Lord Vishnu's 7th Avatar on planet earth, that of Lord Ram, is elucidated below: King Dasrath of Ayodhya was childless, with all 3 of his wives not being blessed. Then he performed a Yagna, through which he obtained a magic potion that, when drunk by his wives, would help them bear children. The eldest of the 4 sons born to him was Ram. The 3rd son, Lakshman, is said to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu's Seshanag (snake on which he rests in the milky ocean). That is why he is portrayed as a hot-tempered person, ready to give his life for his elder brother. Lord Ram was a genial person and an obedient son, who displayed qualities of valour in his early days. He won the hand of Sita, the daughter of King Janaka, in a Swayamvar (contest), where he strung the bow of Lord Shiva, and also broke it. It is here when Lord Parasurama, the 6th Avatar of Lord Vishnu, confronts Lord Ram, but is humbled by the Lord's prowess. When Lord Ram is to be crowned the new King of Ayodhya, Dasratha's 2nd wife, Kaikeyi is misguided by her servant Manthra into thinking that her son, Bharat, will become powerless. So she takes advantage of an old promise by her husband, and orders Lord Ram to be sent to Vanvaas (living in the jungle) for 14 years. Lord Ram does not question her decision, but simply takes the blessing of his parents and starts his journey. Sita and Lakshman insist on accompanying him. Incidentally, 14 years is also the term of a life sentence in modern day India. One day in the forest, Soorpanakha, sister of Lanka's king Ravana, fell in love with Lord Ram. But her advances were nipped in the bud by Lakshman, who cut her nose. This angered Ravana, who, in the disguise of a a Brahmin beggar, kidnapped Sita. Then, Lord Ram meets Hanuman, who becomes his loyal devotee, and together with the monkey-king Sugriva, launches an attack on Lanka to get back his wife. The above photo shows Lord Ram flanked by Sita and Lakshman, and he is seen blessing Hanuman. This entire episode, as described in the Ramayan, has been supported by several places found in modern day Sri Lanka. These will be detailed in another post later. After defeating Ravana and making his younger brother Vibhishana king of Lnaka, Lord Rama returns to Ayodhya to a joyous welcome and is crowned King. He then starts his journey of being an able administrator and a righteous King. Even today, Ramrajya is synonymous with "Golden Rule", and Lord Ram is referred to as "Maryada Purshottam", or Ultimate Righteous Person. So, from this Avatar of Lord Vishnu, that of Lord Ram, we come across a refined, cultured, simple, upright and righteous human being. He belong sto an era when promises were kept and where justice was meted out to everyone. This follows the crude Avatar of Lord Parasurama, and thus the modern evolution process is justified: Matsya (fish-aquatic) -> Kurma (tortoise-amphibian) -> Varaaha (boar-mammal) -> Narasimha (half animal - half man) -> Vamana (pygmy-human) -> Parasurama (early man) -> Ram (righteous man) This Avatar is followed by Lord Krishna, epitome of the modern day strategist and cunning planner. Till next time,
