“What did Vibhishana bring with him in the meeting, and what harm had Vali done? Tulsi says that all protections come from surrender to Shri Rama.” (Dohavali, 159)

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कहा बिभीषन लै मिल्यो कहा बिगार्यो बालि
तुलसी प्रभु सरनागतहि सब दिन आए पालि

kahā bibhīṣana lai milyo kahā bigāryo bāli
tulasī prabhu saranāgatahi saba dina āe pāli

1. Satisfied in the self

This is the literal definition, if we were to break apart the Sanskrit. From atmarama we have atma and rama. In the most common context within discussions of spirituality, atma refers to the soul. We don’t have a soul; we are soul. We are atma, and of a certain kind. Namely, we are jivatma, which signifies a certain vulnerability.

Jivatma can live in perfection, siddha. Jivatma can also live in bondage due to illusion, baddha. The distinction may start off by chance, like dropping mustard seeds on a blade, but moving forward everything is due to choice. This is an easy way to understand the purpose of spiritual life. It is for changing the status from nitya-baddha to nitya-siddha.

Vishnu, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can be identified as atma for the purposes of discussion. He is a higher category of spirit soul, while the same in quality. We are identical with God in this sense; we share the same constitutional makeup. We are both sach-chid-ananda at the core. This means that we are blissful, eternal, and full of knowledge.

Rama refers to pleasure, and so someone who is atmarama can take pleasure from the self. Not from the body. Not from the world around them. Not from the shifts caused by time. Not from the exact configuration of the material energy, prakriti. Simply from the self, identifying as atma, there is the potential to take full pleasure.

2. At peace

Someone who is atmarama is naturally at peace. Why should they worry? They understand that everything else is maya. I am spirit soul, part and parcel of the Brahman energy. Maya is what stands in the way of my realization of the self, as Brahman.

If I have reached the atmarama position, I will be at peace. I no longer have to hanker or lament. I know that desperately seeking some temporary change will not make a lasting impact on my outlook. Neither will some temporary loss forever set me back.

योऽन्त:सुखोऽन्तरारामस्तथान्तर्ज्योतिरेव य:
स योगी ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं ब्रह्मभूतोऽधिगच्छति

yo ’ntaḥ-sukho ’ntar-ārāmas
tathāntar-jyotir eva yaḥ
sa yogī brahma-nirvāṇaṁ
brahma-bhūto ’dhigacchati

“One whose happiness is within, who is active within, who rejoices within and is illumined within, is actually the perfect mystic. He is liberated in the Supreme, and ultimately he attains the Supreme.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 5.24)

3. Can find pleasure without effort

As Vishnu is atmarama, there is no worry over finding happiness. If I can take joy in my own identity, in relating with the self, how far do I really have to travel? I am always with me. I can strike up a stirring adventure at any moment. All I have to do is contemplate. Consciousness will be my vessel towards excitement and thrill. This atmarama description is so profound that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu can provide endless explanations for it, with each one relevant, blissful, and rooted in tattva, which is truth.

सूत उवाच
आत्मारामाश्च मुनयो निर्ग्रन्था अप्युरुक्रमे
कुर्वन्त्यहैतुकीं भक्तिमित्थम्भूतगुणो हरि:

sūta uvāca
ātmārāmāś ca munayo
nirgranthā apy urukrame
kurvanty ahaitukīṁ bhaktim
ittham-bhūta-guṇo hariḥ

“All different varieties of atmaramas [those who take pleasure in atma, or spirit self], especially those established on the path of self-realization, though freed from all kinds of material bondage, desire to render unalloyed devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead. This means that the Lord possesses transcendental qualities and therefore can attract everyone, including liberated souls.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.7.10)

4. Can be happy even with many people around

What should happen if there is a crowd? I can take refuge of the consciousness to be happy, but if others are around will they not interfere? Does that not introduce a pain point? What about the potential for distractions, for suppression, for constant nagging?

As Vishnu is atmarama, He can take pleasure even amidst many associates. He can remain fully satisfied in the realm of Vaikuntha, where Lakshmi Devi is always close by, massaging His feet. Ananta Shesha Naga highlights the true nature of the individual as sheshi, which is a servant always ready to please Vishnu.

In the sphere of Goloka, the same Vishnu happily plays as Shri Krishna. The gopis, headed by Shrimati Radharani, are with Him. Though He is atmarama, the Supreme Lord can accept an unlimited number of associates, who remain in close proximity, without being bothered.

5. No one can do anything for you

If you are fully satisfied in the self, there is nothing that anyone can do for you. This is an important truth to remember, since the primary recommendations within sanatana-dharma revolve around offerings. Make a gesture in good faith to sacrifice something important for the honor of a higher authority. Vishnu is the highest authority of all, and so He is synonymous with yajna.

यत् करोषि यद् अश्नासि
यज् जुहोषि ददासि यत्
यत् तपस्यसि कौन्तेय
तत् कुरुष्व मद्-अर्पणम्

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

“O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.27)

From a verse in his Dohavali, Goswami Tulsidas explains how all protections are tied to full surrender, which is known as sharanagati. It is not what value a person brings to the table. It is also not what interference or trouble they may have caused. There is reference to two historical figures to illustrate the principle.

The Rakshasa named Vibhishana did not bring anything with him. There was nothing he could do, in the external sense, for Shri Rama. Vibhishana was still accepted. Meanwhile, there was no direct harm caused by Vali, the powerful leader of the Vanaras in the Kishkindha kingdom. Vali was on the receiving end of a targeted, calculated, and cold attack in the form of an arrow released by Shri Rama.

This means that the recommendations for worship are ultimately for the benefit of the worshiper. There is nothing they can do for Vishnu, but Vishnu can do everything for them. As Shrimad Bhagavatam explains, even atmarama individuals gravitate towards the Supreme Lord. He can protect anyone from the dangerous condition of illusion, of continued living in the material world. Full surrender at His lotus feet is the only option, and in this movement there is nothing to fear.

In Closing:

Drawing to lotus feet near,
In movement nothing to fear.

Because losing everything already,
With change of material world steady.

Nothing for Vishnu can do,
The one atmarama who.

But still Vibhishana accepted,
Through devotion detected.

Categories: dohavali 121-160, the five

Tags: atmarama, chaitanya, god, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, tulsidas