The Transforming Power of the Name

Ramnam From Tulsidas to the Ramnamis

Abstract

Ramdas Lamb’s article explores the Ramnam Samaj, an Untouchable religious movement in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, focusing on the spiritual and social impact of chanting Ramnam. Tracing its roots to Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas and inspired by Kabir, the movement integrates both Nirgun and Sagun bhakti, using devotional repetition of the name of Rama as a tool for inner transformation and caste-based resistance.