Thought for Everyone

16,Sep,2008

H.H. Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji talks about His divine experience --

Once Sri Sri Swamiji asked Lord Krishna, 'There are three different well-known commentaries to Bhagavad Gita. Which one of those should I accept?'

Sri Krishna replied, 'I taught the Gita. Why do you bother about others' commentaries? You ask me and I will tell you the essence and meaning of Bhagavad Gita.'

When Sri Sri Swamiji asked Bhagavan Sri Krishna Himself, He answered,
'The essence of Bhagavat Gita taught by me is -- Chant the Maha Mantra always and do not worry about anything. I will take care of the rest!'

Source :www.namadwaar.org

Which Special Nama?

Chanting the Lord's Name gives eternal bliss andhappiness. Now the question arises, 'There are somany Gods and Godesses in my faith and each of themhas umpteen names! Which one should I pick andchoose?' Infact Yudishtira himself had this doubt and,questions Bhishma in the prelude to VishnuSahasranama,

"kim ekam daivatam lokE kimvApekam parAyaNam
stuvantam kam prApnuyu: mAnavA: subham
ko dharma sarvadharmAnAm bhavata: paramO matah:
kim japan muchyatE jantu: janma samsAra bandanAt "

Who is the greates Lord in the world? Who is the onerefuge for all?
By extolling whom can one reach happiness andprosperity?Which is the faith that is the best of all thereligions?
By chanting whose Name can the beings cross the sea ofSamsara? "And Bhishmacharya answers,jagat prabhum dEvadEvam anantam purushOttamam stuvan nAma sahasrENa purusha: sathatothitha:"The endless Supreme Powerful Being, and protector ofall - Sri Vishnu --
By singing his Names, man attains prosperity andhappiness." Thus speaks Vishnu Sahasranama. However, given thecurrent busy day, where one finds it difficult to evensing a thousand names, we are forced to turn to ourscriptures for an easier way.The Upanishads are considered to be the Knowledgeportion of the Vedas. One such upanishad, "KaliSantarana Upanishad" resolves this predicament ofours!

The following conversation between Sri NaradaMaharishi and Lord Brahma is found in Kali SantaranaUpanishad. At the end of Dwapara Yuga, Narada, after travelingaround the world, approached Lord Brahma and askedhim,
“How may I overcome (the evil effects of) KaliYuga?”Lord Brahma said: “You have asked me an excellentquestion. I shall reveal to you the secret of all theVedas by which you will cross over the ‘samsara’(ocean of life) filled with the bad effects of theKali Yuga. This secret must be preserved andprotected.”
“Bhagavata Adipurushasya nArAyaNasyanAmoccAraNamAtreNa nirdhrtakalir bhavati nAradah punah papraccha tannAma kimiti,”
Said Lord Brahma, 'By merely uttering the names of thePrimeval ‘Purusha’, who is Bhagavan Narayana, one isfreed from the clutches of Kali."Narada asked further, “sa hovaca hiranyagarbhah” What are those names of Narayana?"
“HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE”
iti shodashakam nAmnAm kalikalmashanAshanam
natah parataropAyah sarvavedeshu drushyate
Lord Brahma said,
“This collection of the sixteenNames (of Narayana) destroys the evils of the KaliYuga. I don't see any other effective means (ofliberation) in the Vedas.Narada further clarifies for the sake of us, ‘O Lord,what are the rules to be observed with reference to it?" Brahma replied that there were no rules for it.Whoever in a pure or an impure state, utters thesealways, attains the same world of, or proximity with,or the same form of, or absorption into the divine.
Sri Sri Swamiji says that though all Names of God are divine and have the power to deliver us from the evilsof this age, this particular Maha Mantra is prescribedin the Shastras and has been chanted, followed,preached and lived for by great Mahans like SriChaitanya Mahaprabhu and ascertains
so, "Wherever Maha Mantra Nama kirtan is performed, the cosmic changes there. Waves of the Lord’s Presence exist there. There will be peace in that home. All auspicious happenings will take place!"

Naama Kirtanam

In this kaliyuga whence dharma (righteousness) is at its lowest, quite like the saying, Kalau kalmasha siddhanam(the mischievous mind), human mind is filled with impure thoughts, dishonest ways of acquiring wealth and whence no religious ritual can be conducted as per norms, it is said that the best suited path for this age is Naama Japa (chanting the Name of the Lord).

To show that this path is in no way inferior to other paths it has been declared undoubtedly that the highest status, which was attained through Dhyana (meditation) in Kritha Yuga, through Yaga/Yagnas (sacrifice) in Thretha Yuga and through Archana (offer of flowers at the feet of the Lord while chanting His glory) in Dwapara Yuga, shall be attained through Naama Sankeerthanam (singing the praise of the Lord) in the Kali Yuga. Though Naama Sankeerthanam was prevalent in all the four Yugas, it is especially meant for the Kali Yuga. To save one from the boredom of repeating a single Name of the Lord continuously, singing His various names with raaga (tune) and taala (beat) was introduced. The mantra given in the Vedas for Naama Sankeerthanam is:

HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE

This mantram consists of Three Namas - Rama, Krishna and Hari. This is the mantra that Sri Krishna Chaitanya MahaPrabhu also advocated.

One of the pontiffs of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt, Sri Bhagawan Naama Bodendra Saraswathi Swamigal, has coined the Rama Naama Sidhantha. In order to stress the Power of the utterance of a single Name of the Lord, the Swamigal has said that a single Name is so powerful that one cannot commit as many sins as it can erase even if he were to take a vow to commit only sins. Just as an arrow travelling towards its target, the Naama does not stop its work until it shows God to us.

What is the use of only sins being erased? The Naama Japam has the power to change our ways to the extent that no impure thought arises in us and thus purifies us thoroughly. Though the Sun's rays are spread equally all over, yet when they are passed through a lens thus directing them through a single point they have the power to burn up the object directed at. Likewise, by chanting a particular Name of the Lord repeatedly single-pointedness of the mind is achieved.

Hence, great Saints deeply desire that such forceful Name of the Lord be always chanted by one and all. The jewel of the puranas, Srimad Bhagavatham, also popularly speaks on the greatness of Naama. Bhagavatham means Sri Krishna's Charitra (life).

EKAM SHASTRAM DEVAKI PUTHRA GEETHAM
EKO DEVO DEVAKI PUTHRA EVA
EKO MANTHRASYA NAAMAANI YAAMI KARMAMBHYEKAM THASYA DEVASYA SEVA

which means

The only scripture is Devaki's son's (Lord Krishna's) words
The only God is Devaki's son (Lord Krishna)
The only Mantra is His Naama (name of the Lord - Krishna)
The only Karma (work) is service to the Lord (Krishna)

As quoted above, listening to the efficacy of Naama at the beginning of the Bhagavatham, Parikshit desired liberation.

The Bhagavatham is full of life histories of saints. Their upadesa (teaching) is only Naama Japam. The last sloka of Bhagavatham describes the chant of Hari Naama as,

NAAMA SANKIRTHANAM YASYA SARVAPAPA PRANAASHANAM
PRANAMO DUKKHA SHAMANAHA THAM NAMAAMI HARIM PARAM

Which means,

HE, the Lord, whose Name when chanted destroys all sins,
HE, who removes all sorrows when one prostrates,
Unto such Hari, I bow down.

Externally, Bhagavatha Dharma is to treat the Lord as one amongst us and to wake Him up in the morning and conduct worship as prescribed till putting Him to sleep at night. Internally, these give us knowledge, devotion and dispassion. Other paths give the desired results only if followed strictly in accordance with the norms. But in this age it is very difficult to follow other paths as per the prescribed rules. However, Naama Japam gives such joy even while doing it that even the goal becomes only secondary.

In order to give us a taste of the joy of Naama Sankeethanam our Guruji Sri Muralidhara Swamigal has ordained that the sound of Naama reverberate in various places.

Source : www.Madhuramurali.org

Nama Article

Excerpts from the disourse of Sri Sri Swamiji

ஹரே ராமா ஹரே ராமா ராமா ராமா ஹரே ஹரே

ஹரே கிருஷ்ணா ஹரே கிருஷ்ணா கிருஷ்ணா கிருஷ்ணா ஹரே ஹரே

You have a tongue and the NAME of the Lord! Then why you have fear?
Many a Mahan has performed wonderful thing through this Maha Mantra. Man has been blessed with a tongue and a Nãma (the Name of the Lord). Then there is no place for fear. You can chant this Nãma while bathing, while eating, while walking, while running, while waiting at the bus stop, while traveling, while lying down, while at work. You can utter this Maha Mantra even while wearing footwear.
Just like a streak of sunlight dispels the darkness of a hundred years, an utterance of the Divine Name can dissolve the sins accumulated over crores of births (Janmas).
Regards Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Mahamantram

There are ten key Upanishads and a host of other Upanishads. There is an upanishad that talks about the greatness of the Mahamantra
“Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare”

and this Upanishad is called “Kali Santarana Upanishad”.
This name is significant in that, it bears the name of the Yuga, and hence decries that there is no other go for all of us in this Kali Yuga other than the Mahamantra.

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www.namadwaar.org

www.godivinity.org

www.madhuramurali.org

http://divinebliss4u.blogspot.com/

Thank u

Radhe Krishna