Rammandir to Rashtramandir
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We witnessed surcharged atmosphere of enthusiasm, devotion and sense of happiness for being part of the historical moment throughout Bharat regarding the consecration of Ram temple at Ayodhya. Many artists, writers, speakers and various people have dedicated and are still dedicating their tributes in various ways to welcome Shri Rama. Many singers were singing a song with their devotion and talent, 'Mere jhopadi ke bhag Aaj khula jayenge Ram aayenge -The fortune of my hut will frutify today, as Rama will come in it'. That song filled the joy in the hearts of many. What is the meaning of this song? This is not the meaning that only Rama is being enshrined in the temple of his birth place. There is a deeper, almost a mystic meaning to it.
It is said about Shri Rama by his admirers as well as opponents that, 'Ramo Vigrahavan Dharmah - रामो विग्रहवान् धर्म:।' - If we want to see the form of Dharma, then it will be like Rama. That is, Shri Rama is the embodiment of Dharma. From life of Sri Rama we can understand and learn how to follow Dharma. Dharma is not religion, in the sense of worshipping a specific form of God, in a specific prescribed way. But Dharma is a way of life based on oneness of existence and striving to realise that oneness. Thus for a Dharmik the basis of life is truth, purity, compassion for all and cheerful performance of duties towards family, society, nation and the whole existence. Swami Vivekananda used to say, 'Dharma is the life-center of India.' And the form of Dharma is Shri Ramchandra. Therefore, Shri Rama is the concretised form of life-center of India.
About 500 years ago, invaders attacked Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple and destroyed that temple. For 500 years, many have tried, fought to establish Shri Ramchandra in the temple at his birthplace. Many brave sacrificed everything they had, even their lives for it. They kept striving to overcome the pain and negativity that had come because of destruction of the temple, by facing the situation with courage, and used all their strength to change the situation. Those who were common people gradually became victims of this pain and hence became dejected and turned away from their duties, from uprightness in life. The third type of people, denied the very existence of not just the temple but even Sri Rama to forget that inner pain. These were three ways in which the people of India faced and endured this sorrow as Sri Rama belongs to all.
But now, Shri Rama is again established in the temple at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. This has a deep, mystic and subtle meaning in the collective subconscious of the people of Bharat. The Pranapratishtha ceremony should not be considered as just one incident. There are certain mystic meanings beyond history, and logic. The song that was sung by so many since last month that, 'My hut would be very fortunate as Sri Rama will enter it today' that hut is not just any hut. That hut is our heart. The karmic poverty, negation, pain, avoiding duties, falsehood, lack of self discipline, hopelessness etc. that was there in our life due to being deprived of Sri Rama would vanish as Sri Rama would enter it.
Sri Rama is going to be established in our hearts also as the he is now in the temple at Ayodhya. The fate of this hut-our heart is changing and that is why just as Sri Rama is revered in the temple of Shri Ramjanmabhoomi, similarly every person of India would enshrine Sri Rama in his life too by practicing Dharma. Sri Rama will definitely be established in our hearts even if with only little effort we invoke Him with devotion and action. We all have to do that Pranapratishtha of Sri Rama in our hearts.
The enthusiasm, readiness to work, discipline and commitment that we see in the life of Shri Ramchandra will be reflected in our lives too. The earlier wrong-doings, transgressions, offences that we committed against our nation, Dharma, people for last few generations would be erased with this Pranapratishtha done by each one of us in our hearts. Sri Rama has come! Sri Rama would come in our hearts too. He belongs to all.
Deepotsav was celebrated on 22 January, as Diwali was celebrated when Shri Ramchandra returned to Ayodhya. Similarly, we will celebrate the festival of lights by removing the darkness of Tamas, the darkness of lust, the darkness of indiscipline, the darkness of laziness in our lives. If we welcome Shri Rama in our heart, if
we welcome him in our life and in our work, then our life will definitely become blessed and enlightened. This Ram-mandir will emerge as a Rashtra-mandir.
We will start our journey from Ram Mandir to Rashtra Mandir if with Pranpratistha in the temple we too continue the Pranapratishtha in our hearts. Shri Ramchandra, who lived gloriously his entire life with his utmost compassion for all and commitment to duty, became an embodiment of Dharma, in the same way we will also transform and elevate our lives. This song that we sang and are still singing, 'The fortune of my hut will frutify today, as Rama come', has this deeper meaning. Our heart will now give up pettyness, selfishness, and will become a grand place to enshrine the Divine in it i.e. it will encompass the whole society rooted in practice of Dharma. Bharat thus established in Dharma will guide and benefit the mankind.
When we are enshrining Shri Ramchandra in our hearts, making our lives blessed, then the meaning of Dharma in our lives will not be limited only to worship, but will mean doing always that what sustains the society, to make it a caring society, a society which is based on oneness. Our nation with such elevated, caring, affluent and spritual society will guide the world to teach the deeper meaning of Dharma. If we strive like this to do Pranapratishtha of Sri Rama in our hearts, our life will become fortunate. When our life will be lived with evolved consciousness then definitely Bharat will also become a Jagat-Guru and she will teach the whole world the deeper meaning of Dharma by living it.
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