The unexpected gift

I have been reading Goswami Tulsidas Ji’s Ramacharitmanas since 2012 usually around Ram Navami. I learned about this sacred scripture from a Shukla Yajurvedi priest in the temple I used to frequent in the U.S. I just joined and started chanting the Manas as part of Akhanda Ramayan (24 hour) path or as Saptah (as 7 day or 9 day parayana) in the temple community.

The language Awadhi is simple and anyone can start chanting. That is one of the greatest beauty of this scripture. So I used to read it with around 8-10 others in the temple in U.S. as part of Ram Navami celebrations.

This year I got inspired by Bageshwar Dham Sarkar to continue my reading after Ram Navami also and really give an honest effort in understanding the scripture.

This time I am reading it as Maas Parayan (breaking it into 30-31 parts) so that I can read the entire Ramacharitmanas in a month. This gives me three important things. I can acquire the habit of reading scripture as part of my daily upasana/practice. There is a possibility that I will understand the meaning as I am not trying to complete the scripture fast but to actually understand it more deeply. The third quality I wish to receive in this practice is to purify my consciousness.

To the best of my knowledge in the last 17 days of parayan, I have acquired each of these things. But what I did not anticipate was the emotions that I felt when I read certain verses from Ramacharitamanas. The birth of Lord Ram brought forth great feelings of rapturous joy in my heart. Ram’s beautiful face flashed in my mind’s eye just as I read about the joy of Kausalya when she saw Lord Ram for the first time. I wish I could personally thank Goswami Tulsidas Ji for His amazing contribution to humanity. Stories like these are not just stories. They open your consciousness to experience Lord Ram and His life right in your mind’s eye in a nice 3D form.

Ramacharitamanas brings us closer to our beloved Lord Ram. As we chant His names and glories again and again, I am developing a more personal relationship with Him. In the process, I am gaining something very valuable – Devotion to Lord Hanuman.

Though I have always chanted Hanuman Chalisa on a regular basis because of my husband’s devotion to Lord Hanuman, reading this scripture now has given me an emotional and loving connection to Lord Hanuman. I see His power and I see His might and glories. How can I describe the enthusiasm and energy I receive when I read this work of Tulsidas Ji!

I thank Goswami Tulsidas Ji for giving us this great Ratna (a treasure beyond compare). In Ramacharitmanas, Goswami Ji says without a doubt that the name of Lord Ram is more powerful than Lord Ram Himself. What a contradictory thing to say! But indeed it seems to be true. Lord Ram’s name neutralises the vasanas of Kaliyuga. The mind becomes tranquil.

“Nischala Tatve Jeevanmukti”

The power of Ramacharitmanas is felt deep in my heart as I utter the verses. No one can question the legitimacy of this scripture as the proof is in the pudding.

Lord Ram is now in my heart. I can invoke Him to receive His blessings, and that itself is Goswami Tulsidas Ji’s blessings. I owe my sincere gratitude to Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri (Bageshwar Dham Baba) who again brought this Manas back into my life. I pray for continuous recitation and integration of this beautiful scripture into my life.

Jai Siya Ram

Jai Bageshwar Dham Sarkar!

Jai Balaji!