ShrIrAmanavamI information

[Anand Hudli]

 || shrI gaNeshAya namaH ||

 The birthday of shrIrAmachandra, known as the rAmanavamI is
 celebrated in the world by offering Him worship, reading the
 rAmAyaNa, singing His bhajans, and so on. There are a number
 of versions of the saga of rAma that is the rAmAyaNa, with the
 rAmAyaNa of Vaalmiiki being considered the most authentic. For
 those with a philosophical/spiritual bent of mind, the adhyaatma
 rAmAyaNa, said to be occurring in the BrahmANDa purANa, is generally
 the preferred choice, especially in Northern India, where the
 rAmAyaNa of Tulsidas is also extremely popular. The adhyaatma
 rAmAyaNa combines the story of rAma, that has fascinated so many
 people all over the world, and pure bhakti (devotion) with the aim
 of achieving true jnaana. Many hymns in the text attempt to
 reconcile nondualism with bhakti.


 chaitrashukle tu navamI punarvasuyutA yadi |
 saiva madhyaahnayogena mahaapuNyatamA bhavet |
                             (agastya-saMhitA)

 According to this saying, shrIrAmanavamI which confers
 greatest merit should be observed during noon on the day
 when the ninth lunar day (navamI) of the bright half (shukla
 paxa) of the lunar month chaitra prevails along with the
 asterism of ShrIrAma's birth, punarvasu.

 If the punarvasu asterism does not prevail thus, but the other
 conditions are met, the rAmanavamI may still be observed.

 If the navamI does not prevail during the noon on any day or if
 the navamI extends over the noon of two consecutive days, the
 rAmanavamI is to be observed on the day when the navamI ends.

 This year, chaitra shukla-navamI begins on Saturday the 4th of
 April, at about 3:30 AM Eastern Standard Time (EST) and ends at
 about 4:00 AM EST on Sunday the 5th of April. This means  for that
 all of North America and, possibly most of western Europe as well,
 the navamI prevails during the noon on Saturday the 4th. So the
 ShrIrAmanavamI should be observed on the 4th in the these areas of
 the world.

 But in India, the same rAmanavamI should be observed  on
 Sunday the 5th because the navamI extends from about 2:00 PM IST
 on the 4th to about 2:30 PM on the 5th, and thus makes the navamI
 prevail during the noon on the 5th.

 rAma rAmeti rAmeti rame rAme manorame |
 sahasranaama tattulyaM rAmanaama varaanane |

 (Shrii Mahaadeva said to Paarvatii): O Beautiful One!
 The name of rAma is equal to the one thousand names of
 ViShNu (ViShNusahasra-nAma). I thus rejoice in (uttering the
 mantra) "rAma rAma rAma" that delights the mind.

 Anand

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