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2-1-About Raam

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How Raam was the eldest son of Dasharath?
(V-Raamayan, 1/6/20)

As how the Divine sweets was distributed among the three queens, Raam is the first-born and thus the eldest. This is because the sweets - half of the whole vessel, was first given to Queen Kaushalyaa and she immediately ate it as an Empress.

Sumitraa waited a while till Kaikeyee got her share. Kaikeyee got her portion but waited till her elder sister Sumitraa completed her drink. In the meanwhile Dasharath thought a while, and gave Sumitraa another one-eighth part of the Divine sweets. Sumitraa then consumed her two parts. Later Kaikeyee drank her portion. These timings of drink makes Raam the eldest one whereby he becomes eligible to be nominated as crown prince, in the later episodes.

Is Raam Full or Partial Avataar?
There is another question whether the incarnation of Raam is full (Poorn) or partial (Ansh) incarnation of Vishnu? Raam is Lord Vishnu Himself while Bharat and Shatrughn are His Chakra (Disc) and Shankh (Conch-shell), while Lakshman is the thousand headed snake (Shesh Naag) on whose coils Lord Vishnu reclines.

The whole dessert is Divine and parts of it do not signify the full or partial Avataar. Therefore the portions of the desert is meant only to keep up the hierarchy among the queens and their status. Throughout the book, Raam has never said that He is God or an Avataar of God, but has called himself only a causal relation (Nimitt Maatra) to the course of events. He had no necessity to incarnate the weaponry also along with Himself. They are always with Him and He can call them at any time. Thus, Raam is only an incarnate of the virtuously ideal personality of Vishnu as Maryaadaa Purushottam Raam (a man who behaves maintaining with all His limitations and discipline).

Raam's Names
(V-Raamaayan, 1/6/20)

One of many names of Raam is Raajeev-Nayan, i.e. who has lotus-petal like eyes, or Kamal-Nayan, or Raajeev-Lochan - all have the same meaning. This name shows the characteristic of Kamal or Raajeev (lotus flower) - as lotus flower petals close as the night falls, Raam's eyelids also close at night for boyish sleep.

Dasharath Jee references this "when Raam is like this then how can He fight with night-walking demons?" for not to send Him with Vishwaamitra Jee. And the same meaning is used by Vishwaamitra Jee also - "As lotus flower petals open with the first rays of the Sun and removes darkness, He will also destroy night-active demons" to take Him along with him to protect his Yagya.

Raam's 108 names are given in Padm Puraan, p 997-998, published by Gita Press, Gorakhpur.

Raam's Age
(V-Raamaayan, 3/14/38)
Raam's age was less than 16 years, as Dasharath said to Vishwaamitra Jee, when he came to Dasharath to ask for Raam to take to protect his Yagya. [1/6/20]

Seetaa told Raavan that She lived for 13 years in Ayodhyaa when Dasharath wanted to crown Raam as King.

He must have been of 25 years of age (12 + 13 = 25) when He was exiled as Seetaa said so   ...  "we enjoyed royal pleasures for 13 years."

Analysis :
(1) Raam was 12 years old at the time Vishwaamitra Jee took Him. 
(2) Since he took Him only for 10 days, it means that He killed Taadakaa and Subaahu within those 10 days only. He was married at the same time: at the age of 16. 
(3) They lived happily for 13 years in Ayodhyaa (12+13=25). 
(4) Then they came to Chitrakoot and lived there for 2 years (25+2=27), 
(5) Then they came to Dandak Van and lived there for 10 years (27+10=37). 
(6) Then they came to Panchvatee and lived there for 2 years (37+2=39). Seetaa was abducted in the beginning of this period itself. Maareech says to Raavan - "When I had thousands of elephants strength" at the time when Raam attacked me at Vishwaamitra Jee's Yagya." This shows that very little time, only 25 years, passed to the previous event.

Did Maareech get so old in 25 years only? (39-12=25) that he lost his so much strength?

When Was Raam Born?

The Gita Pres edition of Valmiki Ramayana says that Ram had incarnated on Navamee Tithi of Chaitra Shukla Paksha, when the Moon and Brihaspati were in Kark Lagna (Cancer Sign Ascendant), and five planets were exalted. It was also Punarvasu Nakshatra.

Bharat was born in constellation Pushya... when the Sun had entered the zodiacal sign of Pisces.
And to make the confusion worst confounded, in the same breath, again, the same VR says, "Twin sons of Sumitraa were born when the constellation Aashleshaa was in the Ascendant and the Sun had reached the meridian, touching the zodiacal sign of Kark (Cancer Sign)."

The million dollar question is that if Ram had incarnated in the month of Chaitra, the Sun had to be in Meen, if it was so called Saayana. But then our "Vedic astrologers" are dead against anything like Saayana, since that is of Greek origin, so Raam must have been born in some Niraayan--- preferably Lahiree--- Meen Rashi, according to them. But then that will make the month of Chaitra also so called Niraayan, and completely unhinge it from Vasant Ritu, since it is in that Ritu that Raam had incarnated.

 

 

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Created by Sushma Gupta on 5/27/03
Contact:  sushmajee@yahoo.com
Updated on 04/16/13