Page 14 - Yearbook 2013update.pub

Here is a lecture by HDG Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

ramadi murtishu kala-niyamena tishthan
nanavataram akarod bhuvaneshu kintu
krishnah svayam samabhavat paramah puman yo
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
[Bs. 5.39]
This is a verse from Brahma-samhita in which the incarnation of
Lord Ramacandra is described. Ramadi. Not only Rama, but there
are many other, innumerable incarnations. They are compared with
the waves of a river. As the waves of the river or the waves of the
ocean cannot be counted, similarly, how many incarnations are
there of the Supreme Lord it is not possible to count. But out of
them, the principal names are mentioned in the sastras. Therefore
it is said ramadi. Ramadi means Rama and also other, many incar-
nations. And they are existing. Not that one incarnation appeared
and it is finished. No. Not like that. Just like Lord Ramacandra ap-
peared on this planet, say millions of years before. He appeared in
the Treta-yuga. Treta-yuga means... We have passed only five
thousand years of this age, Kali-yuga. Before that, there was
Dvapara-yuga. Dvapara-yuga means 800,000 years. And before
that, there was Treta-yuga, which continued for twelve hundred
thousands of years. That means at least two million years before
Lord Ramacandra appeared on this planet.

So now Lord Ramacandra appeared in Ayodhya. There is a place in
Ayodhya, in northern India. There He appeared. As Krishna ap-
peared in Mathura... That is also northern India. And Mathura is
about ninety miles down southward from New Delhi. You have
heard the name of New Delhi, the capital of India. So Ayodhya is
also situated about five hundred miles northeast of New Delhi. So
Lord Ramacandra appeared on this day. Today is called Sri Rama
Naumi. On the ninth day of the moon Lord Ramacandra appeared.
His father was the king of Ayodhya, and he had three wives. So out
of... No. He had two wives. So out of two wives he got four sons.
Ramacandra is the eldest son. The life and activities of Lord Rama-
candra is... [break] ...in a book which is called Ramayana. You
have heard the name of Ramayana. Ramayana is also accepted as
history. Vedic literatures are histories also.

The Puranas, the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, and Ramaya-
na, they are counted amongst the history. The history of Ramacan-
dra is that His father wanted to retire. Dasaratha, Maharaja Da-
saratha. And he decided to enthrone Lord Ramacandra and retire.
So everything was settled, but just one day before, his youngest