Understanding Ram: A Journey to Divine Grace

Speech delivered by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami

On this auspicious Ram Navmi, let us delve into the profound essence of Ram Tattva. What, indeed, is the true meaning of the word,  ‘Ram’? While scholars offer various interpretations, our Sanatan Dharma holds the Vedas as the ultimate authority. It is within the Vedas that the true understanding of ‘Ram’ resides.”

The Vedas proclaim Lord Ram as the Supreme God. But what defines ‘Supreme God’? It signifies a being beyond comparison, where nothing is greater or smaller. The Vedas  state that God is smaller than the smallest.  Consider the atom which is  the smallest particle. God must pervade even this, thus demonstrating His infinitesimal nature. Conversely, He is also greater than the greatest. At the time of final dissolution, countless planetary systems merge into Him, illustrating His boundless immensity. Thus, God embodies seemingly contradictory attributes. This, then, is called Brahm or Ram.  

Furthermore, the origin of the word ‘Ram’ reveals another layer of meaning: ‘Ra’ signifies the world, and ‘Ma’ denotes the ruler, master or governor. Therefore, the one who is the master of the universe is called ‘Ram.’. The Vedas provide the ultimate definition of God, stating that Brahm, or God, is the source from which the universe manifests, is sustained, and ultimately dissolves. That is Ram.”

Numerous divine personalities have offered definitions of the sacred name ‘Ram.’ In the Adhyatma Ramayana, it is recounted that Indra, the celestial king, offered a prayer of homage – ‘The physical body of Lord Ram  appears like that of a human. Just like our body – with two hands and two legs, however, it is inherently Divine, unlike our material bodies.’

There are many differences too. He is both formless and endowed with form. He manifests in human likeness, yet transcends it. He is also worshipped by Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, and reigns as the Governor of countless planetary systems. He is all-seeing, the ruler of all, omnipresent, all-merciful, omnipotent, and the Supreme God.

The great sage Bharadwaj attempted to define Ram, yet acknowledged His transcendence, stating that Ram is beyond the reach of intellect. Indeed, God is incomprehensible to the human mind. The Vedas, the Gita, and the Ramayana all echo this truth: ‘O Lord Ram, You are beyond description, unseen, incomprehensible, and without end.’ God exists beyond the limitations of our senses, mind, and intellect, which are themselves material and mayic, composed of the five elements: earth, water, space, fire, and air.

God’s body is Divine, rendering Him incomprehensible to our material senses, mind, and intellect. Yet, Saints have penned accounts of God’s nature. Similarly, Sage Bharadwaj wrote, ‘O Lord Ram, I know that You are God.’ This raises a crucial question: ‘How can one know Ram, who is beyond intellect?’ The answer lies in ‘Divine Grace.’ While our intellect is inherently material, God bestows a Divine intellect upon those who dedicate themselves to devotion and complete surrender.”

Like when Lord Krishna desired to reveal His universal form to Arjuna, He bestowed Divine vision upon him. 

Similarly, when an individual receives Divine senses through God’s Grace, they can perceive, hear, and commune with God as intimately as they interact with their worldly kin – mother, father, son, spouse. This is how Sage Bharadwaj could proclaim, ‘Lord Ram, I know that You are the Supreme God. You are eternal, without origin, beginning, middle, or end.”  Unlike our bodies, which progress through birth, adolescence, aging, and death – a cycle shared by celestial beings and all living things in the world – God transcends these stages – he has no beginning, no middle and no end.  The Gita, echoing this truth, declares, ‘O Shree Krishna, You have no origin, beginning, middle, or end.'”

Furthermore, Mandodari, Ravan’s wise wife, declares in the Adhyatma Ramayana that “Lord Ram is the eternal and Supreme God.” This isn’t a lone voice; Sage Valmiki, in his epic Ramayana, has also given an account about Lord Ram at many places in his writings. But then, a fascinating question arises: Who brought forth the countless planetary systems we see? The answer, unequivocally, is ‘Lord Ram.’ ‘Wait,’ you might say, ‘I thought Brahma was the creator!’ ‘No,’ the scriptures firmly reply, ‘Brahma cannot create this as his power doesn’t extend to such a cosmic feat.'”

The Bhagavatam offers a fascinating glimpse. When God manifested Brahma, He tasked him with creating the universe. Now, picture this: Brahma, faced with ‘nothing,’ was utterly perplexed. ‘Give me something to work with!’ he pleaded. But God’s answer was a resounding ‘No.’   Creating with existing stuff is a task easily accomplished by scientists – Witness their inventions: satellites launched, atom bombs constructed. These are all products of manipulating existing ingredients.  But how does one create without any substance?  Before the universe, there was absolute nothingness. So, how did Brahma do it? 

God gifted him with His own spiritual power, and only then he could create the universe. That’s how the universe came to be. Therefore, God alone is the true and original creator of the universe. The identity of the creator, whether Brahma or another, is inconsequential; Divine power is the exclusive necessity. God has to simply give his spiritual power. Just like, if the powerhouse supplies power, even a small bulb will light up in your home. But if the powerhouse does not supply power, no matter how big or powerful the bulb is, it will remain useless. So too does God’s power enable creation. Without it, nothing can be brought into existence.

In the Valmiki Ramayana, Brahma says – “Lord Ram, you are Lord Vishnu – and Sita Ji, the daughter of King Janak, is Maha Lakshmi.”  She is not His consort  but His Supreme Divine love power, known as Lakshmi or Parvati, not an ordinary woman who married God through worldly rituals. They are God’s eternal, inherent powers, capable of manifesting in two forms or thousands of  forms. The Vedas recount that God, feeling solitude, contemplated, ‘I am getting bored being alone; let Me manifest in two forms.’ 

Thus, God replicated Himself, one as a woman and the other as Her husband. However, they soon experienced a sense of emptiness: ‘We are but two, and there is nothing else. Let us create the universe.’ In this act of creation, God did not fashion a new world; rather, He replicated the cosmos that existed prior to the final dissolution.” Just as a five-day cricket match resumes with players returning to their prior positions the next day, God recreates the universe precisely as it existed before dissolution, having absorbed it within Himself. 

God not only creates the universe but also pervades every particle within it and resides within the heart of every soul. Even with the knowledge of God’s omnipresence, we do not believe in God. We nurture a belief in hidden thoughts, convinced that no one knows what we think privately. We talk sweetly outwardly, but internally we harbour animosity or ill-will towards others. 

We greet guests with outward warmth, saying, ‘Welcome, Shrivastav Ji, welcome, Mathur Ji,’ yet inwardly, we may harbor resentment, thinking, ‘Why has he come? He maligns me behind my back.’ This pervasive duality between our public and private selves is a common trait among souls. God must be very distressed seeing this. 

Even within a family of ten or twenty, conflicting viewpoints can generate tension and distress. Son, daughter, mother, father, and spouse may all pursue divergent paths. Now, imagine God’s perspective: countless children, yet all wander aimlessly. We are burdened by impure thoughts, enslaved by our senses, and utterly forgetful of Him. 

There was once a saint ‘Rabiya.’ She ran through the marketplace, a flaming wooden torch in hand, shouting, ‘Burn the mosque!’ This provoked outrage among the Muslims, who questioned her sanity. Though revered as a great saint, she was calling for the destruction of the mosque, a place of prayer for millions. People surrounded her, demanding, ‘Have you lost your mind? Why do you call for the burning of the Kaaba? It is our pilgrimage site, considered the right hand of God!’ 

Rabiya replied, ‘I say this because you care only for the house, forgetting the Landlord. The ‘right hand of God’ you speak of is but a black stone. You have all forgotten the true owner of this mosque. You pray, meditate, and circumambulate a mere black stone!'”

There was also another case of ‘Sibali’, a respected saint from a Muslim family, who once walked through the marketplace, a wooden stick ablaze at both ends clenched in her teeth. People, perplexed, asked, ‘Why do you carry this stick burning on both sides?’ She replied, ‘To burn both hell and heaven.’ (‘Dozakh’  means hell and ‘Jannat,’ means heaven).  ‘Why burn both?’ they questioned. 

Sibali challenged the very nature of our devotion, saying, ‘People worship God out of fear of hell or desire for heaven’s luxuries.  None of them have genuine or selfless love. When you love God then why desire anything from God? To seek anything from God is like a business transaction. How can one be a servant of God while seeking personal gain?’

This brings us to a crucial question: ‘Who are we, truly?’  In this world, introductions often focus on roles or names. ‘Who are you?’ someone asks. ‘I am the District Manager.’ But that’s a designation, not an identity. ‘Sir, I am Dinesh Shrivastav.’ ‘That’s a name, not you.’  ‘Then who are you?’ You reply – ‘’I am a human.’ That describes the body, not the soul.  ‘’My identity…who am I?’  If this question leaves you completely lost, if you find yourself unable to define yourself beyond these external markers, then perhaps it is time to seek professional help. Because, if you don’t know who you are, then you should be in a mental hospital. Because, ultimately, you are not your job, your name, or even your physical form. You are the soul.

Think about it: someone lost to themselves, unaware of their true identity, poses a danger, both to themselves and others. Yet, how many of us walk through life in this very state? We either remain ignorant of our soul nature, or, even knowing, we neglect to live by that truth. We speak of ‘My eyes,’ ‘my ears,’ ‘my body,’ ‘my mind,’ ‘my intellect’ – all possessions, separate from the ‘I’ that claims them. ‘Is your intellect separate from you?’ we ask. ‘Yes,’ comes the reply. Then, the inevitable question: “Who, then, am I?” And too often, the answer is a regretful, ‘I’ve never taken the time to truly consider that.”

The fundamental error lies in our misidentification: believing ourselves to be the body. This misconception leads us down a path of false identities – male, female, Punjabi, Bengali, scholar, warrior, Indian, American. We remain oblivious to the soul’s true nature, trapped in the illusion of physicality.  The crux of our predicament lies in this initial misapprehension. Since we started on the wrong note by believing ourselves to be the body, we cling to its relationships. We attach our minds there.  The scriptures remind us – ‘ where the mind clings, the soul follows after death.’ 

Thus for uncountable lives, we are wandering in the 8.4 million species.  So we have to first understand our true identity – that we are a soul and the soul is only related to the Supreme God. Soul is spiritual and is a fraction of God. Because the soul is a fraction of God, it will only attain Bliss, Divine knowledge and will become complete upon God realisation. 

From birth, we’ve chased the world’s pleasures, only to find them inevitably shadowed by unhappiness. What kind of fleeting joy is this? Our desires, unchecked, continue to expand, fueling a cycle of dissatisfaction. Ironically, as our social and financial standing grows, so do our wants. A humble one-room dwelling, easily maintained, once afforded us rest. Now, a ten-room mansion demands constant upkeep, requiring servants who may betray our trust.

We are besieged by suffering on all fronts: physical, mental, and the karmic impressions of past lives (prarabdh). We also endure the pain imposed by others. It’s a testament to our resilience that we continue to live and even smile. But let us not be deceived. This world serves the body, not the soul. The body requires this realm, while the soul craves the divine. We are beings of duality, bound to two separate realities.

We exist in two distinct forms: as the soul, and as the soul within a body. The soul’s connection is to God, the spiritual essence. The body is fashioned from the five elements of this material world. This world is designed for the body’s maintenance, not its gratification. History bears witness: even the most powerful and wealthy have found only endless desire, never lasting happiness, in worldly pursuits.

If worldly pleasures fail to bring lasting joy, then where does true happiness reside? It certainly isn’t found in family relationships, possessions, wealth, or titles. The greatest happiness, ironically, is experienced when we are in sound sleep, without dreams – a state freely accessible to all, even the humblest of creatures. A beggar, sleeping soundly by the roadside, finds a peace that eludes a billionaire in America, who resorts to sleeping pills for a mere two hours of respite. In a world riddled with depression and anxiety, we must ask: ‘Does opulence truly equate to happiness?’

The happiness derived from worldly experiences is inherently transient, destined to fade. Consider the simple example of a rasgulla, a sweet indulgence. When ravenously hungry, the first rasgulla brings immense joy. The second, however, yields slightly less pleasure, and the third even less. By the fourth, the enjoyment is completely gone. ‘I can’t eat another,’ you declare. ‘But if there was true happiness in a rasgulla,’ one might argue, ‘why not continue?’ The very thought induces disgust, even nausea. Yet, ironically, after a few hours, the craving returns, a testament to the fleeting nature of sensory pleasure.

The love we feel for parents, children, and spouses mirrors the fleeting nature of physical pleasure. Just as a hungry person savours food, only to feel detachment when satiated, so too do our worldly affections waver. This insatiable cycle is a relentless disease, devoid of lasting satisfaction. 

To liberate us from this cycle, Lord Ram, and Shri Krishna, descended in human form, offering us a tangible object for our minds to attach to. Their divine love forms make meditation accessible to us, in our human experience. God’s love is relational, tailored to the connection we forge. He offers maternal affection to a mother, paternal care to a father. Lord Ram, in his infinite grace, accepted Shabari’s tasted berries and embraced the eagle, Jatayu.  These acts invite us to cultivate a personal bond with him. 

And indeed, many souls have experienced this divine communion. The reality is this: our true path lies in meditating on the form of Lord Ram. Not through mere book learning or the mechanical turning of rosary beads. Nor will simple deity worship grant us His divine vision.  The only true path is through heartfelt tears and fervent cries for His presence. Just as a newborn, driven by hunger, cries out, and the mother instinctively understands, so too does our divine Mother, the all-powerful, all-knowing God, understand our yearning. Therefore, let us implore God for His divine vision and love, rather than the transient treasures of the world.”

For countless lifetimes, we’ve indulged in the world’s allure, yet it has only deepened our sorrow, offering no solace. Let us now abandon these futile pursuits and implore Lord Ram for His divine love, His divine bliss, His divine vision, and His very self. With a heart consumed by the desire to serve Him, we must cry out with fervent longing. 

In this dark age of Kaliyug, the prescribed, powerful kirtans are our sole refuge. The purpose of chanting is to voice our soul’s deepest longing, a cry of complete surrender: ‘I have no other refuge; I humbly beg for Your Grace.’ Let us feel, truly realize, the weight of our past transgressions, the burden of countless lifetimes of sin, and cry out to God with sincere remorse. God desires nothing more. The world demands our bodies, our wealth, our servitude. Only through labour and service does it offer a semblance of compassion. But God’s love requires none of these.

God descends solely for the spiritual elevation of souls. After divine realization, Saints also remain in this world. God, in Their infinite compassion, descends from Their abodes, Golok and Ramlok, for our spiritual upliftment. Thus, every action Lord Ram performs is intended to benefit and bestow grace upon us. But what, precisely, is that grace?”

God’s grace offers complete redemption, erasing the sins of countless past lives. Upon surrendering to Him, He forgives all past sins. God assumes full, eternal responsibility for your future for eternity.  That soul will reside in God’s Divine abode, immersed in perpetual bliss. Maya, the illusionary force, cannot penetrate God’s abode, thus freeing the soul from its bondage, the karmic burdens of past lives, and physical afflictions.

This is a brief spiritual insight into Lord Ram’s descent and purpose. Though  words are inadequate, I’ve sought to share a brief understanding of Lord Ram’s immeasurable love. 

“Boliye Siya-var Ram Chandra ki Jai!”

*A brief introduction of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj*

(Known by His devotees as Shri Maharaj Ji)

The original title of Jagadguruttam (Greatest Spiritual Teacher of the World) was bestowed upon Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 14, 1957, by Kashi Vidvat Parishad (a council of 500 greatest scholars saints of India). He composed divine texts like Prem Ras Madira, Prem Ras Siddhant, and Radha Govind Geet to lead us on the right path of devotion. He also gave priceless monuments as gifts to the world which include Bhakti Mandir located in Bhakti Dham, Mangarh, Prem Mandir located in Vrindavan Dham, and Kirti Mandir located in Barsana Dham. Shri Maharaj Ji also built hospitals for the impoverished, the Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Vrindavan, Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Barsana, and another one in Pratapgarh. All three help millions of underprivileged to gain free access to medical care. His Kindergarten, School, and College for impoverished girls Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education is located in Kunda and provides completely free education.