Title : Lord Ram’s stay in Chitrakoot during His exile period
Venue: Chitrakoot
Date: 13 May 2017

Lord ram stayed more at Ayodya and Chitrakoot for long time. Once upon a time there lived a king Lord Ram and His Rani Sita.

“puranam api navam”

Being old also these lilas are new. 10 lakhs years’ back Lord Ram was here but this lila does not become old. Newspaper says, aja ki taza khabar but by end of the day it becomes old. But Lord Ram’s pastimes are all eternal. Lord Ram is here today also and we have come here to meet Him. We are trying to catch Him here. We all have come here to met Him and now we have to experience His presence here.

Jai Shri Ram

Where ever there is Ram name Ram is there. Do you love Ram? Haribol.
So to realize Lord Ram we come here. We will also go to have darshan. Koot means mountain. So here also there is one mountain Kamatgiri parvat.

Lord ram used to take bath in Mandakini river which flows here. We will go there to have holy dip. Tomorrow we will go to Hanuman dhara. Also one cave is there made by demigods and Godavari river had appeared there, she is called here, gupt Godavari. Gupt Godavari is a at a distance of 18 km south of Ram Ghat. The Godavari River emerging as a perennial stream from the rocks deep inside this cave, flows down to another cave below and then disappears in the mountain.

When demigods got the news that Lord Ram is going to come to Chitrakoot. They started making arrangements for Lords accommodation. Lord Ram had met Bharadwaj Muni in Prayag and asked him where should I stay during the exile period. Bharadwaj Muni indicated and showed him a mountain, see that mountain 120 kms from here is Kamatgiri. You can stay there.

Lord Ram had also asked Valmiki ji, where we shed stay during vanavasa. But Valmiki ji replied. Lord first tell where you don’t stay? OK and if you have asked where you should stay, then stay in hearts of your devotees. Since then Lord stays in hearts of His devotees.

We had also come here in 2005. So in that cave cool air blows, very important cave made by demigods for the Lord. But Lord Ram did not stay there. How could stay in such comfort zone and just relax.
How’s the arrangements in dindi; sukha suvidha kaise hai? One person was asked who was walking in dindi. That person replied, ‘suvidha to nahi hai par sukha hai.’

So Lord Ram was on exile and He is well known as ek vachani . And He had committed 14 years of forest exile. So He stayed like a vanavasi; not just stayed in forest.

Some people stay in resorts in forests and say we are staying in forest. Not like that, Lord Ram stayed in a hut called parnakuti. Lord is vairagyavan, one of His quality is renunciation. He did not stay in any house.

One king had invited Lord Ram but Lord Ram denied saying we are vanavasis. He used to sleep on leaves. When Bharat was coming to meet Lord Ram. Bharat was shown these are leaves where Lord Ram had slept one night. Bharat was very sad. Oh! my brother slept on dry leaves. So Lord Ram did not stay in any building for 14 years. He stayed in Chitrakoot and then when went to Ramtek in Nagpur. Stayed there for few days. Then Agastya Rishi told him to go to Panchavati at bank of Godavari in Nashik. Then from there mother Sita was kidnapped. Then at Rishamukha parvat, Sugariv and Hanuman were staying. Lord stayed here also.

From there Lord Ram got the news Sita maiya is at Lanka. So they all went to Rameshswar. Lord ram went to Lanka and stayed got few months and there the war between Lord Ram and Ravan took place. Kuruksetra war was for 18 days but this war went for many months. From there Lord Ram returns to Ayodya in pushpaka vahan and ruled for 11000 years. So during exile He stayed like a vanavasi.

Gurudev singing ayodyavasi ram…

Hari Bol…