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THE SEVENTH AVATAR: SHREE RAAM
...........A OVERVIEW...............
...........LEADING TO
KNOWING YOUR OWN AATMAA.....
The seventh avataar of vishnu-dev was in the beginning of the
third dvapara-yug when dharma
starts existing at 50 percent of its full strength in first satya-yug.
dharma practiced with
ritt and satya by
each and every dev, human and asuraa was the key to a harmonious
existence between them and among the entire creation of brahmaa-dev. dharma
was also being destroyed by the supremacy of asuraao over devo.
Thus, vishnu-dev, in response to the request from devo
and other creations in the three lok (worlds) took his seventh avataar
as shree raam, son of the surya-vanshi dashrath-raajaa
and his wife kaushalya-raani
. The seventh manu satyavrata was the progenitor of the lineage of kings in
which dashrath-raajaa was born . Thus, satyavrata was shree raam’s
oldest great grandfather.
shree raam, during his life time, established a dhaarmik
code of life conduct and life values to be lived with. But he taught these
dhaarmik codes and values is to his subjects by first practicing them in
his own life.
As an avtaar, shree raam protected dharma
in various instances...He destroyed all the raakshaso who were troubling
his guru vashistha-muni and so many other munio and peoples. He
accepted demand from his step-mother, kaikayi-raani
who was the third wife of dashrath-raajaa, of renouncing his
inherited kingship in favour of his younger step-brother bharat.
In addition to renouncing the kingship, shree raam also accepted a 12
year exile into forest demanded by kaikayi-raani. It was his dharma
not even to go against his step-mother. He destroyed asuraa king raavan
of shree lankaa which is the island located at the southern tip of bhaarat
(India) . raavan was a bhakta of shiv-dev. raavan, after a
ten thousand year tapas, had obtained a boon from shiv-dev that no human
could kill him. This boon went to raavan’s head and he conquered the
entire universe and started terrorizing every body with a reign based on a-dharma.
As shree raam was an avataar, he was able to destroy raavan
and his evil rule over the entire universe. But still to kill raavan shree
raam had to have a dharmik reason. This was provided by raavan
when without provocation raavan abducted shree raam’s wife sitaa-devi
during their 12 year exile in the forest. As, an abduction of a wife, was a
profoundly adharmik act, shree raam had the right to kill Ravana
when he refused to return sitaa-devi.
shree raam also set a high standard of conduct of dharma
in life. Prime example of living a dharmik life was when shree
raam did tyaag (renunciation) of his wife sitaa-devi. This tyaag
of sitaa-devi resulted from only one person in shree raam's
kingdom accusing him of taking back sitaa-devi after she had lived in raavan’s
palace for a year. The meaning here was sitaa-devi had committed adultery
by living with another man who was not her husband. This was a false accusation
on part of this citizen who was a fisherman of shree raam’s kingdom. sitaa-devi
had walked through a agni-parikshaa
(walking through a fire) for testing her chastity after being rescued from raavan.
This agni-parikshaa would prove that sitaa-devi was always pure,
chaste and dedicated to shree raam through her observing ek-pati-vrat
dharma, which is the personal code of a woman to have only one
husband through the entire life time. The fisherman would just not accept this
proof. This meant for shree raam that he was guilty in the eye of a man
regardless of all facts. And thus, shree raam preferred losing her wife
for ever rather than even face a false accusation. The pain of separation from sitaa-devi
was ultimate pain for shree raam. shree raam had to even
bear the additional pain of knowing that he was giving up sitaa-devi at
the time she was pregnant for the first time their child.
The above is a quick overview of the seventh avataar of vishnu-dev
as shree raam......simply a story for most of us .......but the eagerness
of learning the science of aatmaa which
is called aadhyaatmaa made paarvati-devi
ask her husband shiv-dev the following question:
"It is a well known fact that bhakti of shree
raam is a well-built ship for a human to cross the ocean of this sansaar....it
is a well known teaching that bhakti of shree raam leads to
moksh....yet I have some doubts from my mind...raam
is said to be brhmah himself who is
not affected by three guno of maayaa
of prakruti in which he was
born....therefore all humans are devoted to shree raam...however, some
people say that in spite of being brhmah, shree raam could not
know himself as brhmah because of he was affected by avidyaa
(shakti which produces non-knowledge) of his own power of maayaa....because
of this avidyaa effect shree raam was stricken with the grief of
separation from his wife sitaa-devi and was blaming his bhaagya (fate)....but
then if shree raam who was brhmah was without the knowledge of
his own aatmaa he was simply equal to a human being....then, how can he
be fit for adoration as bhagvaan? ......please remove this doubt in
my mind with an explanation...." (from aadhyaatma raamaayan, Chapter 1, slok
10 to 15)
Thus, we start learning about our own aatmaa (soul) from
shiv-dev in the following days to come..... .om
namah brhmah......om shaanti shaanti shaanti........om tat sat........
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