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"Suklambaradaram Vishnum Sashivarnam
Chathurbhujam Prasanna Vadanam Dhyayeth
Saravavignopa Shantaye"

One who wears a white dress; One who is omnipresent;
One who shines like the Moon; One who has four hands;
One who has a beautiful and shining face;
One who wards off all obstacles. I meditate on Him.

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TODAY is the Birthday of Rama who is Dharma itself. He is Veda Dharma in Human Form. He is Anandaswarupa and Dharmaswarupa. On this holy day of Ramnavami you must immerse yourself in the Atma as Dharmaswarupa as the motivator of the moral life. Rama is "Atma Rama" in every being. There is no place where Rama is not. He is imminent and eternal. Rama for you should mean the Path He trod, the ideal He held aloft, and the Ordinance He laid down. They are eternal and timeless. Now you worship His Form, you repeat His name; ignoring His orders. Without practicing the discipline laid down by Rama to purify the mind, all else is mere show, empty rituals. Contemplate on this unique day to obtain Godhood. Use it not for feasting, picnics, hikes, watching films, playing games, gambling, etc. The Immortal had come in the form of Rama to show the way to Immortality.

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THE four brothers Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha and Satrughna represent the Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Vedas. When man neglects the Divine aspect of their natures and the awareness of the Omnipresent and Omnipotent OM, he falls prey to the impulses and instincts dominated by the ego and develop faith in material gains. He spends his life in amassing wealth, power and authority over fellow-beings and believes that holding others under his sway is a desirable achievement. If there were a vacancy in Heaven, he would surely apply for the position of God, for he believes that he has all the necessary attributes.

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THE Ramayana has a deep undercurrent of significant meaning. Dasaratha means: he who rides in a chariot of ten, that is to say, Man. He is tied up with three Gunas or three wives, as in the Ramayana. He has four sons, the Purusharthas; Dharma (Rama), Artha (Lakshmana), Kama (Bharatha) and Moksha (Satrughna). These four aims of man have to be systematically realised, always with the last one, Moksha, clearly before the eye. Lakshmana represents the Buddhi or intellect and Sita is Truth. Hanuman is the Mind and the repository of courage, if controlled and trained. Sugriva, the master of Hanuman, is Discrimination. With these to help him, Rama seeks the Truth and succeeds. That is the lesson of the Epic to every man.

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RAMA is Dharma personified. "Vignahavak Dharmah". Rama is the Supreme Exemplar of the Virtues that man must cultivate so that he might live as a master, husband, son, brother, friend or even foe. The other three brothers of Rama personify the other three ideals. Bharatha is the embodiment of Sathya; Satrughna of Shanti; and Lakshmana of Prema. Study the Ramayana with the aim of imbibing from it the ideals for happy living, for making this life worthwhile and you will be amply rewarded. Then you can deservedly style yourselves "Devotees" of the Lord.

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THE Ramayana is a guidebook, a sacred text, an inspiring scripture for every man in all lands, whatever his creed or condition might be. It imparts poise, balance, equanimity, inner strength and peace. Peace is the best treasure, without it power, authority, fame and fortune are all dry and burdensome. Thyagaraja has sung that there can be no happiness without inner peace.

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WHY is it that the world reveres Rama and revolts at Ravana? Rama is not the uncle's son or Ravana the step-mother's child! It is the kinship of the spirit, innate goodness, responding lovingly, adoringly to the goodness in Rama; and reacting revoltingly to the wickedness of Ravana. It is not enough, nor is it essential that you should repeat the name of Rama loudly; respect it in the fullness of love and admiration. If you have no spring of love in you, dig into your heart with external instruments like Puja, Stotra, etc. and it will start to flow.

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VIBHISHANA, Ravana's own brother, chastised him for his willfulness and lust and urged him to save himself, his kingdom and his kith and kin by restoring Sita unharmed to her Lord. When Vibhishana went over to Rama, Rama knew that he had a pure heart and that he could not survive the poisonous atmosphere of Lanka. So He took him and saved him. The Lord likes to be called "Aarthathraana-paraayana" more than any other name, for He is most happy when He rescues those in agony.

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YOU talk glibly of Ramarajya, but how can it be established if you do not emulate Rama? He was "Vignahavaan Dharmah", the very Embodiment  of Dharma. He never deviated from it. Dasaratha means one who is master of the ten Senses, the five Karmendriyas and the five Jnanendriyas; that is to say, the successful Sadhaka. Such a person can have the holy progeny of the four Purusharthas-Dharma (Rama), Artha (Lakshmana), Kama (Bharatha) and Moksha (Satrughna). Become a Dasaratha and save that holy progeny as a gift from God.

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HANUMAN succeeded in coordinating his thought, word and act. Therefore he had the unique distinction of being great in physical strength, mental stability and virtuous character. He shines as an invaluable gem among the personalities of the Ramayana. He was also a great scholar, who had mastered, of all things, the six schools of grammar. He knew the four Vedas and the six Sastras. The Gita says that a scholar is one who sees the same Divine force motivating everyone. "Pandithaha Samadarsinha". Hanuman was a good example of this outlook.

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HANUMAN spoke to the brothers in sweet, gentle and pleasing words. Rama was struck by the grammatical accuracy of his sentences. They readily answered all his queries; and Hanuman was satisfied with their bona fides. He offered to take them to his Master and Monarch. The Darshan (sight) and first Mana of Rama had removed all his sins; their Sparshan (touch) burnt away all the consequences of his deeds in previous lives; and their Sambashan (conversation) filled his mind with joy. That is the experience of all who welcome the impact of Divinity.

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HANUMAN became the messenger of Rama. There are three classes of messengers: those who do not understand the orders of the Master or do not care to understand and who operate to the detriment of the work assigned them; those who do only just as much as the order literally communicates; and those who grasp the purpose and significance of the orders and carry them out unflinchingly until the purpose is achieved. Hanuman belonged to the last category.

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YOU find some one parade all of a sudden some -ism- as new and revolutionary socialism, for example. Socialism, which means, recognising the equality of every individual with every one else was in fact practiced in India long ago. Rama, undisputed Sovereign of a vast Empire, gave heed to the flippant scandal uttered by an irresponsible laundry-man during a quarrel with his wife, and sent his Queen, the very dear person for whom had waged a war of tremendous carnage, into exile, regardless of the fact that she was pregnant at the time. Every one's voice was given equal weight in the empire ruled over by Rama.

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THE Vanaras, while building the bridge across the ocean, carried huge boulders on their heads repeating Rama-Nama all the while; and that made the rocks weigh less. It is even said that they wrote the name on the stones and that made them float. Each time they handled or lifted a stone, they sang Rama-Nama in unison and so they were a happy lot doing Puja, not work, which is unpleasant. Rama's Grace helped all to overcome obstacles. Take the name and make your work light: that is My advice to you.

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I INSIST on your seeking and remaining in good company, Satsang. Being in the midst of such spiritual heroes, you can fight against evil with a greater chance of success. Once, when Garuda the sworn enemy of snakes went to Kailas, he saw the snakes that Siva wore round His neck, His arms, His waist, and His Feet. The snakes were safe now and they hissed with their puffed hoods at the celestial bird, which could not do them any harm since they were in such Divine Company. Garuda said: "Well! Glide down from the Body and I shall kill everyone of you"! That is the value of the Sath one has reached. Satsang is valuable, for it is like keeping a pot of water inside a tank of water; there will not be any loss through evaporation.

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PRIDE is one of the worst sins in the spiritual field. If you feel conceited that you are Bhakta of Hare, He will "hare" (destroy, in Telugu) you. Remember, Sharanaagathi should be like the attitude of Lakshmana. Rama said: "Take Sita and leave her in the forest". Implicit obedience! There is no other way. That is Lakshmana. That is Sharanaagathi; the rest deserve, only of "Sarangathi", the arrow of Rama.

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WHEN the queen Kaikeyi persuaded her husband to agree to her two requests - enthroning her son Bharatha as the Crown Prince and sending the legitimate heir, Rama, into exile for fourteen years - Lakshmana, another brother of Rama and Bharatha, did not acquiesce tamely. He argued that man must meet every little crisis with courage and self-reliance and that he should not yield craven-like to the machinations of intrigue. He boasted that his arrow could avert the crisis. But the arrow is an inferior weapon, even a negligible weapon when compared with the efficiency of Love. Rama heard him coolly and advised him to desist from that hasty Karma, "Dharma must guide Karma"; then alone can it be praise-worthy and successful.

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THE path of spiritual discipline, which is most beneficial to man, is laid down in a simple and sweet manner in the great Scriptures of Ancient India. They explain, through example and precept, the Divine Principle inherent in the Universe and inspire mankind to gaze with awe and reverence at the handiwork of God and His inscrutable Leela (sport). They prompt man to march along the pilgrim road of sacrifice in the happy company of Sages, so that the body feels the vision of the Eternal, which can be gained and enshrined in the heart forever.

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WHEN Sri Rama decided to end His Avatar career and walked into the flooded Sarayu River, a dog too followed the concourse. When asked why it had attached itself to the entourage, it said, "I desire to enter Heaven with you all. I was in my previous life a full-fledged Yogi; but I slipped and fell from the straight path of self-control. I became the slave of conceit. I expounded the Vedas as my fancy dictated, in strange but attractive ways. So, I have now become this animal that takes delight in barking, biting and baying. The persons who encouraged me then by praise are now the fleas and the flies that crowd on my skin and pester me. Help me, Lord, to escape from the disgrace. I have worked my Karma; I have lived out my sentence".

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WHEN Rama is installed in the heart, every thing will be added unto you - fame, fortune, freedom, fullness. Hanuman was a mere monkey-leader until he met Rama. He was a Minister in the Court of his Master. But when Rama gave him the commission to seek Sita, that is to say, when Rama was installed in his heart as Guide and Guardian, Hanuman became immortal.

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DASA means "ten" and Ratha means "Chariot". Hence Dasaratha (the father of Rama) in fact symbolizes "man" who operates with his ten sense organs such as the eyes, the ears, the nose etc. His three wives symbolize man's three Gunas (attributes) and his four sons, the four Purusharthas (purposes). Lakshmana also represents the Buddhi (Intellect) of Rama. Hanuman is the mind, the repository of courage, while Sugriva stands for Discrimination. With these to help him, Rama succeeds in finding Sita, the lost Truth. This is the lesson of the Ramayana to everyone.

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THERE are many who spend much time in mechanically reciting the name "Rama" or systematically reading the Ramayana according to a fixed time-table, or who worship the images of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman as a daily ritual, with noisy pomp and pedantry; but like a person who puts a foot forward only to draw it back again, these persons do not progress at all as the years elapse. Without gaining purity of thought and intention, compassion and the urge to serve, these outward expressions and exhibitions are but ways of cheating yourself for having society applaud you as a great devotee. Your sight must become an insight; it must be turned within and used to purify and clarify your mind.

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THE greatest formula that can liberate, cleanse and elevate the mind is Rama-Name, the Name of Rama. Rama is not to be identified with the hero of the Ramayana, the Divine offspring of Emperor Dasaratha. The Court-Preceptor named him Rama because it was a Name, which was already current. Vasishta, the Preceptor, said that he had chosen that Name since it meant: He who pleases. While everyone pleases the self, nothing pleases the caged individualized self more than the free universal individualized self. The self is therefore referred to as Atma-Rama, the self that confers unending joy.

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HANUMAN was ordered to discover the whereabouts of Sita and he implicitly, without question, obeyed and succeeded. He did not calculate the dangers of the journey and hesitate; and he did not feel proud that he was chosen for the high adventure. He listened; he understood; he obeyed; and he won. The name Rama Dootha, Messenger and Servant of Rama that he earned thereby has made him immortal. You must earn the name, Sai Rama Dootha. Have fortitude and self-control; use good and sweet-words; and examine each act of yours on the touch-stone of My preference.

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THE toughest fiber is anger. It is the stickiest dirt. When you get angry, you forget mother, father and teacher; you descend to the lowest depths. You lose all discrimination in the excitement; even Hanumantha set fire to the whole of Lanka when the Rakshasas who set fire to the tip of his tail incensed him; and he lost sight of the fact that Sita was in the Asoka Vana. It was only after he had exulted in achievement for a little while that he remembered it and then he started condemning himself for his anger.

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RAMA is extolled as the ideal son who acted according to his father's wish regardless of his own happiness. But Bhishma is a better example in this respect. He acceded to a whim of his father and in so doing made even a greater sacrifice than Rama. Dasaratha made Rama an exile in the forest for fourteen years to satisfy the claims of Truth, while Santhanu made his son give up the throne as well as a wedded life to satisfy a sensual desire of his senile body. As a matter of fact, it is not the obedience to the father's whim that is important; it is the adherence to Sathya and Dharma, which is Rama's forte.

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