Ram – the story of Lord Rama

 

Lord Rama is known by all Hindus, the world over, as the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Rama was the perfect avatar of the Supreme Protector Vishnu. Ram has always been a well loved God among all the Hindu deities because of the several moralistic and virtuous characteristics that he brings along with him.

Sri Rama is the epitome of how a man should be. He symbolizes the ideal man full of values and morals. Rama is also referred to as the Maryada Purushottama, which when translated means the idealistic man.

Lord Rama was put on the earth to destroy the evil forces of those times and bring about morality and virtues.

Lord Rama had several wonderful characteristics. He always spoke the truth. Rama had a tremendous sense of morality. Lord Rama was not only the ideal son but also an ideal husband, and most important of all an ideal king to his subjects.

Rama and Sita, both of them are widely accepted by all Hindus to be actual historical figures that are loved and revered by Indians all over.

Rama and Sita are the two main characters of the great Hindu epic of Ramayana. The Ramayana is also known as the Romance of Rama. It was written by the ancient Sanskrit poet Valmiki.

All Hindus believe that Rama lived in the times when life was not good. The historians purport another belief that was not defined until the 11th century AD. Then Tulsidas, wrote another wonderful version of the Sanskrit epic "Ramayana” and turned it into "Ramcharitmanas". This was the writing that greatly etched in the minds of the Hindus all the characteristics that Lord Rama is popular for. Rama, the god went about to give rise to various devotional groups.

Shri Rama was a man who was full of virtues from head to toe. Lord Rama was kind and compassionate. He was also magnanimous and sensitive to the way everyone felt around him. Lord Rama looked handsome and conducted himself well. Shri Ram had a wonderful personality. He was born into a noble family and was the son of a king and conducted himself thus. He was generous, chivalrous and not afraid to speak the truth. He was very simple and down to earth.

Lord Rama is considered as an exemplary son who is unequalled in the world. He resembled his father, Dasaratha in every way and had wonderful good qualities.

He never lied. He always respected learned men and scholars and elders. People loved him and he adored them in return. He was just how a king should be.

He could reach out to the people with his charming personality and touch their very souls.

He was attractive and had all the qualities of a king's son. His subjects loved him and that was without any doubt.

Lord Rama’s superior qualities were showcased in the way he lived.

Lord Rama is considered to be the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was specially put on the earth to kill the demon king Ravana. Lord Rama is known for his wonderful personality and simplicity and every Indian man would love to emulate him.

Shri Ram is one of the popular and famous gods of the Hindu religion and was loved by millions of Hindus of all ages..

Lord Rama is one of the commonly worshipped gods of the Hindu religion and no Hindu shrine would ever be complete without the idols of Rama and Sita in it.

Shri Ram is known as a part of Lord Vishnu. He is considered to be the preserver of the Universe. Ram is the great lord of Hanuman, who helped him in getting back his wife Sita from the clutches of the demon Ravana.

Lord Rama shared a wonderful relationship with all around him. He was the obedient son to his father Dashratha the king of Ayodhya. He was a wonderful brother to all his brothers but especially was devoted towards his younger brother, Lakshman. He dearly loved his wife Sita and his children Luv and Kush. He proved to be a wonderful friend to Hanuman. He treated his subjects like his children and they in turn worshiped the ground that he trod on.

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Lord Vishnu -The preserver

 When you look at the three Hindu gods you find that they are made up of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The Hindu god Vishnu is considered to be the preserver and protector of making of the world.

Lord Vishnu is known as the god for forgiveness and compassion. He ensures that he does goodness for all, and the influential control allows him to preserve the universe and maintain righteousness throughout the universe.

The Hindu god Vishnu is often shown seated on the wound serpent.

Lord Vishnu has his companion Lakshmi massaging his feet. The Hindu God Vishnu never sleeps and is always represented in idols as the one in a good mood. At the same time, Lord Vishnu does not like people who think no end of themselves and have a great ego.

You will notice that in most mythology and religious books the Hindu god Vishnu is shown with four weapons. All of these four weapons are symbolic of something.

In one hand Vishnu holds the shell. In the second hand, he holds the disc. In the third hand Lord Vishnu holds the club that has to be used as a weapon. And in the fourth hand you will notice the lotus. The Hindu god Vishnu has a bow and a sword. All of these weapons that Vishnu holds are there to help him in his endeavors.

In this world, there is a balance maintained between the two forces of the good and evil. They are evenly matched in the world.

However, there are times and instances when these balances are destroyed an evil demon get stronger than the good ones.

This is the time when Lord Vishnu receives a request by the other gods asking for help. Then god Vishnu reinvents himself in to one of the Vishnu avatars, which is a human form to set the equilibrium right again.

Altogether, the Hindus recognize the nine Vishnu re-incarnations. These are generally recognized as Vishnu avatars. Sometimes folks also believe that in the other Indian epics the main characters could also be the avatars of Vishnu.

According to what is mentioned in the holy book of the Purana, Vishnu is the ultimate god and to be found everywhere. If you are looking for the reality then that is represented by Lord Vishnu.

The Hindu God Vishnu is shown as a four-armed male and this is the way that his powerful presence is showcased.

The way Lord Vishnu’s image is made, and he is made to look is quite different from those of other gods. The color is blue, which means that Lord Vishnu can be everywhere just like the blue sky or ocean. Vishnu also represents the time without end and a never ending supremacy. This is the reason why Vishnu is always depicted as blue.

The Hindu god Vishnu has the mark of sage Bhrigu's feet and the srivatsa mark on his chest. These stand for his partner Lakshmi.

Lord Vishnu always has a crown on his head, which shows his followers his eventual power and authority. He is always shown resting on the snake who is the eternal and a snake that can never ever die.

The nine avatars of Lord Vishnu that are shown are of different kinds and go on to show Vishnu as the preserver.

The very first incarnation of Vishnu is that of the fish. When Vishnu is shown in this form, he has saved the Saint Vaivaswata. This is similar in the story to the Noah in Biblical times.

The second incarnation of Vishnu shows him as the Turtle. The other incarnations of Vishnu show him as the boar, the lion, the dwarf, the holy cow Kamadhenu. The last two incarnations of the Hindu God Vishnu show him as the Gods, Krishna and Buddha.

The tenth incarnation of Vishnu that is Kalki has still not taken birth and is yet to come. The Hindus believe that the time when the earth becomes too bad to live on and mankind will resort to all kinds of evil deeds then that will be the time when, lord Vishnu will come to the earth as a person. He will be seated on a white horse and this image is worshiped as the tenth incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu.

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Lord Shiva

 Shiva is regarded as one of the most important Hindu God and one of the ones in the holy Hindu trinity that makes up Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Whereas, in the holy trinity, Brahma is considered to be the creator and Vishnu the preserver, Lord Shiva wears the mantle of the destroyer.

Lord Shiva was considered by the people of the Indus civilization to be a tribal God, the way before people had heard about the presence of Brahma and Vishnu. Shiva is considered to be a God that is full of uncountable amounts of energy that never deserts him and is not only infinite but also permanent.

The other word for Lord Shiva is Maheshwar and is known to live in the funeral grounds with the ashes all over his body. The way Shiva is portrayed is wearing a tiger hide with a snake twirled around his neck, and perched on a branch. Whenever, Shiva comes across any injustice or evil, then the third eye opens on his forehead and that is supposed to be the end of the evil. The most powerful of Gods, such as Kamadeva have been reduced to ashes when faced with Shiva’s fury.

The abode of Lord Shiva is the Kailash Parvat which is way in the interiors of the Himalayas. The Kailash Parvat is located in the highest of mountains that are cladding by snow most of the time and difficult to reach. Shiva’s consort is Parvati and they have two sons, Lord Ganesh and Subramanya. Shiva has another son called Lord Ayyappa, who is from his liaison with Mohini, who is actually Lord Vishnu in the form of a woman.

Although Lord Shiva lives the way in the Kailash Parvat he has several Hindus, who worship him diligently. The shivlinga is found in the Kailash Parvat and the phallic emblem that resembles creative energy that is infinite. The Shivlinga is worshiped in the form of Shiva.

Shiva has more disciples and worshippers than any other Hindu God. People also worship Shiva in the form of the supreme energy in the form of Natraj. Lord Shiva is known by several different names such as Ganagdhar, Rudra, Neelkanth, Shankar, Gaurishankar, Mahadev to name a few.

Although he is called the God of destruction in the Hindu Gods list, he is also associated with the change that comes about due to life and death. The destruction that is denoted is in the form of a positive energy that brings about change in old habits and one adopts new habits that are going to be beneficial to one in the long run. The abode of Kailash Parvat represents the embedded goodness that exists in every human being.

Shiva lives in Kailash Parvat in the Himalayas the life of an ascetic which is full of control, celibacy and discipline. At the same time, he portrays great love for his spouse who represents Shakti or universal energy. His first wife was Sati and Parvati his second wife. The Lord stands for great energy and positive characteristics. The symbols that are associated with him are the trident which is symbolic of the three faults or gunas and the snake wound around his neck shows the power that he has over the worst of things even death and the ever consuming energy that lies within him. The vehicle on which he uses at the Kailash Parvat is a white bull called the Nandi and this represents everlasting joy.

He is often enough shown seated at the Kailash Parvat with a tiger skin that symbolizes the mind. Belief goes that when Ganga was born on earth and wanted to flood the earth; Shiva caught it in his hand and avoided this gross destruction.

The staunchest of yogis and ascetics worship Shiva in India. They are found near the Kailash Parvat near the Himalayas, dressed in orange robes and with cornrows in their hair, rudrakshashas on them and ash smear on them just like Shiva.

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One Of The Trinity Hindu Gods Brahma – The Creator

 

Brahma is the Hindu god that is associated with the formation of the universe and is one of the important three gods. The others two Hindu Gods in the trinity are Vishnu and Shiva. The companion of Hindu god Brahma is Saraswati, who is connected with learning. According to what is mentioned in the holy book the Puranas, Hindu god Brahma was born from a lotus. This flower grew from the stomach of Vishnu and this happened before the formation of the universe.

That is how Brahma gets one of his names, which is Nabhija, which implies born from the stomach. There is a second legend that says that Brahma was born in water. The seed turned into a golden egg and this was later turned into the universe or Brahma.

As Brahma was born in water he is also known as one who is born in water. Brahma is known to be the son of the Supreme male energy called Brahman and the female energy, Prakrti or Maya.

Brahma is always shown with four heads, faces and arms too. Each of his head is used to chant one of the Vedas. He is often shown as an old man to show the never-ending nature.

There is another story in association with Brahma's four heads. That is when Brahma was creating the universe he made a female god called Shatarupa. This means one with a hundred beautiful shapes.

Brahma immediately fell in love with her. Shatarupa tried to avoid Brahma, but wherever she went, Brahma formed a head.

Therefore, Brahma has five heads. In order to control Brahma, Shiva cut off the top head.

Also, Shiva felt for Brahma to become so smitten with her was not right. He directed that no one should be worship Brahma. Therefore, only Vishnu and Shiva continue to be worshiped, while Brahma is not. Since that time Brahma has been left reciting the Vedas.

The Bhagavata Purana has a story that says our universe is called by Krishna to meet with the Brahmas of other worlds. Some of them have more than four heads and these results in thousands of heads. This makes the mix of milk and water to show that justice should always be in the forefront and prevail.

Brahma's vehicle that he uses to get around in is a Swan. This holy bird is having been blessed. This swan is so very special that it can accept the good from the evil. These are the special qualities that this swan comes with.

Brahma is considered to be the Creator of the entire universe and earth. Brahma is known as the first god of the Hindu Trinity, of Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma. Lord Brahma is known to be the maker of the Universe. Brahma is Supreme Being, the god of gods.

Lord Brahma is one who gave birth to mankind. Brahma symbolizes the universal mind. He is the one who created the mind and the intellect. Brahma actually represents the mind and intellect. This is one of the reasons why the worship of Brahma is considered to be so very important. Several Hindus do not consider their prayers to be complete until they have prayed to Brahma. People, who are seekers of great knowledge and consider it to be their true wealth, worship him. Therefore as his devotee Brahma has students, scholars, scientists and teachers too.

The Hindu God Brahma looks very different than the way the other gods are depicted. He can be seen as a four-faced, four-armed, bearded idol. He has a rose and a book in the topmost hand; a water pot in the other hand and one hand is always there to bless his devotees.

The four faces represent the holy knowledge of the four Vedas that he has in himself.

This means that Brahma is the fount of all the knowledge that is needed for the creation of the universe. The four arms are the four directions and therefore, symbolize that Lord Brahma is the everywhere all around the universe. The white beard shows wisdom and longevity.

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Sita – The Symbol of Tolerance

 

The Hindus believe that Goddess Sita is an incarnation of Lakshmi, who is the companion of Lord Vishnu. She was born in the times when life was bad in a human form to be the wife and the partner of Lord Rama, who was the reincarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Goddess Sita is one of the main characters in the Ramayana. It was Goddess Sita, who with her great sacrifice and courage was able to rid the earth of the horrible king Ravana.

The legend about the birth of Goddess Sita is holy and only that worthy of Gods. She was found in the fields by her parents, the King Janak and his wife Sunanya. They were the rulers of Mithila.

Goddess Sita was put through a lot of hardships and by virtue of her courage and holiness was able to come out a winner.

Sita suffered throughout her lifetime to be able to set an example for humankind. She showed how a strong woman should be who wouldn’t make any concessions on her principles come what may.

Sita had several wonderful characteristics and virtues just like her husband Ram. She was a wonderful daughter, an idealistic wife and a wonderful mother. Sita was the epitome of all that a woman should be in the different roles that she has to play throughout her life.

Goddess Sita ultimately was able to be together with her husband Lord Rama after Ravana was killed, and they returned jubilant to Ajodhya.

Rama when he was the young prince of Ayodhya, had won over Sita in the marriage ceremony that was held by breaking the bow and arrow that no other prince could. From that time onwards, Rama and Sita were inseparable.

Sita had to bear lots of difficulties throughout her life. First, when her husband was exiled for fourteen years to the forests. Sita relinquished all possible luxuries to be with her husband. The things of the palace did not attract her, and she went to the forests willingly.

Devi Sita's problems followed her in the banishment too. She was kidnapped by the demon king Ravana. This brought about a severance from her husband.

Sita did not succumb to the charms and guiles of Ravan and rebuked him for misbehaving with her. Ravan tried several times but was always unsuccessful.

Sita was able to do this because of the strong mental and physical resolve that she had and her complete dedication and love for her husband Lord Rama.

Goddess Sita was finally rescued by Rama and the troop of monkeys led by Hanuman. This was only after a terrible war took place in Lanka against Ravana.

Finally, when Goddess Sita returned, she was made to undergo a test to prove her chastity called the test by fire. In order to prove her chastity the Hindu Goddess Sita had to walk through fire. Any other mortal would have died, but she proved that she was truly a Hindu Goddess, Sita. All the people who had gathered out there worshiped her.

Goddess Sita in the Ramayana went willingly for the banishment, although she was forced into it. Lord Rama was not aware that she was in the family way and let her go as he believed that it was important to be a righteous ruler. He was willing to keep his subjects before his wife, Goddess Sita. Then, Sita lived in Rishi Valmiki's hut and gave birth to twins, Luv and Kush.

Years later, at the time of the important horse ceremony, that the brave sons of Rama tamed the horse that was a part of the Ashvamedha yajna. This led them to their father Lord Rama.

When Sita saw this, she gave up her sons to Lord Rama. She refused to return to Ayodhya and gave up her life and was swallowed by mother earth.

Sita did not want to face any more hardships, and she felt that her birth on the earth had been fulfilled.

Sita is worshiped by Hindus all over India. You will find the idols of Lord Rama and Sita in innumerable Hindu shrines, along with the idols of Lakshman and Hanuman.

Hindu Goddess Sita is certainly the epitome of how a woman should be and cultivate all the relationships in her life with care.

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Radha Krishna

 Hinduism is one religion that has a lot of love amongst the sexes in its fold. There are several legends that speak of the undying love that existed between the opposite sexes and lots on folk lore and exciting stories of love.

There is several interwoven love tales amongst the gods and goddesses in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and this makes the Hindu gods and goddesses adhere to the psychic of their devotees.

There are several love stories and tales that are associated with Radha and Krishna along with the innumerable gopis that Krishna coveted within the Brindavan gardens.

Radha Krishna is the story of love amongst these two players. Lord Krishna is depicted as the god of love, and he chose his love prey with great attention and won their hearts over. The tales of Radha Krishna are so very common and appealing that they surpass all other tales. There are several tales and stories that have been carried on down several generations that enable us to decipher the true and unyielding love that was shared by both of them, Radha Krishna. The kind of love and dedication that Radha showcased for Krishna are fantastic and hard to find in any other love pair. There are several legends that tell us of this love and how it was entrenched deeply in both their beings.

There is an excellent tale about hot milk:

This is one tale that tells us of the infinite and binding love that were shared by Radha Krishna. Radha was not Lord Krishna’s wife and her eternal love for him made all of his wives envious of her, and they wanted to do away with her somehow. So, what they did one day was to play a prank on Radha in order to make her suffer and also to test how far she would go for her beloved. Hence, they gave her a piping hot bowl of milk and asked her to drink the scalding milk saying that it was Krishna, who wanted it to be so. Surprisingly, Radha picked it up and drank it up, the hot milk and all. When the wives took back the bowl they saw that it was lord Krishna who had burned his tongue and was the one who had suffered. This proved the eternal bond that Radha Krishna shared with one another. He took upon himself her pain and suffering just like a true lover.

Another tale of the legend of Charanaamarit:

This tale further reinforces the love that Radha Krishna shared amongst them. Once when the lord Krishna became very sick the physician said that the only cure was the Charanaamrit from a true worshiper of him. All the gopis who had gathered that were asked one by one, but none of them were willing to do so. They were actually concerned about giving the water in which they usually washed their feet to the lord.

When it was Radha’s turn she did not hesitate even for a second. She said that you can go ahead and take as much as you want as I am not really bothered of getting to hell as long as my lord gets alright. His pain is more painful than the pain that I can ever experience of going to hell. Thus, Radha gave lord Krishna the Charanaamrit and this was going to be her undoing ultimately, as it is said that she couldn’t eventually, marry her lord because of this. Charanaamrit was the thing that made Krishna well again. But, at the same time it stopped Radha Krishna from marrying too.

Radha Krishna is one of the classical love stories and fable that has withstood the test of time. In Hindu mythology, there are several tales and folk stories that depict love and sensualness but this is the kind of Radha Krishna that tugs at the heartstrings of the most romantic of hearts.

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Mata Saraswati

 The Hindus consider Mata Saraswati to be the goddess that will grant them knowledge, learning and aesthetics, particularly in the realm of arts. Mata Saraswati is the one who is represented by the feeling of being aware and dispensing with ignorance. She is also called by a different name that is Vaagdevi, which is the goddess of speech and communication. The Hindus worship her in order to get rid of confusion from their lives by the light of knowledge.

Mata Saraswati is always shown in the idols as someone who is dressed in complete white and is seated on the white lotus along with a veena one of her favorite instruments. The four Vedas that are a part and parcel of her doing are actually considered to be her children. She is always shown to be riding swans, which are supposed to symbolize the purest form of knowledge that one could ever possibly acquire. Any place where knowledge is transpired is considered to be the home of Mata Saraswati. She is the goddess that will help you in your pursuit of knowledge and learning and allow you to be joyful by the dispensing of ignorance away from you.

Mata Saraswati is also called the consort of Lord Brahma, who was the one who created the universe. According to folklore, Brahma had the power to analyze and think things out only because of the presence of Mata Saraswati by his side. It was she who persuaded him to listen to naadabhramam which is supposed to be the sound that is the main fount for all creations on this earth.

The other name that is given to this goddess is Sharda. This name means the fountain head from where all of knowledge arises. This is the only way to be able to dispense off with all the darkness from one’s life and allow the light and illumination of knowledge to enter ones path. This enables one to turn into a more advanced being and pursue other things in life.

The river Saraswati that no longer flows was actually a very part of the Vedic culture at that point of time. This is the river that is considered part of the goddess. What is written scriptures is that when Lord Shiva opened his third eye the flame that came out of it was so very furious that it could have destroyed everything that it encountered. In that situation, everyone was petrified of the flame, but it was only Mata Saraswati, who was not frightened by the deadly flame that was flowing towards her. She was extremely certain that the flame was such that it would not touch those who are pure and true to their creator. And, this is exactly. What was witnessed at that point of time? Mata Saraswati turned herself into a river and took the flame away along with her. When the river carrying the flame reached the river, the flame was turned into a fire spewing female horse. Then the Mata Saraswati ordered the horse not to step out of the water and this would continue as long as people on the earth wanted wisdom and knowledge coming their way. In case knowledge and wisdom were not what people wanted any longer, then the mare would come back to earth spewing the same dangerous fire.

Mata Saraswati has many shrines that are built in her memory all over south India. These shrines are Saivite temples and most of them are built to the right of Parvati’s shrines. Mata Saraswati does not have temples standing all by themselves dedicated to her. You will only find one such temple in Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. You will also be able to find shrines for Brahma and Mata Saraswati at Uttamar Koyil which is close by two Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu.

Hindus worship Mata Saraswati because of the knowledge and wisdom that she can embody on them. She is supposed to be the goddess of dawn that will be able to enlighten the being and dispel darkness away from them. If there is no knowledge and wisdom on this earth, then the earth will be thrown into darkness and mayhem. In order to get the true meaning of wisdom for oneself, one has to give up the pleasure that is sensual and dependent on our senses but must search for the peace and calmness of the spiritual well being.

The way the goddess is portrayed is a point to be noted. Mata Saraswati does not have any jewelry or bright colors adorning her. All that she wears is white and this symbolizes the purity and simplicity that she embodies. She is the kind who is not lured by materialistic wealth or baseless pursuits.

This is the goddess that has arisen above the wanting of the fulfillment of desires and has the will power and control over her mind to be able to withstand all kinds of temptations. Everything that she stands for is simple, pure and a part of nature, away from materialistic pursuits.

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