वर्शा ॠतु रघुपति भगति तुलसी सालि सुदास
राम नाम बर बरन दोऊ सावन भादो मास
Varṣā ṛtu raghupati tulsi sāli sudāsa
Rāma nāma bara barana doū sāvana bhādau māsa
Devotion for Śri Rāma is the rainy season and the devotees are the crops. The two letters ra and ma are the two main months - Śravaṇa and Bhadrapad
Bhārata experiences respite from the scorching heat of the summer as it enters the monsoon season during the months of Śravaṇa and Bhadrapad (July - August). Majority of our rainfall happens during this time where we are blessed with bountiful water for the rest of the year.
It is due to this abundance of water we are able to sustain ourselves, mother earth receives the water to nourish the crops and the soil gains a striking fragrance. Rivers flowed in full might and ponds filled up to its brim.
These changes in the environment brought a new ray of hope into the minds of the people. This was a moment to celebrate and receive the blessings of Varṣā (abundant rainfall). From the dry, barren and dreary phase of heat, we enter a phase of fulfillment, joy and abundance.
Our minds are facing dryness, barrenness and dreariness due to the emotions of bitterness, jealousy, hatred, and greed we entertain. How can we move away from this phase to a phase of fulfillment, joy and abundance?
Even an iota of love entertained towards an object or person bestows us with a sense of relief. When there is a bountiful rain of love in our lives, we experience fulfillment. To sustain this fulfillment is Devotion.
Sustaining the emotion of Love is no trivial task. This can be empowered only through the company of the great (Satsanga) and the repeated chanting of the name of the Divine. (Japa). The devotees who are empowered by these and are able to sustain the fulfillment of Love through their Devotion are indeed a splendid lot who nourish and support the entire society.
The scriptures maintain that Lord Śiva, the deity presiding over the holy city of Kāśī, whispers into the right ear of every creature, dying within its boundaries, the name ‘Rāma’ and thereby brings emancipation to the dying soul.
We also have the well-known story of a robber, Ratnākara who transformed him into a seer - Vālmīki who later went to immortalize the story of Rāma. In the Padmapurāṇa, Bhagwan Śiva says chanting the name of Rāma is as powerful as chanting the Viṣṇu-Sahasranāma.
Hence the repetition of Rāma’s name is the sure path to sustain the bounty of love in our hearts and receive the blessings of devotion.
All our worldly achievements lose their meaning without the fragrance of devotion.
The nectar that emerged from the churning of the ocean, where even the ones who had the opportunity to partake in it were not rid of the qualities that made their hearts dry and barren. (anger, greed, etc.). This is the case with all our worldly achievements devoid of devotion.
On the other hand, the nectar of Bhaktí (Devotion) is ever expanding and never ending. The more you share this nectar with others the more it increases. There is no anxiety or fear of losing it and there is joy in the other’s gain. Bhaktí is fulfillment in itself and so beautifies and divinizes all our worldly achievements, as in the case of Sudāmā.
May we empower ourselves with devotion by sustaining our Love for the Divine with the help of the two letters ra and ma. May Śri Rāma bestow us with abundant love for Him that flows through us to the world around us divinising and beautifying our lives.
Dāsarathāya vidmahe, Sītā vallabhāya dhīmahi,
Tanno Rāma Prachodayāta
Rāma Rāma Rāma
Rāmāyaha Namaha
#srirama #bhakti #ramcharitamanas #varsha #love #devotion #thevedicpond
