Glorification of Lord Sri Rama - Part 3 Date: 2010-01-26 Author: Anuradha devi dasi Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva. This mail is the continuation of series titled - "Glorification of Lord Ram", based on wonderful class given by HG Vaijayantimala Mataji on S.B.5.19.3 oṁ namo bhagavate uttamaślokāya nama ārya-lakṣaṇa-śīla-vratāya nama upaśikṣitātmana upāsita-lokāya namaḥ sādhu-vāda-nikaṣaṇāya namo brahmaṇya-devāya mahā-puruṣāya mahā-rājāya nama iti Let me please Your Lordship by chanting the bija-mantra omkara. I wish to offer my respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, who is the best among the most highly elevated personalities. Your Lordship is the reservoir of all the good qualities of Aryans, people who are advanced. Your character and behavior are always consistent, and you exhibit exemplary character to teach others how to behave. There is a touchstone that can be used to examine the gold, but you are like a touchstone that can verify all good qualities. You are worshipped by brahmanas who are the foremost of all devotees. You, the Supreme Person, are the King of Kings, and therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. Valmiki muni asked Narada muni whether there is any existing personality who possesses all 16 qualities. It is given in Valmiki Ramayan 1.1.2. kaḥ nu asmin sāṃpratam loke guṇavān kaḥ ca vīryavān dharmajñaḥ ca kṛtajñaḥ ca satya vākyo dhṛḍha vrataḥ Who really is that person in this present world, who is principled, and also a potential one, a conscientious one, a redeemer, and also a truth-teller and self-determined in his deed. In this verse 6 qualities of Lord Rama is explained. In the previous mail we have seen the first 2 qualities, gunavaan and veeryavaan. We will continue to see the rest of the qualities. 3. dharmajñaḥ - conscientious Lord Rama is popularly known as Ramo vigrahavaan dharmah. Meaning Rama is the personification of dharma or religious principles. As a putra dharma, He is pitru vaakya paripalan, He obeyed his parents. As a dharma of being a husband, He was following eka patni vrata. As a raja dharma, He even took Sita matha to the forest. He was born to show how to live and abide by the religious principles. Rama knows all the religious principles. We should also become aware of the religious principles. It can be done by studying the scriptures, attending the classes on Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita and association with the devotees. Krishna has given us the human form with intelligence. So we have to use this form to the best and follow the religious principles. That is why Krishna says in B.G.16.23 "He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination". 4. kṛtajñaḥ - what has been done, knower of it. Lord Rama showed so much of gratitude to all living entities. He is a very grateful personality. There is one incidence in Ramayan. Hanumanji located Sita matha in Lanka. He came to Rama and said "I have seen Sita". Rama was so much delighted. Hanumanji has done a wonderful job. So Rama wanted to give something to Hanumanji. But Rama had nothing to give him. Rama said that Hanumanji has completely saved His life, Lakshmana's life and whole Raghu dynasty. If Hanumanji says that he has not seen Sita or Sita is not alive, then Rama will give up His life. Once Rama gives up His life, Lakshmana will give up his life, and then whole Raghu dynasty will give up their lives. Rama said that His heart is completely paining because He is in a very helpless position that he is not able to reward Hanumanji. Hanumanji has given a very pleasing message, but Rama was not able to reward him in that same amount. Sometimes when our friends give us nice gifts, we feel very happy and we make a point to give very nice gifts to them in return. If this is in our case, then how much Lord Rama will feel to show His gratitude. But at that point of time Rama had nothing to give to Hanumanji. Then Rama said, the only return he can do is to embrace Hanumanji. Rama said that Hanumanji only crossed the ocean and located Sita matha. But Hanumanji could make all these things only by chanting Lord Rama's holy name. Actually everything is done by Lord Sri Rama. But still Rama shows his gratitude towards Hanumanji. But in our case, we do nothing, but we say to everybody that we have done everything. So we should be grateful to all the living entities, who have been helping us right from the beginning, our parents, our teachers, who brought us to the Krishna Consciousness, who helped us materially and spiritually. 5. satya vākyo - truth speaker There is a beautiful incidence in Ramayana which says how Rama is satyavaakyo. When Rama entered into the forest with Sita and Lakshmana, He went to the ashrama of Sarabhanga rshi. Sarabhanga rshi directed them to go to Sutiikshana's ashram. In the forest Rama was going from one hermitage to another to get good advices from the sages. While leaving Sarabhanga ashram, the sages of that ashram requested Rama to protect their yajnas from demons. Then Rama promised them that He will protect them. After this there was conversation between Sita and Rama. Sita matha was worried that why Rama should fight in the forest. So to convince Rama she started with a nice story. Sita told Rama, once there was a rshi who was meditating in the forest. Indra came there as a soldier and asked rshi to take care of his sword, because he is going for a pilgrimage. The rshi accepted and asked the soldier to keep the sword little far away from his place. Then the soldier left the place. Rshi thought to keep the sword near him and kept it. Then he thought what if some animal comes and takes the sword. Having accepted the responsibility of up keeping, he must take proper care of it. So he kept the sword on his lap. After sometime he felt the sword would be better protected, if kept it in his hand. Once the sword came to his hand, he started to kill the animals. So when something is there with us, we always have the intention to utilize it. Then Sita told Rama, that just because He was having bow and arrow, He had the intention to kill the demons. She said that we are not personally affected by the demons and why should we kill the demons. She tried somehow to convince Rama. But Rama said that there is a possibility that he might give up her and Lakshmana also, but once He had given a promise particularly to a brahmana, He can never go back. He said that it is his Kshatriya duty to give protection to the needy. He felt very shameful that he allowed the situation wherein the sages had to request him whereas he must have done that realizing their needs, even before the sages approached Him. We have to not only speak the truth but it should be pleasing to others also. We will see rest of the qualities of Lord Rama in the subsequent mails, Krishna willing. Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Anuradha devi dasi Abu Dhabi. Moderator's Note : The samadhi ceremony of our beloved spiritual master HH Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj took place in a very glorious manner today at Nasik. The occasion was graced by presence of many senior disciples of Srila Prabhupada like HH Radhananath Swami Maharaj, HH Gopal Krishna Maharaj, HH Bhakti Charu Maharaj, HH Kavi candra Maharaj, HH Nava Yogendra Maharaj , HG Yashomati nandan Prabhuji, HG Devaki nandan prabhu (Juhu), HG Vrajvihari Prabhu and many other disciples and well-wishers of Maharaj. Krishna willing we shall send out a detailed mail on the ceremony in our subsequent mails..