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Worship on Sri Rama Navami -- questions

From the Bhakti List Archives

Mani Varadarajan • March 24, 1999 


Dear Astikas,

As you all know tomorrow (25th-26th) is Sri Rama Navami.
In the U.S., we will observe it on the 25th.  It is recorded
that Chakravarti Thirumagan Sri Rama appeared on this earth 
during kaTaka lagnam on Chaitra Sukla Navami, during Punarvasu
nakshatra.  This corresponds to approximately midday on the
Navami day.  We perform ArAdhanam to Sri Rama at this time
to celebrate his birth.

I have a couple of questions as I prepare for observing
tomorrow's pandigai.

  1) According to Sri Gopala Desikan (the originator of the
     munitraya sampradAya), one should observe complete
     fasting (uposhaNa, not phalAhAra) on Navami and 
     break the fast (pAraNa) on Dasami. This is from 
     Sri Agastya Samhita, a Pancaratra text.

     My question is this: what happens to the prasAdam
     that is offered to Sri Rama on Navami? Food naturally
     is cooked and offered to Perumal on this day, and one
     is counselled to eat fresh food everyday, barring sweets.

     If we are to eat on Dasami the next morning, is the
     the Navami prasAdam wasted? I am wondering how much we
     should cook and offer to Sri Rama on Navami.

  2) A question on the viSesha ArAdhanam:

     I understand we are to offer an arghyam to Perumal with
     the following slokas:

        daSAnana-vadhArthAya dharma-samsthApanAya ca |
        rAkshasAnAm vinASAya daityAnAm nidhanAya ca  ||

        paritrANAya sAdhUnAm jAto rAma: svayam hari: |
	gRhANArghyam mayA dattam bhrAtRbhi: sahito 'nagha ||

     In which part of the ArAdhanam is this arghyam to be
     offered? Is this said at the conclusion of the worship,
     when one gives one last arghyam during paryankAsanam?

I would appreciate any information my fellow bhaktas can offer.

Thanking you,
rAmAnuja dAsan
Mani