Shri Ram Naumi – Gayatri Mandir, Boondall
By Dharmesh Prasad
“Sarveshu Ramante itihi Ramah”
Jo sab me raman karta hai wo hai Ram, ‘’that which revels in every one of us, the pure self, light of consciousness, the Atman is Ram.
Hindu society of Qld celebrated Shri Ram Naumi Utsav with great zeal and passion, decked with arches, lights and decorations, created an atmosphere of celebration, positivity and anticipation of Ram Janam.
Our life is an Utsav/celebration as such we should celebrate our existence with a balance of spirituality and material prosperity. The Committee received many messages of support and positive feedback from the devotees.
Characterisation of the Ramayana is symbolic, Lord Rama symbolises self-luminous and pure consciousness, there are two different manifestations’, Nirgund and Sargund. When we say Sargund, Lord Ram has manifested/born as a human being to perform the divine play and teach humanity the art of living. Lord Ram lived the Vedas to provide a lesson in life, he had 108 qualities in him that made Ram “Mahapursuh”. Nirgund is the Awareness and Consciousness as Atman – atma rupi bhagwan resides in each of us, it is still present today even though the Sargund Ram has dissolved in the nature-prakriti.
Sita represents the ego, the Jeeva, the mind. As long as Sita’s attention is on Ram, she was ever blissful. Similarly, we are happy as long as we are attuned to the inner-self, thus this is the perfect union of Ram and Sita.
Lakshman personifies tapas-austerity and one pointedness. When desire overtakes us, tapas also leave. But even if we are desiring and covetous, still we may not come to harm if we remain within the confines of discipline and self-control – this is known as Lakashman-Rekha.As soon as we step out of it, we are captured and consumed by the ten headed monster in the form of Ravan.Ten head symbolises five sensory organs (gyan indriya) and five organs of action (karam indriya) This represents the extrovert nature, fulfilment of sensual desires and material affluence which is devoid of spirituality.
Hanumanji Maharaj represents Sharadha bhakti, spiritual inner strength, devotion and faith which proves to us that lord is always with us. Similarly other characters symbolise three modes of nature-gunas, vibihshan – Sattva, Ravan – Rajas and Kumbhkaran – Tamas, these qualities are still present in us today and on a daily basis we need to work on ourselves to be a better version of who we are.
We must not see Ramayana as a story of Lord Ram, Lakshman, Sita, Hanumanji Maharaj but understand that these events are happening to us in our daily lives, as we become astray in life, we suffer the duality of life, we are unable to transcend pain and pleasure hence dukkha – suffering.
Pujinye Pundit Sanat Pandey expounded the Ramayana over nine days, a strong turnout was present daily. His message to devotees was, Lord Ram is the epitome of kindness, compassion, and love. Lord Ram’s wisdom and patience made it possible for him to follow his inner good without worrying about the loss of luxuries and kingship. Pujinye Punditji also explained the valuable life lessons which occurred thousands of years ago yet so relevant today. It is not your position but your service that matters the most, truth always prevails, plant seeds of faith and unity can overcome any difficulty in life. Be deeply committed to your duty (dharma), choose the path of righteousness, remain humble no matter how powerful you become, treat everyone equally and forgiveness is greater than revenge.
HSQ Gayatri Mandir will be organising Bhagwad Gita Atma Gyan Katha – The Song of God from 16 May to 18 May. This spiritual discourse will be delivered by learned Shri Jai Narain Shastriji from Auckland, NZ. Shastriji was born in Kurukshetra, he is a scholar in Sanskrit and has been offering spiritual discourse in Bhagwat Puran, Shri Ram Charitra Manas Katha and Shrimad Bhagwad Gita for last 50 years.
Everyone is invited to participate and immerse in the divine shlokas that reveal the purpose and goal of human existence and provide techniques for implementing spiritual guidelines in our daily lives.
Hindu Society of Queensland has completed CRM/ database project. Many devotees have moved residences and may have new contact details as such we are updating membership details like mobile phone numbers, email address etc. This would assist us to communicate better and update members on latest developments at the mandir. Please contact Secretary Mrs Nirmala Shandil on 0466 436 964 or Vice President/PRO Mrs Neelima Chand on 0405 409 156 or alternatively email us at gayatrimandirqld@gmail.com. Many Thanks for your support.
Upcoming Events
Somwar Shiva Pooja every Monday: 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Ramayan Recital every Tuesday: 7.00pm to 8.30pm
16 May to 18 May – Bhagwad Gita – by Shri Jai Narain Shastri, Auckland
Sundarkand and Trayodashi is held every month at the mandir, for details and sponsorship please kindly visit our website and Facebook page. Regular updates will be sent to all devotees via Facebook and SMS.
Stay Connected with Hindu Society of Queensland
Website www.hindusocietyqld.org.au Facebook: Hindu Society of Qld and email us on gayatrimandirqld@gmail.com Phone: (07) 38653164 Address: 178 Lyndhurst Rd, Boondall QLD
