Greatness of BhagavannAma Sankirtana - 3

[Guest guest]

|| HariH OM ||

 

Prev : http://www.geocities.com/rrachuri/article2.html

 

The conversation between the Messengers from Vaikuntha

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

and Yama's Servants

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

 

Yama’s servants wanted to know who these resplendent

divine beings are. Why did they stop them from doing

their duty? The messengers from Vaikuntha replied

smilingly – “O Messengers of Yama, you are doing

injustice in spite of being the representatives of

righteousness. Please tell us about the qualities of

righteousness and unrighteousness. What is the basis

for punishing a person? Who is to be punished? Why

ajAmila is being punished?” The messengers of Yama

replied, “This ajAmila disrespected shastra and lived

with a dasi. He became impure due to his worldly

attachment and due to his elders curses. He lived as a

sinner for several years. So, he is eligible to be

taken to our Master Yama and to make him repent for

his sins”.

 

The inner meanings of God’s names and their greatness

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

 

The Messengers from Vaikuntha replied, “this ajAmila

need not do any prayaschitta as all his sins have been

already wiped out because of uttering the 4-letter

word nArAyaNa with devotion. [Note: God’s names are

not merely sAnketika like the name devadatta etc., na

etannArAyaNa padaM devadattAdipadavatsAnkEtikaM

bhavati kintu vishiShta guNAnapyAchaSta

ityAshayavAnpadachatuShtayena tannirvakti - each name

of the God represents some of his infinite auspicious

qualities. nArAyaNa = abode of infinite auspicious

qualities; nArA + ayana ; nArA = auspicious

qualities; ayana = abode; doSha viruddhA guNA

nArAstadAshrayo nArAyaNaH; learned people give several

meanings for this name]. As he has uttered the word

that has the capacity to lead one even to liberation,

it is equal to performing prayaschitta for sins

committed in the past several births. Even if one does

prayaschitta and again allows the mind to commit the

same sins the prayaschitta has not wiped off the

entire sins. If one wants to completely get rid of all

sins, the uttering of God’s name with proper

understanding that reminds the devotee of the

greatness of God is the true prayaschitta. This is

because, this process purifies the mind (anthahkaraNa)

itself, so he will not indulge in any more sins. This

bhagavannama sankirtana is the greatest and age-old

dharma. It has to be practiced until one’s sadhana is

complete. Just as a cloth becomes clean by washing, by

observing this dharma the mind gets purified. The

soul, which is not the independent doer of actions,

cannot purify its mind by doing prayaschitta’s

because, it is not free from the false notion of

independent doership at every step. But the same

prayaschitta, if performed with the knowledge of

supremacy and independent doership of God, that

amounts to doing Hari naama sankirtana and thus the

mind gets purified. O Messengers of Yama, you may

clarify this with your Master, as he has truly

understood the intricacies of righteousness (bhAgavata

dharma)”.

 

Next : Greatness of God's devotees & advice of

Shukacharya to Parixit

 

References:

Srimad Bhagavatam Mulam (sixth skandha) with Sri

Madhva’s BhAgavata tAtparya nirnaya

Vijayadhvajeeya PadaratnAvali tiika

BhAgavata tatva prakAshika (AndhrAnuvAda) by Sri

Pundit PagidAla AnandatirthAcharya

 

(to be cont'd)

 

=====

***********************************************************

Rachuri Raghavendra Rao

rrachuri

http://www.geocities.com/rrachuri/

H:91-40-454 7636

***********************************************************

 

 

 

Talk to your friends online with Messenger.

http://im.