenience, one who laments, he is
called çüdra. And brähmaëa means one who tolerates. A çüdra has no toleration.
So kalau çüdra sambhava. Kalau means... This age is called Kali. So it is the
statement of the çästras that in this age the whole population is çüdra. And
formerly also, by his birth, everyone was considered çüdra, but there was
training, saàskära. At the present moment, there is no saàskära, there is no
training. The training is only for earning livelihood. No other training. How
one can earn money and enjoy senses—that is the training at the present moment.
But actually, to make successful the human life or the mission of human life,
the Vedic culture is very nice. And by spreading Kåñëa consciousness, by
adopting the process of Kåñëa consciousness, you can revive that cultural life,
sublime life. If not wholesale, if there are a few people trained up in this
line, and they become ideal examples to the society, immense benefit can be
derived from their examples of life. What is time? [break] (kértana) (end)
(A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 27th March 1969. The Appearance day of Lord
Rama - Ramanavami, Hawaii, USA.)
Note: Special thanks to Jaya Tirtha Caran prabhu from NZ for allowing
us to use some of the content from his site to compile these pages -
http://www.hknet.org.nz
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