Why Is Lord Rama Known As Maryada Purushottam?

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Lord Rama is one of the most revered deities in Hinduism. He was the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. We all have grown up listening to the stories from the Ramayana, which are a source of inspiration for all. Lord Rama is an embodiment of perfection for his devotees. Well, ever wondered why he is known as Maryada Purushottam? Today, we have brought to you the information about why Lord Rama is known as Maryada Purushottam. Let us begin.

The Meaning Of The Phrase Maryada Purushottam

Maryada Purushottam is a Sanskrit phrase in which "Maryada" translates to "honour and righteousness", and "Purushottam" translates to "the supreme man". The phrase when combined refers to "the man who is supreme in honour". It also means the best man who practised righteousness until he perfected it.

Why Is He Known As Maryada Purushottam?

Lord Rama is the favourite of his devotees until today. They see him as an ideal man, whose ideals are worth following. Not just this, Lord Rama was the favourite of all those in his family as well as the people of his kingdom. The main reason behind this being, he performed every duty of his life to perfection. In every role that he had to play, he emerged as an ideal.

Lord Ram As A Son

Lord Rama is the son of Dasharatha and is the prince of Ayodhya. In this world, where the focus of all the disputes amongst kins is the ancestral property, in most of the cases, Lord Rama decided to leave the throne of Ayodhya to his brother Bharath, when Kaikeyi, the second wife of Dasharatha and mother of Bharatha, asked Dasharatha to send Rama into exile.

Dasharatha, though unwilling to do so, could not deny Kaikeyi's request. According to a promise made long back, he was bound to accept three wishes of his wife. Lord Rama, realising that the promise could not be taken back, diligently followed the orders of his father and prepared for fourteen years in the forest. He would never choose to disobey his parents in any situation.

Lord Rama As A Brother

Lord Rama had three brothers, Bharatha, Shatrughna and Lakshman. All three of them respected him highly. They too saw him as the embodiment of perfection, as the Ramayana reveals. Though it was Bharatha to whom the throne was handed, Lord Rama always kept caring for him the same way. At times, Bharatha would come to see him in the ashrams, where Lord Rama used to guide him as an elder brother.

Lord Rama As A Husband

Lord Rama used to remain busy attending the meetings with the sages and his own devotees. He killed a number of demons who give hurdles in the the holy yajnas that were often performed by the sages in the forest. Despite this, Lord Rama took a good care of Goddess Sita. He was so protective of her that he told her not to come out of the house in his absence. To fulfil her wish of getting the golden deer, he went out and that's when Ravana, the demon king, came and abducted Sita when she crossed the line marked by Lakshman.

Lord Rama As A King

More than everything else, he was an ideal king. It is said that in his kingdom, there was not even a single incident of theft, robbery, starvation, etc. when he had become the king of Ayodhya after completing his period of exile. Moreover, his decision-making abilities were wonderful. When some men from his kingdom started questioning the chastity of Sita and asked that she be sent into exile again, it was hard for him to do so, especially because he could not be there with her.

However, as an ideal king, he knew that the interest of his men should be the main priority of a king, much higher than the interest of his blood relations or his wife. He believed that his first responsibility was that of the kingdom. Therefore, he accepted the demands of the subjects in the kingdom.