UGADI CELEBRATIONS | Chinnajeeyar

Sri Rama Chandra lived 11,000 years on this Earth. But, why does Ramayana speak heavily about only 10 days and 14 years of Rama’s story? Rama spent 10 days with sage Vishwamitra when He was 12 years old to guard the sages and their yagas from the atrocities of demons. When He was 25 years old, He began his 14 year journey along with wife, Sitha and brother, Lakshmana in forests. Both these times, He was away from the material wealth and luxury of His kingdom. He experienced challenging and painful time during these 14 years and 10 days. But, these 14 years and 10 days are the ones most remembered by everyone and are elaborated in the scripture, Ramayana. Why?

It is important to remember those challenging and painful times not to mourn about them, but to learn from them!

What do we learn from them? We learn to be aware of such hard times and make necessary preparation to deal with them.

Bright ness For example: night times are challenging (sometimes painful) compared to daytime because we can’t see things in dark. So, we always prepare ourselves to pass through a night, with the help of a torch next to us or some emergency medication etc. We are aware that things cannot be seen during darkness, and hence a torch or a light will help. This awareness about darkness of the night enables us to prepare. One who does not prepare oneself to pass through a night with the help of a light will have no choice, but to yield to the night.

Do you want to be the one who is prepared to handle a situation in the night or just let the night take you wherever it does!?

But, what is the night you are talking about? Are we all in some kind of darkness now?

Yes, the ‘darkness’ (or the night) we are now in is our bondage with these bodies that has been blocking our true knowledge for ages. We have been in this darkness for so long that we have gotten used to it and forgot about our true nature, the ever joyful and highly able state!

It’s time to learn:

Who we are?

What are we doing in this body, which is temporary and has restricted abilities?

What is triggering this path, our journey from one such body to another?

What is our goal?

What is blocking us from stepping out of this ‘darkness’?

So, how do we prepare ourselves to pass through this ‘darkness’?

If we want to be prepared during our stay in this ‘darkness’ and pull ourselves out of it, then we must learn about the righteous decisions and wise choices that Rama took during those challenging 14 years and 10 days. Understanding how He conducted himself during those times will make our life fully purposeful because it will help us to step out of the ‘darkness’.

These 9 days, starting from Ugadi to Sri Rama Navami – Let’s learn to lead through the night with right knowledge as our tool (like a torch that will help us in darkness). Thus, make this night different from the previous nights, a NEW NIGHT (Nava Ratri)!

But, why should I wish for a ‘NEW NIGHT’? Can I just not wish for a dark-less state?

We cannot avoid a night. A night here reflects bondage with a body. A soul will always be bonded with a body. So, we cannot ask for a body-less state. What we can wish for is a body driven by God’s grace (His krupa) and not by our ignorance or arrogance (our karma)! A body that works in His direction by His grace can give us the true state of joy.

Are there examples of such souls whose bodies are driven by God’s grace and not by their karma?

Yes, all the Mukthaganas and Nityasuris are enjoying such God’s grace. This is stated in Vedic literature! We all may or may not have the ability to seek refuge of such ancient vast Vedic wisdom, but we all have access to Ramayana.

Every letter of Ramayana can erase the huge piles and stacks of unwanted bondage we have built up so far from many births. Let’s learn the essence from the authentic source, Valmiki Ramayanam and light up the diya of right knowledge.

చరితం రఘునాథస్య శత కోటి ప్రవిస్తరం
ఏకైక మక్షరం ప్రోక్తం మహాపాతక నాశనం

– From the discourse of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swami,
– Ramayana Tarangini
– Ugadi to Sri Rama Navami
– (6^th April to 14^th April 2019)
– Divya Saketham, JIVA Campus

We will continue to give you some excerpts of Swamiji’s messages, but don’t miss out watching Him live on JetWorld. Ugadi began with Abhyangana snanam, followed by Panchanga sravanam and Nimbha kusuma bhakshanam. Swamiji chanted Sankshepa Ramayanam followed by 7 sargas of Sundara Kanda of Ramayanam. Later in the evening, Swamiji addressed hundreds of devotees at JIVA campus about how one should spend the first 9 days of the new year to inspire us in living righteously.