Valmiki Ramayana - April 10

May his blessings be on all, today, Sri Ramanavami 🙏🙏🙏

April 10 - Sargas 110 and 111 of Uttara Kanda, concluding the Srimad Valmiki Ramayana. 

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Sri Rama walked with his brothers and everyone else for a few kilometres till he reached the bank of the sacred river Sarayu. Sarayu was full of swirling waters. Sri Rama checked a few spots and finally selected a spot with steps safe enough for everyone to enter the waters.

Just then Lord Brahma arrived, with all the gods and rishis, along with several divine aerial vehicles. The entire sky was glowing with a heavenly radiance. There was a pleasant and fragrant wind, too. These were seen even when Devi Sita entered Mother Earth.

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The gods shower huge quantities of divine flowers over Sri Rama. The sky is filled with gandharvas and apsaras. They are playing several divine istruments.

Lord Brahma addresses Sri Rama:

आगच्छ विष्णो भद्रं ते दिष्ट्या प्राप्तोऽसि राघव ।

भ्रातृभिः सह देवाभैः प्रविशस्व स्वकां तुनम्।

यामिच्छसि महाबाहो तां तनुं प्रविश स्वकाम् ॥

  

"Oh, Lord Vishnu! Greetings and Welcome! It is all our good fortune we have met you now as Raghava Sri Rama.  Kindly choose to enter, along with your radiant brothers, the body of the divine being you wish to enter now.

वैष्णवीं तां महातेजो यद्वाकाशं सनातनम् ।

त्वं हि लोकगतिर्देव न त्वां केचित्प्रजानते ॥

ऋते मायां विशालाक्षीं तव पूर्वपरिग्रहाम् ।

त्वामचिन्त्यं महद्भूतमक्षयं चाजरं तथा।

यामिच्छसि माहातेजास्तां तनुं प्रविश स्वयम् ॥

"Oh, Lord! you may kindly choose to enter your Mahavishnu form of supreme brilliance, or choose to become the all-encompassing Akasha (this is the infinite space in which all exists). After all, you are the source and destiny of all creation, and no one indeed knows you except your divine consort Devi Sita, Vishalakshi (large-eyed goddess) who is your eternal Maya who creates all and gives all experiences. Only your Maya knows you, who is beyond all thought, the eternal seed of all creation, inexhaustible, ageless. So kindly deign to enter any form of your choice."

Sri Rama decides to enter the Mahavishnu radiant energy form along with his brothers. He is worshipped by all the gods, including Indra, Agni, the Maruts, sadhyas, and others, followed by rishis, gandharvas and apsaras, garudas, nagas, yakshas, daityas, danavas, and rakshasas. They all sing his praises and worship him as Manavishnu.

Lord Brahma says," Oh Lord! All feel blessed, all sins have been washed away, by your magnificient avatara just concluded."

Sri Rama, now Mahavishnu, addresses Brahma. "Oh Lord, you should provide the next world for all those who have accompanied me till here. They have been full of affection and have followed me faithfully, having sacrificed their all in their devotion to me."

Lord Brahma confirms that they shall all be accommodated in a special heaven called Santanika Loka. This will be for everyone here, including all the animals and birds too who have served Sri Rama. It is close to Brahmaloka and is as blessed. The bears and vanaras will re-enter the gods who have created them to assist during Sri Rama's avatara. Sugriva will merge into Surya. 

All those who have accompanied Sri Rama now joyously take the steps down the Gopratara Ghat into the Sarayu river, casting aside their perishable forms and proceeding to Santanika Loka in those divine aerial vehicles. 

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एतावदेतदख्यानं सोत्तरं ब्रह्मपूजितम् ।

रामायणमिति ख्यातं मुख्यं वाल्मीकिना कृतम् ॥

इदमाख्यानमायुष्यं सौभाग्यं पापनाशनम् ।

रामायणं वेदसमं श्राद्धेषु श्रावयेद्भुधः ॥

सम्यक् श्रद्धासमायुक्तः शृणुते राघवीं कृतम् ।

यः शृणोति सदा भक्त्या स गच्छेद्वैष्णवीं तुनुम् ॥     

This is the benediction at the conclusion of Srimad Valmiki Ramayana.

"This narrative you have heard so far, including the Uttara Kanda, is worshipped by Lord Brahma himself. This special work is called Ramayana, composed by Sage Valmiki. Its recitation confers longevity, prosperity, and good health, apart from wiping out one's sins. It is so sacred that it will be recited by the wise on all occasions of worship including rites to the departed. If anyone listens to the recitation of Ramayana with devotion, he shall surely enter the abode of Mahavishnu.

"Those without progeny will get beget children, The poor will get wealth. At least one shloka should be recited daily. Even an inveterate sinner will then be emancipated. Those who recite it should be handsomely rewarded with gifts. 

"There is no fixed time, one can recite it in the morning, afternoon or night. "

"The region of Ayodhya will be uninhabited for a long time, but will again rise as a prosperous kingdom under King Rishabha. 

"Valmiki composed this after being prompted by Brahma. One who reads or hears a sarga will reap the benefits of Vajapeya and Ashvamedha. Such a person would gain the merit of having performed pilgrimages to Prayaga and other holy places, having bathed in the Ganga and other holy rivers, and visiting holy forests like Naimisharanya and Kurukshetra. 

"The Ramayana is as sacred as the Gayatri mantra.

"Seven generations of one's forefathers will be emancipated if one reads the Valmiki Ramayana with true devotion. One will reap the fourfold values of life - Dharma Artha Kama Moksha.

प्रव्याहरत विस्रब्धं बलं विष्णोः प्रवर्धताम् ॥

"May you all be blessed to read the Ramayana with full devotion. May Mahavishnu's infinite grace confer all powers on you. "

श्रीरामजयम् श्रीरामजयम् श्रीरामजयम् 

हरिःॐ तत् सत् 

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