The Rama Principle Is the Atma,
Source of All Joy The Name Rama was once indicated by Rama Himself (the son of
Dasharatha, hero of the Ramayana, the incarnation of the Lord in the Thretha
Yuga) as a potent liberator.
When Rama was passing through the
forests with Sita and Lakshmana, the hermits who recognised Him as Divine
gathered around Him with a prayer that they be initiated by Him and be given
some mantra (sacred formula) that they could repeat for spiritual uplift and victory.
Rama replied that He was a prince in exile wandering in the forests and so He
could not presume any authority to initiate hermits into a spiritual path. He
moved on along the jungle tracks.
Watching Him walking fast, with
Sita immediately behind Him and Lakshmana following behind, an aged hermit
exclaimed, “Friends! See! Rama is initiating us! He is awarding us the mantra!
God is leading. Nature (His constant companion, His shadow) is following; the
jeevi (individual), part of the Lord, the wave of the ocean, is in the rear; he
can see the Lord only if the deluding Nature is propitiated or by-passed. This
is indeed a silent lesson in sadhana (spiritual discipline). Ra is God; ma is
the individual, who has fallen behind. Aa is Prakrithi (Nature); Rama, Rama is
the mantra He is vouchsafing so graciously. Take it and save yourselves. For
me, there is no other course.”
I am emphasising Rama-Nama (the name Rama)
because the Rama principle is the Atma. Rama means that which is pleasant and
which pleases. Now, the Atma is the source of all joy; its nature is bliss.
Moreover, as Thyagaraja discovered, Rama is the Name that worshippers of both
Narayana (Vishnu) and Shiva can adopt. The syllable Ra is the key syllable of
the Narayana mantra (Om Namo Narayanaya) and the syllable ma is the key
syllable of the Shiva mantra (Om Namashivaya).
Divine Discourse
World Conference of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations
May 17, 1968
