Shiva Sees Rama as the Sun That Ends the Night of Delusion
Uttara Kanda, Chhand 10
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Shiva praises the Lord of Ayodhya who protects the frightened and shelterless. He beholds the destroyer of ten-headed Ravana, whose blazing arrows consumed night-roving hosts like moths, and the beautiful bearer of bow, arrow, and quiver who adorns the whole earth.
The hymn turns inward. Pride, delusion, and possessive attachment gather like a black night, but Rama is the sun that scatters it. Human beings wander like bewildered deer through the forest of sense pleasure and fall into the fathomless sea of becoming when they do not love his feet. His name is the mighty medicine for that ancient disease.
Shiva sees another way of moving upon the earth. Those who take refuge in Rama's story relinquish passion, greed, pride, and arrogance. Honor and dishonor, prosperity and adversity become equal, and with pure hearts they serve the lotus feet in steady love. Saints hold such people dear forever. At last Shiva, himself worshiped by the world, asks the unconquered Raghuvir to destroy the dense cloud of duality and look upon one humble soul. The great god stands before the king as a devotee asking to be seen.
Shiva's hymn crosses battlefield, forest, ocean, and night until only a humble soul remains beneath Rama's liberating gaze.
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जय राम रमारमनं समनं। भव ताप भयाकुल पाहि जनं।। अवधेस सुरेस रमेस बिभो। सरनागत मागत पाहि प्रभो।।1।। दससीस बिनासन बीस भुजा। कृत दूरि महा महि भूरि रुजा।। रजनीचर बृंद पतंग रहे। सर पावक तेज प्रचंड दहे।।2।। महि मंडल मंडन चारुतरं। धृत सायक चाप निषंग बरं।। मद मोह महा ममता रजनी। तम पुंज दिवाकर तेज अनी।।3।। मनजात किरात निपात किए। मृग लोग कुभोग सरेन हिए।। हति नाथ अनाथनि पाहि हरे। बिषया बन पावँर भूलि परे।।4।। बहु रोग बियोगन्हि लोग हए। भवदंघ्रि निरादर के फल ए।। भव सिंधु अगाध परे नर ते। पद पंकज प्रेम न जे करते।।5।। अति दीन मलीन दुखी नितहीं। जिन्ह के पद पंकज प्रीति नहीं।। अवलंब भवंत कथा जिन्ह के।। प्रिय संत अनंत सदा तिन्ह कें।।6।। नहिं राग न लोभ न मान मदा।।तिन्ह कें सम बैभव वा बिपदा।। एहि ते तव सेवक होत मुदा। मुनि त्यागत जोग भरोस सदा।।7।। करि प्रेम निरंतर नेम लिएँ। पद पंकज सेवत सुद्ध हिएँ।। सम मानि निरादर आदरही। सब संत सुखी बिचरंति मही।।8।। मुनि मानस पंकज भृंग भजे। रघुबीर महा रनधीर अजे।। तव नाम जपामि नमामि हरी। भव रोग महागद मान अरी।।9।। गुन सील कृपा परमायतनं। प्रनमामि निरंतर श्रीरमनं।। रघुनंद निकंदय द्वंद्वघनं। महिपाल बिलोकय दीन जनं।।10।।
Glory to Rama, beloved of Rama (Lakshmi), who quells the fever of worldly existence. Protect your people, O Lord, tormented by fear. O King of Ayodhya, Lord of gods, Lord of Rama, all-pervading One. Protect those who seek your refuge, O Master. (1) With your twenty arms you destroyed ten-headed Ravana and rid the great earth of its terrible affliction. The hosts of night-wandering demons were like moths. Your arrows, blazing with fierce fire, consumed them. (2) O most beautiful ornament of the earth, bearing bow, arrow, and quiver, supreme in splendor. Pride, delusion, great attachment: these form the night. You are the sun whose radiance scatters their gathered darkness. (3) You have slain the hunter Kamadeva who preys upon the mind. With the arrows of your name, you have pierced the hearts of the deer-like people lost in evil enjoyments. O Lord, protector of the helpless, O Hari, save those wretched ones who have strayed and are lost in the forest of sensual pleasures. (4) Multitudes of people suffer disease and separation. These are the fruits of disregarding your feet. Those who do not love your lotus feet have fallen into the fathomless ocean of worldly existence. (5) Ever wretched, impure, and sorrowful are those whose hearts hold no love for your lotus feet. But those who have taken refuge in your story, O Lord, the saints hold them dear forever. (6) They have no passion, no greed, no pride, no arrogance. Prosperity and adversity are the same to them. Seeing this, even great yogis gladly abandon their austerities and become your servants, trusting always in you. (7) With ceaseless love and steadfast discipline, they serve your lotus feet with pure hearts. Regarding honor and dishonor alike, all such saints move happily upon the earth. (8) O Raghuvir, great in battle, unconquerable, whom the lotus-like minds of sages worship as the bee worships the lotus: I chant your name, I bow to you, O Hari. Your name is the great medicine that destroys the disease of worldly existence and the enemy of pride. (9) O abode of virtue, grace, and compassion supreme, I bow ceaselessly to the beloved of Sri. O joy of Raghu's line, destroy the dense clouds of duality. O King of the earth, look upon this humble soul. (10)