Hindu Article-Devotional hymn

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Devotional hymn

 

 

 

CHENNAI : The Vishnu Sahasranama is an exceptional hymn in that its

origin is associated with all who were sticklers for Dharma and Lord

Krishna before whom Bhishma chanted it during his last moments in

life. The Vedas state that the divine names are infinite and it is

for the sake of facilitating a devotee to sing His glory that this

great devotee selected 1000 names and strung them together in the

form of a hymn. This devotional hymn can be chanted by one and all

without exception. The raison d'être of Vyasa composing the

Mahabharata was to make the Vedas accessible to all and the Vishnu

Sahasranama like the Bhagavad Gita is a veritable jewel in it.

 

In his discourse, Sri Goda Venketeswara Sastri said the hymn was in

the form of answer to six questions Yudhishthira raised. Yudhisthira

asked: " Who is that one Lord spoken of in all the scriptures? Which

is the ultimate goal? Knowing and worshipping whom would human

beings gain auspiciousness? According to you, which is the highest

Dharma among all the Dharmas? Chanting which does a person get freed

from the bondage of Samsara, fraught with repeated births? " It was

not as if Yudhishthira did not know the answers to these questions

for he was the very embodiment of Dharma. It is to hear it from a

devotee like Bhishma (as he practised it) that Lord Krishna had

directed Yudhishthira to learn the nuances of Dharma from the

grandsire instead of expounding it Himself as He had done to Arjuna.

 

Bhishma was overjoyed and he looked at the Lord with gratitude for

it was His singular grace that had afforded him an opportunity to

chant His glory before Him as he lay awaiting his end on a bed of

arrows. He answered Yudhishthira's last question first beholding

Lord Krishna: " Praising by the 1000 names (Him who is) the Lord of

the universe, Lord of all the gods, limitless and the supreme

person, the human being who is ever committed (goes beyond all

sorrow). " Bhishma reiterated that by worshipping the eternal Lord

with devotion, meditating on Him, praising Him and bowing down to

Him, the worshipper would transcend all sorrows.

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