[Advaita-l] Rama is a Shiva bhakta - Chanakya (4 BCE)

[V Subrahmanian]

Rama is a Shiva  bhakta  - Chanakya (4 BCE)

In the Chanakya Neeti, chapter 12, there is a stuti of Sri Rama:

https://sa.wikiquote.org/s/84

धर्मे तत्परता मुखे मधुरता दाने समुत्साहता
मित्रेऽवञ्चकता गुरौ विनयता चित्तेऽतिगम्भीरता ।
आचारे शुचिता गुणे रसिकता शास्त्रेषु विज्ञानता
रूपे सुन्दरता *शिवे भजनता* त्वय्यस्ति भो राघव ॥१५॥

Rama's excellent qualities are listed:

Steadfastness in Dharma, Sweetness in speech, great enthusiasm in charity,
non-cheating with friend, humility with Guru, earnestness in mind, purity
in conduct, aesthetic disposition, felicity in shaastras, exquisite beauty
in looks, *devotion to Shiva* - all these are abundantly there in You, O
Raghava!

There are instances in the Puranas where Rama is said to have worshiped
Shiva at the seashore (Rameshwaram). In the Valmiki Ramayana there are
instances where Rama's valor is compared to that of Shiva. And Shiva's
devotion to Rama is praised in this famous verse:

पार्वत्युवाच --- *केनोपायेन लघुना* विष्णोर्नामसहस्रकम् । पठ्यते
पण्डितैर्नित्यं श्रोतुमिच्छाम्यहं प्रभो ॥ २६॥ ईश्वर उवाच --- श्रीराम राम
रामेति रमे रामे मनोरमे । सहस्रनाम तत्तुल्यं राम नाम वरानने ॥ २७॥ श्रीरामनाम
वरानन ॐ नम इति ।

Asked by Parvati for the effortless means to chant the Vishnu's 1000 names,
Shiva replies that he revels in the name  'Rama'. That name equals the 1000
names of Brahman (Vishnu).

Desamangalam Arya, a commentator of the famous Narayaneeyam, has said that
the Vishnu Sahasra Nama and the Bhagavadgita can be interpreted to show
Shiva as the Supreme Brahman described in those works.

'Shivarama', 'Shivaramakrishna', etc. are names popular among smartas
alone.

Om Tat Sat