Rama Nama: Rama Nama Brings Lasting Benefits

By SWAMI TEJOMAYANANDA

Devotion: Rama Nama Brings Lasting Benefits

Devotion for the Lord can be likened to the monsoon season. New crops burst forth during the monsoons. So too, in the showers of divine love for the Lord, devotees are born.

The two main rainy seasons, sravana and bhadrapada (around July and August respectively) are good for crops. These two months are compared to the Rama Nama , since chanting verses in His praise inspires deep devotion in our hearts.

Krishna says: We work so hard to be dear to many in this world, but few among us make the effort to be dear to the Lord. But once we become dear to the Lord, we will never be in any want thereafter.

Goswami Tulsidas praises the name of the Lord as being greater than the saguna or attribute-filled and nirguna or attributeless aspects of the Lord. The attributeless nature of the Lord is always present in our hearts, as our higher nature, as Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.

Yet, are we truly happy? No, we're not, because we are ignorant of our true nature. We can realise it by first getting to know the name of the Lord.

Experience shows that if we do not know the name of a thing, then, even if the thing is in front of us, we do not recognise it for what it is worth.

For instance, will the gift of a diamond ring give you the joy of possessing one if you had not known what it was? Knowing its value would thrill you. What made the difference? The name! So the name has the power of manifesting the real worth of a thing.

Often, the form or image of a thing is brought to memory only when its name is heard or remembered. Tulsidas says that even if a thing is not physically present, its name or remembrance has the power to project it before the mind's eye.

Conversely, even if a person is right in front of us, if we are unable to remember his name, it means he is far from our thoughts. So if you want someone to be close to you, it is important to remember...

There is yet another glory in the name. The form of a thing always remains with the thing but its name can be with you - the Lord's form is with Him but you can hold on to His name.

The Lord's name is the one aspect of His that you can keep with you and draw strength from when-ever you wish. So hold on to what you can and go forward. This is why nama japa is considered important in spiritual life.

If you keep chanting His name with devotion, He will have to come to you. If someone persistently knocks at your door, as some salesman do, how long can you resist opening the door? Sooner or later, you will have to open the door, if only to tick him off! So when you sincerely call the supremely compassionate Lord, will He not grace you? Thus the name of the Lord has the power to melt His heart and bring Him down to your level. Humility is a great quality; it makes us bow down. Even greater is the name of the Lord as it makes the very Lord bend down to our wishes.

Another unique feature of the Lord's name reveals even greater glory. Lord Rama in his lifetime as an avatar helped transform many lives for the better; His name continues to purify and elevate the minds of countless more till today. The Lord's name can be our greatest support. Even Lord Shiva chants Rama Nama. The two aspects in the Ramayana which are worth focusing on are: Ramayana - the glories of the Lord and Namayana - the glories of His name.