Ram Navami is the birthday of Lord Rama. It is considered to be one of the most auspicious days in the Hindu calendar. This day also marks the completion of the Chaitra Navratri that begins on Gudi Padwa.

Usually people celebrate Ram Navami by decorating their homes, putting up a fresh marigold flowers and mango leaves toran at the main door of the house, making rangoli at the entrance,  worshipping Lord Ram, Mata Sita, Lakshman and Lord Hanuman, singing bhajans in praise of Lord Ram, reading the Ramayana, and visiting Lord Ram’s temple. Those who keep a fast for Navratri also perform a puja for Goddess Durga and offer her a feast of halwa, puri, and black chana on this day.

This is the traditional way of celebrating the festival. But if we want, we can gain more from this propitious day.

Ram Navami falls in the month of Chaitra as per the Hindu calendar. This month heralds the beginning of spring. Spring is considered a time of fresh starts. It is the season when the trees left barren by the harsh winter weather start to grow new leaves, flowers begin to bloom, days become brighter and longer and there are beauty and joy all around.

When nature is forgetting past hurts and is making a brand new beginning, then shouldn’t we also use this time to let go of the old, unhealthy, and redundant? And, what better day than the birthday of Lord Rama to make a new and happy beginning?  

Here are seven things that you must include in your Ram Navami celebrations to make a fresh start:

Set New Year resolutions

If you’ve missed out on setting goals and resolutions for the year in January, you can do so now. Gudi Padwa marked the beginning of the Hindu New Year. So, technically, you’re just nine days into a new year. There’s still time to catch up!! Use this day to introspect on the months gone by, what you need to do in the next 9 – 12 months, and set those goals!

Declutter and clean your home

Okay, maybe not exactly on Ram Navami day. But in the next 2 – 3 days, your goal should be to remove and discard things that are not of any use to you or your family. Cleaning your surroundings will help you create a healthy and peaceful environment. It will also create space in your home and life for new and better things. And, isn’t that what we all want?

Quit one bad habit

 Lord Rama’s life is evidence that if one prevails, they can overcome evil. He fought with Ravana to save his wife and bring her home. While we may not have a real ten-headed Ravana in our lives that has captured someone in our family, we do have bad and unhealthy habits that may be slowly nibbling away at our life and happiness. So, use this day to identify one such habit and commit to quitting it.

Start new projects and habits

Ram Navami is one of the most auspicious days in the Hindu calendar. This makes it a great day for starting or launching new projects, work, and business. It is also a great day to make positive changes to your lifestyle.

Plant a tree

 The forest provided shelter to Lord Rama during his exile. In modern times, forests help create a clean, healthy and liveable environment for us. They make the weather pleasant, help the sustain the wildlife, and make our Earth beautiful. So while you may not be able to plant an entire forest, you can plant one tree in your garden, in your locality, or a public garden to thank mother nature for everything that it does for you.

Let go of grudges

 Kaikeyi sent Lord Rama to live in the forest for 14 years. During those years, he endured many hardships, including a threat to Sita’s life. Yet, he did not seek to take revenge or disrespected her after his return from vanvas. With time, Kaikeyi herself realized the errors of her ways and apologized to Lord Ram. We all have Kaikeyis in our life.

While the Kaikeyis in our life may not apologize, we must endeavor to be more like Lord Ram. Not seeking revenge or holding grudges helps keep life simple. It gives us the strength and time to do things that really matter. If someone has hurt you, use this day to forgive them and let go of the hurt.  

Commit to learning something new

 Many of us give up learning new things once we complete our education. This shouldn’t be the case. Learning and gaining an education should be a lifelong activity. It can help you become a better person, a more interesting person, it can improve your career prospects, it can change the way you live life or it can just make life more fun. If you’ve stopped learning new things, then use this day to begin a new professional course, hobby or to start studying a new subject and see the change in yourself a few months down the line!!

Including these seven things in your Ram Navami festivities will not only add novelty to your celebration but it will also make you healthier, happier, and wiser!!

जय श्री राम

राम रामेति रामेति रमे रामे मनोरमे।
सहस्त्र नाम तत्तुल्यं राम नाम वरानने।।

रामाय राम भद्राय राम चन्द्राय वेधसे।
रघुनाथाय नाथाय सीताया पतये नमः ।।