Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Rama nama & Purandara dasar

 
Courtesy : R.Parimala
==================
Hare Srinivasa

Sri Purandara dasaru's devaranama – Atmabodana –self-instruction on the greatness of rAma maMtra and the necessity to recoginize the need to chant it as incessantly as possible given that such a sadhana is possible only when one is bestowed the human form.
rAma maMtrava japisO hE manuja
A maMtra I mantra japisi ni keDalu bEDA
Dasaru says, " O manuja  meaning O one born of Manu the original face of the human race, chant the rAma mantra. Don't chant this mantra or that mantra and fall into the depths of ignorance."
keDalu bEda means don't spoil your life? To understand this, we need to look at what is the meaning of life? Life is what the Lord bestows on each soul in order to expereince and learn . The acquisition of knowledge which removes ignorance is the goal of life. So if we are choosing a path which does not take us to this goal it is nothing but spoiling one's life.
In order to move to the right path which takes one to the goal, one should chant the rAma mantra as often as possible and with as much devotion as possible. Devotion is the spontaneous flow of love towards the Supreme entity who is All pervasive and is the storehouse of all auspicious attributes. The spontaneity of devotion is absolutely necessary to sustain it and strenghten it. This spontaneity is possible only with a little awareness of the grandeur of the Lord's attributes, of His special grace on all jivas as well as the knowledge that we are receiving it not because we are eligilble for it or have earned it in any way. We are receiving His grace because it is His nature to be abundantly gracious.
sOmashekara tanna bhAmege pElidamaMtra
This mantra is no ordinary mantra. It is the mantra which was given to Parvathi Devi by her consort Shiva. Parvathi is interested in the upliftment of the human race. She asks her  consort to chart out an easy way for people to obtain the good results that can be obtained from chanting the Sahasranamas of Vishnu. Parvathi is the beloved of Rudra devuru and he has her interest in mind when he says this,
sri rAma rAma rAmeti rame rAme manorame
sahasranAma tattulyam rAmanAma varAnane ||
"Chanting rAma, rAma and rAma is the easy way. It is equivalend to chanting the thousand names of Vishnu."
One wonders how this is possible?
The state of mind of the devotee while chanting contributes the effect felt.
Further constant but little chanting leads to more, constant but more chanting leads to even more .
In otherwords the devotee's capacity for chanting improves with continued association. So association with the rAma nAma is a must and must be on a continuous basis.
"narajanmabaMdAga nAlige iddAga krishnA ena bArade"
kaliyugadali harinAmava nenedare kulakOTigaluddarisuvuvu"
 
kulahInanAdaru kUgijapisuva maMtra
salebhItiyolu uchcharipa maMtra
halavu papaMgala hatakeDisuva maMtra
sulabahadiMdali swarga sUregombuva maMtra
The only qualification for chanting rAma mantra is a human form. Dasaru says everyone irrespective of the lineage of birth, varna can chant this mantra. If one is in a fearful situation, one should chant this mantra and be free of fear. The power of this mantra's positivity is very high and it moves the mind from fear and worry to stability and positive outlook.
manaEva kAraNam baMDamOkshayOH  - is a great saying from the scriptures.
This translates roughly to "Our mind is the key  to freedom or bondage." The mind is a super tool that God has gifted us with. What we think and how we think effects the working of our entire system. Thoughts of a positive nature uplift the mind while those of a negative nature pull the mind down.The higher the positivity of the thought the better the effect ! What thought could be more positive that the thought of 'rAma'. rAma is the essence of all knowledge and bliss.
ramO vigrahavAn dharmaH … Ramayana
rAma is the figure of dhArma. Dharma is that which can take one upwards too. So dharmic thoughts and deeds take one upwards. Thought of the Lord Rama have the same effect but amplified many times because He is the source of Dharma and He is the one who upholds everyone and everything.
A person  who has full faith in the above is enriched because he/she is able to surmount fear to a reasonable degree. The fear of losing something one already has is the biggest fear.Then comes the fear of not obtaining what one may aspire for.
Lord Krishna has asserted in the BG
ananyAchiMTayaMTO mAm ye janah paryupAsate
tEshAm nityAbhiyuktAnAm yOGakshemam vahAmyaham
yoga- ishTa prApti -He bestows the desires of the devotee
kshemA – anishTa nivriti- His devotee is protected from loss.
Chanting rAma nama is the sure and simple way for reaching permenant bliss. Dasaru peotically describes it as gatecrashing into heaven. Dasaru says 'sUregoMbua" because he wants to insist on the ease and simplicity of chanting this is not matched against the special benefits which are of  a very high caliber.
marutAmaja nitya smaraNe mADuva maMtra
sarva rishigalalli sErida maMtra
durita kAnanakidu dAvalana maMtra
poredu visbhishanage paTTakaTTida maMTra
Dasaru hails this mantra as the one which Hanumatha devuru chants everyday throughout the the Brahma kalpa. That is almost an eternity when we compare it with our lifespan. Dasaru is hinting to us that If Hanumantha devuru who is of such a high stature already is doing it, then don't we need to follow in that path.
Next Dasaru moves to list the eminent saints and kings who have seen the best of results by chanting this mantra.  All the rishis are chanting this mantra. They have obtained their levels of knowledge and purity by chanting this holy mantra. This mantra can burn away the huge clogs of misery in one's life. Dasaru compares this mantra to a ragining fire in a forest. Just as nothing can stop a raging fire from consuming the entire forest quickly, so also or even faster is the rAma mantra capable of burning away the impurities and sins of a devotee thereby protecting one from suffering.
At this juncture, it is quite befitting to remember that the raging fire got this abitlity to move, burn and consume by the grace of the supreme Lord.
This is the same mantra which gave Vibheeshana a kingdom. Vibheeshana did not aspire for anything except shelter at Rama's feet. It had been his fortune disguised as misfortune that he had brothers like Ravana and Kumbakarna who refused to listen to his good advice. Fortune because it caused him to seek shelter in the Supreme. Misfortune because his relatives ridiculed him for being different from the others in the clan.
But despite the great ridicule from his own folks he went to seek shelter in the camp of Rama. He was full of faith and hence was not dissappointed. He was not only granted immediate shelter, but was crowned king of Lanka after the battle.
yamanelli kAnaneMdu hEla bEDa yamane sriRamanu saMdeha bEDa
nambida vibhishanage rAma nAda
nambadidda rAvanage yamane Ada
jNAnanidhi namma AnaMda theertharu sAnurAgadi nitya sEvipa maMtra
bAnukulaMbudi sOmanenipa namma
dhIna rakshaka puraMdara viTTalana maMtra
The great jNAni ,Ananda theertharu has a spontaneous unlimited flow of devotion towards the Lord and chants  this mantra and contemplates on it eternally. The treasure house of knowledge is the term used to describe Ananda theertharu. Such a treasure house of knowledge would surely know what he is doing. When one is in doubt about what to do, one should ask and follow from one who knows well on the topic. So Dasaru is telling us to follow in the footsteps of Anandatheertharu and chant rAma mantra everyday with sAnurAga meaning with full involvement and interest to chant, making it a part of our daily life .
This rama is born in the great ocean of the  surya vamsha. If all those born in this vamsha are stars then this rAma is special. He is the moon.
Lord Krishna says in the BG ' nakshatrAnAm aham shashi…" to show the special vibhuti present in the moon. This is a vijAthiya vibhUti as the moon is not a star but has been compared to stars. The basis for comparison is that all are objects in a night sky.
Rama like the moon as told above is special because He nurtures His devotee without scorching the devotee. Just chanting his name removes papas done in countless janmas. These papas are the main cause for suffering. If they are destroyed then the main seed of sufferring itself is destroyed.  The soothing light of the moon soothes the person with its soft light . The rAma mantra soothes the mind of the devotees by
Removing fear which is the cause of anxiety and worry.
Destroying many many janmas of papas – halavu papaMgal hata golisi
Destroying suffering - durita kAnanakidu dAVAnala maMtra
Nurtures the growth of devotion by soothing the devotee's mind in the above three ways.
A mind which is free of this incessant worry is a good ground for further contemplation and study as instructed by the guru leading to further devotion, knowledge and non-attachment.
Dasaru says ,"This mantra which I am recommending is none other than the mantra of my own upAsya muruthi Purandara vittala. "
After all this, he says this as final statement. He confirms all the above statements  by saying this. It leads one to feel that he says the above based on expereincing it. He is a true anubhAvi. One who expereinces the truth told/revealed by the guru .Such revelations are what are contained in the devaranamas of Sri Purandara Dasaru. Singing these devaranamas brings one closer to the expereince described.
Tomorrow is Ramanavami, let us take this devaranama of Sri Purandara Dasaru to heart and chant rAma rAma, sri rAma, sita rAma…. as much as we can.
hare rAma hare rAma rAma rAma hare hare
hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare
 sri krishnArpaNa mastu
I am not the doer,Lord Hari is the doer
Even so, whatever He makes me do is His worship by His grace
R.Parimala
 

knr
--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

 Every moment, thank God

No comments:

Post a Comment