Doha 24
राम भगत हित नर तनु धारी। सहि संकट किए साधु सुखारी॥ नामु सप्रेम जपत अनयासा। भगत होहिं मुद मंगल बासा॥१॥
राम एक तापस तिय तारी। नाम कोटि खल कुमति सुधारी॥ रिषि हित राम सुकेतुसुता की। सहित सेन सुत कीन्हि बिबाकी॥२॥ सहित दोष दुख दास दुरासा। दलइ नामु जिमि रबि निसि नासा॥ भंजेउ राम आपु भव चापू। भव भय भंजन नाम प्रतापू॥३॥
दंडक बनु प्रभु कीन्ह सुहावन। जन मन अमित नाम किए पावन॥ निसिचर निकर दले रघुनंदन। नामु सकल कलि कलुष निकंदन॥४॥
Meaning
For the sake of His devotees Śrī Rāma assumed the form of a human being and, suffering adversities Himself, brought relief to the pious. By fondly repeating His Name, on the other hand, devotees easily become abodes of joy and blessings. (1) Śrī Rāma Himself redeemed a single woman, ‘Ahalyā’¹, the wife of an ascetic; while His Name corrected the error of crores of wicked persons. For the sake of the sage Viśvāmitra, Śrī Rāma wrought the destruction of Suketu’s daughter² (Tāḍakā) with her army and son (Subāhu); (2) 1. See Bālakāṇḍa (209. 6 to 211) 2. Ibid., 203. 3 and 209. 3. while His Name puts an end to the devotee’s vain hopes alongwith his errors and sorrows even as the sun terminates night. In His own person Śrī Rāma broke the bow of Śiva¹, while the very glory of His Name dispels the fear of rebirth². (3) 1. Ibid., 260, 4. 2. Here there is a pun on the word ‘Bhava’, which has been used as a synonym of Lord Śiva in the first instance and again in the sense of rebirth. The comparison has been drawn between Śrī Rāma Himself, on the one hand, and the glory of His Name (not the Name Itself) on the other. The latter, it is pointed out, excels the former in that while Śrī Rāma broke a concrete object like the bow, the glory of His Name dispels an abstract thing like the fear of rebirth. The Lord, Śrī Rāma, restored the charm of the Daṇḍaka forest³ alone, while His Name purified the mind of countless devotees. Śrī Raghunātha crushed only a host of demons, while His Name uproots all the impurities of the Kali age. (4) 3. The forest of Daṇḍaka had been rendered unfit for life in any form whatsoever under a curse from the sage Śukrācārya. The divine presence of Śrī Rāma, however, removed the curse and restored the forest to its original charm.
सबरी गीध सुसेवकनि सुगति दीन्हि रघुनाथ। नाम उधारे अमित खल बेद बिदित गुन गाथ॥२४॥
Meaning
Śrī Raghunātha conferred immortality only on faithful servants like Śabarī (the celebrated Bhīla woman) and the vulture, Jaṭāyu⁴, while His Name has delivered innumerable wretches; the tale of Its virtues is well-known in the Vedas. (24) 4. For the accounts of Śabarī and Jaṭāyū see Araṇyakāṇḍa 33. 3 to 36 and 28. 4 to 32 respectively.
Ramayan appFree. No ads. Works offline.InstallFrom the Gita Press, Gorakhpur edition. Buy the book