The Rama Taraka Mantra

॥ Sri Rama Rama Rameti
Rame Rame Manorame
Sahasranama Tattulyam
Rama Nama Varanane ॥

The Meaning

“O beautiful one, the name Rama, chanted with love again and again, is equal in merit to reciting the thousand names of Lord Vishnu.” These are the words of Lord Shiva to Devi Parvati — revealing that the single name of Rama holds the power of a thousand.

The Significance

This is the Taraka Mantra — the mantra that “ferries one across.” Just as Lord Ram built the sacred bridge to cross the ocean to Lanka, the name of Rama is said to carry the devotee across the ocean of worldly struggle. To chant it is to walk the very path of the Ramayana — the path our Sri Lanka Yatra follows across the sacred sites of the island.

How to Chant

• Sit quietly, settle the breath, and bring the mind to stillness.
• Chant “Sri Rama Jaya Rama” or the full verse 11 or 108 times.
• Early morning and evening are especially auspicious.

The Legend

When Parvati asked Shiva for the simplest way to attain the divine, He gave her this verse — that the name of Rama alone equals the thousand names of Vishnu. It is the same name that turned a sinner into the sage Valmiki, author of the Ramayana itself.

“Where the name of Rama is sung, there the divine forever dwells.” 🙏