from the Hindu: The Divine names can be recited by all

[Guest guest]

The Divine names can be recited by all

 

18-02-1998 :: Pg: 24 :: Col: c

 

Cl: Religion

 

CHENNAI, Feb. 18.

 

The Supreme Being is beyond the ken of the

senses and the intellect and hence it is not possible

to fathom His glory. Even the Vedas which

describe His nature and are the ultimate scriptural

authority, mention that they have failed to exhaust

His splendour. The names which denote Him are

also infinite like His attributes and auspicious

qualities and hence it is only for the sake of

convenience that the scriptures describe the

Almighty as having a 1000 names. But He cannot

be confined to these names.

 

Human understanding of the nature of the Almighty

is limited and it is often said that he who claims to

know the Supreme One does not know Him at all.

It may appear conflicting that saints and the

God-realised have all in unison expressed their

inability to comprehend His glory. When this fact is

appreciated one will be able to understand how

limited the span of human life and understanding is,

to realise God.

 

But paradoxically, it is possible to realise God and

perform service to Him only in this world. So birth

as a human being is blessed indeed.

Tondaradippodi Alwar expresses the fine

sentiment that if the Lord should bless him with the

lordship of the heavens he would not want it but

would wish to be born here in this world to be in

His service. Andal similarly praises those who

have been privileged to be born in this world in

one of the verses of the Tiruppavai.

 

In his introductory discourse on the Vishnu

Sahasranama Mukkur Sri

Lakshminarasimhachariar said, each name in this

hymn was capable of different interpretations

according to one's capability to understand. Just as

the different schools of Vedanta like Advaita,

Visishtadvaita and Dvaita, have been established

by interpreting the scriptural statements variously,

every name of the Lord also lends itself to different

interpretations.

 

Each name in the Vishnu Sahasranama has been

culled from a mantra in the Vedas and thus the

recitation of these Divine names is capable of

conferring the same result as recitation of the

mantra. It is not possible for all and even to those

well-versed in the Vedas to recite the mantras

regularly because there are stringent rules to be

followed while handling them, whereas the

recitation of this hymn does not have any

restriction. Any person can recite it and there are

no constraints about the time or place to recite it.

 

The Supreme Being is referred to by the name

Vishnu from which this hymn derives its name and

this name denotes that He is the ultimate cause of

this entire creation. It also indicates that the

Almighty resides as the Antaryamin within every

created being.

 

--

Regards,

Shree

--------------------------

email: shree

satsangh: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/8891/

bhajans: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/4637/