'Pranapratishtha'

 God created man and Man created Gods is the adage. It is not strange that Gods descended at the end of every eon, yuga to restore dharma. Sri Rama and Sri Krishna are the avatara purushas who are deified and worshiped even today. Rama from Ayodhya and Krishna from Mathura, besides Devi Kamakhya in Assam, are examples. Since divinity is inherent in all jivas, anybody can rise to Godhood. It is common practice to pay obeisance, respect to parents, elders, guests as Gods!  Many Gods are thus said to be born in Bharata. 

 Idol worship is common in Southern States of India/Bharata. Huge impressive temples with Gopuram (seven floor levels) are built by Kings and rich landlords, or even common pious people who collect donations and help build temples. Idols of Gods and Goddesses are carved and installed with sacred mantra of consecration in these temples. Consecration or pranapratishthapana is a common practice before istalling idols and worshiping them. This is just touching ones own hand on the chest as also on the chest of the idol and chant the sacred mantra, thereby, the prana /life-force (vibrating heart-beat) is reverberated and the idol is consecrated, as if, turning the idol into a living God! 

 Instead of worship of the idol, shalagrama worship is found in many northern and eastern parts of Bharata Khanda (Indian Sub-continent). Huge impressive Temples with seven storey Gopuram are constructed and beautiful idols of Radha and Krishna, Rama, Sita, Lakshmana Bharata, Shatrughna, and Hanuman, Lakshmi Devi, Sharada Devi, Annapurneshvari Devi, and many others are found through out the country. We have famous temples like Belur and Halebid, Somanathapura known for architectural excellence with carvings on pillars and the deity Chennakeshava. Tirumala Tirupati Venkateshwara, Thiruvananthapuram Ananthapadmanabha Swamy, Kanchi Kamakshi, Madurai Meenakshi, Badami Banashankari, etc. are important pilgrim centres. The temple towns like Somanatha, Dwarka, Mathura, Varanasi, Ayodhya, are only a few to mention. The list goes on, and on.

 Entire India/Bharata Khanda is traversed by Gods and Goddesses and people have made their idols and worship them. We have the Sri Ram Temple in Chunchankatte  (25 Km from Mysore) where He is said to have resided during exile!, There are Sculptors who get darshan and carve out idols from memory.  Karnataka is said to be the laboratory, workshop, with specialists-sculptors. Jakkanachari has sculptured the idols of Vishnu in Belur and Halebid temples. Thus, we have knowledge and technology of temple construction on scientific and agama shastra rules and regulations. These are dated back to thousands of years and an example is that of a Vishnu temple at Halsi, near Belagavi constructed during the Kadamba dynasty with a stone inscription inside the temple. There is thus a long history of Temple architecture and their sculptors (who have presented us the Belur, Halebid, Airhole, Pattadakal, etc.).

 What is 'Pranapratishtha'? whey, where and how is it done? These are questions that are to be answered by specialists who are well-versed in agama shastra, Veda and Upanishads. We have the Pancharatra agama shastra as the basis of all yantra, mantra, tantra and ways of propitiation of Gods. Some people practice worship of selected Gods and perform yajnya yaga, havan, homa, and other rituals to attain siddhi and use that power for welfare of common people. There are  good, as well as, evil forces, for both welfare and destructive purposes! Society is full of good, as well as, wicked people, who exploit the innocent for their own material benefits. People in distress look for guidance and may fall in trap! Hence some one should guard them and help them. 

  Now, coming to temples, idol worship, and consecration of idols (Pranaprat08ishthapana), there are ancient scriptures that give detailed methods, vidhi, vidhana. However, it should be noted that, this is restricted to only a section of the people who worship idols. Not all are idol-worshipers. May be, it is the Dravidians of Southern India who practice this? There are thousand of temples with varieties of idols of many a different Gods and Goddesses all over the South, i.e, south of Rivers Narmada and Tapti.

   The practice of worship of shalagrama (Basalt/Black Stones) stones found in the Gandaki River. We find some persons selling these stones at exorbitant prices in Star hotels, fooling mostly the innocent tourists! These shalagrama stones are having holes with imprints of molluscs, snails, and jelly-fish-like creatures. They call it by names like Narasimha shalagrama, Vishnu Shalagrama, etc. and worship them. it is also warned here that shalagrama puja has many restrictions. at least, a spoonful of clean water and a Tulsi / basal leaf should be offered daily with utmost sanctity. Also, it is said that not all shalagrama are benevolent; it is thus subject to conditions as advised by pundits.  

Sita Rama

  'Sita Ram'' is the name of Shri Rama after his marriage with Sita. So, Ram Lalla is the boy. His idol is carved out in shalagrama shila (found in the R. Gandaki) and now being installed in the Ayodhya temple on 22nd January. It is that of the boy who had his studies under the great Sages Vasishtha and Vishvamitra. Thus, Sri Ramachandra returns to Ayodhya after his Gurukula studies to the Palace of Dasharatha, in a way! This is Ram lalla's return to Ayodhya. The second return to Ayodhya is that of Vijayotsav (Vijaya Dashami day of dassuerha) after victory over King Ravana. Sita and Rama return to Ayodhya from Lanka. 

  Why Shree Rama is worshiped as God? Shree Rama comes as the Seventh incarnation of Vishnu in treta yuga. But, so far, seven satya,  treta, dva para have passed and the seventh kali yuga is running. The first one is that of the Sun God called Vivasvan and the seventh is vaivasvata manvantara. Seventh manvantara is coming to close with the present kali yuga  in which we are living! There are seven more manvantaras to come with seven more satya, treta, dva para and kali are to come.

  As regards, Shree Rama as God, we have a notion of avatara or esecnt of God in bany form on earth, as 'He Willed! Divinity is inherent in all jivas. Thus, it is no wonder  Godhood comes to any lucky one in any form! Thus, a child born to Kaushalya is deified during treta yuga and we all worship Him as God- incarnate. Divine Incarnation is not new to Hindu mythology. In a way, anybody cane become God since divinity is already inherent in a jiva and it finds expression at appropriate time! That is why the HIndus worship all forms life like animals, plants and trees (such as Cow, Banyan Tree, Tulsi plant and even snakes)! A devout Hindu seeks, recognises, identfies, and visualises the divine form in all that he/she sees! God resides in all and the Vedic texts affirms- "tat srushtva tat eva anupravishat". This means, "Having created, He only entered into it". 

It is reiterated here that, in human beings, the Lord entered the body through the brahma randhra, a hole on the head; it was soft at the time of birth and later on covered by bones,became hard. Thus, the Lord entered the jivas and is seated in the soul (heart?) of all creatures! That is why it is called 'Hari- dayaa', the abode of Sri Hari (Hridaya). 

 Now, this is how the child born to Kaushalya, Ramachandra, is deified! Ramachandra is considered the Seventh avatara of Vishnu, a divine incarnation. Vishnu appeaered as the son of Dahsharatha as a result of the boon given by Fire God, Agni deva after the putrakameshti yajnya he conducted on the advise of the sages..

  Now, about Sita, daughter of King Janaka of Janakapri in Nepal is a different story. Janaka maharaja arranged a svayamvara to select the suitable husband for his daughter Sita. Along with many other kings, Shree Rama also attended the svayamvara.The contest was to break the bow given by Lord Shiva and the valor was judged. Whoever wins the contest will be eligible to marry Rajakumari Sita. Shree Ram attended the svayamvara and succefully broke the shiva dhanus and married Sita. However, as the story goes, King Ravana from Lanka was also there at the svayamvara. He was rich and famous! He was full of ego. He was so proud that he was not looking down at the pedestal while entering the hall. He was about to fall down and all those ladies in the Ladies' Gallery looking at this laughed loud and ths angered him. Amongst the girls was Sita, too, was there. This enraged Ravana who looked at Sita laughing and he decided to carry away her even if she is married!!

   Thus, this story tells us how this episode led to carrying away Sita in disguise. All these stories are told to us during our childhood (for me 80 yers ago!)! What is the real story, history, or the accounts of treta yuga account of Ramayana? Who will tell us? Treta yuga may be just 7500 years ago, if not the story of several millions of years of eons of Yuga ago! For us, it may also be an account of ancient history or/ and one archaeological discovery?

  There is so far no account of research done are established history and archeology or accounts based on research like stone-carvings or inscriptions. We are still looking for some proof about Mahabharata war. A reserach team went to Hastinapura which is just a hundred kilometers away from Delhi. To their surprise they found nothing! When the asked a passer-by, he pointed to five stone pillars and said these are the Pandavas who turned into stone after the dvapara yuga ended! What about the Kauravas? Probably, they all are reduced to ash! That's all! 

 Besides all these, today, we are proud to witness the consecration of the Idol of Sri Ram, sculptured at Mysore by a young MBA Graduate of the family of famous sculptors living in the lane opposite the Palace Office called '. He belongs to the famous family of sculptors living in ane karoti. 'Ane karoti' is the lane where the royal elephants are kept. This idol sculptored by the Mysuru boy is selected as the ideal one for consecration at the GarbhaGruha (sanctum sanctoram). This idol of Sri Ram lalla is the most beautiful one selected out of the three submitted!

  However, it is interesting to know that Koppal near Hospet was a grand Capital city during the Treta yuga and Anajanadr where Hanuman is born is close-by. Even the place of Jambavanta is traced to Jamboti near Belagavi. Sri Ram traversed the entire Bharata, including Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia and his glory spread all over Asia! He actually traversed in Karnata, particularly near about Mysuru. Sita resided near the present Sri Ram Temple at Chunchankatte, near Krishnaraja Nagara, Mysoru. one should visit this place and experience some mysterious things!  

  The real story of Sita Ram is yet to come! There are the spiritual adhyatmic versions besides historical or mythological ones. Who is Sri Ram? Where was he born? Is he a human or God-incarnate Vishnu? Who is King Dasharatha? Where exactly is Ayodhya? Some scholars say that Ramayana took place in Egypt and ocate it at the mouth of R. Nile. What is the date of his regime as a king? Who is Sita? Who is Janaka Maharaja, his dynasty, and where is his palace in Nepal, etc. etc. Thee are all questions of historcal and archaeological research, if not mythology. Anothr question is whether there are any good students interested in this research? Is there any Foundation to fund the research? Has the ICHR or the ICSSR taken any initiative and done any effort in this direction? All these are important questions. We all know stories told in our Saturday extra classes reserved for story telling in primary schools! Beyond this, we are clueless!

"Sri Ram, Jaya Ram, Jai Jai Ram"

 "Sri Ram" is not an ordinary word! It means something more than what is described by Sage Valmiki in the great epic Ramayana. It has mythological, as well as ancient historical, background. It is actually a history of the Treta Yuga! It is well known that God descends to Earth to restore dharma whenever people become unruly, selfish and disregard the dharmic way of life! This is told in the Gita by none other than the Lord Sri Krishna. So, Ramachandra appeared as an incarnation of Vishnu, as the son of King Dasharatha in Ayodhya at the end of treta yuga. In fact, King Dasharatha was performing daily puja of Lord Rama since he belonged to Ikshvaku dynasty. So, he gave the name of Ramachandra to his child! Thus, 'Sri Ram' is actually the Sun God Vivasvan, an incarnation of Vishnu. He appeared as an avatara (incarnation) in the form of a blessed child in the family of King of ayodhya.  

   The meaning and purport of the term 'Ram' is very  sacred and a secret, as well. Let us remember the ancient history of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya Kingdom. King Dasharatha had Kaushalya, Soumitra, and Kaikeyi as maharani, the Royal Queens. Ramachandra and his brothers were born after the putrakameshti yajnya conducted on the advise of Sage Vsishtha. It is stated that Agni Deva (Fire God) gave havis (rice with sweetened milk) to the King asking him to give it to his wives. Queen Kaushalya gave birth to Ramachandra, Queen Kaikeyi gave birth to Bharata and Queen Sumitra gave birth to Lakshmana and Shatrughna. 

  It is common understanding that Kikeyi was interested in her son becoming the king and aked the King to send Rama on exile, It is not to put her son Bharata on the throne, but to enable Rama to see the countryside and learn about the conditions prevailing at that time! Actually, Kaikeyi was very fond of the beautiful child Ramachandra, and seems to be intuitionally aware of divine incarnation! She was in charge of the household as Kaushalya was busy in the management of the Palace and looking after the guests. Sages who visited the palace had a notion that the child Ramachandra is the Seventh Incarnation (avatara) of Lord Vishnu. The Court astrologer told the King Dasharatha that Ramachandra, the first-born, is a divine incarnation and would rule the entire world, not just Ayodhya!

  Kaikeyi loved Rama so much that she wanted this young boy to travel icognito and study the life of people before taking up the responsibility as a king. So she planned the exile! It is not the greed to put her son on the throne but to enable Ramachandra to be a perfect ruer! She was fond of Rama as a child and knew the divine incarnation, as it were! Part of the credit to Rama's name and fame goes to her!

 King Dasharatha ws sad and died soon after Rama left Ayodhya. Ramachandra was not present at the time of death of King Dasharatha and he was found performng the last rites of Jatayu! Lakshmana had to look after the Kingdom as the King, when Rama was exiled. But he was so sad and forlorn that he refused to accept the offer and left to forest with his brother. Thus, Bharata came to be the reluctant King. He too was sad and he accepted to rule the Kingdom on behalf of his eldest brother, keeping the paduka (of Ramachandra) on the throne.

  Birth of Ram is narrated in Valmiki Ramayana. Many others have written Ramayana in their own way! Valmiki Ramayana narrates that Dasharatha conducted many rituals, yajnya, yaga, havan and homa on the advise of sages saints and sadhus. Sage Vasishtha advised putrakameshti yajnya. Thus, the Gods were happy and blessed the King and Ramachandra was born. Ramayana (Bala Kanda) gives the date of birth of Ramachandra. He was born under mithuna rashi (Gemini) and punarvasu nakshatra. (navami shukla paksha of chaitra masa) on January 10, 5114 BCE.

  'Rama Rajya' is a beautiful concept. It is one of equity and justice. It is one of dharma. The extent of the rule of Rama was so wide and known so well starting from Ramses in Western Eurasia to 'Rama' in Thailand. It is even today a model, an ideology, a gospel to emulate!

(...to be contd.)