12. Who Is Rama ?

Q. You have often said that when you talk of Rama you refer to the Ruler of the Universe and not to Rama, the son of Dasharatha. But we find that your Ramadhun calls on 'Sita-Rama', 'Raja Rama' and it ends with 'Victory to Rama, the Lord of Sita'. Who is this Rama if not the son of the King Dasharatha?

A. In Ramadhun 'Raja Rama', 'Sita-Rama' are undoubtedly repealed. But more potent than Rama is the Name. Hindu dharma is like a boundless ocean teeming with priceless gems. The deeper you dive the more treasures you find. In Hindu religion, God is known by various names. Thousands of people look doubtless upon Rama and Krishna as historical figures and literally believe that God came down in person on earth in the form of Rama, the son of Dasharatha and by worshipping him one can attain salvation. The same thing holds good about Krishna. History, imagination and truth have got so inextricably mixed up. It is next to impossible to disentangle them. I have accepted all the names and forms attributed to God as symbols connoting one formless, omnipresent Rama. To me, therefore, Rama described as the Lord of Sita, son of Dasharatha, is the all-powerful essence whose name inscribed in the heart removes all suffering - mental, moral and physical.

Harijan, 2-6-1946