Rama Navami Pooja (2nd to 8th Day)

This post explains the rituals which have to be performed from the 2nd day to 8th day of Rama Navami celebrations. Hope you have already gone through the rituals for the first day (Rama Navami - First Day Pooja).

Rama Navami Rituals : 2nd Day - 8th Day (25th - 31st March 2012)
After bathing in the morning, light a lamp in front of Lord Rama's photo. Then place the plate which has the key, in front of the lamp. Open the cloth and keep the key exposed. Then take a bowl of water  and put a inch of turmeric in it. Then hold a spoon by it's opposite end (non-handle end) and dip the handle into the water. Now let the drops of water flow onto the key as you chant the following mantra 21 times :

om namo dasharathaputhraya ramabhadraya mahadevaya vasudevaya rama ramaya namah

Then tie the key in the same cloth and keep it in front of Lord Rama. If possible, light some camphor and chant "hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare" as many times as possible.

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Rama Navami - Introduction

Rama Navami - First day pooja
Rama Navami - Final Day Pooja

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Rama Navami - First day pooja

Rama Navami celebrations are usually conducted over a period of 9 days, such that the ninth day falls on Rama Navami (which is on April 1st in 2012). Rama Navami is an apt occasion to change one's habits and to lead a more righteous life. The focus of this post is a simple ritual/pooja which anyone can perform for the betterment of their security, health, prosperity and happiness. I have split the rituals that have to be done during the 9 days of celebration , into 3 posts.

First Day (24th March 2012)
On the first day of Rama Navami celebration, make sure you finish your bath early in the morning. Then place a lamp in front of a photo of Lord Rama, and keep a new key (of any size) at the base of the lamp. Now keep 3 plates in front of the lamp. Now place few pieces of jaggery on one plate, this is meant for Lord Ganesha. Then keep some cooked rice on the second plate, this is meant for Lord Rama. In the third plate, keep few bananas, for Lord Hanuman. Now keep a bowl of ghee/honey near you. Then after all your family members are seated in front of Lord Rama's photo, light the lamp. Then together chant "om gum ganapathaye namah" 18 times. Then place the ring finger of your right hand on the rim of the plate which has jaggery. Then keep your left hand over the right hand and chant the following sloka 11 times.

om lambhodaraya ganapathaye kshipraprasadhaya mahabhala vigneshwaraya ekadantha gowriputhraya samarpiyami 

Now wash your palms with a few drops of water and then let your family members chant "hare rama hare rama rama rama hare" while you perform the following rituals. 

Take a spoon and hold it by the curved end. Now dip the handle of the spoon in honey/ghee and then hold the spoon over the rice, such that drops of honey/ghee fall over it. Then chant the following mantra 11 times as the drops of ghee/honey fall over the rice :

om ramachandraya namosthuthe om shree rama ramaya samarpiyami

Then wash your palms with a few drops of water. Now peel one side of the bananas which you have kept in the third plate, and chant the following mantra 5 times :

om ramabhakthaya vajradehaya namosthuthe om vayuputhraya samarpiyami

Then wash your palms again with water. Now end your pooja by lighting camphor and showering the photo with flowers. Then you may take the edibles on the plates and distribute it among your family members. Keep the key at the base of the lamp for sometime and then tie it in a piece of cloth and place on a plate in front of Lord Rama's photo. Thus ends the  first day's Rama Navami pooja.

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Rama Navami - Introduction
Rama Navami Pooja - 2nd to 8th day
Rama Navami - Final Day Pooja

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Lord Vishwakarma - Mantra and Introduction

Lord Vishwakarma is a deity who is seldom remembered by the general Hindu community. Vishwakarma is known as the Lord of arts, architecture,crafts and creation in general. He is known as the son of Lord Brahma in some puranas, while others refer to him as a supreme independent deity.

Lord Vishwakarma is said to be responsible for all the miraculous creations of this universe. Raavana's Lanka is said to be designed and created by Viswakarma. Viswakarma is also attributed to having built Dwaraka and Lord Krishna's palace in it.  It is also believed that most of the divine weapons that various deities yield, have been created by Lord Viswakarma. The 'vajra ayudha' of Lord Indra is a famous example of one such weapon. Other examples include the MahaSudarshana chakra of Lord Vishnu, the trident of Lord Shiva and  the 'vetri vel' of Lord Murugan.

Lord Viswakarma is described as having 5 heads and 4 hands. The following 5 prajapathis are said to have originated from the 5 heads of Lord Vishwakarma : Manu, Maya, Twosta, Silpy and Viswajna. 

It is said that all architects and artists should pray to Lord Vishwakarma beofre they start any new projects or ventures. The following is a simple mantra of Lord Vishwakarma which can be chanted in such occasions.

Om shree shrishtinathaya sarvasidhhaya vishwakarmaya namo namah

Chant the above mantra 7 times before you start any new ventures. 

Please do share this post with any architects, artists and engineers that you know. Om

Life After Death Explained

Life after death is a topic that divides many religions and cultures. The fear that death strikes in us, and the wonder of being alive are two things which are present in everyone. The mystery surrounding death has been tried to be explained by many scholars, but the irony remains, that you cannot explain clearly until you experience death, and you cannot explain once you experience death. But, our Hindusim has a remarkable explanation for what happens after death and about the cycle of life and death, almost unlike the concepts found in other religious system.

It is said that every deed/action that we perform on this earth leads to the accumulation of 'karma'. This karma is allotted, based on whether the deed was good or bad. When the permitted living time is over, an estimation of a final 'karma' is made for the particular individual, and he/she is reborn on this earth based on his karma. The good deeds lead to positive karma while bad deeds obviously lead to negative karma. The karma from previous lives are almost accumulated throughout the following births. This accumulated karma helps in deciding the status and fate in the next birth. This process continues until the soul attains a stage where only positive karma is there.This particular stage is called 'moksha' or salvation.

It is said that it takes thousands of births for a soul to pass from animals to humans, and it takes even longer for the soul to go from a normal human to a good natured human . Thus, a soul is trapped in this almost never ending to and fro journey between bodies. Only god has the power to make changes in this journey of the soul.  The fastest way to attain moksha (or) salvation in this kali yuga , is said to be devotion. Sincere devotion is like a large saw which chops away chunks of bad karma. No amount of temple visits, nor expenses can replace the simple emotion of devotion.

Thus, according to our Hinduism, there definitely is life after death, the only difference is that we consider life and death as a continuous cycle which complement each other. So, every birth is for a new death and every death is for a new life, and hence these terms almost seem meaningless.

Hope to know the views and opinions of the fellow readers on OnlyHinduism. Long live Hinduism
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This post was submitted by Mr.Rajesh Pillai . You can also submit your articles to be published on the site  through the YOUR CONTENT page.

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Rama Navami

Rama Navami is said to be the celebration of Lord Rama's birth. In this 2012, Rama Navami falls on 01st April. This auspicious occasion should be made use of to atone for our sins and acquire the infinite grace of Lord Rama. It is often said that chanting Lord Rama's name once is equivalent to chanting Lord Vishnu's name a thousand times. This post is the first in a series of posts on Lord Rama as a celebration of Rama Navami.

The rituals related to Rama Navami may be started 7-9 days, such that they culminate on the Navami day. It is advisable to make the whole family participate in such prayers so that the benefits fall upon everyone equally. At the night before the day on which you wish to start performing the Rama Navami related rituals, clean the pooja room or a corner of your house (preferably the north-east, or south-west), and keep a lamp there. Now place a lamp beside the lamp. Now, place a photo of Lord Rama behind the lamp. Then, sit in front of the lamp and chant the following mantra 41 times, while holding your right hand over the centre of your head, and the left hand over your navel :

om hari shree dasharathanandanaya shree bhakthavalsalaya namo namah 


ॐ हरी श्री दश्रधनंदनाया श्री भक्थ्वाल्सलाया नमो नमः 

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[Rama Navami - First Day Pooja / Rituals]
[Rama Navami Pooja- 2nd to 8th day]

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