AyodhyA significance

Source: TW

Ayodhya importance

I know saying things on a fraught topic like this will evoke ire among H but cannot resist: For us, the aikShvAkava-prAsAda has more political significance than a religious one. We acknowledge that for some people it is shuddha-brahma-parAtpara-rAma. That is not the case for us.

The rAmayaNa is a religious text as an illustration of how the pantheon headed by shatakratu filters into the ideals of the human realm as presented by vAlmIki.

However, ayodhyA’s meaning to us is primarily that it was the capital of an early expression of the Indian state, ruled by rAjanya-s whose regnal seat has ties to the rAjarShi-s of the veda like ikShvAku,/ mandhAtR^i, purukutsa, trasadasyu & bhajeratha. This primal position of ayodhyA was acknowledged throughout the Indosphere. Hence, its liberation from the grips of marUnmAda is important for signaling the revival of the H & possibility of reconnection to the Arya roots of our civilization via the medium of the rAmAyaNa. Thus, we feel the prAsAdotsva has to necessarily have a political component & the rulers of the state should be primary participants who should openly acknowledge that they would model their rule after rAmAdi & their dynastic predecessors and successors like rAjarShi hiraNyanAbha kaushalya.

Ceremonies

I don’t know what religious ceremonies are slated for performance in ayodhya but ideally I’d like:

  1. shrauta rituals to be done along with the prAsAda-pratiShTha: vAjapeya or sautrAmaNi or at least a basic jyotiShToma with real soma & an upanIta v2 yajamAna.
  2. the shaiva-jayAbhiSheka; totally fine with the dillIshvara participating as the recipient.
  3. vaiShNava amitraghna-maNDala-sthApana.
  4. reading and exposition (without whitewashing) of the rAmAyaNa of vAlmIki, mArkaNDeya’s ramopAkhyAna, & raghuvaMsha of kAlidAsa.

mathurA

I view the celebration of vIra-s devakIputra & balabhadra in a similar sense. However, here I see the situation as more complex. I’d like a sAttvata restoration of the vyUha-s as pA~ncharAtrika divinities at mathurA. I’m fine with two parallel restorations/prAsAda-s: one of the yaduvIra-s, including sAmba& sAtyaki & another of the divinities the 4 vyUha-s and ekAnaMshA