IMPORTANCE OF NAMASANKEERTANAM-7

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SAI RAMs,

In the seventh canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, under the heading " Prahlada Bhakti " , nine methods of worshipping (known as NAVAVIDHA BHAKTI) have been mentioned. These are the different forms of devotion to Lord:

Sravanam Keertanam Vishnoh Smaranam padasevanam

Archanam vandanam dasyam Sakhyam Atmanivedanam

The meaning of this sloka is: Listening to Lord`s glory(like King Pareekshit), Singing(like Sukha Brahmam) Remembering (like devotee Prahlada),Serving at the feet of the Lord(like  Goddess Mahalakshmi) Offering personal worship (like Sanatkumaraas), Prostrating in admiration (like King Akroora), Rendering service(like Hanuman), exhibiting friendship (like Arjuna) and Surrendering or offering oneself(like Chakravarti Mahabali).  Lord Krishna helped Narada choose the relatively  simplest three of the above nine forms of worship and these three were Sravanam, Keertanam and Smaranam.The easiest and most important of those three,is, ofcourse, Keertanam which is the true Mokshasadanam.  Keertanam has two facets,Gunakeertanam and Namakeertanam.

 

The easiest path to tranquility and self-realization and thus to reunite with the Supreme  Lord  is NAMASANKEERTANAM.  When Narada and other permanent attendees at the celestial abode raised the question as to how to induct the ordinary mortals into this most sacred form of worship, the Lord declared that(1) He Himself along with his manifestations would reincarnate amidst ordinary mortals to extol the benefit of Nishkamya Namabhakti and that (ii) all the Devas would be born in Kaliyuga as saints ,composers, singers, devotees and the like, and would lead ordinary mortals on to this simplest path to Mukti or Spiritual liberation. In pursuance to the declaration mentioned above the Lord has taken Avatara as Bhagawan SatyaSai Baba  in the 20th century  to propogate Namasankeertanam as a means to Spirtual upliftment of humanity. How fortuante are we to be living on earth at a time  when the Lord has descended to take us safely across the ocean of Samsara.

(to be continued)

G.Balasubramanian