IMPORTANCE OF NAMASANKEERTANAM-16

[Guest guest]

SAI RAMs,

World over these days Rama Navami is being celebrated. In Southern India and in all parts of  the world  where  a community of south Indians are located, Rama Navami is  being celebrated for nine days either ending with Ramanavami  day as Garbotsavam or for nine days beginning  from Rama Navami day as Jananotsavam. The marriage of Sita and Rama is also  celebrated  either  purely according to Vedic rites  with Homam or  Havan etc. as in temples or  by Bhajan Mandalis or other  similar  religious groups or bodies with  a combination of Sampradaya Bhajan tradition  and some vedic rites  exclusing  Homam.  Celebrating  or recreating the marriage of Lord Rama and  Sita  is form of worship. The devotees derive real and full joy from Namasankeertanam when they sing with their  full attention on the meaning of the Divine Name. Otherwise they get only a picture of the music and no happiness in the depth of their  heart.

 

Swamy says, " Rama means one who delights. Nothing confers such boundless joy as the Atma. So the word Rama means the Atma... Rama Nama also connotes  the vedic declaration TATTWAM ASI--That thou Art. Ra signifies tat(Brahman), Ma signifies Twam(ie., Thou,the Jiva or the individual) and Aa connotes the kinship and identity of the two i.e., of the jiva and Brahma " Thus  chanting of the divine Name of Rama  brings home to us the identity of the Jivatma and Paramatma. It also shows us the way to reach the Paramatma by chanting Rama Nama.Let us chant the Name of Lord Rama with simple Namavalis like--

1.Jaya Jaya Rama Janaki Rama

Raghukula Bhushana Rajarama(Jaya)

Tapasaranjana tarakanama

Dhanavabhanjana Kodandarama(Jaya)

2. Mythilipathe Ragunandanaa

Rama Raghava Rajeevalochana(My)

Dheenavanaa he Karunamaya

Kamalanayan Kausalya Tanaya(My)

The above Bhjans  are  only illustrative and  are not intended to be an exhaustive list. There are many more such Namavalis/Bhajans on Lord Rama.

(to be continued)

G.Balasubramanian