Ram Navami Celebration 2021

Maryada Purushottam Shree Ram descended on this earth on the 9th of Chaitra month of the Hindu Calendar. This auspicious day was celebrated by JKYog India on the 21st of April this year.  Just like nature bubbled with joy on His birth, all the devotees too were overjoyed to partake in this beautiful celebration which was live-streamed globally. 

The celebrations included the sweetest of kirtans on Shree Ram. The kirtans depicted how Lord Ram and Shyam are one and the same. It is the same Ram who descended upon this Earth in the Treta Yug who went on to take the form of Shyam in the Dwapar Yug. An hour-long kirtan session took place where devotees were completely immersed in the transcendental love of the Lord. The session ended with everyone coming up on their feet and swaying to the names of Sita Ram. Thereafter we had the Abhishek of Shree Ram.  While the Lord was seated on a comfortable asan (seat), radiating divinity all over, Swamiji began the Abhishek. The Lord was offered Panchamrit. Swamiji performed the sacred Abhishek on behalf of the devotees who had signed up online. The residents of the ashram then performed the Abhishek with utmost humility, joy, reverence, and devotion.  From kids to the aged, everyone participated in this gracious offering. 

Swamiji also sang a beautiful kirtan right before the lecture. Devotees relished the kirtan to the utmost as Swamiji caught everyone’s uninterrupted attention as he filled everyone’s heart with bliss, warmth, and peace. Thereafter, Swamiji delivered a discourse on the secrets of ‘Dharma’ (righteous conduct). He eloquently explained how different scriptures elucidate different meanings of the word ‘Dharma’. Some say that charity is the highest Dharma, while some say that serving God is our duty and some other scriptures hold service to mankind in the highest regard. In the Ramayan itself, we see so many dissimilarities in the practice of Dharma. Ram went to the forest because of the promises his father had made to Mother Kaikayi. Sita and Lakshman argued with Ram that they did not want to abide by Dharma as their only Dharma was to serve Him. In the conclusion, Swamiji revealed that we all have two Dharmas-‘Para Dharma‘ – the Dharma of the soul, and the ‘Apara Dharma‘ –  the Dharma of the body. Most people today are incubated within their bodily duties. Therefore such people follow the path of ‘Karm Yog’ wherein the body is in the world but their mind is in God. However, a few blessed souls due to their past life karmas can reject their bodily duties and completely take on the path of serving God. Such people take the path of ‘Karm Sanyas’. And this is the very essence of Dharma. The event came to a closure with the offering of bhog to Lord Ram and the performance of the Aarti.