'The significance of Rama Nama'

His Holiness Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji discusses
briefly about the significance of Rama Nama as cited
in the different scriptures. The information given
here on this glorious Nama is just the tip of the
iceberg.

In Sri Swamiji's words, 'Even if the whole sky were
used as a paper and all the waters of the Universe
were used as ink, it would just not suffice to pen
down the glories of Rama Nama!'

Regards

Rama Nama The Name of the Name!

Every other mantra in our scriptures have their own
names. Rama Nama is the only Mantra that is called
‘Taraka Mantra’. The word ‘taraka’ means the one that
helps us cross. It helps us cross the ocean of
‘samsara’. It helps us cross the cycles of birth and
death. If it is chanted as 'Rama', then it is a Nama.
If it is chanted 'Ram', then it is a Mantra.

Thus spake the Sages
Our ancient Sages and Rishis have glorified the Rama
Nama.
Rama Nama gets exactly the same importance in Saguna
Upasana (worshipping the Absolute Truth as a Being
with a form) as does the Pranava ('Om') Mantra in
Nirguna Upasana (worshipping the Absolute Truth as
formless).

Rishi Manu shows that the Rama Nama has links to all
the other mantras that ever exist.

In Syavana Smriti (Syavana is the name of a rishi),
Syavana says that the Rama Nama is the essence of all
the Vedas, Shastras, Itihasas and Puranas.

Sage Vasishta meditated on the Rama Nama for quite a
long time. Hence he wanted to name the Almighty with
the same Mantra that he had chanted.

The Yoga Connection
In the philosophy of the Yoga, 'Ra' is considered the
'Mooladhara' (the point of origin of the power of
Kundalini) and 'Ma' is the 'Sahasrara' (the
destination). Hence, when the Rama Nama is chanted in
the right tone and manner, the serpent power rises and
hits the head or the 'kapala' Thus, by merely chanting
the Rama Nama, one can become a Yogi.

Shiva's family Mantra
We are all aware of the story of the competition
between Ganesha and Muruga on who will get the divine
fruit. Muruga, angry that the fruit was not given to
him, went to Palani. In order to appease his anger,
the competition was conducted again, when Muruga
diligently circumambulated his parents on his peacock
at great speed. Ganesha, on his part, wrote 'RAMA' on
the sand and circumambulated it, as that is equivalent
of going around the whole world! Pleased, Siva
honoured him by crowning him the leader of all his
minions - the 'bhoota ganas' and thus he acquired the
name 'Ganapathy' and 'Gana Nayaka'

In Vishnu Sahasranamam, Lord Siva asks Parvati to
chant the Rama Nama all the time. A good teacher is
the one who practices what he preaches. It is obvious
that Siva, being the Supreme Guru, (Jagadguru) Himself
chants the Rama Nama. When parents do something noble,
would not the son follow the same? Muruga and Ganesha
chant the Rama Nama always. That is verily their ‘Kula
Mantra’.

The Lords' favourite!

The ‘sthala purana’ of Kasi says that the deity Kasi
Viswanatha initiates the Rama Nama to each and every
being at the time of their death, in their right ear.

The Lord Dhakshinamurthy observes silence because He
doesn’t want to waste any time without chanting the
Rama Nama.


The Sun God ever chants the Rama Nama as he is proud
that Sri Rama came in his dynasty.

The Devatas' favourite
Sage Vishwamitra took Sri Rama and Lakshmana to the
forests for 'yagna samrakshana' (protecting their fire
austerities from the demons). Out of the boundless
love for Sri Rama, Viswamnitra wanted to gift Him
something. A sage that he was, he had no worldly
possessions, nevertheless, he had performed abundance
of austerities. He had penanced for a very long time
on the 33 crore 'Devatas' with mantras for each of
them. He initiated Sri Rama with these Mantras.

As soon as the Mantras were initiated to Sri Rama, the
'devatas' appeared before them! Viswamitra was jealous
of the fact that those devatas who could be invoked by
him only after severe penances, now appeared the
instant Sri Rama chanted their Mantras!

In our Shastras it is prescribed that when the devatas
are invited, they can be installed in one of the three
-- water (that is the reason we install 'kalas' - pots
of water for japa, kumbabhishekam and the like), fire
(that is the reason we perform homam) and the third
being, installing them into one's own body (during
Sandhyavandanam, Godess Gayathri is installed thus).
Here, when the devatas were invoked, they refused to
go back to their abodes. Hence Sri Rama invited one
and all of them into his body. Thus, by merely
chanting the Rama Nama, one gets the benefit of
invoking all the 33 crores of devatas as well.

Ramayana is filled with instances where merely the
Name ‘Rama’ has solved so many miseries and
disentangled so many situations.

One Name for all Gods
Generally people can be divided into two broad
categories: the Shaivites, who worship Lord Shiva as
the supreme, and the Vaishnavites, who worship Lord
Vishnu and His forms as the the supreme Being. The
most significant Mantra for any Vaishnavite is the
'Ashtakshari' (it contains eight letters in sanskrit)
mantra 'Om Namo Narayana' .

The chief among the Mantras for the Shaivites is the
Panchakshari (5 lettered) mantra, 'Om Nama Shivaya'.
Without the letter ‘ra’, ‘Narayana’ would read as
‘Nayana’ that means one without a way (‘gati’);
without the letter ‘ma’, ‘Namasivaya’ would read as
‘Nasivaya’ that means inauspicious.

So the jiva akshara (life giving letters) 'Ra' and
'Ma' of these two Mantras are put together to form the
Rama Nama!
Anyone chanting this Divine Name thus worships both
Shiva and Vishnu at the same time.

Rama Nama in today's world

Sri Bodendra Saraswati Swamigal, Kabir, Samartha
Ramadas, Thiyagaraja, Bhadrachala Ramadas, Papa
Ramdas, Bhagavan Yogiramsuratkumar and innumerable
saints in the recent past have advocated the Rama Nama
and also showed how the Rama Nama can perform
miracles.

Sri Ramakrishna initiated Swami Vivekananda into the
holy 'Rama' Nama. It is the power of that Divine Name
that made him establish this Universal Religion of
Brotherhood called Hinduism all over the world.

Mahatma Gandhi, in his final lecture before
independence said, 'We have tried our level best. Now
let us all chant the Divine Name together. Only that
has the power to get us independence.' Not one of his
prayers passed without Rama Nama Kirtan.

Chant the Mahamantra Nama kirtan :

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare