Dear Lord Rama,
Your name has unlimited power, just by absorbing ourselves in Rama Naam, we can attain eternal happiness in life. Today, is the auspicious day of Rama Navami. It is your day. It is the day you appeared in this world for people like me. I am not sure what to pray to you on this auspicious day.
If I contemplate on my life, I find that you have given me everything although I do not deserve anything. Your most important gift to me is your holy name which has unlimited potency. But unfortunately, I take your mercy for granted. In spite of knowing that just by chanting your names I will attain salvation I do not have much inclination to chant your names.
Raam Naam makes the stone float in the ocean
The fortunate monkey warriors who assisted you in rescuing mother Sita saw the extraordinary power of your name by their own eyes. They wrote your name, Rama, on the stones and the power of Rama Naam is such that the stones started floating on the gigantic ocean.
The stones defied the laws of nature, the laws of gravity. The destiny of the stones was to sink deep in the ocean but just because of your name it did not sink but sailed in the turbulent ocean full of gigantic waves.
You gave mercy to the dead stone. When will you give mercy to me? My intelligence is also like a stone – dead and dull deprived of all spiritual emotions.
Struggle in this world
I am struggling hard in the ocean of material existence. But I am so dull headed that instead of trying hard to come out of this precarious condition I am trying to find happiness here.
Expecting happiness in this material world is akin to expecting soothing experience in the middle of a forest fire. It is quite amazing and astonishing that in spite of knowing that this world is meant to give us suffering, everyone tries their best to explore all possibilities to enjoy this world.
Just like a jail is meant for punishment and reformation, similarly this material jail is meant to punish and reform us. But imagine a scenario wherein a criminal start thinking that the jail is his original home and makes plan to live a comfortable life in the jail! Will it be ever possible to live a happy life in the jail? Answer is obvious.
Similarly, no matter how best we try, we cannot become happy in this world. In this world, we are continuously attacked by three types of miseries – adi bhautik, adi daivik, adhyatmik. But we have become so accustomed to these sufferings that we consider it as a part of our life.
Just like an obstinate criminal who continues committing felony in spite of getting beatings from the police, we also try to engage our senses in worldly activities in spite of getting so much punishment by the laws of material world. This world is full of unlimited terrible species who at every moment try to harm us. This is why in Bhagavad Gita 8.15, Krishna says that this world is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam. So, anyhow we should try our best to come out of this world.
Liberation even in this world
Coming out is not just physical but is also nonphysical. It means that instead of absorbing our consciousness in material activities, we should absorb our consciousness in spiritual activities. Instead of engaging our mind and senses in satisfying our material desires, we should engage our mind and senses in serving the Supreme Lord. Instead of having material emotions we should cultivate spiritual emotions. If we do so, then even in this world we will become liberated.
On our own, it is impossible to cross over the material ocean. So, scriptures again and again ask us to take shelter of Rama Naam i.e the shelter of your holy name. If we do so we will be immediately delivered from all the miserable conditions of life and become liberated. But in spite of knowing this we hardly take this instruction seriously.
Rama Naam helps to bridge the distance
Monkey warriors built the bridge of stones by engraving your name on it with love. That bridge which is famously called Ram Setu did not just connect Rameswaram to Lanka. But that bridge helped the fortunate monkey warriors to cross over the ocean of material existence and finally get shelter at your lotus feet. Ram Setu connected their heart with your heart which is full of love and compassion.
It was not that you did not have the power to construct the bridge on your own. You are the creator of the universe so is it so difficult for you to build a bridge on the ocean? But by this spiritual pastime you showed us the great importance and power of Rama Naam. You want to tell us that if we just chant your name with love then the distance which is currently between us can be bridged. Our heart will get connected with your heart and we can swiftly cross over the ocean of material existence.
Give me taste in Rama Naam
Standing at the shore, monkeys were in utter confusion. You gave them the intelligence to build the bridge. Drowned in the ocean of material existence I am too in utter helpless condition. Although I know that if I just absorb myself in your holy name, in Rama Naam, and live my life as per the guidelines of the scriptures then I will attain perfection. But due to lack of determination and unlimited impurities in my heart, I am not able to practice devotion to you sincerely.
On this auspicious day of Rama Navami, I beg at your lotus feet to be merciful on me as you were merciful to your monkey warriors. Please give me intelligence so that I can understand the unlimited power of Rama Naam. I beseech you to cleanse all the impurities from my heart and give me determination to sincere follow the scriptural injunctions.
And please give me taste so that I always enjoy chanting your beautiful name which appears in the Hare Krishna Mahamantra – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
Your insignificant servant
Purushottam Nitai Das
