Lord Rama : Universal Inspiration

Lord Rama : Universal Inspiration

D.K.Hari & D.K.Hema Hari, Founders, Bharath Gyan

Lord Rama has been dated to 5114 BCE, and come to this Ramanavami, we will be celebrating His 7133^rd Birthday. Rama’s stature has spread across civilizations, spread across continents and has had the capacity to survive across 7 Millennia. No other world hero has had this iconic stature for 7000 years across continents and civilizations. His qualities, His nature, His nobility, noble qualities, have endeared Him to one and all which ensured that one looked up to Him as a role model to live with dignity and nobility in one’s life when on this earth. That is what has made Lord Rama, the true icon. Through the ages, through civilizations, Lord Rama and Ayodhya have not only been popular for the people of India but have also been inspirational for people across the world.

Lord Rama and Ayodhya

Lord Rama and Ayodhya had inspired many civilizations to even give their city the name of Ayodhya so that their city may be prosperous, progressive, peaceful and law-abiding as Rama’s Ayodhya. Tracing the history of Ayodhya and its descendants, we find traces of this dynasty all over India as well as the world, stretching from Far East in Korea, to Southeast Asia in Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia and going west upto Russia, Egypt, Iraq, Turkey and many more lands. The ancestry of King Shuddhodana, the father of Buddha, has been traced in Buddhist works, to the Ikshvaku lineage, the same Surya Vamsa, Solar dynasty as Lord Rama.

The Sikhs of the Sodi and Vedi clan are descendants of Luva and Kusha, the twin sons of Rama respectively. The 10^th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh was a Sodi and thus a descendant of Lava. Guru Nanak Dev Himself, a Vedi, also traces His lineage to Kusha. This makes the Sikhs also a joint stakeholder of Ayodha, Rama and the temple at Rama Janmabhoomi.

In fact, Guru Nanak Dev was a contemporary of Babar. Guru Nanak Dev is probably the last Indian saint to have visited the temple at Ayodhya before it was demolished. As narrated to Bhai Mardana, his disciple, he was visiting Ayodhya and the birthplace of Rama, because it was his ancestral home, as a descendant of Kusha.

When the kings of Thailand get anointed as Rama I, II to Rama X for the latest king living today, it also shows how the Thai kings consider themselves to be a part of the Rama lineage.

When the Indonesian King signs any proclamation, he signs it with the words “at the feet of Sri Rama”, showing how they are bound with Rama and His Ayodhya.

When the princess from Ayodhya went to Korea and married the Korean King, she gave rise to the Kim dynasty of Korea which is many million strong today. They all openly acknowledge and owe their descent to Ayodhya and Rama’s lineage.

When Egyptian Pharaohs took on the name Ramses, i.e. RMS (Ra Ma Sa) in the local language, they were openly claiming their link with Rama and Ayodhya.

When the Mittani and Hittite kings in the region of Anatolia (Turkey), Sumeria and Mesopotamia signed treaties, they signed under the names such as Dashratha and other names which can be found in the lineage of Rama.

When the cliffs in Iraq bear carvings of figures like Rama and name like Rama, they show the movement of those connected with Rama and Ayodhya through those regions.

There are many more such links, across the world including those in Ancient America who bond with Rama through their ancient, traditional festival called Rama-Sitva.

All these data and corroborations are available in detail, in the book, “Ayodhya – War and Peace” authored by D.K.Hari and D.K.Hema Hari published by Art of Living – Bharath Gyan.

Rama had reached such heights of perfection, for which he was held in such high esteem, not just for His lifetime nor in His kingdom of Kosala alone, of which Ayodhya was the capital. But as we can see here, He has been held at such high esteem, continuously for the last 7100 years, across continents, across civilizations, across peoples, across generations. It is his 16 qualities that need to be listed, showcased, venerated and followed – as many qualities possible, by as many people possible, in as many lands possible. On this Ramanavami, let us celebrate the qualities of Rama that have made Him a Universal Icon.