Facts about Lord Rama

Rama is the symbol of dharma, protector of dharma and maryada purushottam (the perfect follower of rules or law). He is the first among the knowers of dharma. Rama is the embodiment of righteousness. Dharma and Rama are inseparable. The four brothers Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha and Shatrughna are the personifications of the four Vedas incarnated in Treta Yuga to present valuable lessons to humanity. Our scriptures say that Lord Rama’s name existed much before His advent. In the name Rama, the syllable Ra means Narayana, Aa denotes Brahma and Ma refers to Maheshwara. They represent the Trimurti or triad of deities, Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar refers to Ra as ‘that which is radiant’ and ‘ma’ means ‘myself’. That which shines forth within you is Rama. That which is radiant in every particle of the being is Rama. Rama nama is a Taraka mantra that can help us cross the ocean of samsara (the indefinitely repeated cycles of birth, misery and death caused by karma) and free us from the cycle of birth and death. The story of Lord Rama - the Ramayana, is vital to our life as it teaches us the value of detachment and the need to become aware of the Divinity in everyone. Renunciation leads to joy and attachment brings grief. Gurudev says, “Renunciation means to have no needs.” Never give up modesty is the best policy, keep calm amidst calamities and trauma, respect and obey your parents and other elders, prejudice is not the solution, and the importance of friends are some lessons we can learn from Rama's life. More on Lord Rama unfolds in this section. Go for it!