Passage 1

Tap any word for its meaning.

In plain words

Sweeter than sugar, more delicious than the cream of curds, far more delicious than the richest honey; said over and over by the mouth, it seems the very nectar, sweet beyond measure; so you, this lovely thing, remember in your mind: the Name of Rāma!

The Tretā Yuga has passed, and many thousands of years have gone by. Even after so many years have passed, from children to the aged, everyone still keeps the Name of Rāma in mind today; all must recognise from this how great a glory it holds. ‘Rāma’ is only the name given to the body; the body is not Rāma. The Ātma itself is Rāma. His name is Ātmārāma. So, for those who remember His name, at any time and on any day, He is in their home, with them wherever they go, at their side and before their eyes.

Embodiments of Prema! Whether you say ‘Rāma’, or the heart, or the Ātma, it is all one! Year after year the festival of Rāma Navamī keeps coming. But we must recognise how far we have come to know its special meaning. When you say ‘Rāma’, you think only of a form. But Rāma is not a form. The heart itself bears the name ‘Rāma’. No one can ever change such a Name. In the world a great many things are changing. Everything is moving on and passing away. But the Name of Rāma stands eternal, true and pure. Rāma is no ordinary man; He is the Paramātma Himself, who descended for the welfare of the world! Some say ‘Rāma’, some ‘Kṛṣṇa’, some ‘Īśvara’, some ‘Mahādeva’: in this way they give God many names. All these names belong to the one God! We must recognise well the glory of these divine names.