Ram Navami 2020: 4 Reasons Why Lord Vishnu Took The Avatar Of Rama In Ayodhya

1. The Cursed Gatekeepers

Jaya and Vijaya, the gatekeepers of Lord Vishnu were once cursed by the sons of Lord Brahma. This is because the Lord Brahma's sons were stopped by Jaya and Vijaya from meeting Lord Vishnu. Enraged by this behaviour of the gatekeepers, the sons cursed Jaya and Vijaya to be born as humans and go through the cycle of life, death and rebirth. It is said that Jaya and Vijaya were then born as Hirankashyapa and Hirankasha. Hirankashyapa was killed by Lord Narsimha, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu while Hirankasha was killed by Varaha, also an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Even after being killed, the two Asuras (demons) didn't achieve salvation and therefore, were later born as Raavan and Kumbhkarna in their next birth. To kill the two Asuras and provide them salvation, Lord Vishnu took the avatar of Lord Rama and killed them.

2. Battle Against Jarasandh

Jarasandh, a might Asura (demon) once conquered the entire world and threatened the entire Universe. He became quite violent and wanted to establish himself equivalent to God. Devtas (Gods) couldn't find a way to stop Jarasandh and therefore, they went on to seek help from Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva agreed to help and had a fierce battle with the demon.However. Lord Shiva couldn't defeat the demon as the latter's wife had kept a fast for him and sought blessings for his long life.

This is when Lord Vishnu thought to go to Jarasandh's house disguised as the demon. Due to this, Jarasandh's wife believed the disguised God as her husband and broke her fast. As soon as she broke her fast, Lord Shiva killed Jarasandh. But since it was a trap, therefore, Jarasandh was reborn as Raavan in his next birth. He achieved salvation after being killed by Lord Rama.

3. Manu Maharaj’s Request

Manu Maharaj and his wife Satrupa are said to be the one who began the human race. The couple was extremely devoted to Lord Vishnu. They were highly religious and therefore, went on to meditate and please Lord Vishnu. After many years of austerity and meditation, Lord Vishnu finally appeared before the couple. Lord Vishnu asked them for a boon and therefore, the couple expressed their desire to become the parents of Lord Vishnu.

Lord Vishnu gave them this boon. As a result, Manu Maharaj and Satrupa were born as Maharaj Dashrath and his wife Kaushalya respectively. They later became parents of Lord Rama, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

4. The Curse Of Narad Muni

Once Narad Muni (spiritual saint) became proud of his austerity and went on to boast to Lord Shiva that even Kamadeva, the God of love and romance, couldn't distract him from maintaining austerity. Lord Shiva asked Narad Muni to not discuss this with Lord Vishnu. But Narad Muni didn't listen and went on to boast his achievement.

Irritated and displeased by the boastings of Narad Muni, Lord Vishnu thought of teaching a lesson to Narad Muni. While Narad Muni was going to somewhere, he came across a beautiful kingdom where the preparations for the princess' marriage was going on. Amazed by the divine beauty of the princess, Narad Muni wanted to marry her.

Therefore, he asked Lord Vishnu to help him by lending him some good looks. The Lord agreed smilingly and Narad Muni went to impress the princess. But as soon as the princess saw Narad Muni, she started laughing. This is because Narad Muni's face turned out to be that of a monkey. Soon he came to know that this was a trap set by Lord Vishnu. Enraged by this, Narad Muni cursed Lord Vishnu that a time will come when he will have a longing to stay near and close to his wife. Thus, Lord Vishnu took the avatar of Lord Rama where he had to suffer the separation from his wife Sita.