MangalMandirJagrati Class Lesson 15 May 11, 2014 Jai Shri Ram!

When Hanumanji returned home from Lanka, Ram embraced him like a brother and asked about Maa. Sugreeva offered his army of monkeys to fight . Together, they all went to the southernmost tip of India. There Ram prayed to Lord Shiva. Hence, the place got the name “Rameshwaram”. Lord Shiva advised Ram to build a bridge that would extend to the shores of Lanka. The monkeys collected stones and boulders, wrote Ram on each stone and tossed it into the sea. The stones miraculously floated in the water. Ram and Lakshman then crossed the sea to Lanka with their army of monkeys.

When Ravana heard from his messengers that had arrived, he summoned his ministers for advice. They decided to fight Rama to his death. Only Vibhishana, the younger brother of Ravana, was opposed to this. Ravana became upset with Vibhishana and told him to leave the kingdom of Lanka. Vibhishana took asylum with Rama and became His closest adviser in the war against Ravana.

Rama sent Angada, the son of Sugreeva, to Ravana as a messenger. Angada went to Ravana's court and delivered Rama's message, "Return Sita with honor or face destruction." Ravana became enraged and ordered him out of the court immediately. Angada returned with Ravana’s message and preparation for the war began. The next morning Rama ordered the monkey army to attack. The monkeys rushed forward and hurled huge boulders against the city walls and gates. The battle continued for a long time.

Finally, Lord Rama faced Ravana in the war field. Each shot of Rama’s mighty bow cut off a head of Ravana’s which would quickly grow back. Then Vibhishana told Lord Rama the secret that Ravana had stored his “amrit” in his belly button which allowed him to stay alive. Lord Rama took careful aim towards Ravana’s belly button and thus killed him. This brought an end to the war. After Ravana's death, Vibhishana was duly crowned as king of Lanka.

Rama and Sita were now reunited and ascended on an air chariot (Pushpaka Viman), along with Lakshmana to return to . When the party reached Ayodhya, the entire city was waiting to receive them. Rama was coroneted as the king of Ayodhya. Diwali celebrates Rama's triumphant return to Ayodhya and his coronation.

MangalMandirJagrati Class Lesson 15 May 11, 2014

MangalMandirJagrati Class Lesson 15 May 11, 2014 MangalMandirJagrati Class Lesson 15 May 11, 2014