The Power Beyond Rama Himself

There are souls for whom the Divine is not found in temples, nor even in the vision of the Lord Himself, but in the music of His Name. For such hearts, the sound “Rama” is not a word; it is breath, it is life, it is eternity flowing through the fragile silence of the human heart.

In this luminous composition by Goswami Tulsidas, the mystic poet of devotion, the glory of Rama Nama — the Divine Name of Rama — is sung not as a ritual, but as a revelation. He declares that the Name is greater than the Named, that the sound of God’s essence carries more grace than His own divine form. Through these verses, the secret of Nama Mahima (the glory of the Name) unfolds like a sacred lotus upon the still waters of faith.

The Power Beyond Rama Himself

Discover the profound mystery of 'The Power Beyond Rama Himself.' Unveil how the Name surpasses the Named in 'The Power Beyond Rama Himself.' Have you ever wondered... what is greater — the Lord Himself, or the sound of His sacred Name? Goswami Tulsidas whispers a secret...that Rama Nama — the Name of Rama — holds a power beyond even Rama’s divine form. He declares that the Name is greater than the Named, that the sound of God’s essence carries more grace than His own divine form. Through these verses, the secret of Nama Mahima (the glory of the Name) unfolds like a sacred lotus upon the still waters of faith.

1. The Name More Precious Than the Lord

Priya Ramnamate jahi na Ramo, taako bhale kathin kalikaalahu aadi-madhya-parinaamo.

प्रिय रामनामतें जाहि न रामो।

ताको भलो कठिन कलिकालहुँ आदि -मध्य -परिनामो।1।

Tulsidas opens with a thought so profound that it overturns our understanding of devotion itself. There exists a devotee who loves the Name of Lord Rama even more than Lord Rama Himself. If one were to offer him the Lord in person on the condition that he abandons chanting the Name, he would refuse. For him, the bliss of uttering Rama is greater than even the vision of Rama.

Such a soul, says Tulsidas, is blessed beyond measure — in the beginning, middle, and end of life — through all the turbulent currents of this dark age (Kali Yuga). The one who clings to the Divine Name, like a child to its mother, finds grace at every step.

2. The Purity That Flows from the Name

Sakuchat samujhi naam-mahima mad-lobh-moh-koh-kaamo; Ram-naam-jap-nirat sujan par karat chhah ghor dhaamo.

सकुचत समुझि नाम-महिमा मद-लोभ-मोह-कोह-कामो।

राम-नाम-जप-निरत सुजन पर करत छाँह घोर घामो।2।

When the majesty of the Divine Name is truly understood, the inner demons — pride, greed, delusion, anger, and lust — shrink in shame and retreat. They cannot dwell where Rama is spoken of with love. The mind that chants Rama becomes a sanctified temple, untouched by worldly storms.

Those noble souls who constantly chant the Name of the Lord are sheltered by a grace that no sun can scorch. Even the fiercest trials of life cast a cooling shade upon them. For them, pain becomes prayer, and hardship becomes harmony. Such is the alchemy of devotion — transforming suffering into serenity.

3. The Miracles of the Name

Naam-prabhaau sahi jo kahai kou sila saroruh jaamo; jo suni sumiri bhaag-bhaajan bhai sukrit-seel bhil-bhaamo.

नाम-प्रभाउ सही जो कहै कोउ सिला सरोरूह जामो।

जो सुनि सुमिरि भाग-भाजन भइ सुकृतसील भील-भामो।3।

If anyone claims that by the power of Rama’s Name a lotus bloomed on a stone, Tulsidas says — believe it. For in the realm of the Name, the impossible becomes possible.

It was this Name that sanctified the humble Bhil woman, Shabari. Merely by hearing and remembering the sacred syllables of Rama, she attained supreme merit, wisdom, and purity. Such is the transformative magic of remembrance — even the lowly become luminous, and the ignorant become wise.

4. The Redeeming Power of the Name

Baalmeeki-Ajaamilke kachhu huto na saadhan saamo; ulte-palate naam-mahaatam gunjani jito lalaamo.

बालमीकि -अजामिल के कछु हुतो न साधन-सामो।

उलटे पलटे नाम-महातम गुंजनि जितो ललामो।4।

When the bandit Valmiki received the sacred name Rama from the divine sage Narada, he began chanting it with deep devotion. At first, his chanting was external—a deliberate, verbal utterance flowing from his lips. But as the practice deepened, something miraculous happened. The chanting became introverted. The sound of Rama changed its direction, merging with the rhythm of his breath and the peace of his heart.

This state is called “Ajapa Japa” or उलटे-पलटे—the spontaneous, effortless chanting of the Divine Name. This is the state where the practitioner no longer chants the mantra; the mantra itself begins to chant the practitioner. The name Rama began to resonate naturally within Valmiki, resonating spontaneously, pulsating with the very life of his being.

In that sacred vibration, Valmiki dissolved into silence—no longer a man chanting a name, but a soul absorbed in the infinite presence of Rama. It was through this divine power of the name, not through any ritual or formal practice, that he attained self-realisation. 

As Tulsidas so beautifully expressed: Neither Valmiki nor Ajamil possessed any spiritual means or discipline, yet, by the power of the divine name—even if carefully pronounced—they conquered ignorance and attained the ultimate jewel of self-realisation. Such is the boundless glory of the Rama naam. 

The Nama Mahima, the glory of the Name, turned thorns into jewels, sinners into sages, and darkness into dawn. Valmiki, once a bandit, became a sage and poet, the author of the Ramayana. Ajamila, lost in sin, attained liberation merely by calling out the Name of his son, “Narayana.” This is the power of the name of God. Thus, through the divine resonance of the Name, the impure are purified, and the sinner becomes a saint.

5. The Name That Encompasses All

Raamate adhik naam karatab, jehi kiye nagar gat gaamo; bhaye bajaai daahine jo japi Tulsidasse baamo.

रामतें अधिक नाम-करतब, जेेहि किये नगर-गत गामो।

भये बजाइ दाहिने जो दपि तुलसिदाससे बामो।5।

The Name of Rama, says Tulsidas, surpasses even Rama Himself — for Rama is bound by His Name. The syllables “Ra” and “Ma” are like two wings that lift the soul into freedom.

This sacred sound has transformed the simplest of village folk into wise, radiant beings. Even Tulsidas — once lost in worldly desires — became illumined by its chant. The sound of Rama uplifted him from darkness into divine light, from imperfection into immortality.

The Eternal Message

Rama Nama is not a mere repetition — it is remembrance, realisation, and return. It is the eternal current that flows between the human and the Divine. Each syllable carries the fragrance of freedom; each echo removes a layer of illusion.

Tulsidas whispers to our restless age: “When the mind falters, take refuge in the Name. When the path darkens, let the Name be your lamp. For the Lord you seek dwells already upon your tongue.”

Thus, in the end, the pilgrim discovers what the saints have long known — that Rama may dwell in Ayodhya, or in the heart of the devotee, but His truest abode is in the syllables of His Name.

Chant it softly, chant it deeply — Rama... Rama... — and the Lord Himself will appear, not before your eyes, but within your very being.