Greetings on the sacred occasion of Sri Ramanavami. As we celebrate the birth of the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu, it is time to relook at the significance of Ramanavami. Why is the birth of Rama celebrated with fervor throughout Bharatavarsha? Why does Rama hold a special place in the hearts of all Sanatana followers?

To answer this question, let us fast forward to the era of the eighth avatar of Vishnu, Krishna. During the Kurukshetra war, Krishna motivates Arjuna to fight in the war. Krishna tells Arjuna to do his duty and leave the result to him. Krishna says:

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।

अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।

धर्मासंस्थापनार्थाय संभवामि युगे युगे ॥

Krishna says that whenever evil arises in the world, and good persons are in trouble, I will come to protect the good and destroy the evil. In this shloka, lies the significance of the Rama Avatar. Just like Krishna, Rama too was born to rid evil from Earth. Before them, another Rama came with a Parashu (axe) to curb the arrogance and evil of the Kshatriyas.

Whenever dharma is in peril, the Lord steps in to correct the imbalance. During the Treta Yuga, the asuras were running amuck, harassing innocent humans. Ravana and his brothers were creating havoc across the world. Ravana’s boon from Brahma had made him virtually immortal, and even the Gods feared him.

In this dire situation, the Gods went to the supreme Lord Vishnu, requesting him to help them and save the world by killing Ravana. Vishnu then asked them how he should kill Ravana. The Gods then told him about Brahma’s boon that ensured Ravana could only be killed by a human.

A question arises here – could Vishnu not have killed Ravana? Was Ravana so powerful that he could defeat Vishnu? A similar question arises about the story of Bhasmasura. Could Shiva not have killed Bhasmasura; why did he have to flee? Bhasmasura could not have burned Shiva, who could have easily killed him. Vishnu could have killed Ravana in an instant. So, why didn’t they do it?

If Vishnu had killed Ravana, then it would have sent a message that Brahma’s boons were of no value. Similarly, Shiva could not break his own boon to kill Bhasmasura. It would defeat the very concept of boons. Vishnu and Shiva allowed themselves to be considered weak to ensure the boons given were not dishonoured.

Another question that arises is why boons are given to undeserving people who would misuse them. Boons are given unconditionally – to anyone, whether divine beings, humans, or asuras. The boon is a reward for the piety and dedication shown. If the recipient of the boon misuses the boon, then they will ultimately be punished. In that punishment, will be a lesson for others. That’s the reason why we have stories of boons being misused and the errant ones being killed by the Gods.

Coming back to the story of Ravana, the boon he had obtained gave him immortality against all beings except humans. Like so many others before him, he too arrogantly believed that no human could kill him. The loophole left by Brahma gave an opportunity for the Gods, who requested Vishnu to be born as a human, to kill Ravana.

Vishnu then informed the Gods that he would be born as a son to Dasharatha of the Ikshavaku clan. We all know the story of how Dasharatha performed the Putrakameshta yagna, the results of which allowed him to get sons. Rama was born as the eldest son of Dasharatha and Kausalya.

The significance of his birth lies in the fact that Vishnu had once again come to Earth to live the life of an ordinary human being to help humanity. We all know what happened later. Rama’s exile to the forests, Sita’s abduction, Hanuman’s quest, and finally the great war when Rama killed Ravana – ridding Earth of evil and reducing her burden.

Ramanavami is a celebration of dharma; it is a celebration of Vishnu, who came to Earth to destroy evil in the form of Ravana, Tataka, and so many other asuras and evil beings. Whenever the righteous are in trouble, God helps them. Rama came to earth and proved to a great leader, one who took the best care of his people and established the RamaRajya, a model for governance.

The courage of Rama, his complete and unshakable faith in dharma, his leadership abilities, his loyalty to his father, his willingness to sacrifice, his steadfastness, and compassion make him the ideal human being – the Purushottama. Ramanavami is a celebration of the perfect person, one whose ideals we must all try to emulate.

In this Kali Yuga, we are surrounded by the worst manifestations of evil in the form of terrorism, corruption, moral degradation of society, and many other such vices. In such testing times, it is moral courage and strong character that will help us. The character of Sri Ramachandra of Ayodhya is what must inspire every man, woman, and child.

On this auspicious occasion of Ramanavami, let us pray to Rama and Vishnu to protect us from evil and help us in our journey on Earth. Let us pray that a being as wise, brave, and mighty as Rama arises again to save humanity and prevent us from destroying ourselves.

Deepak M R is a professional writer and author, who has previously worked in academics, training, and consulting. He is the author of the novel ‘Abhimanyu – the warrior prince’ (Bloomsbury, 2021). He is also a contributing author in the anthology Unsung Valour (Bloomsbury, 2020) and a KDP e-book ‘Mahabharata Tales: Justice for Draupadi and other stories’. He is an avid fan of Hindi film music.