Passage 6

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In plain words

What is my strength before his! Rāma can fight alone and conquer any number of rākṣasas,” and so he calmed her. The two of them waited for Rāma's return with a thousand eyes. There Rāma loosed a weapon with a thousand heads and struck all the rākṣasas to the ground. Seeing Rāma come back safe after destroying the enemy, Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa were overjoyed.

How did Rāma, one man, strike down so many rākṣasas? Rāma is not of one form; he is of many forms. “The Puruṣa has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet...” In fact, the moment they saw his face, the rākṣasas all fell senseless. Lakṣmaṇa turned to Sītā: “Mother! One may count even the waves of the ocean. But Rāma's power cannot be described. In Rāma there are powers beyond the guṇas. All of us are mere instruments. Rāma is all-powerful. The Name of Rāma too is filled with tremendous power. It is enough if we utter that Name of Rāma wholeheartedly,” he said. The sweetness in the Name of Rāma is beyond description.

Sweeter than sugar, tastier than butter, far tastier than the richest honey; said over and over with the lips, it seems the very nectar, sweet beyond measure; so, every day, remember it well in your mind: the Name of Rāma!

Pravṛtti Dharma and nivṛtti Dharma

All the Dharmas in the Rāmāyaṇa are the Dharmas of the Veda. Dharma is of two kinds. One is pravṛtti Dharma, the other nivṛtti Dharma. All the Dharmas that concern the world are pravṛtti Dharmas. “My child! If you are hungry, eat food,” says pravṛtti. At once nivṛtti steps in: “My child! Just because you are hungry, do not eat whatever comes to hand,” it says. What kind of food should one eat? How should one eat? What teaches this is nivṛtti Dharma. Pravṛtti is what unsettles the mind; nivṛtti is what melts the heart. Pravṛtti concerns outward actions.