SrimadRamayanam

Correction on July-7-2009
The shloka actually is :
Ramo vigahavan dharmaha, sadhu satya parakaramaha
raja sarvasya lokasya devanamiva vasava!!

I stand corrected not only on the shloka, but also my lack of understanding of the topic.

Hari Aum tat sat
Sri Ganeshaya namah
Sri Saraswatyai namah
Sri Gurubhyoh namah
Hari hi Om
I start from today study of SrimadRamayanam by Valmiki and Adhyatma Ramayanam, and compare them. Purpose is to find the path for mukti illustrated by the above scriptures for my understanding, if it helps others it is an added advantage. I will pick some shlokas randomly from these works everyday and try to understand them and put my thoughts here.

All the below are from Valmiki Ramayan:
Prayer :
aapadaam apahartaaram daataaram sarvasaMpadaam.h
lokaabhiraamam shriiraamam bhuuyo bhuuyo namaamyaham.h
Meaning : Not necessary to translate

1. Shloka :
Yatra yatra Raghunatha keerthanam, tatra tatra kritamastakanjalim
bhashpavaari paripoorna lochanam, Marutim namatam rakshasa anthakam
Meaning :
Wherever Raghunatha is worshipped, there you will find a person with folded hands and bowed head, eyes moistened. I pray to that Maruti who is the destroyer of rakshasas (evil tendencies).
I further pray to Maruti to inculcate that bhakti bhava in me.

2. What is Rama :
Ramo Vigrahavan Dharmaha, Satya dharma vratayacha
Meaning :
SriRama is Dharma personified. What is the Dharma we are talking here ? It is Satya Dharma. Meaning abiding in and by Truth (Satya). Satya is defined in scriptures as that which is unaffected by(deshataha , kalataha, vastutaha) three states of consciousness waking, dream, and sushupti, kala, geography etc. Always constant. Which can be further defined as Atma or Self.
We can correlate to Gita shloka "Yada Yada hi Dharmasya" with this and can say that in Gita shloka He is talking about if 'Satya Dharma' is declining (meaning spiritual journey has hindrences), He will manifest to uplift the seekers.

3. Who is Rama ?
Shloka :
sarvadaa abhigataH sadbhiH samudra iva sindhubhiH
aryaH sarvasamaH ca eva sadaiva priya darshanaH
Meaning :
Like an ocean that is reached by many rivers , that reverential one too is always accessible and reachable by clean-minded ones, and he treats all equally, and ever a feast to eye.
My understanding :
SriRama is the final destination to Sadbhih (clean minded) just like ocean is to rivers and always accessible. Hence he is Paramatma.
Further reference can be made to other shlokas like,
"Sarva deva namaskaram kesavam pratigachchati"

How to recognise Srirama :
Shloka :
aham vedmi mahaatmaanam raamam satya paraakramam
vasiSTho.api mahaatejaa ye ca ime tapasi sthitaaH
Meaning :
Vishwamitra comes to Dasharatha and requests him to send His Eldest son SriRama to protect teh Yajna. When Dasharatha expresses his inability to part with his Son citing that he is young and incapable, Vishwamitra says that "I know that SriRama is Mahatma, and he is Satya Parakrami. Vasista also recognised him as mahatejaa and so are all the Tapasis present there".
This tells us that Sages can realise God/Self, and this experience is uniform, experienciable for sadhakas and experience is similar to all Tapasis.
the Aham can know itself as Ramam.

Meaning of Rama : (Not original thought)
Alphabet 'Ra' is life of Ashtakshari mantra 'Aum namo Narayana' , without this alphabet 'Ra', Ashtakshari loses its meaning. It becomes 'Na ayana' meaning there is no refuge.
Alphabet 'ma' is the life of Pachakshari mantra 'Aum namah Shivaya', without this alphabet 'ma', Panchakshari loses its meaning. It becomes ' Na Shivaya' meaning there is no Shiva.
'Rama' is the mantra which is a combination of both the mantras and its associated bhava.

Hari Aum tat sat