अग्रतः प्रययौ रामः सीता मध्ये सुमध्यमा।
पृष्ठतस्तु धनुष्पाणिर्लक्ष्मणोऽनुजगाम ह॥
agrataḥ prayayau rāmaḥ sītā madhye sumadhyamā
pṛṣṭhatas tu dhanuṣ-pāṇir lakṣmaṇo ’nujagāma ha
agrataḥ = in the front; prayayau = walked; rāmaḥ = Rāma; sītā = Sītā; madhye = [was] in the middle; sumadhyamā = of slender waist; pṛṣṭhataḥ tu = behind; dhanuḥ-pāṇiḥ = with a bow in hand; lakṣmaṇaḥ = Lakṣmaṇa; anujagāma ha = followed.
Rāma walked in the front. Slender-waisted Sītā [was] in the middle. With a bow in hand, Lakṣmaṇa followed behind.
1 There are three processes taught in the Vedic scriptures: karma, jñāna and bhakti. This chapter points out that activities in the process of karma lead to dangerous results—entanglement in sense enjoyment. But service to Rāma, which consists of activities in the process of bhakti, is free from such danger because proper engagement in bhakti awakens both knowledge of spiritual truths and renunciation from material enjoyment. Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ, janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam: “By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.7)
2 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: tau paśyamānāv ity-ādinā nārāyaṇa-padārthaḥ.
3 The destruction of Ilvala and Vātāpi are described in this portion of this chapter.
4 The eight-syllabled mantra is Oṁ namo nārāyaṇāya. Namaḥ = I offer my respectful obeisances. Nārāyaṇāya = unto Nārāyaṇa.
5 The “twenty-fifth element” is none other than the jīvātmā.
Activities in the process of karma are dangerous, [but] service to Rāma alone is free from danger.1 To point this out, the history of Māṇḍakarṇi is brought out in this chapter which also describes [Rāma’s] travels to the āśramas of all the sages [in Daṇḍakāraṇya].
This verse states the meaning of the syllable oṁ. The next verse onwards state the meaning of the word nārāyaṇāya.2 The history of Māṇḍakarṇi describes the meaning of the word namaḥ. The portion after that refers to the removal of obstructions.3 It is thus stated that meditation on this [eight-syllabled] mantra is the ultimate shelter.4
NOTE. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī Prabhupāda quotes the following verses from the Uttara-khaṇḍa of the Padma Purāṇa that explain the syllable oṁ:
a-kāraś cāpy u-kāraś ca ma-kāraś ca tataḥ param veda-trayātmakaṁ proktaṁ praṇavaṁ brahmaṇaḥ padam
a-kāreṇocyate viṣṇuḥ śrīr u-kāreṇa cocyate
ma-kāras tv anayor dāsaḥ pañcaviṁśaḥ prakīrtitaḥ
“Praṇava or the syllable oṁ, the word denoting Brahman, is said to contain the three Vedas. It consists of the letter a, u and m. The letter a denotes Viṣṇu and the letter u denotes Śrī. The letter m denotes their servant [who is] known as the twenty-fifth element.”5 (Padma Purāṇa 6.226.22-23)
Since this verse states that Rāma was followed by Sītā who was followed by Lakṣmaṇa, there is a reference to the syllable oṁ which consists of the letter a (denoting Viṣṇu) followed by the letter u (denoting Śrī) followed by the letter m (denoting their servant). Rāma is Viṣṇu, Sītā is Śrī and Lakṣmaṇa their servant.
Māṇḍakarṇi’s history will be described after a few verses. He succumbed to the temptations of beautiful apsarās. But anyone desirous of becoming free from the clutches of māyā should give up such activities, as indicated by the word namaḥ in the eight- syllabled mantra. This word is described in the following verses of the Uttara-khaṇḍa of the Padma Purāṇa:
ahaṅkṛtir ma-kāraḥ syān na-kāras tan-niṣedhakaḥ
tasmāt tu namasā cātra svātantryaṁ pratiṣidhyate
bhagavat-paratantro ’sau tad-āyattaś ca jīvati
tasmāt sva-sāmarthya-vidhiṁ tyajet sarvam aśeṣataḥ
īśvarasya tu sāmarthyān nālabhyaṁ tasya vidyate
tasmin nyasta-bharaḥ śete tat-karmaiva samācaret
“False ego is represented by the syllable ma and the syllable na indicates a negation of false ego. Therefore the word namaḥ negates one’s sense of independence. The jīvātmā is dependent on the Supreme Personality of Godhead and lives by depending on Him. Therefore one should completely reject all behavior based on one’s own capacity. There is nothing that cannot be attained by capacity of the Lord, however. Surrendering the responsibility [of maintaining oneself] to Him, one sleeps [peacefully]. He should only engage in activities directly related to Him.” (Padma Purāṇa 6.226.41-46)