Guruji Pt Parmanand Persad was born on April 13, 1967, on the auspicious day of Ram Navami. His proud parents were Shankaracharya Pt Hari and Maataji Chandroutie Persad. Guided by his illustrious parents and elder brothers, he began his practice as a pundit while very young. Among the many projects he carried out in the name of dharma was a television series. The first series was entitled Sharing The Joy, while his second series was entitled Shivoham, conceptualised as a journey towards happiness. When Guruji Pt Parmanand died, his wife, Dr Shakti Persad, produced Shivoham on WINTV just over a year ago.
The television series was based on fundamental life questions asked by Pundit Parmanand:
• What is it you really seek in life?
• What is it we all, as human beings, commonly seek?
The pundit’s answer was: Happiness! His message was based on living one’s life like Lord Rama, as outlined by the Hindu sacred text of Shri Ramcharitmanas. Stay tuned for more of Shivoham in the near future.
What is Dharma?
Dharma is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy. It has many meanings in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. In ancient Hindu myths, dharma meant cosmic law—the rules that created the universe from chaos—as well as rituals. In later Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas and the Epics, the meaning became refined to include human behaviours considered necessary for order in the universe. It encompassed principles that prevented chaos, and human behaviour deemed necessary to nature, community and the individual—including concepts of duty, rights, laws, individual conduct, virtues and “right way of living.” (Wikipedia)
What is Ram Navami?
The Hindu festival of Ram Navami is the celebration of the birthday of Lord Rama, believed to be the seventh avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu, and a king of Ayodhya in Hindu scriptures. Rama is the hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana, which narrates his exploits. Rama is revered for his compassion, courage and devotion to religious values and duty. (Wikipedia)
What is Shri Ramcharitmanas?
Shri Ramcharitmanas is an epic poem in Awadhi, composed by the 16th-century Indian poet Goswami Tulsidas (c.1532–1623). Ramcharitmanas literally means “lake of the deeds of Rama.”
The core of the work is a poetic retelling of the events of the Sanskrit epic Ramayana, centred on the narrative of Rama. Today, it is considered one of the greatest works of Hindu literature. Its composition marks the first time the story of Ramayana was made available to the common man for song and performance.