There is a story that once upon a time somebody asked Hanumána, “Hanumána, you are a devotee, you are a bhakta and you know that fundamentally there is no difference between Náráyańa and Ráma. Then why do you always take the name of Ráma and never the name of Náráyańa, when both are fundamentally the same”.

Náráyańa and Ráma are actually the same Entity; only their names are different. The word “Náráyańa” comes from Saḿskrit. It is a compound word; nára + ayanan. In Saḿskrit the word “nára” has got three meanings. One meaning of nára is “niira”, “water”, another meaning is Paramá Prakrti and the third meaning is “devotion” (bhakti). Nára + dá + d́a = Nárada, the distributor of bhakti. Here, in the case of Nárada, Nára means devotion. And nára also means both “water” and “Paramá Prakrti”, that is, the Cosmic Operative Principle. And “ayana” means ashraya. Shiváyana means the áshraya of Shiva. Rámáyana means the áshraya of Ráma: the book in which Ráma has been sheltered – Rámáyana. Ayana means áshraya. Náráyańa means the ayana of nára, the ayana of the Operative Principle, the ayana of the Paramá Prakrti. Who is the ayana, who is the shelter of Nára? Parama Puruśa is the shelter of Paramá Prakrti. So Náráyańa means Parama Puruśa – the Cosmic Consciousness, the Cognitive Faculty.

And what is the meaning of Rámá? One meaning is Ramante yoginah yasmin. That is, Rama is the only object that can be accepted by yogiis as their spirituo-psycho-pabulum, psycho-spiritual pabulum, psycho-spiritual food, psycho-spiritual source of bliss, psycho-spiritual source of happiness. Who is the psycho-spiritual source of happiness for yogiis? Parama Puruśa – the Cognitive Faculty. Hence Rámá also means Náráyańa. Another meaning of Rámá is “ráti mahiidhara Rámah”. The first letter of ráti is rá and the first letter of mahiidhara is ma. “Rati mahiidharah Ramah”: the most glittering object of the entire universe that makes others glitter. He is the most glittering entity and all other glittering entities get their glitterance from Him.

The moon gets its glitterance from the Earth. The Earth gets its glitterance from the sun. The sun gets its glitterance from Parama Puruśa. He is the Supreme Entity that makes others glitter. Who is that Supreme Glittering Entity?

Na tatra súryo bháti na candra tárakaḿ
Nemá vidyuto bhánti kuto’yamagnih,
Tameva bhántamanubháti sarvaḿ
Tasya bhásá sarvamidaḿ vibháti.

He is the Supreme Glittering Entity. “Ráti mahiidharaḿ” means that Parama Puruśa and not another entity, not a separate entity. And the third meaning of Rámá is “Rávanasya marańaḿ Rámah.” The first letter of Rávańasya is “Rá” and the first letter of marańaḿ is “ma”. Rá + ma = Rámá; that is, the Entity whose pressure kills Rávańa. And what is Rávańa? Rávańa means the evil mind, the depraved mind, that moves in all the ten directions – púrva, pashcima, uttara, dakśińa, úrddha, adhah, iishána, naerta, agni and váyu – all the ten. The entire evil force, the depraving force that moves in all the ten directions is Rávana. Rao + ana = Rávana, that is goading the mind towards hell. Now, Rávanasya marańam. Where does the death of Rávana lie? When does that ten-faced demon die? He dies when one takes the shelter of Rámá. So “Rávanasya marańam” is Ráma. The one who takes shelter in Rámá, in Parama Puruśa, in the Cognitive Faculty, can kill him, can kill that demon. “Rávańasya maranam” means that Supreme Cognitive Principle. Hence there is no difference between Ráma and Náráyańa. “Then Hanumána, why do you always take the name of Rámá and not Náráyańa?” Now you see, the reply of Hanumána was:

“Shriináthe Jánakiináthe cábhede Paramátmani,
Tathápi mama sarvasva Rámah kamalalocanah.”

That is, when you are to move towards a particular object with maximum sincerity, all your propensities should be collected, brought to a particular point. Rather, they are to be pinnacled and that pinnacled “I” feeling is to be goaded unto that Entity without any second form, without any second name, without any second colour, without any second thing. That is why Hanumána says, “Shriináthe Jánakiináthe.” The yogarúrhártha of the word “shrii” is Lakśmii, the goddess of wealth, the goddess of prosperity and its actual meaning, that is, its bhávárúrhártha, is the entity possessing the mutative faculty which is full of energy.

In Saḿskrit, every word has got two types of meanings – one meaning is bhávárúrhártha, the other meaning is yogarúrhártha. Bhávárúrhártha is the meaning as per derivation and yogarúrhártha is the meaning as per common use. Say, paiṋcánana. Paiṋcánana means “five-faced entity” – this is the bhávárúrhártha word meaning – but people use the word paiṋcánana in the sense of Shiva. This is “yogarúrhártha.” Do you follow? Nila. Nila means “wind” and niila means “blue”. Nila means “fixed”. Anila means “not fixed”, that is, moving. It is the bhávárúrhártha but the yogarúrhárta is “air”. Air is never fixed; that is why air is called anila. It is the yogarúrhártha, not the bhávárúrhártha. Bhávárúrhártha is “not fixed”.

There are three letters – “sha”, “ra” and “ii”. “Sha” is the acoustic root of the mutative principle, “ra” is the acoustic root of energy, and “ii” is the feminine term, “striyáḿ ‘ii’.” The entity that possesses the mutative faculty, is full of energy and at the same time, is a feminine term, is “shrii”. Everybody wants to be qualified with mutative principle and energy; that is why it is the old usage of the East to use the word “Shrii” before the name, prefixed in the name “Shriinátha” – Lord of Shrii – is Náráyańa and Jánakiinátha – Jánakii – means “Siitá”. Siitá is the adjective form of “sii”. “Sii” means “to culture”, to fertilize the land with the help of a tractor or plough. And its adjective, siitá, means well-cultured; that is, culture to the maximum degree of efficiency. Now where does this culture come from? Who is the Lord of this culture? Who is the source of inspiration or who is the supporter of this culture? Parama Puruśa. However, Shriinátha or Jánakiinátha means Parama Puruśa. So there remains no difference between Shriinátha and Jánakiinátha. “I know it”, says Hanumána. As, per spiritualism, as per spirituality or spiritual science there is no difference between Shriinátha and Jánakiinátha.

“Tathápi mama sarvasva Ráma kamalalocana.”

So, all the propensities of the mind should be guided unto a singular entity with a singular name only using one’s own Iśt́a mantra and not any second mantra. That is why Hanumána says, “I always use the word Ráma and never Náráyańa. I don’t know who Náráyańa is.”

So every sádhaka should know that the only mantra in the universe is his Iśt́a mantra. He knows no other mantra.