Ramanujacharya Shares the Sacred Mantra

Dadi: "Guddu, if someone told you a secret that could help everyone but you'd get in trouble for sharing it, what would you do?"

Guddu: "That's hard, Dadi... I'd want to help everyone, but I wouldn't want to get in trouble!"

Dadi: "A thousand years ago, a great saint named Ramanujacharya faced exactly this choice. And his decision changed the course of Hindu spirituality forever."

Guddu: "What happened?"

Dadi: "There was a sacred mantra - eight special syllables - "Om Namo Narayanaya." This mantra was considered so powerful that it could grant liberation to anyone who chanted it. But it was kept secret, taught only to a very few special disciples."

Guddu: "Why keep it secret if it could help everyone?"

Dadi: "That was exactly Ramanuja's question! But first, he had to learn it himself. He went to a famous teacher named Ghoshtipurna, hoping to receive this sacred teaching."

Guddu: "Did the teacher agree?"

Dadi: "Not at first! Ramanuja was rejected again and again - seventeen times! Each time he introduced himself, the teacher sent him away."

Guddu: "Seventeen times? Why?"

Dadi: "Because Ramanuja was introducing himself with pride - like a person showing off his credentials. Finally, on the eighteenth visit, Ramanuja came humbly and said, "Your beloved servant Ramanuja has arrived.""

Guddu: "And then the teacher accepted him?"

Dadi: "Yes! Ghoshtipurna saw that Ramanuja had finally learned humility. He initiated him into the sacred mantra. But here's the crucial part - the teacher gave a strict warning: "Keep this mantra absolutely secret. Teach it only to a worthy disciple you have tested. If you reveal it to unworthy people, YOU will go to hell - though they will go to heaven.""

Guddu: "That's a scary warning!"

Dadi: "Very scary! But Ramanuja's heart was troubled. He thought about all the ordinary people suffering in the world - farmers, laborers, people of all castes - people who would never be considered "worthy" enough to receive this liberating teaching. Was it fair to keep salvation locked away from them?"

Guddu: "What did he decide?"

Dadi: "He made a choice that shocked everyone. He went to the temple at Thirukoshtiyur, climbed to the very top of the temple tower, and called out to all the people below - rich and poor, high caste and low caste, everyone."

Guddu: "What did he say?"

Dadi: "He said, "All of you are dearer to me than my own life. I want to deliver you from suffering." And then - right there in public - he chanted the sacred mantra for everyone to hear!"

Guddu: "But he'd go to hell for that!"

Dadi: "Exactly what his teacher said when he found out! Ghoshtipurna was furious: "You have broken your vow! You will go to hell!""

Guddu: "Was Ramanuja scared?"

Dadi: "Listen to his beautiful reply, Guddu. He said, "If by going to hell I can be the cause of liberation for countless souls, I am only too glad to accept that fate.""

Guddu: "Wow... He chose to suffer so others could be saved?"

Dadi: "Yes! He loved humanity so much that his own spiritual fate didn't matter. He couldn't keep something precious locked away while people suffered."

Guddu: "What happened then?"

Dadi: "Here's the amazing ending. Ghoshtipurna was so moved by Ramanuja's selfless love that his anger melted. Instead of punishing him, he blessed him with a new title: "Emperumanar" - which means "my superior." Some stories say the teacher even became Ramanuja's disciple!"

Guddu: "The teacher became the student?"

Dadi: "Because he recognized that true spiritual greatness isn't about following rules - it's about love. Ramanuja taught us that knowledge which helps people should never be hoarded by a few. God's grace is for everyone."

Guddu: "Dadi, this makes me think of sharing. Sometimes I don't want to share my toys or snacks..."

Dadi: "And that's normal, beta. But Ramanuja shows us a higher way. When you have something good - whether it's a treat, or knowledge you learned at school, or even just kindness - sharing it multiplies the good. Ramanuja could have kept his special mantra and been safe. Instead, he gave it away and became immortal."

Guddu: "I want to be like that. Sharing even when it's hard."

Dadi: "Then you've understood the story perfectly. And you know what? That same mantra Ramanuja shared - "Om Namo Narayanaya" - we can chant it too, thanks to his courage. His sacrifice nine hundred years ago made it possible for us tonight."

Guddu: "Can we chant it together, Dadi?"

Dadi: "Of course, beta. Om Namo Narayanaya. May it bring peace to our hearts, just as Ramanuja wished for all."