Glory of service to the Lord

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Pranam to all Vaishnavas, Glory of service to the Lord

One of the familiar questions raised by some is about the existence of Lord Krishna ``Is He (physically) present, and if so, why not I see Him'' is their doubt. An aethist king was no exception to that and he did not believe in Krishna as he could not have His direct vision with his eyes. A saint took him out and asked him to look at the Sun right at noon. Naturally he could not because of the Sun's dazzle. If it is impossible to face one Sun directly, how can a man see Lord Krishna who is thousand times brighter and when His kingdom consists of several other illuminous objects, the saint pointed out. So, Lord Krishna does exist and He can be approached by one simple way, of chanting His name with faith and sincere devotion.

Krishna is the completion or the fullness of existence and the ``Nama'' or name which denotes Him too is perfect. The power of destroying sins and bringing an aspirant into blissful union with the Lord can be achieved through incessant chanting. The name of Krishna removes the dirt in the mind enabling one to retain His vision in one's heart. Its potency can be established only through pure devotion, faith and its constant repetition. In this Kali age meditation with ``Nama Japa'' is the easiest, quickest, safest and surest way to reach Krishna and experience perennial joy. One beneficiary who could achieve the unbelievable and who could overcome several obstacles was Anjaneya whose glorious role in the Ramayana provides us concrete proof of the power of the name, ``Rama ''.

``Japa'' (meditation) gives a nice, refreshing, exhilarating spiritual bath. Anjaneya performed great deeds of valour with admirable thoroughness of execution. His exploits and thoughts about the fruits which can be reaped by prayers offered to Him and the ecstasy one can get by chanting His glory are contained in one of the most sublime hymns, ``Hanuman Chalisa'' with 40 verses which reflect how he stands as our guide. One who chants this prayer a hundred times will be liberated from earthly bondage, says Tulasidas.

In one of these verses, the poet says that ``Keeping the Lord's ring in your mouth, you jumped over the mighty ocean'' (in search of Sita). This feat was possible because of his chanting Rama's name. Devotees can cross the ``ocean of misery'' in which they are immersed from adopting this step which can fetch peace, as the mind will be purged of all impurities. With Lord Narayana's grace, all impediments, problems and difficulties in the world can be easily overcome.

Performance of service to Lord Krishna eternally is considered an end in itself like devotion to Him and the eternal souls have the privilege of serving the Lord in His transcendental abode. An example of exemplary service that readily comes to mind is that of Adisesha's (the serpent couch) on whom Lord Narayana reclines. According to the Puranic tradition, during Lord's manifestation as Rama, Adisesha was born as His younger brother Lakshmana. His service to Rama has become the ideal to be emulated in the spiritual tradition.

The example of Lakshmana has been pointed out by one of the sterling devotees of Lord Rama, Thyagaraja, in one of his compositions. Service to God (Kainkarya) must not be done as a matter of routine or as duty or with the motive of getting some material benefit. It is unalloyed devotion, love for the Supreme which blossoms into service. For those who have not attained such heights of devotion, examples of devotees whose service to the Lord have been outlined in the scriptural texts serve to enhance their devotion to Lord Narayana for His own sake.

Mother Sumitra's advice to Lakshmana when he accompanied Rama to the forest drew attention to the role he had assumed during the Lord's incarnation. ``You have been permitted by me to dwell in the forest with your brother. Do not neglect, my son, the service of Rama whom you are accompanying. He alone is your refuge, whether in adversity or in affluent circumstances. Know Rama as Dasaratha (your father), look upon Sita as myself (your mother) and esteem the forest as Ayodhya (your home)...''

That Lakshmana never stayed away from Rama and served Him and Sita with great care during their sojourn in the forest for 14 long years are common knowledge but it was his attitude of total submission to Rama which is important from the standpoint of a Vaishnava. In the episode in which Valmiki describes their arrival in Panchavati the poet draws attention to Lakshmana's singular trait of selfless service to the Lord. Rama asked him, ``Since you are a man of insight, cast an eye all around the forest. At which place will a hermitage be acceptable to us?''

Lakshmana supplicated to Rama, ``So long as You are present... I am dependent only. Therefore tell me of your own accord to erect a hut at a place which is agreeable to You.'' Such an attitude of total submission to do Lord Naryana’s bidding by submitting to the divine will totally, which is one of the forms of devotional mysticism (master-servant relationship), is highlighted by the vaishnava saint Andal in one of the verses of her hymn, Tiruppavai .

Please Chant :Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare HareTo realize Krishna.

Krishna’s Dasi, Jayamma.

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