Sita Rama Katha Day 3

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3 May 2020

Day 3

Sita Rama Katha

Hare Krishna. Welcome all. Here devotees of ISKCON Pandharpur are participating in Katha. Katha is being telecasted from Pandharpur and hence it is obvious that Pandharpur devotees are taking part in this Katha. Devotees from different parts of the world are doing sravanam. Devotees from 862 locations are taking part in the Katha which has been organized on the occasion of Sita Navami.

Today is the third day of the Katha. Tomorrow is Mohini Ekadasi. The subject remains the same, whether you do Katha of Rama or Syama. Sometimes stupid people sing ” Kabhi Rama banke, kabhi syama banke ” or they sing ” Kabhi Sai Baba banke” If this is the case then you have not understood Siddhanta. So there will be no change in the topic. Krsna is Rama. As Kunti Maharani says…..

maya-javanikacchannam
ajñadhoksajam avyayam
na laksyase mudha-drsa
nato natyadharo yatha

Translation:
Being beyond the range of limited sense perception, You are the eternally irreproachable factor covered by the curtain of deluding energy. You are invisible to the foolish observer, exactly as an actor dressed as a player is not recognized. [SB 1.8.19]

…that in each drama the actor remains the same, but his dress keeps on changing. He looks different. His name also changes. His costumes are also different. The actor remains the same. Kunti Maharani is informing us of this .

kesava dhrita-rama-sarira jaya jagadisa hare
kesava dhrita-narahari-rupa jaya jagadisa hare

How many times does this have to be said?

advaitam acyutam an?dim ananta-r?pam
?dya? pur??a-puru?a? nava-yauvana? ca
vede?u durlabham adurlabham ?tma-bhaktau
govindam ?di-puru?a? tam aha? bhaj?mi

Translation:
“I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda (K???a), who is the original person—absolute, infallible, without beginning. Although expanded into unlimited forms, He is still the same original, the oldest, and the person always appearing as a fresh youth. Such eternal, blissful, all-knowing forms of the Lord are usually not understood by even the best Vedic scholars, but they are always manifest to pure, unalloyed devotees.”[ Brahma-sa?hit? (5.33)]

anadi rupam. All expansions are one. These incarnations are eternal. Then there is Mina sarira (Fish incarnation). There are Varaha Rupa and Kalki incarnation also. All these are stories of the same subject only. Govindam adi purusam.

r?m?di-m?rti?u kal?-niyamena ti??han
n?n?vat?ram akarod bhuvane?u kintu
k???a? svaya? samabhavat parama? pum?n yo
govindam ?di-puru?a? tam aha? bhaj?mi

Translation:
The Lord is situated as Himself, Lord K???a, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He is accompanied by His expansions like Lord R?ma, Baladeva, Sa?kar?a?a, N?r?ya?a, Mah?-vi??u and so forth. The devotees worship all these forms according to their liking, and the Lord, out of His affection, presents Himself as arc?-vigraha.[Brahma-sa?hit? (5.39)]

There are many forms, but the cause of all incarnations is only one – Krsna. Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed His six hands Shad-bhuja-darsana to Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya in Jagannatha Puri. In two hands there was a bow and arrow. The colour of His hands was the same as yesterday when Radha Pandharinatha appeared as Sita Rama. In the other 2 hands, there was a flute with the colour like that of Ghanshyama. And in the other two hands was a danda and kamandalu having a golden complexion. At different times the Lord appears.

sambhavami yuge yuge

In Treta-yuga the Lord appears before ten lakh years. Very few people know this or have faith in this. Ramayana is an Itihaas, a History. But today’s historians begin their history from Lord Buddha, 2500 years ago. There was Lord Buddha and King Ashoka. They say there were no human beings before that, only monkeys. Darwin’s theory is there which is just speculation. They don’t know that the Mahabharata war happened 5000 years ago. They say all these are fictitious stories. 9 – 10 lakh years ago there was Ayodhya which was the best city. They say this is not possible and people were living in caves and were using stones to fight. This is the belief of most people today. It is also important for listeners to have faith that Lord Rama was there. He came to Pacavati and Ramtek, in Nagpur in Maharashtra. Lord Rama was there in Dandakaranya meaning Dandak Aranya just like Vrinda’s forests or Vrindavan.

I was in Los Angeles and they were celebrating the foundation day of Los Angeles. I asked them how old is your Los Angeles? They replied that Los Angeles is a very old city, 200 years old. Srila Prabhupada would say this is Kupamanduk philosophy or Dr. Frog’s philosophy. This is the understanding of people. They are our brothers and sisters. They think that if it is 200 years old means it is very old. How old is Ayodhya? Just saying 9 to 10 lakh years old is also an offence against the dhama.

The Dhama is eternal. This understanding is transcendental. We are trying to understand this Katha with the right understanding. Valmiki Muni had seen this dhama and he was shown all the pastimes by Lord Brahma and Narada Muni. All these pastimes can be understood by the soul, not by our mind or intelligence. These pastimes are inconceivable, hence they should be accepted as it is. This is called Avaroha Pantha.

eva? parampar?-pr?ptam
ima? r?jar?ayo vidu?
sa k?leneha mahat?
yogo na??a? paran-tapa

Translation:
This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time, the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it appears to be lost. [BG 4.2]

These pastimes are being explained since that time. Luv and Kush began it and then it continues by disciplic succession. We need to hear it with humility.

vidy?-vinaya-sampanne
br?hma?e gavi hastini
?uni caiva ?va-p?ke ca
pa??it?? sama-dar?ina?

Translation:
The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle br?hma?a, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].[ BG 5.18]

Brahman is humble.The more one gets knowledge, the more one becomes humble. Knowledge makes one humble. The hope and prayer is that by hearing Katha we will become humble and qualified to understand this Katha and become patra. Do you understand Patra or vessel? There is a patra and there is a chalani or a vessel with holes. If you keep something in a vessel with holes then it may get lost and you won’t find it next time. It is necessary so that we become qualified.

When Lord Rama was young Vishwamitra Muni came from Siddha Ashram. He was welcomed in the Assembly of King Dasaratha. Then King Dasaratha asked Vishwamitra Muni what they could do so that all his requests could be fulfilled. He said, “Just give me your Rama.” In English we say, your wish is my command. When King Dasaratha heard this then his vatsalya bhava was awakened. King Dasaratha asked Vishwamitra Muni, “Where you are going to take Them?” Then Vishwamitra Muni said,”I will take Rama and Laksmana to the forest where we do yajna. They will protect us as. There are so many demons”. When Dasaratha heard this then he fell unconscious. When he came back to consciousness then King Dasaratha said, “My son is too young. He is just 15 years old. My son is a rajeeva locana.” How is he? He has eyes like lotus petals. He was not meant to say that his son is beautiful, but as He is rajeeva locana He feels sleepy at night. Then how will He protect the yajnas during the night? Then Vishwamitra Muni got angry. He knew who Lord Rama was. He knew Lord Rama is Purushottama. He knew that He can kill all the demons who are creating so many obstacles. King Dasaratha was not aware of this because of Yogamaya due to his fatherly affection. Both had different feelings. Vishwamitra Muni wanted to glorify Lord Rama and Laksmana as They would go to Siddha Ashram. Once Radha Govinda Maharaja was saying that when King Dasaratha heard all this he said: “He is my son and how is it that you can know more about Him?” Vatsalya Bhava hides the “bhagawatta” of the Lord. Then Rama and Laksmana went to Siddha Ashram, where Sri Rama kills Tadaka.

He starts the killing of the demons. In Krsna’s pastimes Putana was the first demoness to be killed by Him. Then Subahu was killed. Marici was wounded and was taken to Lanka as he was going to be useful in future pastimes. At the time of the kidnapping of Mother Sita, all things were explained to him by Ravana. Ravana had told him to become a deer and run. Rama would follow him and kill him. Then Marici replied, “ We should not go to Rama. I’ve experienced it and I know.” He was asking Ravana, “Do you want to die?” He said that he was just about to die, but was saved. Then Ravana said, ‘Do you want me to kill you?’ Then Marici agreed to die by Lord Rama’s hands.

Janakpuri or Mithila was not far from Siddha Ashram. Vishwamitra Muni along with Rama and Laksmana proceeded towards Mithila. On the way Ahilya Uddhar took place. They were welcomed in Janakpuri. At that time Sita’s Swayamvar was going on. Sita was about to garland Her husband. Who was to be selected as Her husband? One who can lift and string Lord Siva’s bow. No king was able to lift the bow and if someone was able to lift it, he was unable to string it. Ravana had also tried. Everyone wanted Mother Sita as their wife. King Janaka asked Vishwamitra Muni whether Rama could try.

They were taken to the king’s assembly by 5000 soldiers. I heard that Sita played with the bow as one plays with a toy horse. She is Rama’s Sita. She is not ordinary. Then Lord Rama came. Sita was also there. The groom was there and the bride was also there. Everyone wanted Rama to be successful. King Janaka started to think, “It would have been better if hadn’t kept this condition of lifting the bow”. He wanted Lord Rama as Sita’s husband. He was thinking what will happen if He could not lift it . Then Lord Rama took Vishwamitra Muni’s blessings and circumambulated the bow.

He lifted the bow with His left hand and put pratyancha on it and the bow broke into pieces. There was a tumultuous sound and only five personalities remained standing. The five personalities were Rama, Laksmana, Vishwamitra, Janaka, and Sita.

Everyone congratulated Rama as they got up. Mother Sita was ready with a garland and She made Her way to Lord Rama. But She was stopped by Lord Rama saying that He needed to take into consideration the opinion of His father. A message was sent to Ayodhya and all Ayodhyavasis came in 6 days. King Dasaratha agreed, but also said that his remaining sons should also get married. Then discussions started. King Janaka had two daughters Sita and Urmila. King Janaka’s name was Siradwaja. His other brother was there named Kushadhwaja who had two daughters named Mandavi and Srutakirti. Mandavi got married to Bharat and Srutakirti married Satraguna. Then the mass marriage took place as it is said today. They returned to Ayodhya.

Lord Rama had to go to exile. Mother Sita insisted that She will also follow Lord Rama. Laksmana also followed. They reached Ramtek and He took the vow to free the earth from demons. They stayed at Pancavati. The 5 trees are still there. Ravana abducted Mother Sita from there. Lord Rama was calling ‘Site Site’ but only the trees were responding. These lilas are taking place in Aranyakand. Then They meet Sugriva and Hanuman in Kishkindha kand. In Sunderkand Hanuman is successful in finding Mother Sita. As he shared this with Lord Rama, the Lord embraced him. Then they constructed a bridge over the ocean, fought the war, and emerged victorious on the day of Dasami. Sukadev Goswami has described the qualities of Mother Sita when he was describing Ramayana in Srimad Bhagavatam.

prem??nuv?tty? ??lena
pra?ray?vanat? sat?
bhiy? hriy? ca bh?va-jñ?
bhartu? s?t?haran mana?

Translation:
Mother S?t? was very submissive, faithful, shy, and chaste, always understanding the attitude of her husband. Thus by her character and her love and service she completely attracted the mind of the Lord.[SB 9.10.55]

At the end of the war, Lord Rama went to Ashoka Vatika and saw Mother Sita. They saw and met each other. Then they flew back to Ayodhya where Bharat was waiting for Them. They were welcomed by all. And then Rama became Raja Rama.

Sita Rama Laksmana Hanuman Ji ki jay
Gaur Premanande

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