Rama Naama Mitaayi....

I'd like to share a beautiful song composed by Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba about the greatness of Rama Nama. (Raga - Dhanyasi , Thalam - Adhi)

Lyrics:

Raama Naamamanu mitaayi idhigo randi bhakthulaara

Bhoomilo Doruku Ee mitaayi koni thini Paamarulai Chedi pOvaku randi

Raama Naamamanu mitaayi idhigo randi bhakthulaara

Veda Saaramanu Godhuma pindilo Veda vaakyamanu ksheeramey pOsi

Andhamaina Peddha baanduva theesi Aadhi munulu deeni baaguga kalipiri

Raama Naamamanu mitaayi idhigo randi bhakthulaara

Nibaddhi yanu kanda chekkara thecchi Subuddhi anu aavu neyyey vesi

Apaddhamani yeti malinamu theesi Aadhi munulu deeni baaguga kalipiri

Raama Naamamanu mitaayi idhigo randi bhakthulaara

Randi Bhakthulaara Konandi Bhakthulaara !

Meanings:

Come O devotees! Take the sweet of Raama Naama ! This sweet is available on this earth, get it and eat it. Don’t waste your time as ignorant people. Be aware!

Swami explains how this Sweet of “Rama Nama” was prepared. The Essence of all Vedas are added as Wheat flour, the Veda vakyams such as “thathwamasi” and “aham brahmaasmi” are added as Milk in huge vessel and thoroughly mixed by sages like Valmiki ! Adding Discipline as rock candy and Intelligence as cow ghee, removing all the impurities (sins and evil qualities), this sweet of Rama Nama has been prepared. Come Devotees, Take this sweet of Rama Nama!

Sri Sathya Sai Geethamulu - Rama Namamanu Mitaayi by Bhavadhaarini

Every other mantra in Hindu scriptures have their own names. Rama Nama is the only Mantra that is called ‘Taraka Mantra’. The word ‘taraka’ means the one that helps us cross. It helps us cross the ocean of ‘samsara’. It helps us cross the cycles of birth and death. If it is chanted as 'Rama', then it is a Nama. If it is chanted 'Ram', then it is a Mantra. 

Our ancient Sages and Rishis have also glorified the Rama Nama. Rama Nama gets exactly the same importance in Saguna Upasana (worshipping the Absolute Truth as a Being with a form) as does the Pranava ('Om') Mantra in Nirguna Upasana (worshipping the Absolute Truth as formless). 

Rishi Manu shows that the Rama Nama has links to all the other mantras that ever exist. In Syavana Smriti (Syavana is the name of a rishi), Syavana says that the Rama Nama is the essence of all the Vedas, Shastras, Itihasas and Puranas. Sage Vasishta meditated on the Rama Nama for quite a long time. Hence he wanted to name the Almighty with the same Mantra that he had chanted. In the philosophy of the Yoga, 'Ra' is considered the 'Mooladhara' (the point of origin of the power of Kundalini) and 'Ma' is the 'Sahasrara' (the destination). Hence, when the Rama Nama is chanted in the right tone and manner, the serpent power rises and hits the head or the 'kapala' Thus, by merely chanting the Rama Nama, one can become a Yogi.  

Sri Bodendra Saraswati Swamigal, Kabir, Samartha Ramadas, Thiyagaraja, Bhadrachala Ramadas, Papa Ramdas, Bhagavan Yogiramsuratkumar and innumerable saints in the recent past have advocated the Rama Nama and also showed how the Rama Nama can perform miracles. Sri Ramakrishna initiated Swami Vivekananda into the holy 'Rama' Nama. It is the power of that Divine Name that made him establish this Universal Religion of Brotherhood all over the world.

Let us have this holy Rama Nama in our tongue always ! Jai Sitaram ! Jai Sairam!

My loving teacher...

From my childhood I have been a part of my guru’s family. My mother Nalini Anantaraman was her student previously and I used to visit Pattamma amma’s home for classes and listened to the classes. During one such lucky visits on a Sunday afternoon, my mother was learning the Kalyani Nava varna krithi of Mutthuswami Dikshithar ’Kamalaambaam bhajare’, I had been listening to it with rapt attention. It seems I repeated the sangathis and the whole Pallavi in a few minutes. D.K.Pattammal Amma hugged me and said ‘Indha Kuzhandhaikku nan daan guru’and with those words began my musical journey. That was the age of 5.

From then on, it was a ‘Chakkani raja maargam’ for my musical learning process. I was guided every little step in spite of Pattamma’s ill health or busy schedules. It’s now a 24 year young love story that I share with Amma. When in school I had classes on weekends and later on it was three or even four day classes in a week. She would encourage me to go to competitions and hear concerts regularly.

Every minute in her presence is a lesson. It was indeed a gift to learn from ‘The Kaalidas Samman, Sangeetha Kalanidhi, Gana Saraswathi’ who never showed that she was a very great person. She remains a loving grandmother to me and to many other students. It’s just like any other music class when I sit cross-legged before Pattamma, keeping time with her hand, while we both sing in a slow cadence many numerous beautiful Krithis. With eyes closed Pattamma listens to every sangathi, every syllable and moulded to more perfection. I only wonder how much of ‘punyam’ should I have done to be in Her Musical Divine folds?

To me ‘Amma’ always appears as Gaana Saraswathi, a Goddess of so much of musical knowledge and a teacher who constantly wants to give more and more. D.K.Pattammal Amma is an extra-ordinary teacher…After every song a discussion about the composer, the raga, the nuances, the variations, the mood of the song, How to sing it on stage, How to effectively present, Where to stop How to end… She would explain every bit, she would connect us to the old memoirs of her performances adding more anecdotes to the song she just taught and made every other krithi special.

She would encourage us to hear more and more, learn more and more. She would often say these words, “nAn munne laam oru naaL ku oru Kruthi manappaadam paNNuven”, “nerayya kekkanum, katthukaNum”, “anubhavicchu paadaNum”, “sruthi matha laya pitha”.

I was never encouraged to write songs on sheets of paper, it was by listening to her and repeating her, everything she would bring back from her memory; often I have asked her “what computer chip is inside Patta?” She would smile with her peace-personified face, and that was enough of a blessing, answer everything together. I later wrote sangathis back at home and maintained note of lessons learnt. I was never allowed to tape-record the classes; this made me more attentive and conscious of every syllable every line every detail.

I was not able to learn more frequently for the past 4 years due to Pattamma’s health, but would go, see her, sing all the old lessons once or twice. She would hear them, smile and correct if there are mistakes. It is just amazing the way she explained every little bit of her musical nuances and entrusts her most precious treasure with so much care and guidance to me and all her lucky students.

She was one teacher who could make even a foreigner student feel and learn at ease. She was so confident in her skill and magnanimous enough to pass it on to the future. Her baritone voice and her command over thalam has always astonished me.

For the past few months, Daily mornings, She would move from her bed, go to the wheel chair with the help of Mary (maid who looked after her) and would go to the Hall where she would pray to Ganesha whispering slowly all the names of her kith and kin, students touch the statues belly and his hands with so much love.

If someone coming home offered her some flowers, she would look at me and I will be ready with the scissor to cut a portion for this Ganesha statue. After cutting she would signal to keep them first to the statue and I would meekly obey. She will finish distributing the flowers equally among all those present there. She would then hold the flowers in her hands take them to both her eyes and would leave it in her hair and smile.

After every class, Patta would signal me to bring the small kumkum box to her and she would volunteer to put it on the forehead. She would make sure the kumkum is alright and then she would kiss my hands to say “bye”. After doing the Namaskaarams, she would recite this long blessing that echoes every minute in my heart - “nee dheergaayusa dheergha sumangaliaa nOyatra vaazhvu vaazhndhudndu ashta aishwaryatthOda nanna irukkaNum mma… she would add nannaa paadu, pramaadhama varanum mmaa…” Every other person who did a namaskaram to this legend would have been blessed by this long verse from the “Paripoorna Saraswathi”.

I can never get such an affectionate easily approachable GURU again in my life. It is an unimaginable irreversible personal loss to me and my family. All I wish and pray is that I sing as worthy as she aspires me to be.

Prayers Prem and Aum
Bhavadhaarini Anantaraman