Vinay Patrika: Hymn 156

Raag Sarang

Chant the Name of Shri Ram In Kaliyuga

kali naam kaamtaru raamko |

dalnihaar daarid dukaal dukh, dosh ghor ghan ghaamko ||1||

naam leit daahino hot man, baam bidhaataa baamko |

kahat munees mahes mahaatam, ulte soodhe naamko ||2||

bhalo lok-parlok taasu jaake bal lalit-lalaamko |

tulsee jag jaaniyat naamte soch na kooch mukaamko ||3||

Shri Ram-Naam is the kalpavriksha of Kaliyuga

The name of Shri Ram is the *kalpavriksha in Kaliyuga. Because it destroys poverty, grief, vices and dense clouds (of ignorance) plus the blazing sun ( of sensual pleasures)||1||

A Hunter Becomes Sage Valmiki by Chanting the Name of Ram

The instant we recite the name of Shri Ram the hostile mind of the contrary ordainer also becomes favourable.The great sage Valmika has sung the glory of 'maraa-maraa or the reverse name of Rama-Rama and Lord Shiva has directly stated the majestic greatness of Ram-Naam. It means that while chanting the Name of Rama in a reverse fashion, Valmiki became a brahmarshi (great sage) from a hunter.

Lord Shiva Drinks the Deadly Poison

Whereas Lord Shiva drank the deadly poison halahala and was considered a svarupa of the Supreme Lord because of chanting the name of Shri Ram in a straight fashion||2||

Spiritual Bliss

Whosoever has the power of this supremely beautiful Ram-Naam, for him both this loka or material world and parloka or the next world, are joyous. O Tulsi! By having the might of the name of Shri Ram neither does one experience thoughts of leaving this mundane world nor does not one want to stay here. The bhava is that due to constantly being absorbed in spiritual bliss, life and death hold equal value for such a person ||3||

Kalpavriksha: one of the fabulous trees of Krishna's paradise that grants all desires.

Valmiki: Some say that Valimiki was a highway robber named Ratnakar who used to rob people after killing them. Once, the robber tried to rob sage Narada who asked him if his family would share the sin he was incurring due to the robbery.The robber asked his family, but none agreed to bear the burden of sin. Dejected, the robber finally understood the truth of life and Narada taught him how to worship God. The robber meditated for many years, so much so that Ant-hills grew around his body. Finally, a divine voice bestowed him with the name "Valmiki": "one born out of ant-hills".

Sage Narada had the knack of bringing about social change and spiritual growth wherever he went. Adored and respected by Lord Krishna, Narada employed different ways to bring people nearer to God. He convinced the dacoit Ratnakar to chant "Mara, Mara" - the reverse of "Rama, Rama" - helping him evolve enough to get transformed into sage Valmiki.Rishi Valmiki's transition from a robber to a sage was an instance of a realisation that one needs to bear the fruit of his Karma.

Lord Shiva drinks halhala: During the churning of the ocean by the gods and demons, one of the product emerged from the churning was a dangerous poison halahala. This terrified the gods and demons because the toxic poison could destroy all of creation. On the advice of Vishnu, the gods approached Shiva for help. Shiva swallowed the poison in an act of self-sacrifice. However, his terrified consort Parvati squeezed his throat to prevent the poison descending into his body. Thus the poison was stuck in Shiva's throat with nowhere to go, and changed the color of Shiva's neck to blue. For this reason, he is also called Nilakanta.