The names ‘Rama’ or ‘Krishna’ are powerful mantras that can alleviate the sufferings of humanity. When Vasishta in Ayodhya and Gargi in Ayarpadi are entrusted the privilege to name the divine incarnations of the Lord, they are overwhelmed by the impossibility of this task, said Srimati Jaya Srinivasan in a discourse.
How could one name the One who is indescribable and whose names are infinite? Rama Nama is called ‘Taraka mantra’ as it is the very cure for the disease of samsara. It is derived from the roots of the two great mantras, the Asktakshara, ‘Om Namo Narayanaya’ and the Panchakshara, ‘Nama Sivaya.’ The Stala Purana of Kasi states that Siva whispers the Rama Mantra in the ears of all those who breathe their last in this sacred place.
In the Kamba Ramayana, when Vali is slain by Rama, he accuses Him of gross injustice in the way he is killed. But Vali also experiences the moment of realisation when he extols Rama as the very Supreme Lord incarnate who is willing to give Himself to His devotees.
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Parikshit asks Suka the very pertinent question, how one can redeem oneself from the sufferings that one’s karma brings along with it. Is it possible through the acts of redemption prescribed in the sastras? How effective are these anyway? Suka then explains the efficacy of uttering the Lord’s divine name through the story of Ajamila. There is hope for even the sinful to be redeemed from their propensity to commit sins. Though sastras prescribe acts of atonement to eliminate the effects of particular sinful acts, these cannot purge the sinful tendencies. Only by invoking the grace of the Lord by chanting His names can one hope to purify oneself in thought, word and deed.