Rama Mantrava Japiso
A call to repeat Rama’s name, illustrated through Hanuman, Vibhishana and the devotional lineage.
Purandara Dasa urges the listener to repeat Rama’s name. The verses celebrate its accessibility and recall figures whose lives express trust in Rama.
| Music | Detail |
|---|---|
| Composer | Purandara Dasa |
| Raga | Madhyamavati (also sung in Jonpuri) |
| Tala | Adi |
| Type | Devaranama |
| Language | Kannada |
Lyrics
Pallavi
rāma mantrava japisō hē manuja
Anupallavi
ā mantra ī mantra japisi keḍalu bēḍa
sōmaśēkhara tanna bhāmegheḷida mantra
Charanam 1
kulahīnanādaru kūgi japisō mantra
salebīdiyoḷu uccarisuva mantra
halavu pāpaṅgaḷa hadageḍisuva mantra
sulabhadindali mōkṣa sūregombuva mantra
Charanam 2
marutātmaja nitya smaraṇe māḍuva mantra
sarva ṛṣigaḷali sērida mantra
durita kānanakidu dāvānala mantra
poredu vibhīṣaṇage paṭṭagaṭṭida mantra
Charanam 3
jñānanidhi namma ānanda tīrtharu
sānurāgadi nitya sēvipa mantra
bhānu kulāmbudhi sōmanenipa namma
dīna rakṣaka purandara viṭhalana mantra
Meaning
The song asks the listener not to lose direction in a restless search, but to hold to Rama’s name—the mantra Shiva taught his consort. It can be voiced openly regardless of social standing. Hanuman’s constant remembrance, Vibhishana’s protection and Anandatirtha’s loving devotion supply examples. The final line addresses the protector of the vulnerable as Purandara Vitthala.
Words to recognise
Marutātmaja, the son of the wind, names Hanuman. Dāvānala, a forest fire, becomes an image for the name consuming wrongdoing. The poem celebrates the power of remembrance through these images, not through an account of a single event.