Rama

"Wherever the two gallant princes turned, all men's eyes were dazzled ; each saw in Rama what he himself most admired, nor did any one comprehend in the least the special mystery. The saint [Vishvamitra] told the king [Janaka] the arrangements were perfect, and the king was thereby gratified."

"[Royal Announcement] Here is now the great god's massy beam, and whoever in this royal assembly shall to-day bend it shall be renowned in heaven and earth and hell, and at once without hesitation shall receive in marriage the hand of the king's daughter [Sita]. With flushed face and many a close look, they essay the divine bow; but though they put forth all their strength in a thousand different ways, they cannot move it. Those, indeed, who had any sense at all did not go near it. When w:JanakaJanak]] saw the kings thus dismayed he cried aloud as it were in anger: "Hearing the vow that I had made, may kings have come from diverse realms, with gods and demons in human form, stalwart heroes staunch in fight. A lovely bride, a grand triumph and splendid renown, but God it seems has not created the man who can break the bow and win it."

"Yet at last, bowing his head at Rama's lotus feet, he thus spoke in dignified tones: " May there never be repeated in any assembly, where even the lowest of the family of Raghu is present, such a scandalous speech as that now uttered by Janak in the presence of the greatest of the clan."

"Lord Hanuman escorted me into the inner palace, where I gazed on Lord Rama in human form. Hanuman approached the Lord, on whose left side Lakshmana was present. I saw that Hanuman, while chanting the Lord’s praises, sometimes rotated the royal fly-whisk over him sometimes stood before him and recited spontaneous hymns, sometimes held a white umbrella over him, and sometimes massaged his feet. And sometimes he did all these things at once."

"“...in Treta-yuga in the shape of Rama alone, for the purpose of spreading fortitude, to conquer the bad, and to preserve the three worlds by force and the prevalence of virtuous action.” (Chapter XLVI)"

"Rama, one of the most widely worshipped Hindu deities, the embodiment of chivalry and virtue. Although there are three Ramas mentioned in Indian tradition (Parashurama, Balarama, and Ramacandra), the name is specifically associated with Ramacandra, the seventh incarnation (avatara) of Lord Vishnu. It is possible that Rama was an actual historical figure, a tribal hero of ancient India who was later deified. His story is told briefly in the Mahabharata (“Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty”) and at great length in the Ramayana (“Journey of Rama”)."

"References to Rama as an incarnation of Vishnu appear in the early centuries ce; there was, however, probably no special worship of him before the 11th century, and it was not until the 14th and 15th centuries that distinct sects appeared venerating him as the supreme god (notably that of the followers of the Brahman Ramananda). Rama’s popularity was increased greatly by the retelling of the Sanskrit epics in the vernaculars, such as Tulsidas’s celebrated Hindi version, the Ramcharitmanas (“Sacred Lake of the Acts of Rama”)."

"Rama and Krishna (also an incarnation of Vishnu) were the two most popular recipients of adoration from the bhakti (devotional) cults that swept the country during that time. Whereas Krishna is adored for his mischievous pranks and amorous dalliances, Rama is conceived as a model of reason, right action, and desirable virtues. Temples to Rama faced by shrines to his monkey devotee Hanuman are widespread throughout India. Rama’s name is a popular form of greeting among friends (“Ram! Ram!”), and Rama is the deity most invoked at death."

"It is the abode of the dynasty which had succeeded in ending all anxiety (over Bhārgavas’ war) and is the birthplace of the man with unmatched valour, i.e. Rāma. Here resides the person who is illuminous with glory on account of thousands of valorous deeds. He may not generate greed in us even for the most sought after wealth by the world."

"In sculpture, Rama is represented as a standing figure, holding an arrow in his right hand and a bow in his left. His image in a shrine or temple is almost invariably attended by figures of his wife, Sita, his favourite half-brother, Lakshmana, and his monkey devotee, Hanuman. In painting, he is depicted dark in colour (indicating his affinity with Lord Vishnu), with princely adornments and the kirita-makuta (tall conical cap) on his head indicating his royal status. Rama’s exploits were depicted with great sympathy by the Rajasthani and Pahari schools of painting in the 17th and 18th centuries."

"...In north India the festival [Divali] celebrates the return of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman to the city of Ayodhya, where Rama’s rule of righteousness would commence."

"Jatayu, a divine bird, the king of the vultures. He was Sampati. According to Ramayana and Mahabharata, he was the son of Aruna and Shyeni. In the Ramayana he tried to prevent Ravana from carrying away Sita, but was wounded and killed. Rama and Lakshmana performed his last rites, and he ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire."

"Rama, Rama, Rama chant, this grand Lord’s name do not forget in mind With nine orifices this jam-packed city Five kings ruling there with all majesty They guard this body with all the vanity Do not get spoiled believing this mendacity. This insecure body, just a bony cage Tightly wrapped with a cover of skin Full of sewage, slush, and germs within Do not rely on this sewn up cartilage Respected by the recurring Brahmas and celestials Take Hari’s name with His supreme credentials Pray the feet of Purandara Vittala And get rid of the fear of the evils all."

"RĀMA, rä'mȧ: In Hindu mythology, the name of the sixth, seventh, and eighth incarnations of Vishnu, Parasurama, Ramacandra, and Balarama. Of these the Ramacandra avatar is by far the most famous, as Rama is here the hero of the Sanskrit epic of the Rāmāyaṇa."

"Though my reason and heart long ago realized the highest attribute and name of God as Truth, I recognize Truth by the name of Rama. In the darkest hour of my trial, that one name has saved me and is still saving me. It may be the association of childhood, it may be the fascination that Tulsidas has wrought on me."

"To me...Rama, described as the Lord of Sita, son of Dasharatha, is the all-powerful essence whose name, inscribed in the heart, removes all suffering-mental, moral and physical"

"My Rama, the Rama of our prayers is not the historical Rama, the son of Dasharatha, the King of Ayodhya. He is the eternal, the unborn, the one without a second. Him alone I worship. His aid alone I see, and so should you. He belongs equally to all. I, therefore, see no reason why a Mussalman or anybody should object to taking His name. But he is in no way bound to recognize God as Ramanama. He may utter to himself Allah or Khuda so as not to mar the harmony of the sound."

"I myself have been a devotee of Tulsidas from my childhood and have, therefore, always worshipped God as Rama. But I know that if, beginning with Omkar, one goes through the entire gamut of God's names current in all climes, all countries and languages, the result is the same. He and His law are one. To observe His law is, therefore, the best form of worship."

"Akbar's liberalism can be adjudged from another fact, namely that he issued gold and silver coins bearing the figures of Rama and Sita and inscribed with the legend Rama Siya."

"His last words were Hé Ram! This is an exclamation to Ram (or Rama), who in Hindu traditions is one of the manifestations of Vishnu. 'Hé Ram' means “O! lord Ram!”. (This is invoking praise of Rama, rather than an expression of surprise.)"

"Bhakthi movement became prominent in later Hinduism. In the Bhakti Marga (Way of Devotion), devotion to god is a specific religious attitude and sentiment, the essential features of which are faith, love, and trust in god...Quite often, native Christian songs, hymns, and lyrics express these very same emotions of faith, love, and trust in Jesus Christ. Hindus identify with these emotions, with the difference that the object of their devotion would be Rama, Krishna and some other god."

"The Diwali holds an imperative meaning among the Hindus, since, the day is reckoned with Lord Rama’s coronation ceremony as the King of Ayodhya after his return to the kingdom from 14 years of exile along with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman - Pramodkumar"

"From Kashmir to Cape Comorin the name of Rama is on everyone’s lips. All sects revere it, and show their reverence by employing it on occasions. For example, when friends meet it is common for them to salute each other by uttering Rama’s name twice. Then no name is more commonly given to children, and no name is more commonly invoked in the hour of death. It is a link of union for all classes, castes, and creeds. (Monier Williams 1974: 11)."

"Be not afraid. This is poetry that is coming out of your mouth. Write the life of Rama in poetic language for the benefit of the world. And that is how the poem first began. The first verse sprang out of pity, from the mouth of Valmiki, the first poet. And it was after that he [Valmiki] wrote the beautiful Ramayana, the “Life of Rama”."

"Say, for instance, 'My Rama, my Krishna.' If you must have pride, then feel like Vibhishana, who said, 'I have touched the feet of Rama with my head; I will not bow this head before anyone else."

"We have often looked on that green hill [Chitrakuta] : it is the holiest spot of that sect of the Hindu faith who devote themselves to this incarnation, of Vishnu. The whole neighbourhood is Ráma's country. Every headland has some legend, every cavern is connected with his name; some of the wild fruits are still called Stáphal, being the reputed food of the exile. Thousands and thousands annually visit the spot, and round the hill is a raised foot-path, on which the devotee, with naked feet, treads full of pious awe.'"

"The first major legendary reference to Sri Lanka is found in the great Indian epic, the Ramayana (Sacred Lake of the Deeds of Rama), which was written around 500 B.C. It refers to a conquest of Lanka in 3000 BC by Rama, to liberate his abducted wife, Sita, from Ravana, the demon god of Lanka.Many place names in Sri Lanka, very especially in and around Sri Lankan cities such as Galle, and Nuvara Eliya have close resemblance and relationship with this legendary."

"In Devanagari: राम रामेति रामेति रमे रामे मनोरमे । सहस्रनाम तत्तुल्यं रामनाम वरानने ॥"

"IPA (Sanskrit):Raama Raame[a-I]ti Raame[a-I]ti Rame Raame Manorame | Sahasra-Naama Tat-Tulyam Raama-Naama Vara-[A]anane ||"

"English Translation: Meaning:1: By meditating on "Rama Rama Rama" (the Name of Rama), my Mind gets absorbed in the Divine Consciousness of Rama, which is Transcendental, 2: The Name of Rama is as Great as the Thousand Names of God (Vishnu Sahasranama)."

"I call him Rama. You can call him by any other name but have faith in him, surrender all worldly desires and passions to his will and without effort, become disciplined and principled."

"The story of Ramachandra [Rama], as narrated in the Valmiki Ramayan and the Adhyatma Ramayan, after reinforcing and revitalizing it with the essence of whatever the Puranas, the Vedas, and other scriptures could give, I, Tulsidas, am writing for the delight of my own soul."

"Yes, there is the name of Lord Rama, The gracious, the essence of scripture, more pure, efficacious."

"Am a servant of Rama, Accredited to His Court, What for should I Be a Courier of man?"

"The Ramayana tells the story of the deeds of Lord Ram who, having devoted himself to fighting demons, defeats in a mighty war Ravan, the demon king of Lanka (present day Sri Lanka), who had kidnapped his wife Sita."

"You cannot count on the physical proximity of someone you love, all the time. A seed that sprouts at the foot of its parent tree remains stunted until it is transplanted. Rama will be in my care, and he will be quite well. But ultimately, he will leave me too. Every human being, when the time comes, has to depart to seek his [[fulfillment in his own way."

"Ram, a king so famous for piety and high attempts, that to this day his name is exceedingly honoured, so that when they say Ram Rame, ’tis as if they should say, “all good betide you”. (p. 47)"

"“After all, the vulgar opinion of the Gentiles, touching the God Ram, is that he was produced, and came out of the Light, in the same manner as the Fringe of a Belt comes out of that Belt; and if they Assign him a Father whom they call Desser (Dasharath), and a Mother named Gaoucella (Kausalya); that is only for form sake, seeing he was not born: And in that consideration, the Indians render him divine Honours in their Pagods, and elsewhere; And when they salute their Friends they repeat his Name, saying Ram, Ram. Their Adoration consists in joining their hands, as if they Prayed, letting them fall very low, and then lifting them up again gently to their mouth, and last of all, in raising them over their head.” (Part III, p. 65)"

"The oldest of the epics is called Ramayana, "The Life of Râma". There was some poetical literature before this — most of the Vedas, the sacred books of the Hindus, are written in a sort of metre — but this book is held by common consent in India as the very beginning of poetry. The name of the poet or sage was Vâlmiki. Later on, a great many poetical stories were fastened upon that ancient poet; and subsequently, it became a very general practice to attribute to his authorship very many verses that were not his. Notwithstanding all these interpolations, it comes down to us as a very beautiful arrangement, without equal in the literatures of the world."

""Arise, O sage! "Thus aroused he exclaimed, "Sage? I am a robber!" "No more 'robber'," answered the voice, "a purified sage art thou. Thine old name is gone. But now, since thy meditation was so deep and great that thou didst not remark even the ant-hills which surrounded thee, henceforth, thy name shall be Valmiki — 'he that was born in the ant-hill'." So, he became a sage...."Thou art a wretch," he cried, "without the smallest mercy! Thy slaying hand would not even stop for love!" "What is this? What am I saying?" the poet thought to himself, "I have never spoken in this sort of way before." And then a voice came: "Be not afraid. This is poetry that is coming out of your mouth. Write the life of Rama in poetic language for the benefit of the world." And that is how the poem first began. The first verse sprang out of pits from the mouth of Valmiki, the first poet. And it was after that, that he wrote the beautiful Ramayana, "The Life of Rama"."

"There was an ancient Indian town called Ayodhyâ... There, in ancient times, reigned a king called Dasharatha. He had three queens, but the king had not any children by them. And like good Hindus, the king and the queens, all went on pilgrimages fasting and praying, that they might have children and, in good time, four sons were born. The eldest of them was Rama....Now, as it should be, these four brothers were thoroughly educated in all branches of learning. To avoid future quarrels there was in ancient India a custom for the king in his own lifetime to nominate his eldest son as his successor, the Yuvarâja, young king, as he is called."

"Now, there was another king, called Janaka, and this king had a beautiful daughter named Sitâ. Sita was found in a field; she was a daughter of the Earth, and was born without parents....When she was of a marriageable age, the king wanted to find a suitable husband for her...There was an ancient Indian custom called Svayamvara, by which the princesses used to choose husbands....There were numbers of princes who aspired for the hand of Sita; the test demanded on this occasion was the breaking of a huge bow, called Haradhanu. All the princes put forth all their strength to accomplish this feat, but failed. Finally, Rama took the mighty bow in his hands and with easy grace broke it in twain. Thus Sita selected Rama, the son of King Dasharatha for her husband, and they were wedded with great rejoicings."

"Then, Rama took his bride to his home, and his old father thought that the time was now come for him to retire and appoint Rama as Yuvaraja. Everything was accordingly made ready for the ceremony, and the whole country was jubilant over the affair, when the younger queen Kaikeyi was reminded by one of her maidservants of two promises made to her by the king long ago...the servant suggested to her to ask from the king the two promised boons: one would be that her own son Bharata should be placed on the throne, and the other, that Rama should be sent to the forest and be exiled for fourteen years."

"Rama was the life and soul of the old king and when this wicked request was made to him, he as a king felt he could not go back on his word. So he did not know what to do. But Rama came to the rescue and willingly offered to give up the throne and go into exile, so that his father might not be guilty of falsehood. So Rama went into exile for fourteen years, accompanied by his loving wife Sita and his devoted brother Lakshmana, who would on no account be parted from him."

"Wherever Rama goes, there goes Sita. How can you talk of 'princess' and 'royal birth' to me? I go before you!" Sita in reply to Rama’s exclaiming "How can you, a princess, face hardships and accompany me into a forest full of unknown dangers!""

"On the banks of the river they built little cottages, and Rama and Lakshmana used to hunt deer and collect fruits. After they had lived thus for some time, one day there came a demon giantess. She was the sister of the giant king of Lanka (Ceylon) [Ravana]. Roaming through the forest at will, she came across Rama, and seeing that he was a very handsome man, she fell in love with him at once. But Rama was the purest of men, and also he was a married man; so of course he could not return her love. In revenge, she went to her brother, the giant king, and told him all about the beautiful Sita, the wife of Rama."

"Rama was the most powerful of mortals; there were no giants or demons or anybody else strong enough to conquer him. So, the giant king had to resort to subterfuge. He got hold of another giant who was a magician and changed him into a beautiful golden deer; and the deer went prancing round about the place where Rama lived, until Sita was fascinated by its beauty and asked Rama to go and capture the deer for her. Rama went into the forest to catch the deer, leaving his brother in charge of Sita."

"Then Lakshmana laid a circle of fire round the cottage, and he said to Sita, "Today I see something may befall you; and, therefore, I tell you not to go outside of this magic circle. Some danger may befall you if you do." In the meanwhile, Rama had pierced the magic deer with his arrow, and immediately the deer, changed into the form of a man, died."

"...the giant king [Ravana], who had taken the form of a mendicant monk, stood at the gate and asked for alms. "Wait awhile," said Sita, "until my husband comes back and I will give you plentiful alms." "I cannot wait, good lady," said he, "I am very hungry, give me anything you have."... But the mendicant monk after many persuasions prevailed upon her to bring the alms to him, assuring her that she need have no fear as he was a holy person. So Sita came out of the magic circle, and immediately the seeming monk assumed his giant body, and grasping Sita in his arms he called his magic chariot, and putting her therein, he fled with the weeping Sita. Poor Sita! She was utterly helpless, nobody, was there to come to her aid. As the giant was carrying her away, she took off a few of the [[w:Ornaments|ornaments from her arms and at intervals dropped them to the grounds."

"When Rama and Lakshmana returned to the cottage and found that Sita was not there, their grief knew no bounds.... After long searching, they came across a group of "monkeys", and in the midst of them was Hanumân, the "divine monkey". Hanuman, the best of the monkeys, became the most faithful servant of Rama and helped him in rescuing Sita. His devotion to Rama was so great that he is still worshipped by the Hindus as the ideal of a true servant of the Lord...the "monkeys" and "demons" are meant the aborigines of South India."