Idam pavitram paapaghnam punyam vedaishca sammitam
Yah pathe dramacaritam sarvapaapaih pramucyate
Etadaakhyaanamaayusyam pathan raamaayanam narah
Saputra pautra ssaganah pretya svarge maheeyate
Meaning of the hymn- This Pious story of Ramayana is equivalent of the Vedas. Listening or reading it relieves the person of all sins. The person who reads this holy book will lead a very healthy, long and peaceful life and will enjoy the company of his children, grandchildren, friends and relatives. After death, when he arrives in heaven, he will be worshipped by the Devatas themselves.
The auspicious deeds explained in the Vedas are explicitly taught in Ramayana. It teaches every human to realize the truth and to aim at acquiring the ultimate prosperity.
One should strive to be truthful in body, mind and speech. To a human being who is enveloped in total darkness, this truth will show the divine light. It will dispel ashanti (lack of peace) and will bestow peace (shanti) upon the individual.
Truth is the foundation for righteousness (dharma). Dharma cannot sustain in its absence. The good meritorious deeds in entirety (sakala sat karma) form the root for truth (satya) itself. The one who abides by truth and righteousness (satya-dharma) can never fear death. All this is taught in Ramayana.
Through the performance of meritorious deeds, the wealth called divine traits (daivee guna sampat) will be bestowed upon the individual. By imbibing/cultivating these divine traits, the human being becomes as powerful as Devatas themselves. He will wash away the impurities that have enveloped his mind. He will cultivate noble and
pure feelings. With increased dedication and interest he will perform meritorious pure deeds. He will cause peace and comforts to be bestowed upon this world.
Impure deeds weaken the discriminative capacity (viveka) of a person. They cause a person to fall from the level of humans to the level of animals and demons. We are born on this earth solely for executing our karma. We should live up to it solely by performing good karmas (actions).
Adherence to dharma bestows peace and comforts on this earth. Dharma protects equally the rich, poor, weak & downtrodden orphan and every other member of the society without any distinction. Every form of being on this earth is equal in the eyes of Dharma. It ensures that everyone completely adheres to his or her respective
dharma. It increases the traits of patience and tolerance amongst people. It grants the courage to fight unrighteousness (adharma) and atrocities.
Reading of Ramayana causes a spurt in the intellect of a person. It completely increases the mental as well as spiritual energies in the person. By adherence to dharma a person can acquire all powers/energies. All forms of life (samasta bhoota gana) will come to the aid of such a person. That is why all the birds, trees, animals, monkeys, rivers, mountains etc. came to His aid during the period of His exile.
Ramayana brings out the divine traits that exist within a human being. For this reason it is said that it converts man into God. Every one should mandatorily complete the parayana of Ramayana on a daily basis. By adapting the good traits of Rama, one should seek to walk on His divine path. Reading of this sacred text Ramayana will ensure that the comforts of the other world (para loka) will be showered upon him while he is in this world itself! He will lead a comfortable life on earth.
Through the understanding of the story of Ramayana, the truth about the Self will be understood. Only a compassionate man can be called the most superior (uttama) man. Ramayana teaches humans about this trait of compassion. This is a true story. The one who listens or reads this Ramayana will live a long comfortable life and will enjoy the companionship of his children, grand children, friends and relatives.
Om Seeta Ramabhyaam Namaha