Sri Rama Gitam
IAST English
Bhagavan Sri Ram - The Embodiment of Supreme Truth
Sri Rama Gitam – Introduction
Sri Rama Gitam is a short but profound hymn composed by Kavyakantha Vasishtha Sri Ganapati Muni in praise of Sri Rama, the destroyer of Ravana and the compassionate refuge of devotees.
In this hymn, Sri Rama is adored not merely as the heroic prince of Ayodhya, but as the Supreme Reality beyond name, form, qualities, and action. The hymn begins by addressing Him as nirguṇa, niṣkala, nitya, and nirañjana — the attributeless, partless, eternal, and stainless Lord. At the same time, He is invoked as the loving protector who rescues the devotee from the empty and painful cycle of worldly existence.
The hymn also carries a deep spirit of renunciation and wisdom. Through the words “Who is this son? Who is this wife?”, it reminds the seeker to overcome attachment, delusion, and possessiveness. Sri Rama is prayed to for equality, universal goodwill, holy association, and freedom from the sorrow of birth and death.
Sri Ganapati Muni beautifully presents Sri Rama as the essence of all divine names, whose very name is praised by the sages as the pure and liberating tāraka mantra. Different spiritual paths are also harmonized in this hymn: the Sāṅkhyas, yogins, ritualists, and Vedāntins all behold the same Supreme Truth in Sri Rama.
Thus, Sri Rama Gitam is both a devotional hymn and a concise Vedantic teaching. It leads the heart from devotion to wisdom, from worldly attachment to inner freedom, and from the worship of Sri Rama’s form to the realization of His supreme, non-dual nature.
॥ kāvyakaṇṭha vāsiṣṭha śrīgaṇapatimuni viracitam śrīrāmagītam ॥
nirguṇa niṣkala nitya nirañjana nirgatamatsara gamya dayālo ।
saṃsāre'sminnirgatasāre pāhi vipāre daśavadanāre ।।1।।
ko'yaṃ putraḥ keyaṃ jāyā māyā seyaṃ mardaya rāgam ।
sarvasamatvaṃ sarvahitatvaṃ satsaṅgitvaṃ dehi vibho me ॥ 2॥
viśvārambhaṃ viṣṇornāmnāmastu sahasraṃ sakalastutyam ।
nāma tu "rāme” tyamalamidaṃ te tārakamṛṣayaḥ paribhāṣante ।। 3 ।।
sītākāminniha bhītānāṃ caraṇaṃ śaraṇaṃ tava yātānām ।
jananakkeshaṃ maraṇakeśaṃ nāśaya gamanāgamanakleśam ।। 4 ।।
caturāsyastvañcakradharastvaṃ pramatheśastvaṃ paramātmā tvam ।
sanakaprabhṛtistutaguṇametad vyūhacatuṣkaṃ bahukīrte te ।।5।।
nāsti vapuste nāsti tavākhyā nāsti ca karma svastida viṣṇo ।
māyākalpitamidamakhilaṃ te rūpaṃ karma ca nāma ca vividham ।। 6 ।।
tattvasamūhādupari lasantaṃ puruṣaṃ sāṅkhyāḥ pravadanti tvām ।
daśaśatapatre daśamukhaśatro yogavidastvāmālokante ॥ 7।।
jaiminimukhyāḥ karmaśrautaṃ devapate te vaibhavamāhuḥ ।
vedānte ye niṣṭhitamatayaḥ te prāhustvāmekamabhedam ॥8॥
tava ca mamāpi ca bhedābhāvaṃ dūradṛśāṃpara kathayati vāṇī ।
mama tu tayā'bhūddaśamajñānaṃ daśavadanāre daśamasyaiva ।। 9॥
॥ iti śrībhagavanmaharṣiramaṇāntevāsino vāsiṣṭhasya
narasiṃhasūnorgaṇapateḥ kṛtā ‘śrīrāmagītam’ sampūrṇam ॥