"pAvanah:": The Purifier

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

 

"The Thousand Names of Vishnu" is a little gem of a book written by

the well-known author, Sri.Eknath Eswaran (Jaico Publication

Rs.150/-). In this book, the writer has commented very briefly on

about 400 "nAmA-s" of the Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam. He has written

about these 'nAmA-s' mainly for the benefit of the lay-reader, the

man-on-the-street, not for the pundit or religiously advanced.

 

The 'nAma' "pAvana" has been attributed to the Lord in the 32nd

stanza of the Sahasranamam:

 

"bhoota bhavya bhavvanAtaha pavannah pAvanO'nalaha" (shlOka 32)

 

The word "pAvana" means pure, sacred, pristine, un-defiled,

un-spoilt, virginal etc. It is because of God's presence, it is said,

that the breeze blows fragrant ("gandavAhaka-ha"). Similarly, it is

due to God's presence and powers that the great rivers of the world,

like the Ganges and the Yamuna, still continue to flow pure and

pristine, in spite of the ravaging and defiling they have undergone,

for ages and ages, under the hands of Man. In the Valmiki Ramayana

(82-9, UttarakANda) Sage Agastya praises Rama as "pAvana", the Lord

who purifies everything by his mere presence... "pAuvanas-sarva

lOkAnam tvamEva raghunandana" -- "O Raghunandana, my Lord, thou who

renders everything pure in this world!".

 

While uttering the above 'nAmA' from the Sahasranamam, we often

wonder why the Lord is extolled as the "Purifier". Why is He hailed

as "pAvanaha"?

 

The writer Sri.Eknath Easwaran has some very thought-provoking views

on this special 'nAmA' and let us savour them below:

 

QUOTE:

 

Just as the sun purifies running water (ultra-violet ray or

UV-effect), the name of the Lord purifies the mind. When you drink

polluted water, you are liable to develop ailments from dysentry to

heavy metal poisoning. People are beginning to wake up to the danger

this problem poses to the whole globe, but almost nobody seems to be

aware that a polluted mental environment can cause even greater

disasters. When we don't take the trouble to purify our own mind --

and, I might add, the mental environment of our society -- infective

agents like anger, hostility, lust, and greed can spread before we

realize what is happening.

 

Thought-infection is passed on by the way we act and the way we

speak, and nothing spreads it faster than the mass media. Our

magazines and movies, our radio and television shows and popular

music, are an environment almost as pervasive as the air we breathe,

and the attitudes and ideas with which they saturate us do not often

add to the quality of life.

 

Repeating the Holy Name of God works like one of those sweepers you

see floating in swimming pools, moving slowly around with their long

tentacles while they suck up leaves and other debris. We are so

mechanically orientated that because the "nAma-mantram" doesn't have

tubes and a suction motor, we think it cannot be of much use. But the

name of the Lord is a miraculously powerful purifier. If you just

keep it circulating around, it will clean up the muck of the mind

even while you sleep.

 

We should make use of this potent device on every possible

opportunity. While you are riding in a car, waiting in a restaurant,

washing dishes, or falling asleep, the Holy Name can be busy. When

you are angry, afraid, or caught in an emotional cross-fire, you can

use its purifying power right on the spot. I can tell you from

personal experience that even after repeating the 'nAma-mantram' for

many years, I still find more opportunities for repeating it. With

the mantram you can use every bit and piece of spare time for

spiritual growth.

 

There is no mystery about this purifying power. The mind has to go on

thinking, and what the Buddha calls mental impurities -- conditioned

trains of thoughts -- are just the mind getting caught in the same

thought, over and over again. The mantram breaks up these thoughts

and absorbs them, restoring consciousness to a state of calm. If you

cannot dwell on anger, for example, it cannot last; the thoughts

dissipate and disappear without leaving any emotional residue behind.

 

Anger is dwelling on negative thoughts, nothing more. When we hold a

grudge, some part of our mind is repeating over and over a particular

incident which infuriated us. We then say, "I can't concentrate

today", or "I'm having trouble relating to people". The reason is

that part of our mind is not there with us. The Buddha, one of the

world's most penetrating psychologists, tells us that whatever we are

doing, we should totally be there with a completely one-pointed,

wholly integrated mind. When your mind is all in one place, you

cannot get frustrated or impatient; you cannot feel restless,

inadequate, or afraid.

 

A fast mind is always divided within itself. So is a mind that is

forced to do 2 or more things at once: as for example, reading and

eating at the same time. And of course the mind is divided when part

of it is brooding on the past or future, which happens much more

often than we may be aware. Whenever you catch yourself getting

speeded up, caught in the past, or doing 2 things at once, repeat the

'nAma-mantram'. That will help you to slow down and do one thing at a

time, with all your mind here in the present. This is the capacity of

genius, and the secret of being fully, vitally alive... ("pAvanaha").

 

UNQUOTE

 

Regards,

 

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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