Shri Ram The 7th Avatar of Vishnu & Reasons for his Avatar

Lord Vishnu is known for his many unique avatars on the planet. One of them is Lord Ram, who is considered one of the most renowned avatars connected with many big Hindu festivals. He is known for his righteousness and discipline that were clearly visible throughout his life span. Let us find out more about Lord Vishnu’s 7th Avatar Shri Ram.

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Shri Rama’s Birth and Family

Lord Ram was born to King Dashrath of Ayodhya and his wife Kaushalya on the ninth day of Vasant Navratri as per the Hindu calendar. Due to this reason, his birthday is celebrated as Ram Navmi.

Being born in a royal family, he lived a luxurious life in his childhood. Lord Ram also had three siblings- Lakshman, Bharat, and Shatrughan. All three of them were completely devoted to their elder brother. The love and respect among all the brothers had no match.

Although he never had the lack of anything in his life as a child, Shri Ram was known for his groundedness and simplicity.

Later, he married Sita, the daughter of King Janak. His life is known for being quite challenging as he had to go through an exile of 14 years with his wife and younger brother Lakshman where Sita was kidnapped by the demon Ravana.

This led to one of the greatest wars in history. The day when Ravana was killed is known as Dussehra to celebrate the victory of good over evil. The epic Ramayana states the complete sequence of Lord Ram’s life events.

Coming back to the article’s title, let us find out this avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Why did Vishnu take Rama avatar?

There have been multiple stories associated with the birth of Shri Ram, but what are the major reasons behind Shree ram’s avatar? Well, Lord Shiva has explained some of them.

Narad Muni’s Curse

One of the reasons behind the ram avatar is the curse given by Narad muni to God Vishnu. Narad muni is known as one of the biggest followers of Bhagwan Vishnu. You might be wondering, then how come Narad Muni cursed him?

It happened once that Narad muni was so proud of his soberness and kept telling Lord Shiva about how nobody could distract him from his spiritual path. When Lord Shiva heard this, he warned Narad muni to not discuss this with Lord Vishnu.

But he repeated the same in front of Lord Vishnu. As a result, he decided to make him realize his mistake. One day, on his walk, Narad muni crossed a kingdom where he saw the beautiful arrangements of a princess’s wedding. He got attracted and wanted to marry her.

He asked Shree Vishnu to make him look good so that the princess chose him for marriage. When he went to the kingdom, the princess made fun of him because his face had turned similar to a monkey’s face. He was ashamed and embarrassed, and, in return, he cursed Lord Vishnu that he too would suffer the pain of segregation from his wife.

The Tale of Jay and Vijaya

These two names have also played a great role in Lord Ram’s avatar. They are known as the gatekeepers of the Vaikuntha, the place where Lord Vishnu resides.

They were cursed by Lord Brahma’s four sons – Sanaka, Sanadana, Sanatkumara, Sanatana, when they visited Lord Vishnu and were stopped by Jay and Vijaya. The gatekeepers didn’t allow them to meet him because he was resting.

When the four Kumaras heard this, they cursed them that they had to suffer the cycle of birth and death on earth. It was their belief that Lord Vishnu was always available for his disciples.

As a result, they were known as Hiranyakashipu and Hirankasha in their first life. Ravana and Kumbhakaran, in the second birth, were killed by Lord Ram’s avatars and freed themselves from the curse.

Story of Jalandhar

Jalandhar is an infamous demon who was too proud of his abilities and considered himself equal to the Devtas. When all the limits were exceeded, Lord Shiva decided to teach him a lesson and fought a battle with him. Still, Jalandhara was undefeatable at that time because of his wife’s fast to ensure a long life.

It was necessary to kill him, Lord Vishnu appeared as Jalandhara in front of his wife, and she broke the fast. As soon as this happened, Lord Shiva killed Jalandhar. However, he was reborn as Ravana in his next birth and received liberation from Lord Ram.

The Request of Maharaj Manu

Lord Ram’s parents, Raja Dashrath and Kausalya, were Manu Maharaj and his wife, Satrupa. They were engrossed in tough meditation and Tapa for years and were great devotees of Lord Vishnu. Finally, after a long time, the Lord appeared and blessed them with a boon as per their desire.

They wanted Lord Vishnu to be their son, and in their next birth, they were born as Lord Ram’s parents.

Lord Vishnu’s Avatars

Here is the list of Shri Vishnu’s avatars:

Conclusion

Apart from the reasons mentioned above, one of the most important things that we must understand and learn from Lord Ram’s birth is the way of living a life. His birth taught us the ideal way of living life in the simplest manner possible. A person who does not distract from the challenges that come in the path of life makes it to the end successfully.

Today, we are witnessing a gradual downfall of the value system among the youth. Lord Ram is the perfect example of sticking to one’s values and fulfilling responsibilities in every situation, whatever it may take. He played the role of an ideal son, brother, husband, and king, which is surely not easy to do all together.

Even though a person achieves great height in life, he must never leave his simplicity and compassion towards other living beings. Kindness and equality are key to making this earth a better place to live.

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