Lord Rama

Lord Rama is one of the essential deities of Hinduism. He is the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu and was born in Ayodya. Apart from Hinduism, we can find references to Lord Vishnu in Jainism and Buddhism, as well. Here, you can find him represented as Padma or Pauma. Along with that, Rama is a name that plays a significant role in different Hindu scriptures. In the Atharva Veda, Rama means someone dark in color and has a connection with the night. In other parts of the same text, you can see Rama concerning someone pleasing and lovely. Here, we will look at Lord Rama's origin concerning ancient texts, significance, and weapons.

Rama, as mentioned earlier, is a name of great importance in Indian tradition. You might have noticed that the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu is Parashu Rama and the seventh avatar as Rama Chandra. Bala Rama, the brother of Lord Krishna, is also yet another name that refers to Rama.

Ancient references (Ramayana): Rama is a central figure of many texts and legends in Hinduism. He is part of the Vaishnavism tradition as well. Apart from Ramayana, we can find his reference in works that came as an adaptation of Ramayana. They are Ramacharitam and Adhyatma Ramayanam. The poetic collection by Tulsi Das, Ramavali, is a work that delves into detail Rama's life in his youth. Tulsi Das represents him as an introvert and a reserved person. From the different texts, we can find that Rama is a figure who prioritized Dharma in his life. He is also a Supreme Being.

Ramayana is a work by Valmiki that revolves around the life of Rama. It focuses on the different stages of His life. As per Ramayana, Rama was born on the 9th day of Chaitra, and we celebrate it as Ram Navami nowadays. He was born in Ayodya, a city located on the banks of the River Sarayu. Rama was born to Kautaliya and Dasharatha. Dasharatha was the king of Kosala. As per the epic, he has three brothers. They are Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. As a young man, Rama was polite and virtuous. He met with Sita during an archery competition organized by King Janaka. After winning, King Janaka decides to let Rama marry Sita.

Ramayana explains in detail the reasons that led to the 14 years of exile of Rama. It was because Kaikeyi, the second wife of Dasharatha, asked him to send Rama away. Rama decided to leave to the Dandaka Forest. As he left, Lakshmana and Sita joined him. As they traveled, many incidents came their way. Shurpanaka, the sister of Ravana, tried to seduce Rama when they were in Panchavati. Rama refused to accept her as he was loyal to his wife. Lakshmana found Shurpanaka's behavior as displeasing and cut off her ears as well as her nose in anger. Ravana, who came to know about the incident, came to Panchavati to take revenge on Rama. When Ravana found Sita, he kidnapped her and took her to Lanka. Though he tried to convince Sita to marry him and be his queen, Sita did not comply with Ravana's desire. After Rama reached Lanka, he killed Ravana in a war and rescued Sita. On his return to Ayodya, he became the king of his country. Sita underwent Agni Pariksha to prove that she was not morally corrupt. After she succeeded in the test, Rama and Sita lived in their kingdom happily. They had two sons as well. They were Luv and Kush.

There are different variations of the same tale in various cultures. In some places, people believe that Rama and Sita had a tragic end. There have been many types of research and studies based on the life of Rama. In Mahabharata, we can also find a short reference to the story of Ramayana.

Weapons used by Lord Rama: Lord Rama uses numerous weapons in Ramayana. He carries an arrow in his right hand and a bow in his left hand. However, he has used several other weapons in the course of the story. Narayanastra is a powerful weapon Lord Rama used in Ramayana. When he had to kill Ravana, he had to use the weapon used by Ravana. He used Brahmastra during his fight with Ravana. Rama also used Prasvapna when he fought against Ravana. It was because Ravana was immortal. Another weapon Lord Rama used was the Gandarvastra. With this weapon, he killed around fourteen thousand Asuras. Gandarvasatra is a weapon with the ability to twist the minds of the people. These are some of the weapons Lord Rama used in Ramayana.

Significance of worshipping Lord Rama: Lord Rama is a significant figure in Hinduism and is the most virtuous hero. Devotees consider him an ideal king, son, and husband. Though he was rich and prosperous, he underwent many challenges and moral issues in his life. We regard him with esteem because he is a person who gave up his material and earthly life. He left his kingdom and renounced the pleasures of life to reside in a forest. He is also famous for his moral and social behavior. Through the hardships Lord Rama endeavored, we find that it is a depiction of the duties and social responsibilities that an individual has to fulfill in his or her life. Lord Rama is a person who only loved his wife and is a man with limits.

Thus, Lord Rama is a person who is a deity of much significance and importance in Hinduism. He is also the person devotees look up to as a divine entity of profound wisdom and experience.