Rāmādi. Not only Rāma, but there are many other, innumerable incarnations. They are compared with the waves of a river. As the waves of the river or the waves of the ocean cannot be counted, similarly, how many incarnations are there of the Supreme Lord it is not possible to count. But out of them, the principal names are mentioned in the śāstras. Therefore it is said rāmādi. Rāmādi means Rāma and also other . . . many incarnations.
And they are existing. Not that one incarnation appeared and it is finished. No. Not like that. Just like Lord Rāmacandra appeared on this planet, say millions of years before. He appeared in the Treta-yuga. Treta-yuga . . . we have passed only five thousand years of this age, Kali-yuga. Before that, there was Dvāpara-yuga. Dvāpara-yuga means 800,000's of years. And before that, there was Tretā-yuga, which continued for twelve thousands . . . twelve hundred thousands of years. That means at least two million years before Lord Rāmacandra appeared on this planet.
So, now Lord Rāmacandra appeared in Ayodhyā. There is a place in Ayodhyā, in northern India. There He appeared. As Kṛṣṇa appeared in . . . that is also northern India. And Mathurā is about ninety miles down southward from New Delhi. You have heard the name of New Delhi, the capital of India. So Ayodhyā is also situated about five hundred miles northeast of New Delhi. So Lord Rāmacandra appeared on this day. Today is called Śrī Rāma Navami.
On the ninth day of the moon Lord Rāmacandra appeared. His father was the king of Ayodhyā, and he had three wives. So out . . . no. He had two wives. So out of two wives he got four sons. Rāmacandra is the eldest son.
(break) The life and activities of Lord Rāmacandra is . . .
(break) . . . in a book which is called Rāmāyaṇa. You have heard the name of Rāmāyaṇa. (break) Rāmāyaṇa is also accepted as history. (break) Vedic literatures (break) are histories also. The Purāṇas, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa, they are counted amongst the history.
The history of Rāmacandra is that His father wanted to retire, Daśaratha, Mahārāja Daśaratha. And he decided to enthrone Lord Rāmacandra and retire. So everything was settled, but just one day before, his youngest wife turned the whole thing into different way.