RAMNAAM MAKES EVEN STONES FLOAT!

Uma kahun main anubhav apna, sat Hari bhajnu jagat sabh sapna

(Ramcharitmanas by Goswami Tulasidas)

I have heard this before. This is what Lord Shiva tells to Parvati. It’s a nice couple – Shiva & Parvati. As Sita & Ram are also wonderful, the divine couple. Shiva & Parvati are also ideal couple. Many of you are grihastha couples. Couple means two. They stay together. Shiv-Parvati is also exemplary couple. ‘Jai Sri Ram! Ho Gaya Kaam’.

Ram & Sita are also special couple. Shiva & Parvati they are always busy doing Harikatha or Ram-katha or Gaur-katha. Shiva has come to Naimisharanya in Nabadwip to listen to Gaur-katha. He also chants Krishna’s glories & names. He also chants glories of Gauranga & chants Gaura! Gaura!! Gaura!!!

Panchmukhi mahadev bole ‘Ram Ram Hare Hare’. Chaturmukha’ Brahma bole ‘Krishna Krishna Hare Hare’

So Brahma chants, Shiva chants. So he said one time to Parvati – ‘Uma kahu Mai anubhava apna’ ‘O! Uma’ you know who is Uma – Parvati. ‘I would like to share my experience, realization with you’. Shiva said , “Ram naam Bina jagat sab sapana.” Without name of Lord Ram world is like a dream & not a reality. Ram naam Bina without name of Ram or without Lord Ram rest is all illusion or dream. JainSri Ram.!! Ram is a reality & so is His name is also reality. Ram naam Satya hai’! Ram naam Satya hai’

When someone dies, then others remind each other about this while going for final rites. That time they remember Ram. If you just say the word Ram in reverse order, then what do you say? Mara Mara… i.e. Mar ja! That is ‘die’. This is what happens, without Ram we are dying.

Ram Navmi is around the corner. Not that only when Ram Navmi is around the corner, we should be remembering Ram. We should be always remembering Ram.

Best of all the servants, epitome of Dasya-bhakti. You know there are nine processes of Devotional service. One of them is ‘Dasyam’. There are examples of each process. Sukadev Goswami for recitation, Parikshit for hearing & Prahlad for smaranam, Prithu Maharaj for archanam & Laxmi for padsevanam. If we want to know, who is the best pad- sevak , then remember Laxmi. Atma Nivedanam is by Bali maharaj. So when we talk of Dasyam then devotees associated with Dasya Bhakti, among them topmost is Hanuman. Jai Hanuman!! Hanuman is also busy Chanting. Sometimes he takes Harinam chadar. He is absorbed in Ramnaam. ‘Tallinn’ in Ram.

Hanuman used to be fully absorbed. Becoming full of Ram, Chanting

Ram Ram Ram , Sita Ram Ram Ram.
Ram Ram Ram , Sita Ram Ram Ram.

Not that Hanuman chanted Ram Naam in past, once upon a time. But is he doing now? Yes now also , he is Chanting always. Ram is eternal & His devotees like Hanuman is also eternal.

There is one ‘Varsha’. There are nine varshas. Saptadwipas & nine varshas. Like that. So there is one varsha, called Kim-purush varsha. Like one is Bharat-varsha. In that Varsha which is a place or location, not just small location, it’s huge. Principal deity is still there. Sri Ram & main worshipper is Hanuman. There is another varsha where Narasimha dev is the principal Lord & Prahlad maharaj is a worshipper. For Bharat varsha Narayan is the ‘aaradhya’ & Narad Muni is the main worshipper. Narayan Narayan!!

So in Badrikashram it resonates – Narayan Narayan Narayan! Badri Narayan Narayan Narayan.

So Hanuman is Chanting still. So you could take inspiration from Hanuman. He is ideal devotee. Best of all devotees, all servants, we could also take inspiration from Lord Shiva. He is also Chanting. So you could take inspiration from him also. When Hanuman had to cross the Indian ocean & was searching place for landing, he was wandering where to land. Then suddenly from one part of Lanka he was hearing Ram Kirtan. Is that real?? Hanuman decided that was the favourable location. So he landed in a courtyard of Vibhishana’s palace. Vibhishana was a great devotee of Ram. Always Chanting names & glories of Sri Ram. He said that Vibhishan had written names of Lord Ram, all over his palace. So that was indication also, that what is in his mind. It manifests, where you reside or your surroundings is the reflection of your mind, or your thoughts. He was Ram- bhakta, so he had written names of Ram everywhere.

They say – mann Mei Ram, tann Mei Ram…. Or Hridaye Narasimha bahir Narasimha (Narasimha is inside heart). Not just that, yato yato Yami, Yatha yataha Yami – I go, here & there everywhere, O Lord Narasimha, You please appear, give me darshan or let me experience Your presence everywhere.

One time Ravan visited palace of Vibhishan. They were three brothers – Ravan,Vibhishan & Kumbhakarna & he saw name of Ram. He became furious, what is this!!! My enemy’s name is everywhere. But Vibhishan tactfully explained, no! no! no !! My dear brother this is not Ram’s name. This is your name.

How is that? He explained ‘Ra’ represents Ravan & ‘ma’ represents Mandodari your alahadini Shakti. .

Sri Sri Ravan- Mandodari. Vibhishan thus avoided the confrontation. Jai Sri Ram!

Then it was a time for crossing the Indian ocean for Ram & the army. Hanuman & company were building the bridge. Construction companies name was ‘Hanuman & company’. So whenever they were throwing big big rocks & mountains, Nal & Neel’s duty was to write name of Ram on it. In order to make them float on water, they had to be written name of Ram , stamped with name of Ram. There was amazing thing happening. There was name of Ram attached or carved on the bodies of those rocks, mountains & trees. All those objects were floating. What was the cause?

Ram’s name was the cause of that floating. Otherwise everything should be drowning in the water, as per law of gravitation everywhere. But there anti law of gravitation was happening. What was that factor. Ram Naam was the factor.

Jai Sri Ram!! Jai Sri Ram naam!!! So those objects, inert & lifeless objects were floating, could float & did float. We are much better. We have life. Those objects were lifeless. They were floating because of the association of name of Ram. Then certainly we could also float & go across, not drown in the ocean of material existence. Go across, go back to Ayodhya dham ki jai. Go back to Goloka or Vaikuntha, just by Chanting names of Ram & Krishna.

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA
KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

Valmiki also attained liberation. How? Narad Muni instructed him to chant. What we hear, that he was so sinful robber named Ratnakar, that he was not able to chant name Ram. Instead he was Chanting Ma-ra Ma-ra Ma-ra…..Ra-ma Ra-ma Rama!

So keep Chanting, then our offenses will reduce & our Chanting will be pure Chanting. So like that, Valmiki was not able to Chant properly. But he kept Chanting. He kept Chanting. Chanting purified him & then he was on the right track Chanting the name of Ram.

There is offensive japa, then there is stage of ‘naamabhas’, where offenses are reduced & then there is shuddha naam japa.

Ram naam Ram naam Ram naam Eva hi kevalam. Kalau nastyeva nastyeva nastyeva gatiranyatha.

There is mantra like this in Ramayan Mahatmya.

So if someone may think this Hare Ram Hare Krishna is also Ram, so there is no problem.

Someone asked Prabhupada, is this Ram’s name in the mantra? Yes. Krishna includes Ram. Ram is Raman. Radha-Raman, Radha-Raman Raman Ram Radha Radha. So Ram includes Raman. So if you want to think this Chanting of Hare Ram Hare Ram is also Ram, it is alright. Because Ram & Krishna are non different.

So keep Chanting.

Hare Krishna!!