Did Lord Rama Learn the Vedas?

Vedas can be learned by anyone who has his Upanayanam or sacred thread ceremony done.

In Valmiki Ramayan, there is no specific mention of King Dasarath doing Upanayanam to his sons. But there is a reference that he did Jathakarma and other rites that are mandated by a father to his sons.

The first reference to Rama doing Sandhyavandhanam happens in Bala Gandam when Maharishi Vishwamithra asks Rama to wake up to do his Sandhyavandhanam.

We all know very well the Venkatesa Suprabatham.

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It starts like this:

Kausalya Supraja Rama Poorva Sandhya Pravarthathe

Uthishta Narasardhula, Karthavyam Deiva Manikham.

This starting verse of Venkatesa Suprabatham is taken from Bala Gandam of Ramayan and the actual Suprabatham starts only after this verse.

First, we will see the context for this and then we will see the meaning for this.

Maharishi Vishwamithra was doing some yagnas. That yagna was disturbed by the Rakshasi Thadaga and her sons, Maricha and Subhagu.

Though Viswamithra himself had the powers to defeat and kill them, the specific yagna doesn’t allow the performer of the yagna to take up arms or to harm anybody.

So, instead he goes to the court of Dasaratha and asks Dasaratha to send Rama to protect his yagna.

Initially, Dasaratha was not willing to let Rama go on this perilous mission. Instead, he says that he would come along with his troops to protect the yagna.

Dasaratha pleaded with Maharishi Viswamithra that Rama was a child and denied his request. Here the paternal instinct of Dasaratha kicked in.

Maharishi Viswamithra got angry and started to move away.

Then his arch-rival Maharishi Vashista intervened on his behalf and advised Dasaratha to send Rama along with him.

Vashista said to Dasaratha, that great good things would happen to Rama if he sent Rama with Viswamithra.

Viswamithra knew a lot of astras and was a great warrior himself. He wanted to give all those astras to Rama, that was also the purpose, albeit the hidden purpose for him to take Rama with him.

Now, Dasaratha was convinced and agreed to the pleadings of Vashista, and as repentance for not agreeing to send Rama, he now said he would send his two sons, both Rama and Lakshmana with Vishwamithra.

The three of them were going together into the forest and to the hermitage of Viswamithra.

Along the way, Viswamithra tells them many stories of that region and about the rivers of that region.

In the meanwhile evening had come and they all took a rest and a good nap in one place.

In the morning Viswamithra wakes up first and he in turn wakes up Rama with the verse that we saw earlier:

Kausalya Supraja Rama Poorva Sandhya Pravarthathe

Uthishta Narasardhula, Karthavyam Deiva Manikham.

We have seen the context and now we will see the meaning of this verse.

Viswamithra addressed Rama as

Kausalya Supraja — Kausalya’s good son

Rama — Oh! Rama

Poorva Sandhya Pravarthathe — The time of the performance of the morning Sandhya Vandhanam has come.

Uthishta Narasardhula — Awake, Oh, the best of the men

Karthavyam — Duty

Deiva Manikham — Sacred duties towards Gods has to be performed.

In other words, he reminds Rama that the time for doing the morning sandhya vandhanam has come and he has to do the same, so wake up and do your duty towards God.

Only those who had been vested with sacred thread can do Sandhya Vandhanam and from this, it is evident that Dasaratha had done the thread ceremony to his sons.

En route Viswamithra imparts to Rama all his knowledge in the astras and Rama imparts them to Lakshmana.

The three then go to the ashram or hermitage of Viswamithra and the duo Rama and Lakshmana then very carefully protect the yagna.

The Rakshasi Thadaka comes along with her sons Maricha and Subhagu. Rama killed Thadaga and Subhagu and hit Maricha so hard but spared his life so that he would go to his place and narrate his tale of woe. This was the way Rama would warn others not to venture henceforth to that place.

Then after the successful completion of the yagnas Viswamithra takes Rama and Lakshmana along with him towards the Mithila.

En route, Rama releases Ahalya from a curse from her husband.

Ahalya with Rama

Then he takes them to Mithila and introduces them to King Janaka. Janaka was a vassal of King Dasaratha.

Janaka had a daughter and it was the reason for Viswamithra to take Rama to Mithila.

Janaka says that if anybody were able to wield the bow of Lord Shiva he would give his daughter Sita to him.

Viswamithra asks Rama to inspect the bow and he understands the real meaning of the words of his guru Viswamithra, he not only wields the bow but also breaks it.

Then Janaka said that he would give his daughter Sita in marriage to him. Rama said that his father Dasaratha had to give his approval for this marriage.

Later, messengers were sent to Ayodhya to tell this good news to Dasaratha.

Dasaratha was overjoyed and he immediately came to Mithila along with all his family members.

Janaka has two daughters Sita and Urmila and he says that he would Sita to Rama and Urmila to Lakshmana.

He tells that his brother had two daughters and the elder one by name Mandavi is given to Bharatha and the younger one by name Sruthakirthi is given to Satrugna.

In Ramayan, numerous places say that Rama did Sandhyavandhanam. So, from this, we come to know that Rama was vested with the sacred thread and also he knew Vedas.

Only those who were vested with sacred thread can study Vedas and it was their duty to study Vedas.

Ravana was a Brahmin and when the war happened between Rama and Ravana, several sons of Ravana came to fight Rama.

Vibheeshana would tell Rama that several of the sons of Ravana had studied Vedas.

Even the vanara Vali was doing Sandhya Vandhanam. Every day he would go to four places near the sea and do his Sandhya Vandhanam. It was on one such occasion that Ravana fights with him and loses the one-to-one combat.

Hanuman studied Vedas from the Sun God himself.

In Mahabharata too it is said that Pandu had performed janeau or the thread ceremony to his sons.

The Pandavas themselves perform thread ceremonies to their sons and Arjuna teaches them astras.