The holy and auspicious event Rama Navami happens to celebrate the avatar of Lord Vishnu, Sri Rama. In every yuga, whenever there is harm to Dharma, God descends to Earth and protects it; he protects his people and sets the balance of nature back. In all the Yugas, God took avatar and performed his duty toward righteousness.
Sri Rama came to Earth in Treta Yuga to terminate the demon king Ravana. Ram is considered the 7th avatar of Lord Vishnu, while Krishna being the 8th. Rama is also called “Maryada Purshottam” for the kind of person he was and the kind of life he lived. The man was an ideal husband, a role model to his brothers, a perfect son, and a responsible father. He always respected everyone and was always within his limits while protecting Dharma.
He served as the kind and great king of Ayodhya after his father, Dashrath. Rama Navami is celebrated to remember such mesmerizing form of Lord Vishnu, and people consider the day as his birthday. In several places, the event is also considered to be the wedding day of Sri Rama with Mata Sita.
Lord Rama always gained respect for living a pure life and doing no harm to anyone. He was the divine being on Earth who got people rid of Ravana and his cruelness. He liberated his wife Sita after Ravana kidnapped him during the exile period of Rama. Throughout his life, he saved many lives and guided people with his grace.
He is the Ram who ate tasted berries of his ardent devotee, a tribal woman named “Shabari.” It is believed that Shabari was an elderly woman who wanted to attain the peace of salvation. Upon his Guru’s advice, she wanted to serve Sri Rama. Every day she used to pluck berries and taste them. Shabari would keep the berries that were sweet in taste and discard the bitter ones.
When Sri Rama reached her place while roaming in the Jungle, Shabari offered those tasted berries to her Lord and found immense peace and happiness.
The Delicacies of Sri Rama Navami
Sri Ramanavami is celebrated by everyone at the end of the Spring. To some places, the occasion also marks the beginning of New Year. People take an early bath; some also visit the holy rivers and take a dip. They wear clean clothes and visit any Ram or Vishnu temple. They offer prayers to the Lord, chant his mantras, and read the sacred book Ramayana.
Some people also observe fast during the occasion and break it in the evening after the final Puja. It is said that keeping Rama in your heart and mind on the day purifies one’s soul and gets him rid of all fears. It gives us mental clarity so we can make the right decisions in life and make our life heaven while living on Earth.
There are different delicacies that are prepared on the day:
Panakam
This is a drink that refreshes our minds instantly and cools us down. This is simple to make by using jaggery, ginger powder, and pepper powder. Cardamom and cloves can be used additionally to give it a more improved flavor. All these ingredients are blended with water; the recipe is very simple to make, plus it is a very beneficial drink to have.
Vada Pappu
Making Vada Pappu is filling, and it is highly nutritious. The recipe includes soaked Moong Lentil, which is added with coconut and other spices. To make it even delicious, you can add lime water and ginger. People can customize it as per their taste pallet, but in every modification, it tastes delicious, and hence it is one of the important Prasadams of the day.
Spiced Buttermilk
Buttermilk is produced when the curd is churned for butter. The remaining water from the process is called buttermilk. The liquid, when gets added with mild spices and some salt, it tastes heavenly. It is particularly good for cooling down the body’s heat and hence it is a perfect drink for summer. People often add asafetida, salt, slit chilies, and jeera with some mint leaves.
Rama Navami is one of the significant Hindu festivals. Worshipping Rama on the day unlocks his grace which helps people in their lives with different segments.
