“Ramo vigrahavan dharmaha”
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He is the ideal being.
From him, and from what He has followed, we attain all knowledge.
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Today is Ram Navami… Lord Rama’s birthday.
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All auspicious dates in the Vedic calendar relate directly to celestial and cosmic occurrences. They mark points or moments in the spatial relationship of planets, stars, etc., each with a particular influence and significance.
In the West, we are aware of the equinox and solstice…. also of course, sunrise, sunset, high noon, etc. The Vedic calendar specifies many specific moments throughout the year. By doing so, the psyche (and in fact all levels of our life) align with the rhythm and flow of nature. This can be viewed as a technique to evolve… to live in harmony with nature and thereby gain the support of nature.
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I go to great lengths to explain the rationale behind Vedic traditions. This provides insight into the nature of life, intrigues the intellect, satisfies the doubting mind, and removes emotional distortion or superstition that may have crept in over time. Such understanding is crucial.
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After this is understood and embraced rationally, bhakti naturally blossoms to the fullest. Bhakti is love for God… love for all that is on the deepest level of life.
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Love without understanding is like a ship without a rudder. When the heart and mind work together, life blossoms fully and bhakti is experienced most deeply.
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In that spirit of bhakti, with that level of understanding, today is a very good day to gaze upon a picture or listen to a chant of Lord Rama and to feel in your heart His role in the mechanics of creation and the profundity of life.
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All Vedic ceremony satisfies both aspects of life, the heart and the mind. They are technologies of Vedic science, which makes them effective in our lives, and expressions of the heart, which celebrates our life’s deepest meaning.
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Today at Mount Soma, we will be observing Lord Rama’s birthday with a puja (Vedic ceremony) beginning at 9:30 AM.
