9 Interesting facts about Lord Ram
When we talk about Hinduism in India, devotion is one of the top things that pop up in our minds. It is believed that there are 33 crores of deities that are worshipped in this multi-religious country. Even though all gods are considered the same, Lord Ram has a large number of devotees and temples across the country and even the globe.
He is the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Lord Vishnu. According to the Puranas, he was born in Treta-Yuga in Ayodhya (northern India) to King Dasaratha and Queen Kausalya. The eldest son of the King had 4 siblings named Shanta (elder sister), Bharat, Lakshman, and Shatrughna (younger brothers).
Although a lot of you might be already aware of these facts but considering this platform, there are a lot of non-Hindus here and this could be something new to them. So, spreading a tiny bit of knowledge and creating a few more of his devotees by sharing some of the Interesting Facts about Lord Ram:
1. The name “Rama” Lord Rama is also known as Ramachandra, is one of the most cherished and worshipped gods in Hindu culture. The name Rama has a significant meaning as it’s consists of “beeja aksharas” (two words) — the Agni beeja “Ra” and the Amrutha beeja — “Ma”. The in-depth meaning of the two words is mentioned as Agni Beeja is served to vitalize his soul and body while the Amrutha Beeja rejuvenates him from all the fatigue. He was also known as “Maryada Purshottam” which means the most dignified or righteous man on earth.
2. The Power of his Name Chanting
The Hindu culture and its stories are too vast and every story holds importance on its own. But in a concluding section of Vishnu Sahasranama, says Lord Shiva to Parvati that chanting Rama Nama is so Powerful that it alleviates suffering, heals the agitated mind giving it solace, and above all these it provides salvation. Chanting the Rama Nama once is equal to the benefits of 1000 times shiva name chanting.
3. The Ellora Caves Story
The very famous Ellora Caves now is a UNESCO world heritage which is located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. One of the largest rock-cut out formed into a temple has a remarkable fondness among devotees for its sculpture, architecture, and connection with Lord Rama. The Ellora Caves depict the Ramayana story on the walls of the temples, the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana while Jatayu trying to escape her can be seen in the form of carvings.
4. Relationship with Hanuman
Talking of Ramayana, one cannot overlook the relationship of Lord Rama and his disciple Hanuman. There are multiple incidents where Hanuman has proved his true devotion towards Lord Ram, one of the facts is once Sita Mata put sindoor on her forehead (an indicator of a married woman), and Hanuman was unaware of what it was asked curiously as to what she was doing? To which Sita Ji replied that she was proving her love and affection for Lord Rama. Later on, Hanuman was seen covering all of his foreheads with sindoor to showcase his love, devotion towards the Lord.
5. The Bow Story — Leading to the marriage of Lord Rama
It was in that century when Yuddhs (Fights) were common between the enemies with their Bow and arrow was used as their respective weapons. According to Ramayana, King Janaka of Mithila had proposed a condition that whoever would be able to string his bow (Pinaka), he’ll get his daughter Sita married to the Guy. Now the celestial bow could not have been approached by the selfish individuals and any ordinary man could not uplift it. Hence, the act of stringing the bow wasn’t an easy task but it was to distinguish among the individuals who were full of virtues and strength. The rest is history, of course, it was Lord Rama who nailed the condition and married Sita Ji.
6. The story of Vanvas
The 14 years of Vanvas period spent by Lord Rama along with wife Sita and younger brother Laxmana is an epic learning for any individual in every aspect of life teaching the virtues of patience, adaptability, and adjustments in life. It was because of Lord Rama’s stepmother Kaikeyi that Ram had to go to vanvas, as she wanted her son, Bharata to be the King of Ayodhya after their father Dashratha’s rule. To maintain his father’s integrity, Lord Ram chose to go to the Jungles.
7. Brahmastra
This term is used widely in Ramayana as it is a weapon created by Lord Brahma for mass destruction which can be used by the savior against the enemy to save its subjects. It’s not a physical weapon but a mantra that needs to be chanted to use for the good against evil. It was used by Lord Rama thrice as per Valmiki.
8. The White Stripes on Squirrel’s body
It is known that while making the bridge to Lanka for rescuing Sita from Ravana, all monkeys’ warriors were picking and placing the boulders in the sea. A little squirrel came along to help by picking pebbles in her mouth and placing them in the sea, while doing so a monkey made fun of her and asked to get aside from the way otherwise she might die under the boulder. Witnessing this hurt of the squirrel, Lord Rama came and gently patted the squirrel’s back to appreciate her efforts and since then the stripes are marks of Lord’s fingers that got imprinted on her back. The stripes are still remembered and recalled as a token of love and Rama’s affection.
9. The Return to Vaikuntha
Lord Rama’s abode to Vaikuntha (Vishnulok) wasn’t possible in presence of Hanuman as he’d not allow Yama to enter Ayodhya for claiming Rama. So Rama had to drop his ring through the crack in the floor to divert Hanuman’s attention by asking him to fetch the ring and by the time he returns Lord Rama had paved his way to Vaikuntha.
Lord Rama is the oldest deity worshipped in human form; he was born in treat-yuga which is believed to have ended around 1,29,6,000 ago. Even though centuries have passed, Lord Rama does and will exist forever in the hearts of his devotees. The Ram Mandir, Ayodhya is being built in the same place where it is believed he was born. It’s also known as Ram Janmabhoomi.
I hope you might have got to know something new from this one. This topic doesn’t come under my niche and so I was contemplating whether to upload this one or not but couldn’t hold myself from doing this. My Diwali got better just by uploading this one, share your views if you read this till here. Wishing you all a very HAPPY DIWALI and a prosperous new year!!!
