Listening to this narrative regularly with faith, a man effortlessly becomes blessed with devotion, impossible to get even for monks[1] (Uttara-kanda 126).

Organized by the Sri Lakshmi Temple of Ashland, Massachusetts, Sri Ramacharitmanas Akhanda Parayana was initiated on the auspicious sixth day of Navratri on April 5 and concluded with aarti and mahaprasad on April 6, 2014.

Sri Ramacharitmanas reveals a secret so extraordinarily simple that it fails to register and escapes notice. Man finds it difficult to believe anything which happens to be so straightforward. In this age of Kaliyuga, the age of darkness, where man’s thoughts, speech, and actions tend to be polluted, it is our extremely good fortune that man’s enlightenment has been made so simple by Sri Rama’s grace. In Satya, Treta, and Dwapar Yugas, the path to enlightenment is much more difficult requiring formal puja, yoga, and yajna as man’s personal capabilities allow for such undertakings. However, in Kali Yuga, the simple path of bhakti or devotion is sufficient for enlightenment. How does one get bhakti when the mind and heart are filled with so much unmentionable impurities? In a conversation in the history text of the Ramayana, Bhagwan Shiva explains to Devi Parvati that simply listening to the events unfolding in the life of Sri Rama in the Sri Ramacharitmanas awakens firm devotion in the heart of man (Uttara-kanda 51:3).

The ensuing bhakti is unshakeable and cleans the subtle impurities resident in the mind and the heart. This is the same wisdom that Kakbhushundi related to Garuda to dispel his doubts. Sri Rama has bestowed another important grace on mankind in this dark Kaliyuga bearing in mind the pathetic state of man. Only in Kaliyuga, good mental thoughts accrue punya while no papa accrues from wicked and impure mental thoughts (Uttara-kanda 102B: 4).

This is not a license to entertain poor thoughts but comforting knowledge that if one lapses into thinking critically of others then one can get back on the right track limiting the consequences of such mental actions. So what is required of man to become enlightened? Without any difficulty, in this darkest of times, a man has the capability of becoming enlightened simply by taking Rama Nama (Uttara-kanda 103A).

Listening to the kind and loving acts of Bhagwan Sri Rama as he overpowers the evil forces to release them permanently from the karmic wheel and establishes peace and harmony in the Universe is enough to purify the mind for God Realization to occur.

The purpose of reciting the Sri Ramacharitmanas is to bring purification with the eventual goal of liberation not only in ourselves but also those that happen to be listening. It is a simple process, a failsafe technique. All we need to do is adopt it.

Knowing the importance of this smriti, Smt. Ranjini Ramaswamy, President of Sri Lakshmi Mandir has been instrumental in the recitation of the Sri Ramacharitmanas for last 25 years. The entire staff of the Sri Lakshmi Mandir including Pandit Bhatter and his wife, Ramaji Bhatter, and the temple trustee Shri Ram Bhaskar, and supporters Shri Prabhulal Rathi, Shri Bharat Dave, and Shri Bijoy Misra carried off this most important recitation seamlessly. The joy of bhaktas was evident in the enthusiasm and energy with which the recitation was conducted for 24 hours. Some had stayed through the 24 hours and showed no sign of exhaustion but a unique elation and contentment at having taken the name of Sri Rama.

Om Tat Sat