Ram Navami Puja

Ram Navami is celebrated by Hindus all over the world. This festival celebrates the birthday of Lord Rama. Lord Rama was the son of King Dasharath and Queen Kaushalya is regarded as the avatar of Lord Vishnu one of the supreme Hindu deity. According to the old Indian epic written by Rishi Balmiki which states that Ram was born after a lot of prayers and yagya and as he was born as the royal inheritor to the throne of Ayodhya his birthday was a joyous occasion in Ayodhya. It is like a dream come true for King Dasharath as he didn't have any sons after his marriage.

Reason Behind Rama Navami Puja

It is said that Lord Vishnu took the avatar of Lord Rama when he saw the growing of the invincible demon Ravana on earth. It is said that when Ravana started increasing evilness on the earth Lord Brahma started receiving complaints from all the Gods about the evilness that Ravana was inflicting on earth. However, as Lord had granted Ravana an exceptional boon that Ravana could never be killed by a god.

All the Gods in heaven were helpless. However as soon as Gods realized that there was a loophole in his boon that Ravana could only be killed by a human being. Lord Vishnu decided to take birth in the guise of Lord Ramchandra the son of King Dasharath and Queen Kaushalya to save the earth and his devotees from the evilness of Ravana and his unreligious act. This great legend is known to every person of India irrespective of caste and religion.

Lord Rama is worshiped in the country as an epitome of an ideal man. Lord Rama who is an ideal in every regard of a perfect son, an ideal brother, a wonderful husband, a mighty king and a great father, is not simply a hero but also someone who is the true representative of a flawless man. Therefore, his birthday is celebrated every year with great enthusiasm on a ninth day after the new moon in Shukla Paksha (the waxing moon) which at times falls in the month of April.

Doing Pooja on Ramnavami

All over the world Hindus organize Ram Navami puja. Most of the people keep fast on this day. During the Ram Navami puja generally, devotees prefer to be on a satvik food which means food cooked without salt. There is no specific rights and ritual to perform pooja. People visit temples and listen to stories of Ram Janam (Rama's birth) and various other legends from Ramayana. Devotees sing bhajans for praising the works of Lord Rama, his loyal brother Lakshman, his devoted wife Sita and Rama's greatest devotee Hanuman. If pooja is preformed at home then the home is cleaned properly and pictures of Lord Rama, Lakshman, Sita, and Hanuman are put on a dais in preparation for the puja. All the members of the family worship the deities on his birthday. Devotees offer flowers, sweets, and incense sticks in order to please Lord Rama. Two plates are kept ready in front of the deities. One plate containing prasad and the other plate containing necessary items like bangles, aipun, rice, water and flowers for the pooja rituals. After the pooja is completed an aarti is performed and the holy water of the pooja is sprinkled over the devotees as a sign of blessing from the God.