Ashta Namaskaras of Sri Rama

These eight mantras are powerful Ashtanamaskaras offered to Shri Rama — each one a key to unlock inner peace, protection, and spiritual clarity. Regular practice invokes Rama not just as a divine figure, but as the supreme source of strength, knowledge, and bliss. These namaskaras dissolve fear, remove inner restlessness, and bring the mind into harmony. With Seeta ever by his side, Rama becomes the ultimate refuge — a presence that heals, uplifts, and guides. Offering these eight salutations daily connects the heart to dharma and opens the path toward lasting joy and liberation. This is devotion with deep inner reward.

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरामाय परमात्मने । सर्वभूतान्तरस्थाय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥ 

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरामचन्द्राय वेधसे । सर्ववेदान्तवेद्याय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीविष्णवे परमात्मने । परात्पराय रामाय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥ 

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरघुनाथाय शार्ङ्गिणे । चिन्मयानन्दरूपाय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥ 

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरामकृष्णाय चक्रिणे । विशुद्धज्ञानदेहाय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥ 

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीवासुदेवाय विष्णवे । पूर्णानन्दैकरूपाय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥ 

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरामभद्राय वेधसे । सर्वलोकशरण्याय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥ 

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरामायामिततेजसे । ब्रह्मानन्दैकरूपाय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥

Meaning:

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरामाय परमात्मने । सर्वभूतान्तरस्थाय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥ 

om namo bhagavate shriramaaya paramaatmane
sarvabhootantarasthaaya saseetaaya namo namah

This is no ordinary chant. It is a complete surrender — a soul’s full bow to the Supreme, wrapped in six simple yet thunderous words that carry the weight of the entire Ramayana.

'om namo bhagavate shriramaaya paramaatmane' — I bow to Bhagavan Shri Rama, the Supreme Soul. Not just a king of Ayodhya. Not just the hero of a great epic. But Paramatma — the highest truth that breathes through every scripture, that stands beyond form yet takes form to restore dharma.

Rama is not a tale to be told — he is the silence between breaths, the steady flame within a flickering mind. He is the voice of conscience in the battlefield of life. And when you say ‘paramaatmane’, you're not worshipping a deity outside — you're calling out to the divinity seated within your own chest.

'sarvabhootantarasthaaya' — the one who lives inside all beings. Not just the saints, not just the pure, but the wicked too, the fallen too, the forgotten too. He is the whisper inside every insect, the pulse behind every tree. Rama is not just in temples — he’s curled up quietly in the heart of even the most broken soul. That's his greatness — he doesn’t exclude.

And then comes the most touching invocation —
'saseetaaya namo namah' — Salutations to the one who is forever with Seeta.

This is not just poetic. It is philosophical.
Rama without Seeta is truth without compassion.
Power without grace. Dharma without love.
Where there is Seeta, there is Rama.
And where there is Rama, there is hope.

This closing phrase — saseetaaya — binds the masculine and feminine, the action and the stillness, the king and the forest-wanderer, the justice and the tenderness. It is a mantra of union, of completeness.

In essence, this mantra is not a chant for the lips — it is an anchor for the heart. Say it when you're lost, say it when you're grateful. Say it when you're broken. Because Rama, the Paramatma, the one who dwells in all beings, always walks with Seeta — and thus, never walks away from you.

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरामचन्द्राय वेधसे । सर्ववेदान्तवेद्याय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥

om namo bhagavate shriramachandraaya vedhase

sarvavedantavedyaaya saseetaaya namo namah

om namo bhagavate shriramachandraaya vedhase

Salutations to Bhagavan Shriramachandra, the Creator, the Cosmic Architect.

Let that sink in.

This is not just about a bow to the prince of Ayodhya.
This is about bowing to the mind behind the universe, the hands that painted the galaxies, and the silence that witnessed the Vedas being born.

When you say 'vedhase', you're acknowledging that Rama is not a bystander to creation.
He is the Author of Reality —
He is the intelligence that shaped your breath,
the rhythm that keeps time flowing,
the design behind why your eyes tear up when dharma is broken.

But this Creator? He’s not distant. He’s not abstract.
He walked among us.
Barefoot, banished, betrayed — and still radiant with compassion.
That’s Ramachandra.

And oh — the ‘chandra’ — that soft light in his name —
reminds us: Creation isn’t brute force. It’s tenderness.
Even when he builds, even when he destroys — he does it gently. Like the moon.

sarvavedantavedyaaya

He is the One to be known through all of Vedanta.

Let’s say it plain:
Every Upanishad, every Vedantic pursuit, every mantra you chant, every silence you sit in — it all leads here.

Not to a theory. Not to an idea.
But to him — Ramachandra.

You want to know what 'tat tvam asi' really looks like?
It looks like Rama walking the forest with Seeta.
It looks like him upholding dharma even when his heart is breaking.
It looks like love without attachment, power without pride, action without ego.

The rishis said, ‘Know the Self’.
The devotee says, ‘Know Rama’.
And in this verse, you realise — they’re both pointing to the same being.

saseetaaya namo namah

Salutations again and again to the One who is always with Seeta.

This is the verse's beating heart.
Rama with Seeta is not just a couple.
It’s Purusha with Prakriti, Consciousness with Compassion.

Seeta is not in his shadow — she’s his balance.
She is the gentleness to his justice,
the fragrance to his fire,
the truth of love that anchors the love of truth.

To say 'saseetaaya' is to say:
I want not just knowledge.
I want love with it.
I want wisdom that walks with grace.
I want the kind of God who would search the ends of the earth for his beloved — and still choose forgiveness over revenge.

This mantra is a cosmic equation and a devotee’s love letter.
It says:
You are my truth.
You are the source of all wisdom.
You are the Self the scriptures seek.
But let me never forget — you are also the husband who cried.
The friend who never left.
The Rama who came with Seeta.

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीविष्णवे परमात्मने । परात्पराय रामाय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥ 

om namo bhagavate shreevishnave paramaatmane
paraathparaaya raamaaya saseetaaya namo namah

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीविष्णवे परमात्मने

I bow to Bhagavan Shri Vishnu, the Supreme Self.

This is the ultimate prostration.
You're not just bowing to a god who dwells in Vaikuntha.
You’re bowing to That which upholds the worlds — Vishnu, the sustainer, the cosmic rhythm that keeps the sun rising, the dharma flowing, the breath returning.

And not just Vishnu the deity — but Vishnu the Paramaatma.
The Self not bound by space or name.
That eternal witness sitting silently behind your thoughts,
that presence which never dies even when your world collapses.
That is who you're bowing to.

And yet — watch the verse curve...

परात्पराय रामाय

To Rama, who is greater than the greatest.

Here comes the thunderclap:
Rama is not a part of Vishnu.
Rama is Vishnu — and not just that — Rama is Paraatpara,
beyond even the concept of transcendence.

Wait — how can Rama, the man who suffered, who wandered in exile, who grieved for Seeta — be Paraatpara?

That’s the Divine Mystery.
Rama’s simplicity is his supremacy.
Because it takes more strength to smile while suffering, to uphold dharma while hurting, than to sit in some celestial comfort.
Rama descended, not because he was lesser — but because only the highest could afford to stoop with such dignity.

So when we say 'Paraatparaaya Raamaaya', we are saying:
You are not just God.
You are the very reason why gods exist.
You are the Source even behind the idea of divinity.
And still, you walked like a man… just so we could walk a little better.

ससीताय नमो नमः

Salutations again and again to the One who is always with Seeta.

Let’s never forget — it’s not just Rama. It is Seeta-Rama.

Because what good is absolute power without empathy?
What is truth without tenderness?
What is the path without love to light it?

Seeta is not a supporting character —
she is the soul of the story.
She is the one who taught us that grace doesn’t break even when the world turns cruel.
And Rama, without her, would just be a king.
With her? He becomes the Paraatpara Purusha.

This mantra is a bridge.

From form to formless.
From Bhagavan to Paramaatma.
From Rama of Ayodhya to the Rama of Vedanta.
From power to love.
From truth to the One who walked it.

It says:
Yes, I bow to Vishnu.
Yes, I worship the Supreme Self.
But my heart bows deepest…
to Rama — the God who felt pain,
to Seeta — the Goddess who endured with dignity,
and to their love, which is not mythology —
but the highest truth clothed in human skin.

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरघुनाथाय शार्ङ्गिणे । चिन्मयानन्दरूपाय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥ 

om namo bhagavate shriraghunaathaaya sharngine

chinmayanandarupaaya saseetaaya namo namah

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरघुनाथाय शार्ङ्गिणे

Salutations to Bhagavan Raghunatha, the wielder of the Sharnga bow.

He is Raghunatha — the Lord of the illustrious Raghu race.
But this is no ordinary dynasty. This is the line of kings who bled for dharma, who burned in fire but never bent truth. And among them, Rama stands like the Himalayan peak — unshakable, luminous, and eternally revered.

Now comes the weapon — Sharnga.
Not the Kodanda here — but Sharnga, the divine bow of Vishnu himself. This choice of name reveals something subtle —
This Rama is no longer just the prince of Ayodhya.
This is the cosmic Rama, the Vishnu-avatar who hides infinity beneath human skin.

Sharnga is not just a bow. It is dharma's lightning.
When wielded, it doesn’t just destroy — it restores balance. It is Rama's reminder that gentleness is not weakness — but should the need arise, dharma will roar with thunder.

चिन्मयानन्दरूपाय

To the One who is the very form of Consciousness and Bliss.

Now the chant explodes into Vedanta.

Who is Rama? He is not just a warrior or a king.
He is Chinmaya-Ananda-Rupa —
pure consciousness wrapped in bliss,
pure awareness that holds no sorrow,
a being in whom no duality survives.

He is not bound by form.
But he takes form — to walk beside us, to be felt, to be followed.
And yet, his essence remains untouched —
he is the calm behind chaos,
the stillness behind action,
the smile that never fades, even when he’s standing amidst ashes.

You don’t worship Rama to escape the world.
You worship him to understand how to walk through it without losing yourself.

ससीताय नमो नमः

Salutations again and again to the One who is ever with Seeta.

Here’s the soul of the mantra.

All the divine glories — the dynasty, the weapon, the bliss —
mean nothing if Seeta is not beside him.

Because Seeta is not a ‘consort’.
She is Rama’s heart given form.
She is the still flame beside the warrior,
the strength behind the smile,
the grace that keeps the sword from turning cruel.

Seeta is not separate. She is the mirror in which Rama sees his truest Self.

So this bow — saseetaaya namo namah —
is not a footnote.
It is the crescendo.

This mantra is an invitation —
to see God as both the Warrior and the Witness,
to recognize joy that doesn’t depend on pleasure,
to worship a conscious flame that burns forever,
and to know that divinity is not complete without love.

It tells you:
Don’t just bow to a god.
Bow to the One who wields strength with softness.
Who walks as bliss.
And who never walks alone — for Seeta is always by his side.

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरामकृष्णाय चक्रिणे । विशुद्धज्ञानदेहाय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥ 

om namo bhagavate shriramakrishnaaya chakrine

vishuddhajnaanadehaaya saseetaaya namo namah

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरामकृष्णाय चक्रिणे

Salutations to Bhagavan Shri Ramakrishna, the wielder of the discus.

The name here is like thunder echoing across all of time —
Ramakrishna — the union of Rama, the ideal of dharma,
and Krishna, the essence of divine play.
Not two gods fused, but one Supreme Consciousness revealed in two different leelas —
one as the prince of restraint,
the other as the flautist of freedom.

And this being — Chakrine — holds the Sudarshana Chakra,
not just as a weapon,
but as the power to cut through illusion.

The chakra isn’t about spinning death —
it’s the spinning wheel of clarity.
When wielded by Rama, it slices injustice.
When spun by Krishna, it unmasks deception.
And when invoked here — it’s the reminder that truth always comes full circle.

So when you bow to Ramakrishna Chakrine,
you’re bowing to the One who knows when to speak softly,
and when to set the world on fire for the sake of dharma.

विशुद्धज्ञानदेहाय

To the One whose very form is pure knowledge.

Here’s the shift — from myth to metaphysics.
This Ramakrishna is not made of bones or blood.
He is made of knowledge, jnana so pure it doesn’t even shimmer —
because it is beyond the duality of light and dark.

This is Jnana-Deha, not just knowledge known — but knowledge embodied.
This is the living Veda, walking.
This is the Upanishad in motion,
not reciting ‘aham brahmasmi’, but being it in every breath.

He doesn’t carry truth.
He is the truth.

Such a being doesn’t merely enlighten others —
he wakes them up from the very dream of separation.

And yet — despite being that infinite fire of knowledge...

ससीताय नमो नमः

Salutations again and again to the One who is ever with Seeta.

… he still walks with Seeta.
Still allows himself to love.
Still allows the human heart to beat beside the divine one.

Because even Jnana needs Karuna.
Even power needs presence.
Even the Chakra-wielding, knowledge-bodied Supreme bows before the sanctity of love.

Seeta is the stillness behind the spinning chakra.
The song behind the silence.
She is not just his beloved — she is the proof that knowledge without devotion is dry,
but when love walks beside it — even the highest truth becomes sweet.

This mantra… is not for the faint-hearted.
It’s a call to rise.

To remember that inside you is a Rama who never gives up what is right.
A Krishna who plays, questions, and dances through darkness.
A Chakri who knows when to stand still, and when to let the truth fly like fire.
And a Seeta — the soul’s own grace — who never lets you forget what makes it all worthwhile.

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीवासुदेवाय विष्णवे । पूर्णानन्दैकरूपाय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥ 

om namo bhagavate shreevaasudevaaya vishnave
poornaanandaikarupaaya saseetaaya namo namah

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीवासुदेवाय विष्णवे

Salutations to Bhagavan Shri Vasudeva, who is Vishnu himself.

This is the opening of the heart — not a casual 'hi', but a full prostration of soul.
Vasudeva is not just Krishna’s father’s name. It is a title of the Lord who dwells in all beings (vasati sarvabhuteshu).
The one who is near, within, and never absent.
When you say Vasudeva, you are not calling a god in the sky.
You are invoking the presence hiding behind your own breath, your own thoughts, your very existence.

And then — Vishnave.
This locks it all together.

The Vasudeva who dwells within?
He is none other than Vishnu — the one who pervades, who stretches across the cosmos like invisible thread.
He is the glue between galaxies.
He is the constant behind every change,
the one who says, ‘I will never let this world fall apart — not while I breathe life into it’.

पूर्णानन्दैकरूपाय

To the One who is the single, undivided form of complete bliss.

Now the river becomes ocean.

Poorna-Ananda-Eka-Rupa —
a form that is only bliss,
nothing but bliss,
and perfectly complete in that bliss.

There’s no crack in him. No lack.
He is not seeking joy — he is joy.
He is not touched by sorrow — because even when sorrow happens, he is the stillness beneath it.

When you chant this name, you’re remembering:
Even when your world is falling apart,
there exists within you a space — untouched, undamaged —
where bliss still breathes, quietly, confidently.

And who is that bliss?

He is Rama.
He is Krishna.
He is Vishnu.
He is You, when you drop every story and sit in pure awareness.

ससीताय नमो नमः

Salutations again and again to the One who is always with Seeta.

And just when this verse reaches the peak of non-dual truth,
it wraps you in the softest silk — Seeta.

Because even if God is Purna,
even if he is Ananda,
even if he is Eka-Rupa —
what is that joy without someone to share it with?

Seeta is the mirror that reflects Rama’s perfection.
She is the delicate expression of that vast, abstract bliss.
She is the fragrance of that flower, the taste of that sweetness.

She reminds us:
Even the Supreme likes to walk beside love.
Even Vishnu chooses companionship — not because he lacks —
but because true fullness expresses itself in sharing.

This mantra is the entire spectrum of spirituality in one breath.

It starts with Vasudeva — the God who lives within.
It expands to Vishnu — the God who pervades everything.
It merges into Poorna Ananda — the God who needs nothing.
And it closes with Seeta — the God who chooses love anyway.

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरामभद्राय वेधसे । सर्वलोकशरण्याय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥ 

om namo bhagavate shriramabhadraaya vedhase

sarvalokasharanyaaya saseetaaya namo namah

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरामभद्राय वेधसे

Salutations to Bhagavan Shri Ramabhadra, the Creator.

Ramabhadra — what a beautiful name.
Bhadra means auspicious, blessed, benevolent.
So here, Rama is not just the king or the warrior.
He is Ramabhadra — the Rama who is always kind, always safe to turn to,
the Rama whose presence never judges, never wounds,
but always uplifts.

He is Vedhas — the Creator.
But not just the one who made the worlds.
He is the one who creates possibilities in your life,
opens doors when you think all paths are closed,
restores hope when your mind is drowning in shadows.

So this isn’t a distant cosmic salute —
this is you, standing barefoot at the banks of your own brokenness,
and calling out:
‘Rama, the kind, the creator — I bow to you.’

सर्वलोकशरण्याय

To the refuge of all worlds.

Read that again: All worlds.

Not just this world.
Not just this yuga.
Not just humans.
Even Devas take shelter in Rama.
Even sages turn to him when their own tapas seems to waver.

And he never turns anyone away.

He is sharanagata vatsala —
lover of those who surrender.
Come as you are — tired, wounded, sinful, uncertain — and still,
Rama receives you.

He is not the god who asks for perfection.
He is the god who gives you courage to begin again.

He is the tree under which the whole universe rests when the storms of karma rage on.
His name itself is the shelter.
No passport, no credentials needed — just a cry from the heart is enough.

ससीताय नमो नमः

Salutations again and again to the One who is always with Seeta.

And now comes the final flower in this garland — Seeta.
Because without Seeta, even Ramabhadra would not be the same.

Seeta is the soul of his compassion.
She is the strength behind his silence.
She is the one who taught us — you can suffer, and still stay pure.
You can be tested, and still walk with grace.

Together, they are not just a couple.
They are truth and tenderness walking hand in hand.
And the universe bows to that completeness.

So when you say saseetaaya namo namah, you’re saying:
I want my life to reflect not just power, not just knowledge, not just safety — but also sacred love.

This mantra is a homecoming.
It’s for when you’re tired.
It’s for when you’re lost.
It’s for when no one else understands.

You say:
‘Ramabhadra, Creator of hope, Refuge of all beings — with Seeta by your side — I bow to you again and again.’

And in that moment —
You are already held.
Already healed.

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरामायामिततेजसे । ब्रह्मानन्दैकरूपाय ससीताय नमो नमः ॥

om namo bhagavate shriramaaya amitatejase

brahmaanandaikarupaaya saseetaaya namo namah

ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरामायामिततेजसे

Salutations to Bhagavan Shri Rama, whose radiance knows no limits.

What is ‘amita tejas’?

It’s not fire from a torch.
It’s not sunlight warming the skin.
It is the light of the Self,
the light that was there before the sun,
the light that still shines when the stars fall,
the light that burns through illusion, through despair, through every dark thought that tries to own you.

Rama’s tejas is not just power.
It is clarity.
It is the calm force of dharma walking in human skin.
It is a king who smiles when banished.
It is a man who walks into war without rage,
and into forests without fear.

When you bow to Amitatejas Rama,
you are not bowing to a torch in the night.
You are bowing to the Source —
the one that makes even darkness meaningful.

ब्रह्मानन्दैकरूपाय

To the One who is the single undivided form of Brahman and bliss.

Here it gets deeper than language can hold.

He is not a reflection of Brahman.
He is not a symbol.
He is Brahman itself —
but not the dry, silent, featureless Brahman.

He is Brahman-Ananda.
Truth that smiles.
Infinity that embraces.
He is not just the knower of truth,
he is what truth feels like — as peace, as sweetness, as stillness after a storm.

You don’t just meditate on him.
You rest in him.
You dissolve into him.
And what remains is joy that has no opposite.

ससीताय नमो नमः

Salutations again and again to the One who is always with Seeta.

And just when the verse touches the pinnacle of non-dual Vedanta —
it pulls you back into the sacred forest trail,
where Seeta walks beside Rama — soft, firm, silent, sovereign.

Because Brahman, however exalted,
is not complete without compassion.

Seeta is the soul of Ananda —
not pleasure, not excitement — but the deep still joy
of knowing you are loved, protected, and never truly alone.

If Rama is the flame,
Seeta is the glow around it.
If Rama is truth,
Seeta is the tenderness that makes truth bearable.

Together, they are not just ideal.
They are the final realization.

This mantra is a homecoming to the Self.
It bows to the Rama who is:

• Light that never ends,
  
  
• Bliss that never breaks,
  
  
• Truth that walks with you.
  
  

And above all — the Rama who walks not in solitude,
but with Seeta beside him —
forever, unshaken, unshadowed.

So when you chant this, you're not asking for favours.
You're saying:

‘O infinite light of dharma, O embodiment of eternal bliss —
walk with me, as you walked with Seeta.
And let me never forget that I, too, am part of that light.’

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi