Translated by Dr. Sunder Hattangadi and P. R. Ramachander
Published by celextel.org
[This great Upanishad is in Atharvana Veda and is the authoritative source of Lord Rama’s worship methods.]
Om ! O Devas, may we hear with our ears what is auspicious;
May we see with our eyes what is auspicious, O ye worthy of worship !
May we enjoy the term of life allotted by the Devas,
Praising them with our body and limbs steady !
May the glorious Indra bless us !
May the all-knowing Sun bless us !
May Garuda, the thunderbolt for evil, bless us !
May Brihaspati grant us well-being !
Om ! Let there be Peace in me !
Let there be Peace in my environment !
Let there be Peace in the forces that act on me !
I salute that Lord Rama, who is the personification of salvation, who is a great king, who is a great man and who destroys all his enemies.
First Chapter
1-2. Great sages like Mudgala, Sandilya, Paingala, Bikshu, Sanaka and Prahlada approached Lord Hanuman, who was a great devotee of Vishnu and asked him,
3-4. “Which is the greatest principle among the four Veda-s, 18 purana-s, 18 Smriti-s, Sastra-s, all knowledge and among the great powers ruled by the Sun and moon?”
5-6. He replied, “Hey, great sages and devotees of Lord Vishnu! Please hear my words which cut of all attachments, the greatest principle among these is the principle of Brahma Taraka (OM). Rama is Para-Brahma and supreme austerity, and Rama is the Supreme Essence and Brahma Taraka.”
7. They all again asked, Lord Hanuman,”Please tell us the angas (aspects) of Lord Rama.”
Lord Hanuman told, “Please understand that Lord Ganesha, Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Durga, all the Kshetra Palaka-s, Sun, Moon, Lord Narayana, Lord Narasimha, Lord Vasudeva, Lord Varaha, Lord Lakshmana, Shatrughna, Bharata, Vibheeshana, Sugreeva, Angada, Jambavanta and Pranava are the angas of Lord Rama. Without these angas, Lord Rama will not remove all roadblocks. They again asked, “How will Brahmins and householders get the capacity to recite Pranava?” He said, “All People (even if they are not eligible to chant “Om”,) who chant the six letter mantra would get the capacity to meditate on Pranava. Those who chant silently the mantra of Rama would get the same effect as repeating the letter “Om”. After the name of Rishi, Devata and meter, japa of the Rama mantra would give the same effect as repetition of Pranava and further he explained that Rama Himself has said that pranava is a part of Rama mantra.
8. On another occasion answering Vibheeshana’s question “How can your angas be made easy to worship? Please tell me an easy way.”
Rama replied, “The japa of my name “Rama” removes all sins. Suppose some one is meditating on my six lettered mantra or reads my Gita or thinks of me with devotional fervor, he would get the same effect. He would get rid of the five great sins, viz. killing of father, killing of mother, killing of brothers, killing of teachers, killing of husband or even other well-known great sins, if one repeats my six lettered mantra ten million times. He also would get the immortal and ever lasting bliss.
Vibheeshana again asked him, “What would be the way for people who are not capable of doing It.?”
Rama replied “they can either read my Gita, my thousand names or meditate on my Viswa Roopa or my 108 names, or repeat my name 100 times, or read the king of stotras written by sage Narada, or read the great prayer called mantra raja stavam written by Hanuman, or read the prayer to Sita or daily pray to me by reciting my name; they will doubtless attain Me.”
Here ends the First Chapter.
