Shri Ram Mantra

Who Shri Ram is

Ram is the seventh avatar of Vishnu and the hero of the Ramayana, born in Ayodhya to King Dasharatha. He is revered as maryada purushottam — the ideal man, who upheld dharma even at great personal cost, including fourteen years of exile he accepted without complaint to keep his father's word. His wife Sita, his brother Lakshmana and his devotee Hanuman are almost always pictured with him, and his reign in Ayodhya — Ram Rajya — is the byword for just and righteous rule.

In the bhakti tradition Ram's name is held to be as powerful as Ram himself. Tulsidas devotes a whole section of the Ramcharitmanas to the glory of the name (naam mahima), and it is believed that wherever Ram's name is sung, Hanuman is present to listen.

What the mantra means

Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram — "Shri Ram; victory to Ram; victory, victory to Ram." Shri is an honorific and also a name of Sita (Lakshmi), so the mantra begins by honouring Ram together with Sita; Jai means "victory" or "glory be." In Sanskrit it has thirteen syllables, and is known as the trayodashakshari (thirteen-syllable) Ram mantra. It is associated especially with Samarth Ramdas of Maharashtra, who made it the centre of his teaching, and some traditions also call it a taraka mantra — one that helps the chanter cross (tarana) the ocean of worldly suffering.

There is little to "unpack" in the words, and that is the point: it is a mantra built for continuous, rhythmic repetition rather than for study.

How to do the jaap

1. Time: Any time. Early morning is traditional for a counted practice; many also chant it through the day.
2. Mala: A tulsi mala of 108 beads is most usual, since Ram is an avatar of Vishnu; sandalwood also works.
3. Seat: For a sitting practice, sit on a clean asana before a picture of Ram darbar, light a lamp and offer a flower or tulsi leaf.
4. Count: One mala (108) a day is a good start; those who take it up seriously set larger targets — 11 malas a day, or a lakh of repetitions over some weeks.
5. Walking japa: Because it needs no ritual apparatus, it is widely chanted silently while walking, commuting, waiting or falling asleep.
6. Kirtan: It is also sung together in akhand (unbroken) Ram naam kirtans, often for 24 hours at a stretch.

It is forgiving of imperfect pronunciation, which is why it is usually one of the first mantras children learn.

Benefits traditionally associated with it

• Peace of mind and freedom from worry — Ram naam is regarded as a refuge in every kind of trouble.
• Protection: Hanuman, who is present wherever Ram is sung, is believed to guard the chanter.
• Removal of negativity and the effects of past wrongdoing, since the name is held to purify the one who takes it.
• Strength of character: remembering the one who never left the path of dharma helps the chanter keep to it too.
• Ultimately, liberation — in the bhakti tradition, the name repeated with sincerity is itself a complete path.

Why people do it

Many people chant it simply because it is the easiest mantra there is: no initiation, no rules of purity, no long verse to learn. It fills the gaps in a day — in the car, in a queue, before sleep — and turns them into remembrance. Others take it up in hard times, following the belief that Ram's name wards off fear; and for devotees of Hanuman, chanting Ram's name is considered the surest way to please him. On Ram Navami, and in homes that keep a Ram naam lekhan (writing the name) practice, it is the centre of the day's devotion.