Ohm Shri Ram Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram!!
A Painting By Raja Ravi Verma
The KalaRam Temple, Nashik, Maharastra
Lord Rama With Sita & Lakshmana On A Hanuman Pedestal
KodandaRama Temple
Hiremagalur, Karnataka
The Hazara Rama Temple, Hampi, Karnataka
Gajendra Moksham : A Mural Painting
Sri PattabhiRama Temple
AyodhyaPattinam, Salem
AyodhyaPattinam, Salem, Tamil Nadu
Naama Smarana is prescribed as the main means of liberation for mankind in Kaliyuga and the Japa of Rama Naama which is the only equivalent of the thousand names of Vishnu has been prescribed since ages to dispel ignorance, destroy sins and confer peace. This Rama Naama which is said to be the Taraka Mantra, the mantra that helps us cross this 'samsara', is given the same importance as the the Pranava Mantra 'OM'.
ReplyDeleteWhile several sages have explained the importance of Rama Nama, many branches of philosophy too narrate the significance of the same. It is said that in the philosophy of Yoga, Ra is considered the Mooladhara (the point of origin of the power of kundalini) & Ma is the saharasa ( the destination) and hence when the Rama Nama is chanted in the right tone and manner, the serpent power rises and hits the head or Kapala. Thus by merely chanting the Rama Nama one can become a Yogi. Even when mechanically repeated the Mantra is said to be potent enough to cause changes in the psychological and physical being of the person..
The Bhajan in the blog with beautiful resonating voices, sung without much embellishment actually makes your mind concentrate on the Mantra. And the photographs particularly of the Hiremaglur Deity and the temple of Ayodhyapattinam makes you feel as if you have had the Darshan as a result of the Rama Nama..
Thanks for posting this blog, particularly the one hour long Bhajan, on the Day of Rama Navami and giving us a beautiful experience!
Bhakthi is not mere love or devotion but a combination of several concepts which is intense spiritual love and devotion to god.
ReplyDeleteThe aspiring devotee can achieve pure love of god through -
1. Kirthanam: Singing or reciting the names and glories of god.
2. Archanam: Ritual worship of god's forms or images.
3. Atma - Nivedanam: Dedicating oneself to him, heart and soul.
The wonderful painting by Raja Ravi Varma and other beautiful pictures of lord Rama makes us to feel, Lord Rama is the one of the most perfect avatar of god who is the ideal son, the ideal husband and the ideal king.
After hearing this "OHM SHRI RAM" mantra, one can feel some physical, mental and spiritual power in her/himself and the purity of devotion to god.
One can get lots of "Punniyam" when hearing or singing Rama's mantra with wholehearted mind & soul, without any distraction by asking to fulfill our wishes with selfmotives.
Thanks for this spiritual posting!
Naam Smaran, Kirtan, kundalini jagran, dhyan, archana etc. are quite fine. But my experience is that it is not easy to maintain love and devotion for the Lord in our heart. Leave aside pure love and devotion. One may strive for it through various means but it does not come. One can only have a glimpse of it, at times and that also too for fleeting seconds. However, the love and devotion increases in the same proportion in which we stop taking pleasure or interest in the affairs of the world. The more disinterested we are in the wordly affairs, the more is our union with the Supreme. So logically, complete disinterest would lead to complete union. Are we prepared to completely wind-up (not break) all our relation with the world psychologically (physical severence is nothing)?
ReplyDeleteAll the ancient temples evoke a lot of feelings of devotion, happiness, intrinsic joy and love.The atmosphere in these temples generates serenity and peace of mind.I have visited the extraordinarily beautiful temple of Shri Kalaram at Nasik though I did not have the great fortune to visit other temples.The temple of saptashrungi at nasik is also extraodinarily jagrut place.
ReplyDeleteLord Krishna in Gita has said that all one needs is to surrender the self before him and He takes care of all yoga and kshema of his devotees.The temples, the scriptures, the rituals,kirtan, bhajan, kathas, all of them evoke devotion and love.Love and devotion are not something that are strived for-they arise from the inner depths of one's being.That is why through strving, it does not and cannot come.Love and devotion are a state of being towards the earth and the hearth, not something directed towards an intangible being.The mantra is seeing the self in all and the all in self.Rama also lives in self-when the bird of one's ego sees that bird of Lord Rama's heart is same as itself,it comes to the vastness and truth of the Lord's name.When the Lord took a human form, he was more attached to mother Sita than we are to our spouses and he took absolute interest in every affair of the kingdom, the forest dwellers, the shishyas, the Gurus,his devotees and everyone around him.It is through dedication to those around him that Lord Rama radiated Love, it is in relatioships that a man understands himself.By disinterest in wordly affairs, one does not achieve union with the supreme for this world with its beautiful mountains and rivers and fields and oceans and men and women is a manifestation of the Lord and his beauty.By rejecting this world, one does not reach the other world.It is by acceptance and devotion to this world, one reaches the other lokas.Christ has also said love thy neighbour as yourself.A complete disinterest shall only lead to an empty shell and not a full heart and surely Lord Rama is an embodiment of Love and not emptiness.