Bal-kand : Mangalacharan Shloka 2

Shri-Ramcharitmanas and secret imports : Balkand, Mangalacharan Shlok - 2

॥श्री:॥
॥ सीताराम ॥
॥ ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीमते रामानन्दाचार्य्याय ॥

भवानीशंकरौ वन्दे श्रद्धाविश्वासरूपिणौ।
याभ्यां विना न पश्यन्ति सिद्धाः स्वान्तःस्थमीश्वरम्‌॥

॥ श्रीरामचरितमानस बालकाण्ड मंगलाचरण श्लोक 2॥

bhavānīśaṃkarau vandē śraddhāviśvāsarūpiṇau।
yābhyāṃ vinā na paśyanti siddhāḥ svāntaḥsthamīśvaram‌॥

॥ śrīrāmacaritamānasa bālakāṇḍa maṃgalācaraṇa ślōka 2॥

भावार्थ:- श्रद्धा और विश्वास के स्वरूप श्री पार्वतीजी और श्री शंकरजी की मैं वंदना करता हूँ, जिनके बिना सिद्धजन अपने अन्तःकरण में स्थित ईश्वर को नहीं देख सकते॥

Purport: I greet Goddess Parvati and Her consort, Bhagavan Shankar, embodiments of reverence and faith respectively, without which even the adept cannot perceive God enshrined in their very heart. ॥2॥

― This is the 2nd Mangalacharan Shloka of Ramcharitmanas in which Goswami Ji reverence Paravati Ji and Lord Shiva who are the best devotee couple, both are great devotees of lord Ram. In fact, Lord Shiva is the best among all Vaishnava devotees of Lord Ram.

Bhagavatam says : VaishNavanam Yatha Shambho

- Lord Shiva represents the steadfast faith (Viswas) unto Lord Ram, He knows very well the power of Ram Naam so he drank the Kalkuta, the deadly poison in order to save the world and nothing happened, amazingly poison served nectar to him. Why? because of his supreme faith on the name of Ram! With steadfast faith, he always chants Ram Naam all the time and bestows liberation to Jivas who die in Kashi by muttering Ram Naam in their ears while they are about to leave their bodies!

बिनु बिस्वास भगति नहिं तेहि बिनु द्रवहिं न राम। [Ramcharitmanas]

Without faith there can't be devotion, and without devotion Ram never melts.

So Shiva is embodiment of faith, without faith one can't see the supreme lord who lives very near to us in our heart!

― Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva is embodiment of reverence (Shraddha), she started chanting Ram Naam along with his husband after Lord Shiva preached her to chant Ram Naam. Keeping reverence on words on already enlightened personality is must to progress in spiritual life to see the Brahman, the Ishwara present in everyone's heart!

Bhagavan Krishna says in Gita 4.39-40:

श्रद्धावाँल्लभते ज्ञानं ।
अज्ञश्चाश्रद्दधानश्च संशयात्मा विनश्यति।
नायं लोकोऽस्ति न परो न सुखं संशयात्मनः।।

श्रद्धावान् मनुष्य ज्ञानको प्राप्त होता है , विवेकहीन और श्रद्धारहित संशयात्मा मनुष्यका पतन हो जाता है। ऐसे संशयात्मा मनुष्यके लिये न यह लोक है, न परलोक है और न सुख ही है|

The man who is full of faith, who is devoted (has reverence for the instructions) to it, only he achieves the knowledge. The faithless and the ignorant one, who has doubting mind perishes; there is neither this world nor the other, nor happiness for the doubting.

So Paravati Ji who is embodiment of reverence faith and is very devoted to the instructions she got from Lord Shiva and she does chanting of Ram Naam all the time and realised the Ram-Tattva!

- Here Goswami Ji talks about Lord Ram, the Ishwara who is present inside everyone's heart and when one becomes firmly devoted to the instructions received from Guru, the Naam, Rup, Leela and Dhaam of Lord Ram are revealed to the devotee in their heart.

In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says:

ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति।
तमेव शरणं गच्छ सर्वभावेन भारत।
तत्प्रसादात्परां शान्तिं स्थानं प्राप्स्यसि शाश्वतम्।। Gita 18.61A-62।।

हे अर्जुन! ईश्वर सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके हृदयमें रहते हैं, तूम सर्वभावसे उन्ही ईश्वरकी (श्री राम की) ही शरणमें चला जा। उनकी कृपासे तू परमशान्ति-(संसारसे सर्वथा उपरति-) को और अविनाशी परमपदको प्राप्त हो जायगा।

O Arjuna, the Supreme Lord (indicative of Lord Ram, as he is Uttama Purusa) resides in the region of the heart of all creatures, Take refuge in Him alone with your whole being, O scion of the Bharata dynasty. Through His grace you will attain the supreme Peace and the eternal Abode.

Thus one should take refuge of Lord Ram with all faith and reverence unto the instructions received by greatest devotees like Lord Shiva or Hanuman! Because only they are the most pure and exalted devotees and they know the true knowledge and secret imports of Vedas.

- Lord Shiva is the first person who conceived the ravishing tale of Ramcharitmanas in his heart and graciously communicated it to UmA (Bhagavati Parvati).. so Lord Shiva and UmA are in Guru-Shishya-Parampara of Ramcharitmanas.

Thus Goswami Ji pays reverence to Lord Shiva and Paravati who represents faith and reverence respectively, without which no one can understand the secret imports of Shrimad Ramcharitmanas.

।।श्रीमद्रामचंद्रचरणौ शरणं प्रपद्ये।।
।। श्रीमते रामचन्द्राय नमः ||

।।śrīmadrāmacaṃdracaraṇau śaraṇaṃ prapadyē।।
।। śrīmatē rāmacandrāya namaḥ ||