2 May 2020

Day 2
Sita Rama Katha
Appearance Day of Mother Sita

Jai Sri Rama hor gaya Kama. All endeavours become successful with Rama Nama. Katha commenced yesterday. Today is Day 2.

We were remembering Balakanda, the first sarga of Ramayana which was spoken by Narada Muni. He can also be called Ramada as he gives Rama. He can also be called Krshnada as he gives Krsna. He is the acarya of our Brahma Madhava Gaudiya Sampradaya. Narada Muni gives us Rama, Krsna, and Narayana. He tells us Their Katha and for that purpose he travels throughout the universe. He goes out of the universe also. He even goes to Vaikuntha Goloka. Yesterday we heard Sankshipta Ramayana from Narada Muni. Valmiki Muni tells the latter pastimes. Valmiki Muni reached the banks of River Tamasa with Bharadwaja Muni. The water of that river was very clean, free from garbage. It’s said that this river was as clean as the mind of the sages. Valmiki Muni wanted to take rest on the banks of River Tamasa before taking a bath. At that time he saw two Krauncha birds – a male and a female. In English they are called cranes. One hunter came and killed the male bird. We heard about the state of the female bird. Seeing the condition of the female bird Valmiki Muni felt compassion and cursed the hunter. In his lamentation a verse came from his mouth.

maa nishada pratistham tvamagamahs?svati samaa
yat kraunchamithunaadekam avadhi kaamamohitam

Translation:
“Oh! violent Hunter, by which reason you have killed one bird of the couple, when it was infatuated by passion, for that reason you will never get a state of rest for everlasting years to come…” [1-2-15]

He was surprised as he hadn’t composed a single verse till then. It was in anushtup chandaha or meter. Most of the verses of Bhagavad-Gita are in anushtup chandaha (metres with 8 syllables in a quarter). So the verse being uttered by Valmiki Muni was in anushtup chandaha.

Then while bathing he was thinking whether he had done anything wrong by cursing the hunter? When he was returning from the bath he witnessed one more surprise as four-headed Brahma had appeared there.

aajagaama tatah brahmo lokakartaa svayam prabhuh |
chatur mukho mahaatejaa drastum tam munipungavam ||

Translation:
Then, the great resplendent four-faced creator of fourteen worlds, almighty Brahma, arrived there on his own, to see that eminent saint Valmiki. [1-2-23]

He did padaprakshalan and offered him a seat. While doing everything he was wondering how this verse was spoken by him. Then he asked Brahma who had made him say this verse? Lord Brahma replied, “Everything happened with my blessing. Mother Saraswati made you recite this verse. You composed one verse, but I want you to compose such many verses.”

raamasya charitam kritsnam kuru tvam rishhisattama

Translation:
You shall render the legend of Rama, in its entirety.

In this way, Lord Brahma instructed Valmiki Muni to compose Ramayana describing the life of Lord Rama. How long will this Ramayana remain popular?

yaavat sthaasyanti girayah saritah cha mahiitale |
taavat raamaayana kathaa lokesu pracharisyati ||

Translation:
“As long as the mountains and even rivers flourish on the surface of the earth, so long the legend of Ramayana will flourish in this world… [1-2-36]

Till the time there will be mountains and flowing rivers this Ramayana Katha will keep on spreading. It will be there till there is no annihilation. One person named Sanjay passed away in Delhi. People said that his name will br remembered till the sun and moon exist. The sun and moon are still there, but the name of that person is forgotten. People try to imitate the same things which happened with Rama. People make a big donkey a leader of the assembly of all donkeys. This takes place in the assembly of demons. Valmiki Muni said, “I haven’t seen or listened to this Katha and you are saying I should compose the whole Ramayana.” Lord Brahma replied, “Do not worry. The Katha will be revealed in your heart and you will be able to see all the pastimes.”

Ramayana was already composed when Rama appeared in this world. Only a few pastimes had happened and it was composed. He was 16 years old, He got married, stayed in Ayodhya for some time, went to the forest for 14 years. Yesterday we explained that one washerman was blaming his wife for something and chasing her out of his house and saying that he was not Lord Rama who took Sia back. Seeing this, Lord Rama sent Sita Devi to the forest. She stayed in Valmiki Muni’s asrama. Luv and Kusha were born there. Only 40 years of the 11,000 years had passed. At that time Ramayana was composed.

In one sense all the Lord’s pastimes take place in the present. Pastimes never get destroyed. Hence we call the Lord sat-cit-ananda. We should understand the pastimes of Lord in truth.

janma karma ca me divyam
eva? yo vetti tattvata?
tyaktv? deha? punar janma
naiti m?m eti so ’rjuna

Translation:
One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.[ BG 4.9]

We should understand kathas with siddhanta or philosophy. We shouldn’t be lazy in understanding the siddhant. Srila Prabhupada also repeatedly spoke about siddhanta. We should hear and repeat katha while understanding the siddhanta. There is the Sandhini potency of the Lord which maintains everything. Sandhini comes from sat, Samvit from cit and Hladini from ananda.
Sandhini potency keeps everything fresh. What is the Hladini potency of the Lord? Lord Rama’s Hladini potency is Sita. This potency gets personified. She appeared today in this universe in Lord Rama’s pastimes. She appeared in the Prakat Lila. When there is a situation Lord Rama appears. Whenever there is a decline in religious principles the Lord has to descend. Hence such pastimes are called prasangika lila, Lilas which have a reason behind it. Lord Brahma is telling Valmiki Muni that he will witness all these pastimes.

iti uktvaa bhagavaan brahmaa tatra eva antaradhiiyata |
tatah sa shishhyo bhagavaan munih vismayam aayayau ||

Translation:
On saying thus that Divinity Brahma vanished then and there only, and then that godly sage Valmiki came by astonishment, along with his disciples. [1-2-38b-c]

By saying this Lord Brahma went back to Brahmaloka or Satyaloka on his hamsa. Then Valmiki Muni composed Ramayana.
Earlier Valmiki Muni was a dacoit named Ratnakar. He would rob many people. Then Narada Muni reached there. What can be stolen from him? He just has the pearls of the holy names of Lord Rama. He asked Ratnakar to chant the names of Lord Rama. He was chanting mra mra mra and then it became ram ram ram. Earlier he was doing offensive chanting and then ceto darpana marjanam happened. There is one verse in Ramayana about the glories of chanting the Lord’s name.

Rama Nama Rama Nama Ram namaiva kevalam

By chanting the holy name, he became Valmiki. Valmik or an anthill grew where Valmiki Muni was chanting the Lord’s name. All ants ate his flesh and just his bones and the Lord’s name was there. Hence Lord Brahma said to Valmiki that he was great amongst the sages. He composed the Ramayana and then he was thinking who will spread this Ramayana. He had accomplished his task. It was not only writing of the books, but distribution was also necessary. While Valmiki Muni was thinking like this Luv and Kusha came and sat in front of him. They were the sons of Mother Sita. They were reflections of Lord Rama. Seeing them Valmiki Muni thought that they will spread Ramayana. Valmiki Muni trained and taught them Ramayana. They were srutidhar hence they understood as they heard. They started to speak the Ramayana in song form. Similarly, Sukadeva Goswami became a preacher of Bhagavad Katha as he heard it. Both of them were practicing in describing the pastimes of Lord Rama which has all the mellows – virya, raudra, madhurya, hasya. This Katha is full of the different mellows and hence Ramayana is called Mahakavya or great epic.

Luv and Kusha spread this Katha at various places and Munis who were hearing this Katha were developing all the ecstatic symptoms. The audio would turn into a video and they would witness all the pastimes of the Lord. Then some of the Risis would come forward and embrace them, touch their feet, smell their head, and give them various gifts. In this way one day they reached Ayodhya and started Rama Katha. This became the talk of the town. As they were describing this Katha, people would sit and hear. If they started to walk people would follow them. This news reached Lord Rama. Lord Rama wanted to hear this Katha. Luv and Kusha were called into the assembly where all the personalities were present. Then the Katha started.

In this way, we come to the 4th sarga. As the Katha started Lord Rama was sitting on His throne. He thought, “I shouldn’t sit on a high throne,” Considering this as inappropriate from the point of view of the listeners, He stood up and sat at the feet of Luv and Kusha. And He started to hear the Katha from them.

Today is the appearance day of Mother Sita. Lord Rama appeared on Navami and Mother Sita also appeared on Navami. This is not a coincidence, but this is an arrangement of the Lord. Sita Mata appeared in Janakpuri or Mithila. Hence She is called Maithili. One of my god sisters was named Maithili Devi Dasi by Srila Prabhupada. She displayed her courage as the municipal officials came to destroy the altar of Sri Sri Radha Rasabihari at Juhu, Mumbai. She told them, “You have to cross over my dead body to get to the altar.” I’ve described the incident in Bombay Is My Office. Her name is Janaki also. There is Sita Sahasranam like Radha Sahasranam. Janaka Maharaja wanted to perform a sacrifice at that time and they were preparing the place for the sacrifice by ploughing the land. Janaka Maharaja was plowing it with the help of bulls, but the plough got stuck. There he found Mother Sita. In the same way, King Vrishabhanu also found Radha on the lotus. They didn’t appear in maternity homes. With this we can understand that the Lord’s birth is transcendental.

Sita Mata’s mother Sunaina was somewhere else and Sita Mata is appearing at another place. Who can give birth to a personality like Sita? She is sakti tatva. All such personalities are eternal and ever-existing. All incarnations appear from their respective abodes and like that only Sita appeared today. There is a place known as Sitamadhi where Sita Mata disappeared. She appeared from the earth and again disappeared into the earth. There is no doubt that by the mercy of Sita we get Rama. satyam satyam punaha punaha Without the mercy of Radha no one can get Krsna. In the same way, to get darsana and the service of Lord Rama we need to go through Sita. We get the mercy of Mother Sita through Guru parampara.

Soon we will get darsana of Radha Pandharinatha. Radha expands as Sita when Krsna expands as Rama. Krsna is theprimeval Lord and Radharani is adi prakrti. Krsna’s expansion is Rama and Radha’s expansion is Sita.

Thank you
Hare Krishna