Today’s historical moment of the inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya with the Vedic Rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha Ceremony of Ram Lalla has transformed into a global event with Ram Rath Yatra in Paris and a Car Rally in the USA. The Consecration Ceremony of Ram Lalla will not just be livestreamed in various India embassies overseas but also at the Times Square, NYC.The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has decided to enthrone Ram Lalla at the sanctum-sanctorum of the Ram Temple at around noon today. As regarding the Ram Mandir, it has been constructed in the traditional Nagara style, and stands as a three-storied shrine with dimensions of 380 ft in length (east-west direction), 250 ft in width, and 161 ft in height. With 392 pillars and 44 doors, the temple includes five mandaps or halls – Nritya Mandap, Rang Mandap, Sabha Mandap, Prarthna Mandap, and Kirtan Mandap. The entrance gate of the temple has been adorned with idols of elephants, lions, Lord Hanuman, and Garuda, the ‘vahana’ of Lord Vishnu. The Lata Mangeshkar Chowk along with the entire road to the temple adds on to the list of centre of attraction for the visitors. Though it will take another two years for the temple to take shape, with the inauguration, surely things are on roll in a big way.
To celebrate this momentous auspicious occasion, starting today, I will be covering श्री राम रक्षा स्तोत्र (śrī rāma rakṣā stōtra) – a shloka a day.
śrī rāma rakṣā stōtra is the most powerful protective shield. śrī rāma rakṣā stōtra was originally composed in the Sanskrit language and is one of the most popular Hindu devotional prayers that is addressed to Lord Sri Ram Chandra. Lord Shiva ordered sage Budhakausika to create the most powerful protecting shield or kavach for devotees and sage
Budhakausika under the advice of Lord Shiva wrote Sri Ram Raksha Stotra. There is a reference to this divine hymn in Rig-Veda. ‘Ram Raksha’ literally means ‘Protection from Lord Sri Rama (to us)’. Sri Ram Raksha Stotra is also called Rama-Kavach, a shield of Protection by Lord Sri Ram. It is said that nothing affects a devotee protected with Sri Rama kavach.
॥ श्रीरामरक्षास्तोत्रम् ॥
श्रीगणेशायनम: ।
अस्य श्रीरामरक्षास्तोत्रमन्त्रस्य ।
बुधकौशिक ऋषि: ।
श्रीसीतारामचंद्रोदेवता ।
अनुष्टुप् छन्द: । सीता शक्ति: ।
श्रीमद्हनुमान् कीलकम् ।
श्रीसीतारामचंद्रप्रीत्यर्थे जपे विनियोग: ॥॥ śrīrāmarakṣāstōtram ॥
śrīgaṇēśāyanama: ।
asya śrīrāmarakṣāstōtramantrasya ।
budhakauśika r̥ṣi: ।
śrīsītārāmacaṁdrōdēvatā ।
anuṣṭup chanda: । sītā śakti: ।
śrīmadhanumān kīlakam ।
śrīsītārāmacaṁdraprītyarthē japē viniyōga: ॥
OM, We start with the salutations to the Lord Ganesha. The author of this hymn is Budhakaushika .The deity is Sita Ramachandra . The poetic metre is anushTubh (eight syllables in a quarter stanza). The power (energy of mother nature) is Sita. The centre is Hanumana and the purpose of reciting this mantra of Ramaraksha Stotram is for the devotion to Lord Sri Ramachandra.