Shri Rām: The Holy Name

I see grandma at her table; glasses perched on her nose, a purple bindi carefully painted on her forehead. Looking up, I see her lips quiver as she silently mouths the mantra. The pen hisses across paper and the divine words appear; again and again.

Decades ago, I started to write the Shri Rām mantra in Devanāgiri script. First in a tiny booklet and then is this old diary that sits on my desk. Every now and then I write a few lines. Some days I write more, on other days less. Some days, nothing. Many days, pass. Months, pass. When the book call I write.

Every time I write, a calm blankets me. My worries evaporate, time stands still, the earth frozen in space, the Universe paused. My pen hisses over glossy paper. Shri Rām Jaya Rām Jaya Jaya Rām on my breath, heart pulses slower, blood oozes, pen slides, the ink leaves a trail. I breathe, dhub dhup beats the heart, an invisible hand guides the pen along. The mantra forms, a never ending stream, rippling in bliss.

I pause, noises filters in, the earth has resumed its march; the Universe expands!

A few months ago I chanced upon a beautiful copy of Goswami Tulsidas’s RāmCharitraMānas (in Awadi with Hindi and English translations). As I studied it, I was amazed at Tulsidas’s mastery of language and presentation. His philosophy is crisp and so relevant today. How succinctly he describes that Shri Rām IS the saguna form of the nirguna Absolute Divine! I have not seen a clearer explanation of nirguna (no material attributes) and saguna (with material attributes) Brahman.

Following along, Tulsidas beautifully and convincingly posits (doha # 23) that the Name of Shri Rām is actually greater that the person of Shri Rām; greater too than the absolute nirguna divine. Puzzling at first, but Tulsidas makes his case so convincingly and in such beautiful verse.

In the chaupai verses (chaupais follow a repeating metre of 4 syllables) following the doha, Tulsidas explains (paraphrased):

• Shri Rām had to take a human form and himself suffer miseries in his life to destroy evil and alleviate the sufferings of his devotees;
  But by simply chanting His Name, the suffering of countless of his devotees is destroyed, leaving them in bliss.
• With his touch, Shri Rām redeemed Ahalya, wife of the Sage Gautama;
  Simply chanting His Name destroys evil and redeems countless devotees. No personal touch from Shri Rām is necessary.
• To ease Sage Vishwamitra’s problems, Rām defeated the demons Tadaku and his army;
  Simply chanting His Name destroys the cause of all our problems, as easily as the appearance of the Sun does away with darkness.
• By his footsteps, the person of Shri Rām brought life and sanctified Dandaka forest;
  By simply chanting His Name, the hearts and minds of millions of his devotees are so easily liberated and sanctified.
• Shri Rām himself crushed scores of demons;
  By chanting His Name, all the demons in all our hearts are defeated.
• Shri Rām offered protection to Sugriva and Vibhishana;
  By chanting His Name, Shri Rām’s protection and grace is easily extended to all of us.
• Shri Rām himself had to recruit an army of monkeys, bears and other animals, and take great pains to build a bridge and cross the ocean to Lanka;
  But Goswami Tulsidas convinces us that simply by chanting the Name of Ram, the ocean of misery in our lives, easily dries up.

Here, Tulsidas gifts us a easy way to end the torment and bring peace and content to our hearts. Chant the name of Shri Ram!

Now I start my day with a few verses from the RamCharitraManas and write the Shri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram mantra more often. I hope to fill this diary one day and keep it under Meera’s bed. Then start another diary.

Write the chant a few times and tell me how positively it affects your life. In the opening pic from the Hanumant Devasthan in Bhatkal, || Shri Rām Jaya Rām Jaya Jaya Rām || is scribed (in Kannada) over the lintel. Read Tribute to Rām from my book Prarthana.

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(friezes are from the outer wall of the Hazara Ram Temple, Hampi, India and depict scenes from the life of Shri Ram)

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Cited editions of RamCharitraManas:

• Edited by RC Prasad, Motilal Banarasidass Publishers, Delhi, India
• Gita Press, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh (free download of RamCharitraManas!)

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My other posts on Shri Rām:

• Celebrating Ram Navami, 2010
• Celebrating Ram Navami – A tribute to Shri Rām
• Ram Navami – battle against terror continues to this day
• Agniteertham in Rāmeshwaram