My dear Lord you appear in so many incarnations as Rama, Narsimha but you are the original supreme personality of Godhead Krsna. He appears in so many incarnations to install the principles of religion. This incarnation of Sri Rama are very unique and special. These two incarnations as Krsna and Balaram and his incarnation as Sri Rama are leela avatars because he's performing leelas with his devotees. The others were for a specific reason. Narsimha to kill Hiranyakasyapu, Vamana dev for another reason etc. But Sri Rama came to perform leelas with his devotees and also essential lessons and loving nature of the lord.
Often times we see in India we see lot of awe and reverence to Sri Rama - he is maryada purshottam and Krsna is leela purshottam. Rama performed his leelas in his limits in maryada - ideal king, ideal husband, ideal brother. But Krsna we can't follow and copy. Example is a moon the full moon day moon is full and waxing to the waning moon the portion of the moon is reduced. We can only see portions of the moon but the full potency is still there. Similarly when Rama comes we can only see a portion of Rama's great qualities. It is only people with limited vision make conclusion that it's the same Lord who is in different mood, different bhava who appears here as Lord Rama.
Lord Rama - Treta yuga. (Lord Krsna in Dvapara yuga) Hanumanji has a benediction that he will never die he is even present here today. Once Krsna called Garudji when he was in Dvarika and asks him to appear in front of him.But Hanumanji is chanting the names of Rama rama rama... So Garudji went back to Krsna and said he didn't speak to me. Then Krsna said now he goes back to Hanumanji and says Rama is in Dvarika. As soon as he said he appeared in front of the lotus feet of Krsna in Dvarika in the form of Ramachandra. So the appearance of Lord Rama is the same supreme personality Krsna.
He appeared for a reason. to teach us the ideal way to be a devotee, ideal husband, ideal brother etc. In NOD, it is said that the Lord gives shelter to the devotees. When Vibhishan is kicked out by Ravana for giving advise that he is doing adharma of keeping Sita mata there, vinashakale vipreta buddhi -
Vibhishan is the true devotee of Lord Rama and he was giving advise. But when giving advise to somebody murkha, you will be put into danger. He is giving good advise and he is put into danger. We may make mistakes and we can continue in our life. But when we make a vaishnava apradha then it is worse than commiting a sin. If we commit a sin we may be purified by bhakti but when we do Vaishnava apradha the Lord takes away the bhakti element and then it is very difficult to come back to the path of bhakti. Ravana one after another committed Vaishnava apradha - taking away mother Sita, Killing jatayu and then kicking out Vibhesan. So please remember it is very important to not commit Vaishnava apradha.
Hence, Vibheesan came with 4 associates comes to see Lord Rama. Then Lord Rama consulted with all his commanders about what should we do? Sugreev sends a spy to find out and Vibheesan says I've come to take shelter of the supreme Lord. One after another the commanders gave advise to Lord that actually he is a demon and now we aren't sure if he is pure in his heart and we shouldn't not trust him. Then Hanumanji's turn comes. He says, even though he is living in Lanka for so many years, even though he is associated to Ravana, even though he was born a demon, yet he has comes to take your shelter. Hence, that is the quality we should get - don't look at anybody with the past background but as soon as he has taken shelter of the Supreme Lord that is the greatest quality. To think Shaligrama an ordinary stone, Guru to be an ordinary person and a Vaishnava to be judged by his past karma is to be moorkha.
Example - Srila Prabhupada took offense when critics would say why are you teaching these melechaas who can't even say Rama properly. But SP following in the footsteps of Mahaprabhu, knew that as soon as you surrender to Krsna by Krsna and Guru's mercy, immediately their past karmas are burnt away. Another example is Sri Rama gave mercy to even to the animals - jatayu gave his life to protect mother Sita - a bird not even a person - he gave up his life even though Jatayu knew he is going to die yet his mood was let me die serving my Lord. The Lord actually gave the position of Jatayu better than his father as he himself created the last rites which he didn't even do for his father.
Another example is Yamunacharya - He performed last rites of a Vaishnavas and smarta brahmins chastised him but then Yamunacharya spoke about this past time that when my Lord performed the last rites of a bird not thinking he is a person or not then what is my position.
So this is our teaching - Once we take shelter of the Lord, then the Lord himself reciprocates and takes care of us completely. Just surrender to the Lord - Say My dear Lord I'm yours and then Krsna himself will help you.
So even though Rama is the supreme lord and he could kill Ravana just by his glace, yet because Vibheesan surrendered to Rama and told all the secrets of Ravana, Rama after the war gave him all the credit to have won the war. See the mercy of Rama.
Another example is Sabri - she's a bheelni, very very low caste and she was actually tasting the berries to make sure it is only sweet berries he was eating and when Lakshman said what is this - Rama stopped him and said wait she is offering me with a pure heart with complete love and devotion - That is another teaching we should take - Surrender and offer to Krsna with love and devotion. He doesn't care about the birth, the past karma might be he doesn't care - if we just surrender to Krsna with our heart and also offer everything to Krsna with Love and Devotion he will take care of us completely.
In any position we are in, we should just surrender to Krsna with our heart - by practical devotional service - sravanam, kirtanam ..... (hearing and chanting are the most important) Reading from SP's books. Rama also says, if Ravana comes to me and surrenders to me, I will forgive him. His quality to forgive surpasses even his quality of punishing. Hence, we should learn this from this past time.
Another past time is the story of Kaikai - why it's so important to be in the association of pure devotees - even though you might be very close to the Lord, if you are with non-devotees then you can fall down.
Another past time is the boat man, love of Bharat and Rama, surrender of Lakshman - he didn't sleep for 14 years actually - he would keep watch of Rama and in the morning he would serve the Lord. He is service personified. Another past time is Lakshman watching Sita mata when Rama went to kill marichi. Sita mataji was actually criticizing him that after Rama dies you want to enjoy with me and then Lakshmanji was still TOLERATING to serve the Lord. So this is another learning for us that bhakti is not easy - pure devotional service is very difficult and not easy. The Lord tests to see if we ar erealy searious inspite of so many difficulties. We will be criticized and lot of impediments will come but still we should serve the Lord just like Lakshman in spite of lot of impediments.
Vipra-lambha bhava - Rama actually told Sitamata that I will come as Gauranga in Kali yuga and hence they had the past time of Lanka so both of them could understand the service of separation - we should hence learn from this that we should always keep serving our Guru and Krsna in service of separation. Similarly, SP served all his life in separation to his Guru maharaj. He met his GM only 4/5 times, but his full life he served GM and Krsna in service in separation.
Only way to prevent from committing Vaishnava apradha is to take a humble position - trinad api sunicena taror api sahshnuna ..... It's like hati mata disease. You might have taken years and years of cultivation of your bhakti garden, but when you commit Vaishnava apradha, then it's like mad elephant disease, the elephant complete destroys the bhakti garden. The only way to save ourselves from Vaishanav apradha (criticise, blasphame against anybody performing bhakti to Krsna) is to go downhill, taking a humble position, tolerate, surrender, submit ourselves and only then you can not commit Vaishnava apradha. Example of mad elephant when chasing you the only way to protect yourself is to go downhill, because then the elephant also has to slow down and then you will be saved - same way we should take a humble position when trying to criticize anybody, especially a Vaishnava and just tolerate - don't say anything and hence you will be saved from Vaishnava apradha.
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