Ram Navami

By

Sri Swami Atmaswarupananda

Early Morning Meditation Talk given in the Sacred Samadhi Hall of Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj, Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh

If we wanted to build a great temple, we would want the finest materials, expert architecture and skilled craftsmen. But all that will be of little use unless we build our temple on a solid foundation. And so too it is with our lives. We are meant to be living temples of the indwelling Spirit. Through various spiritual practices we are meant to build a beautiful temple. But unless there is a solid foundation, sooner or later the temple will collapse.

In the Vedic way of life, the temple is built through yoga, and the supreme exemplar of yoga is Lord Krishna. But the foundation of the temple of our life–the irreplaceable necessity–is dharma. And today is the special worship of the avatar of dharma, Lord Rama. But dharma is far more than ethical behaviour; dharma is the expression of God in manifestation. Therefore, dharma is not only the foundation of our spiritual life, it is actually the essence of the edifice as well.

The only purpose of our birth is to express God on earth, and that is what dharma is. Therefore, our worship today omits no aspect of our spiritual life from the bottom to the highest point of the superstructure. It represents a dedication to be a perfect vehicle of the Lord. May we worship in that spirit, and may our lives be an expression of that worship.

As further worship on this auspicious Rama Navami day, The Divine Life Society of Maryland has organized a 4th Global International 24 hour Non-stop Japa Yajna of the Sacred Mrityunjaya Mantra. Divine Life devotees from around the world will repeat this sacred Mantra, which most appropriately this time will be offered for world peace and the spiritual upliftment of all mankind. May God and Gurudev bless us all in the celebration this morning as well as our participation in this worldwide Japa Yajna.