About this stotra
The Sri Rama Hrudayam ('The Heart of Rama') is found in the Balakanda of the Adhyatma Ramayana, a deeply Advaitic retelling of the Ramayana attributed to Maharishi Vyasa. In this passage, Lord Rama reveals to Hanuman a secret Vedantic teaching on the nature of consciousness, using the lucid analogy of the sky and its reflections in water.
The text distinguishes three aspects of consciousness — the infinite unbroken Brahman, the consciousness limited by the intellect (jiva), and the reflected consciousness (abhasa) — and teaches how through the Mahavakyas like Tat tvam asi, the jiva realizes its identity with Brahman. Rama concludes with an injunction that this knowledge is a closely guarded secret, not to be shared with those lacking devotion or integrity.
श्री गणेशाय नमः ।
श्री महादेव उवाच ।
ततो रामः स्वयं प्राह हनुमन्तमुपस्थितम् ।
शऋणु यत्वं प्रवक्ष्यामि ह्यात्मानात्मपरात्मनाम् ॥ 1॥
śrī gaṇēśāya namaḥ ।
śrī mahādēva uvācha ।
tatō rāmaḥ svayaṃ prāha hanumantamupasthitam ।
śaṛṇu yatvaṃ pravakṣyāmi hyātmānātmaparātmanām ॥ 1॥
Sri Ganeshaya Namah. Sri Mahadeva (Shiva) speaks: Then Rama himself addressed the approaching Hanuman — 'Listen, I shall now impart to you the secret teaching...'
आकाशस्य यथा भेदस्त्रिविधो दृश्यते महान् ।
जलाशये महाकाशस्तदवच्छिन्न एव हि ।
प्रतिबिम्बाख्यमपरं दृश्यते त्रिविधं नभः ॥ 2॥
ākāśasya yathā bhēdastrividhō dṛśyatē mahān ।
jalāśayē mahākāśastadavachChinna ēva hi ।
pratibimbākhyamaparaṃ dṛśyatē trividhaṃ nabhaḥ ॥ 2॥
Just as the sky is perceived in three apparent divisions — the great unbroken sky (mahakasha), the sky as reflected in a body of water, and the sky seemingly enclosed within a container — so too is pure consciousness (chit) of three kinds.
बुद्ध्यवच्छिन्नचैतन्यमेकं पूर्णमथापरम् ।
आभासस्त्वपरं बिम्बभूतमेवं त्रिधा चितिः ॥ 3॥
buddhyavachChinnachaitanyamēkaṃ pūrṇamathāparam ।
ābhāsastvaparaṃ bimbabhūtamēvaṃ tridhā chitiḥ ॥ 3॥
Consciousness as limited by the intellect is one form; the full unlimited consciousness is another; and the reflected-consciousness (abhasa) is the third, as the original (bimba). Thus awareness is of three kinds.
साभासबुद्धेः कर्तृत्वमविच्छिन्नेऽविकारिणि ।
साक्षिण्यारोप्यते भ्रान्त्या जीवत्वं च तथाऽबुधैः ॥ 4॥
sābhāsabuddhēḥ kartṛtvamavichChinnē'vikāriṇi ।
sākṣiṇyārōpyatē bhrāntyā jīvatvaṃ cha tathā'budhaiḥ ॥ 4॥
The sense of doership (kartritva) is superimposed by error on the witness-consciousness, which is in reality unchanging and unlimited. Similarly, the state of being an individual soul (jivatva) is superimposed by the ignorant.
आभासस्तु मृषाबुद्धिरविद्याकार्यमुच्यते ।
अविच्छिन्नं तु तद्ब्रह्म विच्छेदस्तु विकल्पितः ॥ 5॥
ābhāsastu mṛṣābuddhiravidyākāryamuchyatē ।
avichChinnaṃ tu tadbrahma vichChēdastu vikalpitaḥ ॥ 5॥
The reflected-consciousness (abhasa) is called a false product of avidya (ignorance); the undivided Brahman is called unlimited. Any apparent division from Brahman is only imagined.
अविच्छिन्नस्य पूर्णेन एकत्वं प्रतिपद्यते ।
तत्त्वमस्यादिवाक्यैश्च साभासस्याहमस्तथा ॥ 6॥
avichChinnasya pūrṇēna ēkatvaṃ pratipadyatē ।
tattvamasyādivākyaiścha sābhāsasyāhamastathā ॥ 6॥
The undivided jiva gains identity with the full Brahman through the Mahavakyas such as 'Tat tvam asi' (That thou art). And through 'aham asmi' (I am), the reflected-consciousness also realizes that identity.
ऐक्यज्ञानं यदोत्पन्नं महावाक्येन चात्मनोः ।
तदाऽविद्या स्वकार्यैश्च नश्यत्येव न संशयः ॥ 7॥
aikyajñānaṃ yadōtpannaṃ mahāvākyēna chātmanōḥ ।
tadā'vidyā svakāryaiścha naśyatyēva na saṃśayaḥ ॥ 7॥
When knowledge of the unity between the individual self and Brahman arises through the Mahavakya, then avidya together with all its products is destroyed without doubt.
एतद्विज्ञाय मद्भक्तो मद्भावायोपपद्यते
मद्भक्तिविमुखानां हि शास्त्रगर्तेषु मुह्यताम् ।
न ज्ञानं न च मोक्षः स्यात्तेषां जन्मशतैरपि ॥ 8॥
ētadvijñāya madbhaktō madbhāvāyōpapadyatē
madbhaktivimukhānāṃ hi śāstragartēṣu muhyatām ।
na jñānaṃ na cha mōkṣaḥ syāttēṣāṃ janmaśatairapi ॥ 8॥
The devotee who truly knows this attains oneness with Me. For those averse to My devotion, wandering lost in the thickets of mere scripture — there is neither true knowledge nor liberation.
इदं रहस्यं हृदयं ममात्मनो मयैव साक्षात्कथितं तवानघ ।
मद्भक्तिहीनाय शठाय न त्वया दातव्यमैन्द्रादपि राज्यतोऽधिकम् ॥ 9॥
idaṃ rahasyaṃ hṛdayaṃ mamātmanō mayaiva sākṣātkathitaṃ tavānagha ।
madbhaktihīnāya śaṭhāya na tvayā dātavyamaindrādapi rājyatō'dhikam ॥ 9॥
This is My secret Heart, proclaimed directly to you by Me Myself, O sinless one. This must not be given by you to one devoid of devotion to Me, nor to a deceitful person — not even under pressure from Indra or any other.
॥ श्रीमदध्यात्मरामायणे बालकाण्डे श्रीरामहृदयं सम्पूर्णम् ॥
॥ śrīmadadhyātmarāmāyaṇē bālakāṇḍē śrīrāmahṛdayaṃ sampūrṇam ॥
Thus ends the Sri Rama Hrudayam from the Balakanda of the Adhyatma Ramayana. (Colophon)
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