Hari Om
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This is requested from Ganeshprasad, in this post: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=10936&postcount=8
"So yes please lets hear more of this,Om Ram ramaya namaha"
Namaste Ganeshprasad,
If I may let me talk of this Ram I am so fond of.
Lets consider this mantra first, then His name and the value hidden in His name. The suitability of of this mantra ( Akshara samudhya) meets the rules of a pra-siddha mantra, that is can be used by the sadhu, with guru's blessings or one w/o a guru.
Taraka mantra
That is, the mantra which takes you across the ocean of samsara. The Sanskrit word taraka, denotes a star as it traverses in space and acts as a guiding light. A boat is called tari, as it allows one to cross over the waters. But what of the oceans of samsara? Samsara (sr= "to flow" + sam = "together") - what flows together? birth-after-birth. So, a Taraka-mantra is one that gets you out of the wheel of birth after birth - or brings you to enlightenment. One Mantra that we all know is Om ( also called Pranava) and is considered Taraka-mantra. Many posts are written on this, so I will hold off on any elaboration.
Om Ram ramaya namaha is a taraka mantra
Rama - defined is from "Ram" " pleasing, to delight", yet it goes deeper. From the Padma-purana, it says " ramante yogino-nante brahmaanande chidaatmani " or ' The one in whose memory yogi's revel in the bliss of brahman'. It's the mantra that brings bliss. As bija, we know it as Ram or Rama. We know rishi Vasishta supplied this name to King Dasaratha for his son ( Sri Ram) . Rishi Vasishta knew it was taraka mantra or a vibration that takes one across the ocean of samsara. Some even say it is equivalent to the whole of Vishnu sahasra-nama.
Lets look a bit deeper to Rama and its components as nama-smarana (remembering the Lord's name). First take note that Om Ram ramaya namaha is an eight sylable mantra. From a jyotish point of view, the 8th house in one's birth chart is a moksha house e.g. stimulates Kaivalya within ones being. So is the 4th and the 12th. We have posted this before under Jyotish discussion. So the 4th, 8th and 12th are Moksha houses and this taraka mantra has 8 phonemes.
Now this Ra of Rama is also found in the eight-lettered mantra of Narayana, and in the famous 8 (astakshari) syllable mantra , Om Namo Narayanaya. This Ra, is also the bija (seed) sound of Agni. As Agni in the Rig Ved is identifed as Divine Will and favorable to the family of man. Some say this bija mantra sounds more like Rum or Rm as the seed syllable of Agni ( so thought to get that stated for those that are aware of this).
Lets look at the second part of Rama or ma. Both are the life-giving syllables, jiiva-aksharas, yet this ma is also found in multiple mantra's - a most notable one is Nama Shivaya. And we find ma, at the root of Mahah. We talked of this Maha in post http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=10660&postcount=1 . Note then how this fits in Na-ma-ha, to Ram's overall Mantra.
The notion was about the vyahriti's, or sacred utterances, bhu+bhuvah+suvah , yet rishi Mahachamasya muni taught a 4th, of which is Mahah. This Vyahriti of Mahah covers, or includes all other vyahriti ( bhu+bhuvah+suvah ). It is said this Mahah is Brahman (Taittiriya Upanishad), the underlying principle (sub-stratum) of everything seen and unseen. It is nish-kalam Indivisible, yet the support for all parts. How profound is this vibration of Rama! We have the influnce of Narayan, Siva, the vyahtiti
of Maha, or Brahman , all in this Rama.
Rama's name is auspicious , forward or back words. How so? The Great rishi Valmilki, at the time named Ratnakar, was fortunate to receive this mantra... yet he said, I cannot pronounce this Rama, please give me something different. So, the sages gave him the mantra Mara - note this is Rama backwards MA-RA. So, as the story goes, he gets absorbed in Samadhi, stays in one spot for a long time and ants build hill around him...being totally absorbed in bliss. When the sages return, they ask him to come out - He comes out fully enlightened (jivanmukti) and they give him his new name Valmilki from 'Valmika' meaning an ant-hill. Valmilki , the author of the Ramayana.
So, this name forward or backward is auspicious. A wonderful Mantra of Om Ram Ramaya Namaha - rooted in taraka mantras Om, Ram then Ram backwards MA and NA from Narayana . just a most exquisite Pra-siddha mantra.
pranams,
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