rAma mf( A/ )n. ( prob. ‘causing rest’, and in most meanings fr. √ ram ) dark, dark-coloured, black ( cf. rAtri ), AV. ; TĀr. ( rAmaH SakuniH . a black bird, crow, KāṭhGṛ. ; Viṣṇ. )
rAma a. [ ram kartari GaY Ra vA ] 1 Pleasing, delighting, rejoicing. 2 Beautiful, lovely, charming. 3 Obscure; dark-coloured, black. 4 White. — maH 1 N. of three celebrated personages; ( a ) Paraśurāma, son of Jamadagni; ( b ) Balarāma, son of Vasudeva and brother of Kṛṣṇa, q.q. v.v. ; ( c ) Rāmacandra or Sītārāma, son of Daśaratha and Kausalyā and the hero of the Rāmāyaṇa; (the word is thus derived in Purāṇas: - rASabdo viSvavacano maScApISvaravAcakaH . viSvADIneSvaro yo hi tena rAmaH prakIrtitaH .. ). [When quite a boy, he with his brother was taken by Viśvāmitra, with the permission of Daśaratha, to his hermitage to protect his sacrifices from the demons that obstructed them. Rāma killed them all with perfect ease, and received from the sage several miraculous missiles as a reward. He then accompanied Viśvāmitra to the capital of Janaka where he married Sītā having performed the wonderful feat of bending Śiva's bow, and then returned to Ayodhyā. Daśaratha, seeing that Rāma was growing fitter and fitter to rule the kingdom, resolved to install him as heir-apparent. But, on the eve of the day of coronation, his favourite wife Kaikeyī, at the instigation of her wicked nurse Mantharā, asked him to fulfil the two boons he had formerly promised to her, by one of which she demanded the exile of Rāma for fourteen years and by the other the installation of her own son Bharata as Yuvarāja. The king was terribly shocked, and tried his best to dissuade her from her wicked demands, but was at last obliged to yield. The dutiful son immediately prepared to go into exile accompanied by his beautiful young wife Sītā and his devoted brother Lakṣmaṇa. The period of his exile was eventful, and the two brothers killed several powerful demons and at last roused the jealousy of Rāvaṇa himself. The wicked demon resolved to try Rāma by carrying off his ( pb ) beauteous wife for whom he had conceived an ardent passion, and accomplished his purpose being assisted by Mārīcha. After several fruitless inquiries as to her whereabouts, Hanumat ascertained that she was in Laṅkā and persuaded Rāma to invade the island and kill the ravisher. The monkeys built a bridge across the ocean over which Rāma with his numerous troops passed, conquered Laṅkā, and killed Rāvaṇa along with his whole host of demons. Rāma, attended by his wife and friends in battle, triumphantly returned to Ayodhyā where he was crowned king by Vasiṣṭha. He reigned long and righteously and was succeeded by his son Kuśa. Rāma is said to be the seventh incarnation of Viṣṇu; cf. Jayadeva: - vitarasi dikzu raRe dikpatikamanIyaM daSamuKamOlibaliM ramaRIyaM . keSava DftaraGupatirUpa jaya jagadISa hare Gīt. 1 ]. 2 A kind of deer. 3 N. of Aruṇa. 4 A lover. 5 A horse. — maM 1 Darkness. 2 Leprosy ( kuzWaM ). 3 A tamāla leaf. Comp. — anujaH N. of a celebrated reformer, founder of a Vedāntic sect and author of several works. He was a Vaiṣṇava. — ayanaM ( RaM ) 1 the adventures of Rāma. 2 N. of a celebrated epic by Vālmīki which contains about 24000 verses in seven Kāṇḍas or books. — ISvaraH N. of a sacred place of pilgrimage. — giriH N. of a mountain; ( cakre ) snigDacCAyAttaruzu vasatiM rAmagiryASramezu Me. 1. — candraH, -BadraH N. of Rāma, son of Daśaratha. — janman n. the birth or birth-day of Rāma. — dUtaH 1 N. of Hanumat. 2 a monkey. — (tI) a kind of basil. — navamI the ninth day in the bright half of Chaitra, the anniversary of the birth of Rāma. — pUgaH a kind of betel-nut tree. — vallaBaH the birchtree. — saKaH N. of Sugrīva. — setuH ‘the bridge of Rāma’, a bridge of sand between the Indian peninsula and Ceylon now called Adam's bridge.