"You and I are One..."

जय श्री राम

In the Ramayana one finds this - for me as for very many others - deeply moving devotion of Hanuman toward Lord Rama, the love between them of divinity in service to divinity.  Their relationship has so many levels for the Bhakta to grasp, and they are quite suitably all addressed in this most childlike song I once heard from my dear friend Maya in Boulder.

Hanuman, who was of a race of monkey-humans or human monkeys if you will, had been charged to serve Rama in His endeavors and heroic tasks told in this story.  Hanuman himself, varyingly called in hymns "Breath of Ram" and "Son of the Wind", performed enormous deeds of power out of perfect dedication to Rama.  At the end, in the ceremonious celebration and reunion, Ram, or Rama, asked Hanuman what he is, man or monkey.  Hanuman replied, "When I don't know who I am, I am Your servant.  When I know who I am, I am You."

Now the song goes like this, and as I don't have musical notation at my disposal - but have provided a very short video to give the melody, and placed the link below - here are the simple lyrics:

Ram asked,
       "Hanuman, My servant, what do you think of Me?
Ram asked,
       "Hanuman, My servant, what do you think of Me?"



"When I serve You, You are my Master,
when I worship You, You are my Lord -
but You and I are One, Rama, You and I are One.
You and I are One, Rama, You and I are One.
You and I are One, Rama, You and I are One.
You and I are One, Rama, You and I are One."

जय श्री राम





Had someone sung this to me as a child, I would not have had to wait till age 18 to meet Maharajji Baba.
I would have been a child Bhakta from the get-go.  And with that, my self-image growing up would have looked considerably different.

https://youtu.be/liq9ZfqSNfo

***************************

(Then there's this gem out of my earlier years, very sweet and very spot-on - is also on that video)...

Seek The Blessings Of Ram

(Spring HIll Music, outside Boulder - mid-'70s)

Sri Rama is my life and my soul and my treasure.

Wherever He may roam I will follow Him with pleasure.

For the soul of Janaki is Ram.

O the life of Janaki will be forever Ram.

Like a shadow in His radiance I dwell.

Seek the blessings of Ram, Ram (8x) . . . Jai Sri Ram.

Sri Rama is my Lord and His Name is my protection.

His righteousness my strength and His grace is my redemption.

For the soul of Hanuman is Ram.

O the soul of Hanuman will be forever Ram.

In the dust of His lotus feet I dwell.

(Seek the blessings...)

Sri Rama is my Self and my Lord and my companion.

His thought is my command and His glance is my direction.

For the soul of Laksmana is Ram.

O the soul of Laksmana will be forever Ram.

In the thought of Sri Rama's feet I dwell.

(Seek the blessings...)

Sri Rama is our life and His radiance our sceptre.

Wherever He may be, may our hearts be in His shelter.

For the Lord of Ayodya is Ram.

O the Lord of Ayodya will be forever Ram.

May we dwell in the glory of Sri Ram.

(Seek the blessings...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7FVrL6DXdw

"Which Mantra, which Dhikr?"

 The best mantra to use, or the best dhikr, is whichever keeps you – and you exclusively, no one else – in closest, most initmate concentration on God, in this moment exclusively – and not what worked yesterday or what you think tomorrow will look like. Suppose you have knowledge and confidence in (A) through (M) so to speak, and they are all good, there is joy, there is release, there is love and fulfillment, there is focus, all that – and the balm for existential panic or fear or loneliness or grief or arrogance or anger – great, but you are only usng one at this particular precious moment. If you go with (A) don't think, maybe I should be doing (B)...this keeps it all in the superficial and complicated. Give us this day our daily mantra/dhikr, and lead us not into the temptation of leaving the present for some moment which isn't there, and where no need will be served, and the need of this moment will not be addressed..

In the process of life lived in the development of concentrations through mantra or dhikr and sacred inner work, siddhis may come to the practitioner, there could be power issues; but these will be likewise overcome for the Siddha, the Bhakta, the Jnani, when one returns again and ever again without fail to the repetition of the mantras or of dhikr -- of the Name, from which and from whom these siddhis came in the first place – so devotedly practicing further and ever further for the purpose of liberation of all sentient Beings, of realization of the Self, one is spared the pitfall of identifying with the phenomena or with being the doer of something.