Two Kinds Of Rama Devotees We Could Follow

“Everyone says that they belong to Rama and that they put all hope in Rama, but Tulsidas is devoted to those that Rama considers His own.” (Dohavali, 141)

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सबइ कहावत राम के सबहि राम की आस।
राम कहहिं जेहि आपनो तेहि भजु तुलसीदास ॥

saba’i kahāvata rāma kē sabahi rāma kī āsa.
rāma kahahiṁ jēhi āpanō tēhi bhaju tulasīdāsa..

1. Those who say they are devoted to Rama

“That person speaks of Rama a lot. They say that all their hope is in Rama, who is the Supreme Lord. They say that Rama is the person writing their books. It is Rama who is responsible for their wealth, their fame, their notoriety.

“At the same time, they are known to put others into difficulty. If they see someone else enjoying, they want to interfere. They do not want others to be ahead of them. They treat their own children like house pets. No stepping on the rug. Eat only in designated areas. They are envious, but I feel bad saying anything. Who am I to criticize?

“They are always boasting of their accomplishments. People generally don’t like working with them. That person causes trouble wherever they go. At least that is how it seems. But they will always claim to be devoted to Rama. It is like Rama has taken out a contract to save them from every misfortune resulting from their gross negligence.”

2. Those who Rama recognizes as His devotee

“That person over there is absolutely amazing. They are saintly in nature. I consider them to be a pure devotee. I don’t care what any institutional board has to say on the matter. That person is fully qualified to be a guru. I consider them to be my teacher, whether anyone likes it or not.

“I can tell that Rama considers that person to be His own. This is because that person is always in a devotional mindset. They are not trying to show off. Rather, they are always looking to help others. They are gentle in their dealings. They have tolerance. It seems that they are the same whether in gain or loss. They are one of the most amazing people I know.”

…

As the saying goes, talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words. Put your money where your mouth is. If you are going to talk the talk, you better walk the walk. Be prepared to support your claims with some sort of external indications.

According to the verdict of Goswami Tulsidas, the second group mentioned above is preferred. This should not be difficult to understand. Any person can say anything. Anyone can claim to be a follower of such and such.

Almost as a kind of cover charge, the cost of admission into a club, they say they are devoted to Rama, but have other purposes in mind. We see this with the spiritual leaders who are later exposed to be frauds. They are the greatest sinners in the world, perpetrating horrible crimes against the most innocent.

If we should follow the second group, the natural question is identification. How can we tell who is actually favored by Rama? How do we know those who belong to Him as opposed to those who are only pretending? How do we distinguish the genuine saint from the person who is only using the status to exploit, to further personal interests?

Fortunately, there is an entire section in Bhagavad-gita devoted to this topic. Shri Krishna, who is the same Rama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, provides some visible indications. These are clues to help us in identifying the people we should follow.

अनपेक्ष: श‍ुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथ: ।
सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी यो मद्भ‍क्त: स मे प्रिय: ॥

anapekṣaḥ śucir dakṣa
udāsīno gata-vyathaḥ
sarvārambha-parityāgī
yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ

“He for whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anxiety, who is steady in happiness and distress, is very dear to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 12.16)

If we are stuck in the process, if we have doubts, we can always look to Shri Hanuman. His glories are endless. Though he appears within the material world, he is a savior whose influence extends beyond the boundaries of time and space.

Hanuman works only for Rama. He does not use the facility of closeness to Sita-Rama for his own benefit. He does not boast of his accomplishments. In the meeting with the Pandava brother named Bhima, Hanuman had to repeatedly be persuaded before finally showing the rupa that was used to cross the ocean.

न विनश्येत्कथं कार्यं वैक्लब्यं न कथं भवेत् |
लङ्घनं च समुद्रस्य कथं नु न वृथा भवेत् ||

na vinaśyetkathaṃ kāryaṃ vaiklabyaṃ na kathaṃ bhavet |
laṅghanaṃ ca samudrasya kathaṃ nu na vṛthā bhavet ||

“How can I ensure that the purpose of my task does not get destroyed? How shall I avoid mental disparity, and how do I ensure that my crossing of the ocean does not go for naught?” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 2.41)

This gigantic form was for the purpose of reaching Lanka. Still, despite such an amazing accomplishment, Hanuman kept only the mission in mind. He did not want the difficult journey to go to waste. He wanted only to please Rama, and since he is always thinking of God, God is always with him.

In Closing:

Whether to lose or to win,
Rama always with him.

Despite the most over to boast,
And accomplishments a host.

Always looking to others to give,
With same devotional spirit to live.

In this material world staying,
One belonging to Rama displaying.