AYODHYA BHOOMI PUJAN

AYODHYA BHOOMI PUJAN 

As the temple construction at Lord Ram's Janmasthan is to be started with a Bhumi Poojan on 5th August 2020, some of the basic facts on these, not about the site where it is going to be built, but about the place, its past glory, the area served by River Sarayu etc., I decided to post about these in Facebook from 30 07 2020.   Accordingly ofrom 30 07 2020 onwards, I posted on the following subjects:  1 Sarayu River 2 Temples of Ayothya 3 Ayodhya and early days as Saketa 4 Kambaramayanam 5 Ramayana and versions 6 Greatness of Ramanama and 7 Bhoomi Pujan.   I have made them into this blog posting for it would serve permanently at one place and published on 05 08 2020.

                                          1        Sarayu River    30 07 2020

Ayodhya is on the banks of River Sarayu. Sarayu means someone or something that is moving very fast. Sarayu refers to wind. Sarayu is the name of the river Ghaghra when it flows past Ayodhya, the holy city in Uttar Pradesh. As Ghaghra it starts from Himalayas at a height of 13000 ft and traverses 918 Kms and also known as Manas Nandini. Sarayu is a perennial river and flows through most of its course in UP. After flowing through the enchanting valleys of

The river finally merges with River Ganga at Chhapra in Bihar.

                                                 2    AYODHYA AND TEMPLES   31 07 2020

Ayodhya was the capital of the Kosala Kingdom of Surya Vamsam and apart from shrines for Rama, Sita, Anjaneya and Valmiki, there are ghats along the River Sarayu and an evening Arti.

Kanak Bhavan is in the northeast of Ram Janmasthan temple. It is believed that this was given as a gift to Sita Devi by Kaikeyi on her arrival to Ayodhya after her marriage to Lord Rama. It had been renovated by King Vikramaditya and later by Vrish Bhanu Kanwari. Hanuman Garhi, the temple for Anjaneya built by Vikramaditya is at a distance of 1 Km from the Ayodhya Railway Station. It is believed that Hanuman of guarding Ayodhya from here. Vighraha of Hanuman sitting as a child in the lap of Maa Anjanai is in this temple. Shrimad Valmeeki Ramayana Bhavana also known as Sri Mani Ram Chavni is in the interior of Ayodhya. The complete Ramayanam in Sanskrit is encrypted on the walls from ceiling to the floor which extends to the first floor of the same building. Also a library by name Maharshi Valmiki Shodh Samsthan library can be seen on the first floor. This is quite a big hall and beautiful with large pillars. This also has a shrine for Sage Valmiki with Lava and Kusha by his side.

There are lot of ghats along the Sarayu river but many require attention by the local authorities. Hopefully these will have their due importance by the time the Ram Janmasthan temple gets completed.

Tulsi Samarak Bhavan is a new complex built in the year 1969 in tribute to Goswami Tulsidas, best known for his version of Ramayana, Ramacharitmanas. This houses the Ayodhya Shod Sansthan a research institute and also an auditorium where cultural programmes are conducted in the evenings. There is a library of Hindi Books

Other places of interest are: Hanuman Vatika, Ahalyabai Mandir, Rama Kunj, Darbarji Durgakali Mandir etc.,

                                       3   Ayodhya and early days as Saketa   01 08 2020

King Dasaratha, the 63rd monarch of the Surya Vamsa line of descent from Vivaswan or the Sun God. The son of Vivaswan "Viavswat Manu" founded the city of Ayodhya. According to the Ramayana, the House of Ikshvaku, the son of Manu, ruled Ayodhya. Eventually, Rama ruled Ayodhya.

In the first few centuries of the Common Era, Ayodhya had the name Śāketa. The great Kushan/Yuezhi Emperor Kanishka Śāketa, who made it the administrative center of his eastern territories, conquered the city in c. 127 C.E. Ayodhya had been one of the most ancient, largest and most magnificent of Indian cities, covering an area of 250 km².

Ayodhya also served as the birth place of five Tirthankars, including the first Tirthankar of Jainism, Shri Rishabh Dev, known as the father of Jain religion. The city displays evidence of its importance in the history and heritage of Buddhism in India, with several Buddhist temples, monuments and centers of learning having been established here during the age of the Mauryan Empire and the Gupta Dynasty. Ayodhya reached the peak of its golden age during the reign of the Guptas over India.

Tulsidas began to write his famous Ramayana poem Shri Ramacharitamanas in Ayodhya in 1574 C.E. Several Tamil Alwars mention the city of Ayodhya. Ayodhya had been the birthplace of Bhahubali, Brahmi, Sundari, King Dasaratha, Acharya Padaliptasurisvarji, King Harishchandra, Shri Rama, Achalbhrata, and the ninth Gandhara of Mahavir Swami. The Atharva Veda called Ayodhya "a city built by gods and being as prosperous as paradise itself."

                                            4   Kambaramayanam   02 08 2020

Poet Kambar stresses the importance of how Sage Valmiki’s verse of the Ramayana brings out the information in the four line verses numbering 24000 and also states in the Bala Kandam how the Sage has brought the wealth of Ayodhya through his verses in this Kandam. Kambar himself excels in explaining the above and I have taken three verses with their meaning here though there are many which are beyond the imagination of us in bringing out the beauty of the tamil language as well as the wealth of information those bring about the times of Ramayana. Kamba Ramayana in its full form was first read in the Kambaramayana Arangetra Mandapam in the Srirangam Ranganathar Temple, Tiruchirappalli.

பால காண்டம்
வால்மீகி முனிவர் புகழ்ந்த தேசம் (கோசல நாட்டு வளம்)
வாங்க அரும் பாதம் நான்கும் வகுத்த வான்மீகி என்பான்,
தீம் கவி, செவிகள் ஆரத் தேவரும் பருகச் செய்தான்;
ஆங்கு, அவன் புகழ்ந்த நாட்டை, அன்பு எனும் நறவம் மாந்தி,
மூங்கையான் பேசல் உற்றான் என்ன, யான் மொழியல் உற்றேன்.
மூங்கையான் – ஊமை
ஒரு சொல்லைக் கூட எடுத்து விட முடியாதபடி, நான்கு அடிகள் கொண்ட (இருபத்து நான்காயிரம்) சுலோகங்களால் இராமாயணத்தை இயற்றினான் வான்மீகி முனிவன். தேவர்களும் தம் செவிகளே வாயாகப் பருகும்படி இனிமையான அமுதமயமான கவிதைகளைச் செய்தான். தனது ஆதி காவியத்தில் அந்த முனிவன் புகழ்ந்துரைத்த (கோசல) நாட்டை, அன்பு என்னும் மதுவைப் பருகி, ஊமையே பேசத் தொடங்கி விட்டான் என்றது போல நான் பேசலானேன்.
Further Sage Valmiki brings out the richness of the Kosala Kingdom and how the fields represent the wealth of the place. All the descriptions in this verse point to the abundence of water resources. Large canals run so deep that they bring up gold from the bowels of the earth. Even the recess caused on the ground by a resting buffalo becomes a puddle where red lilies flourish. The sugar canes are so very tall and strong, huge honey combs are built in their midst and hence the dripping of honey.

வரம்பு எலாம் முத்தம்; தத்தும் மடை எலாம் பணிலம்; மா நீர்க்
குரம்பு எலாம் செம்பொன்; மேதிக் குழி எலாம் கழுநீர்க் கொள்ளை;
பரம்பு எலாம் பவளம்; சாலிப் பரப்பு எலாம் அன்னம்; பாங்கர்க்
கரும்பு எலாம் செந்தேன்; சந்தக் கா எலாம் களி வண்டு ஈட்டம்.

வயல் வரப்புகளில் எல்லாம் முத்துக்கள் மண்டியிருக்கும். நீர் ஓடும் மடைகளில் எல்லாம் சங்குகள். நிரம்பிய வெள்ளம் ஓடும் கால்வாய்களின் கரையெல்லாம் செம்பொன்னால் ஆனவை; எருமைகள் படுத்ததனால் ஏற்பட்ட குழிகளில் தேங்கிய நீரில் செங்கழுநீர் மலர்கள் பெருங்கூட்டமாகப் பூத்துள்ளன; சமப்படுத்திய வயல்களிலோ பவளமணிகள் பரவியுள்ளன. சாலி என்னும் உயர்வகை நெல் நிரம்பிய வயல்களில் அன்னப் பறவைகள் உலவுகின்றன; அருகிலுள்ள கரும்பு வயல்களில் கருப்பங்கழிகளுக்கு இடையிலிருக்கும் கூடுகளிலிருந்து செந்தேன் பொழிகின்றது. அழகிய பூந்தோட்டங்களில் தேன்குடித்த வண்டுகளின் பெருங்கூட்டம் உலவுகிறது.

Finally Kambar’s poetic excellence while he describes the birth of Lord Rama to Kosalai. Once during Pralaya, the entire universe was guarded safely in his stomach and he coud not be understood fully even from the vedas, that almighty who is akin to the beautiful blue sky was given birth by Kosalai for the well being of this world says Kambar in this verse.
கோசலை இராமனைப் பெறுதல்
ஒரு பகல் உலகு எலாம் உதரத்துள் பொதிந்து
அரு மறைக்கு உணர்வு அரும் அவனை, அஞ்சனக்
கரு முகில் கொழுந்து எழில் காட்டும் சோதியைத்
திரு உறப் பயந்தனள் திறம் கொள் கோசலை.

ஒரு காலத்திலே, பிரளயத்தின்போது, எல்லா உலகங்களையும் தனது வயிற்றிலே அடக்கியவன், அரிய வேதங்களாலும் தெரிந்து கொள்ள இயலாதவன் அந்தப் பரம்பொருள். மை போன்றும், கருமேகம் போன்றும் அழகுடைய சோதி வடிவாய்த் திகழ்பவன். அவனை, உலகம் எங்கும் மங்கலம் நிறைந்திட, தெய்வத்திறம் கொண்ட கோசலை தன் வயிற்றில் பெற்றெடுத்தாள்.
Thus Kambar brings out duly expressing his gratitude to Sage Valmiki about the Kingdom of Kosala and the birth of Lord Rama, where I have only taken a few verses from the Kambaramayanam.

                                          5   Ramayana and Versions  03 08 2020

Sage Vakmiki was born as Ratnakara and was the son of Sage Prechatasa.  He was lost in the forest in a very young age and a hunter took care of him in the forest and he became an exceedingly good hunter.  He got married and as the family grew larger, he was not able to maintain the family and took to robbery and looting of people.  Once Sage Narada was attacked by Ratnakara and Narada played his veena in praise of the Lord and saw a transformation taking place in Ratnakara.  Narada asked Ratnakara whether the family for whom he is robbing would take part in his sins also.  He went to his family and asked the same to his family and none in the family was ready for that. He came back to Narada and told what happened.  Narada told him to chant the name of ‘Rama’ sitting in mediatation until he came back.  Ratnakara followed the instructions meticulously and sat on meditation chanting the name of ‘Rama’ and for many years and he was completely covered by ant-hill.  When Narada came back, he removed the ant-hill and told Ratnakara that the Lord was very pleased by his tapas and bestowed the honour of Brahmarishi on Ratnakara and also called him as Valmiki as he was reborn from “Valmika” – the Anthill.

Further Narada answered for a query of Valmiki as who was an ideal man? The reply of Narada formed the basis for writing the Ramayana.  Immersed deep into that, sage Valmiki went with his disciple Sage Bharathwaj to the River Tamasa.  The placid and pleasant river showed him the mature and modest quality of the person Sri Rama of the Ramayana.  In the next instant, the sage saw a hunter killing a male bird which was deep in love with a female bird.  He cursed the hunter and to his astonishment found that the curse came like a verse to a perfectly metrical composition. Thereafter he received a vision from Brahma in which the Lord instructed him to write Ramayana in slokas, which the sage readily followed.   Valmiki not only showed the way to Chitrakoot but also when Sita Mata was banished by Lord Rama, the sage gave shelter to Sita and she gave birth to Lava and Kusha in his ashram only.  Thus Sage Valmiki heard Ramayana from Sage Narada and later from Sita mata and later he told Lord Rama about  Lava and Kusha who were in his ashram. 

Once when the intial Ramayana was written by Sage Valmiki there followed many version in many regions, according to the languages spoken and at different timeperiods, with certain modifications here and there but keeping the central theme as such.

Goswami Tulsidas was renowned for his dedication to the Lord Rama and he authored the Ramcharitmanas. He was always admired as a reincarnation of the Valmiki (original composer of the Ramayana in Awadhi language spoken in the Awadh region of UP and Hanuman Chalisa). Goswami Tulsidas lived his whole life as well as died in the city of Benares.

Tulsidas was born at the 7th day in the month of Shraavana (July or August), in the bright half of the lunar. His birth place is identified at the Rajapur (also known as the Chitrakuta) at the banks of the Yamuna river in UP.  He lived around 126 years.

 The Ramayana has spread to many Asian countries outside of India, including Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Mongolia, Vietnam and China.

Below are a few of the most prominent versions of the Ramayana.  

Adhyatma Ramayana or spiritual Ramayana is extracted from the Brahmananda Purana, traditionally ascribed to Vyasa. It is thought to be the inspiration for Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi language.  

Vasistha Ramayana (more commonly known as Yoga Vasistha) is traditionally attributed to Valmiki. It is principally a dialogue between Vasistha and Rama in which Vasistha advances many of the principle tenets of Advaita Vedanta. It includes many anecdotes and illustrative stories, but does not recount Valmiki's story of Rama in detail.

Laghu Yoga Vasishtha, by Abhinanda of Kashmir, is an abbreviated version of the Yoga Vasistha.

Ananda Ramayana is traditionally attributed to Valmiki. While it briefly recounts the traditional story of Rama, it is composed primarily of stories peripheral, though related, to Valmiki's narrative. This ramayana provides information about last years of Rama's life. These include Ravana's abduction of Sita and Rama installing of Shiva Lingam at Rameswaram.

Agastya Ramayana is also traditionally attributed to Agastya.

Adbhuta Ramayana, traditionally attributed to Valmiki, includes related stories of Rama. Its emphasis is on the role of Sita, and includes an expanded story of the circumstances of her birth as well as an account of her defeat of Ravana's older brother, known as Mahiravana but with 1000 heads.

                                                          6    Greatness of Ramanama

The greatness of the Ramanama could be known from the life of Sage Valmiki himself who wrote ramayna, as without that name the Ratnakara the hunter would have become Sage Valmiki and that to a Brahmarishi.  Ratnakara heeded to the advice of Narada and was on a meditation without knowing what is happening to him, only chanting the Ramanama – Years went by, only anthill (Valmika) to be formed all over the body of Ratnakara but when Narada returned back, he gave to the world a great sage whose work of Ramayana became the Epic to be followed all over India and beyond.

 In the Mahabharatha war, Bhishmacharya was in the bed of arrows.  Krishna asked Dharma to get advice from Bhisma.  Thus Vishnu Sahasranamam came into being through Bhishma.  When Maa Parvathi asked Shiva how anyone can recite so many as told by Bhisma, Shiva gave the reply of chanting the rama nama in the form of “Sreerama rameti rame rame manorame, shasranama tatulyam rama nama varanane” –

श्री राम राम रामेति रमे रामे मनोरमे ।

सहस्रनाम तत्तुल्यं रामनाम वरानने ॥

Meaning –

By meditating on "Rama" (the Name of Rama), my Mind gets absorbed in the Divine Consciousness of Rama, which is Transcendental, the Name of Rama is as Great as the Thousand Names of Lord.

Sage Manu said that ‘Rama nama’ has links to all other mantras that ever existed.  It is the only mantra that is called “Taraka Mantra”. Taraka means ‘ that helps to cross’- to cross the ocean of samsara of this world. Chanting the name ‘Rama’, with love and faith, gives strength to overcome the problems of life. Those who pray with steadfast devotion can obtain the knowledge of the Supreme.

Hanuman was the testimony for the greatness of Ramanama.  He would chant his name constantly and with great fervour to achieve success in each of his missions, whether to cross over the ocean, to bring the Sanjeevini herb, to save Rama and Lakshmana from Ahiravana of Patala Loka or to destroy and annihilate the enemies in the war.   When the purpose of Rama’s incarnation on this earth was fulfilled, before leaving his mortal body, Rama asked Hanuman to go into deep samadhi and attain the eternal Bliss of Brahman. Hanuman declined saying that he would prefer to live on this earth, where Rama was born, and His name ever playing on his lips, is bliss to him. Hearing this, Rama asked Hanuman, “ why is it you value my name more than me?” Hanuman replied, “ My Lord, You are only a mortal incarnation, whereas your name and deeds are eternal. Hence your name on this earth is eternal.” As long as Rama’s name is chanted on this earth, Hanuman will be always present at such places.

“The name of ‘Rama’ is mightier than Rama Himself,” said saint Tulasidas.

Bodhendra Saraswathi was a 17th-century Hindu pontiff and the 60th Jagathguru (head) of the Kanchi matha, Kanchipuram.   He was Purushothaman before being taken by the mutt and he excelled in both Smriti and Sruti.  He had stressed the need for chaning the Rama Nama and its benefits who finally attained Samadhi at Govindapuram.

Saint Thiagaraja, the great Ramabhakt has praised the Lord in several of his compositions including taking the liberty of cursing him for not showering his love on him profusely and in his compositon ‘Peridi ninnu benchinavarevare’ in the Raga Karagarapriya eulogises about the Ramanama.

pallavi

pEriDi ninu bencina vErevarE

anupallavi

vArini jUpavE shrI rAmayya

caraNam 1

sAra sAradhara tAraka nAmamunu

caraNam 2

sarva matamulaku sammatamaina

caraNam 3

ghOra pAdakamula goppuna anucu

caraNam 4

tyAgarAju sadA bAguga bhajiyincu

Meaning:

Please reveal to me the high-souled men who christened you. O Raamayyaa! Sublime and supreme, your name is the quintessence of divinity. No wonder your name is referred to Taaraka Manthra, enabling devotees chanting it to cross the ocean of worldly bondage and acquire beatitude. Your name has been adopted unequivocally by all creeds. It has the unfailing power of destroying the most iniquitous sins at the root and branch. Tyagaraja prays always with deep devotion to you.  There is never an ending list of greats who got benefitted by chanting Rama Nama who advocated the same to be followed by everyone.

And last, Alexander the Great said before leaving India, that his impressions about India was – ‘Rama’s name and Ganga water’.   

                              7     Rama Janmasthan and Bhoomi Pujan on 05 08 2020

Lord Rama was the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu and was born at Ayodhya to demonstrate to the world how an ideal man could be and naturally that demanded the qualities at different circumstances overcoming normal human emotions and remain very balanced.  Thus Sri Rama who had undergone sufferings like a human, brought out the required qualities of a man proved how a son, a brother, a husband and a King had to be.  As a King he established Ramrajya, to be followed after him. 

The greatness of Ramanama and various sages and saints singing in praise of him has made an impact in everyone’s life and thus it is only natural every individual utmost desire was to have a temple at Ayodhya and that has become a reality today, 5^th August 2020.  The bhoomipujan at the Ram Janmasthan, Ayodhya would have been much bigger event with celebrations but for the present condition prevailing in all parts of this country.

Neither any particular individual can be singled out for the achievement of bringing out this temple nor one would have desired to be praised like that.  It was a people’s movement with many names spoken about and many names not coming out in the open – similar to the freedom movement.  But this day will be remembered for all those who had contributed directly and indirectly for the cause of this temple, the long cherished wish of the nation.

Jai Sree Ram. 

Sree Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram

Sree Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram

Sree Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram