“Just as within the earth are found every kind of seed and within the sky live all the stars, Tulsidas knows that Shri Rama’s holy name is the reservoir of all dharma.” (Dohavali, 29)

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जथा भूमि सब बीजमय नखत निवास अकास |
रामनाम सब धरममय जानत तुलसीदास ||

jathā bhūmi saba bījamaya nakhata nivāsa akāsa |
rāmanāma saba dharamamaya jānata tulasīdāsa ||

We study the premise where there is an ATM machine installed nearby. This machine dispenses an endless amount of wealth. Sort of like the gold produced by the Syamantaka Jewel described in Shrimad Bhagavatam, a person can make a daily trip to this machine and withdraw cash equal to any amount of their choosing.

“Materialistic persons who can achieve such huge quantities of gold every day are not interested in Krishna consciousness. Sometimes, therefore, in order to show special favor, Krishna takes away great accumulations of materialistic wealth from a person and thus makes him a great devotee. But Satrajit refused to abide by the order of Krishna and did not deliver the jewel to Him.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 2, Ch 1)

When introducing this premise in a room full of saintly people, there is a variety of responses. To the surprise of the speaker, the people listening are not so interested in such a machine. The respondents volunteer different entities from which there is already an endless supply of benefits.

1. The sun

“Words cannot express how much I appreciate the sun. It is like the giver of life. I feel alive when it rises in the morning. During the winter season, when the frigid temperatures and extensive cloud cover trigger sadness and depression, a single day of clear sunshine is enough to brighten the spirits for an entire week.

“The sun has not sent me any bills. As far as I know, there are no trucks supplying fuel. There is no warning that the energy will run out anytime soon. We can all take as much as we want. Who can be a greater benefactor than the sun?”

2. The clouds

“We had a really dry summer. That is out of the ordinary for the area in which we live. Well, the rain finally came this past weekend. It was a welcome sight. I know that in some parts of the world there is a specific season during which it rains constantly. Goswami Tulsidas makes many comparisons to this season to describe the importance of the holy name of Shri Rama.”

बरषा रितु रघुपति भगति तुलसी सालि सुदास |
रामनाम बर बरन जुग सावन भादव मास ||

baraṣā ritu raghupati bhagati tulasī sāli sudāsa |
rāmanāma bara barana juga sāvana bhādava māsa ||

“Devotion to Shri Rama is like the rainy season, the wonderful devotees the paddy fields, and the two syllables in Rama’s name the months of Sawan and Bhadon [rainy season], says Tulsi.” (Dohavali, 25)

3. The trees

“I can take as many fruits as I want. The tree does not protest. Sure, I must wait for the proper season. The fruits have to be ripe. There is not much else to the process, though. I don’t have to pay a toll. I don’t have to plant anything else in the ground.

“The trees know when it is time to produce. The yield is expansive. The abundance is too great to fathom. From a single tree we have fruits that a single household would have a difficult time consuming in full. In that sense, the excess turns into a commodity. The tree provides currency, in a way. You could say that money can indeed grow on trees.”

4. The earth

“The earth is so kind and forgiving. It tolerates the many disturbances. It continues to provide a bountiful yield. You just plant some seeds and wait for the process to complete. A little rain and sunlight are necessary components, but they seem to be in agreement with the earth.

“Where do we get the seeds? Why, the earth, of course. Every seed necessary for the continuation of plant life is within that earth. If you have the benefactor that is the earth, you don’t need to travel anywhere else. You don’t have to manufacture artificial ways of living.”

5. The holy name

Goswami Tulsidas compares the earth and the sky to the holy name of Rama. The sky already has all the stars. There is no need to go elsewhere. The earth has all the seeds. If you have the earth, you have enough to maintain life moving forward.

In the same way, the holy name of Rama already contains everything about dharma. The many different religious systems. The varieties of sacrifice. The multitude of interests converge into a single practice.

Repeat the holy name. Hold it dear. Have attachment to the name. Hear the sound on a regular basis. Understand the holy name is non-different from the person it represents. God is everything; everything is already in Him. If you have Him, you don’t need anything else.

यथाकाशस्थितो नित्यं वायु: सर्वत्रगो महान् ।
तथा सर्वाणि भूतानि मत्स्थानीत्युपधारय ॥

yathākāśa-sthito nityaṁ
vāyuḥ sarvatra-go mahān
tathā sarvāṇi bhūtāni
mat-sthānīty upadhāraya

“As the mighty wind, blowing everywhere, always rests in ethereal space know that in the same manner all beings rest in Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.6)

In this way, a person can extract life-giving nectar whenever they want. The benefits from the holy name cannot compare to anything from the material world. The bliss extends into future lives. The conditions in duality do not apply.

That is to say, there are no restrictions based on circumstances of birth, levels of intelligence, or the type of body inhabited. The holy name is for everyone in the same way that God the person is for everyone. Those who have Him are always in the majority. With His association, the many temporary possessions take on an actual value, in the manner of placing a one digit in front of many zeros.

In Closing:

Sun the day making,
From it already taking.

And clouds rain to pour,
Yield from tree in store.

Such that of wealth not thinking,
Nectar from single source drinking.

Way for holy name potency to compare,
That results from all dharma there.

Categories: the five

Tags: god, hare krishna, hinduism, poem, poems, poetry, religion