Bhakti and Devotion

[Guest guest]

Dear friends and devotees,

 

Bhakti is eternal.

 

The 1000 Names of the Vishnu sahasranama

 

The legend would have it that at the end of the epic Mahabharata war,

Bhishmacharya was awaiting the sacred hour to depart from his physical

body unto the lotus feet of the Lord. Yudhishtira, the eldest of the

Pandavas, was desperately looking for the answers to matters relating to Dharma

and Karma. Lord Krishna, who understood Yudhistira's uneasy

mind, guided him to Bhishma to learn insight in to this precious

knowledge. It is relevant to mention that Bhishma was acknowledged to

be one of the twelve most knowledgeable people. The other eleven being Brahma ,

Narada , Siva , Subramanya , Kapila , Manu , Prahlada , Janaka , Bali, Suka and

Yama . At their meeting, Yudhistira presented Bhishma with six questions.

 

1. kimEkam daivatam lokE?

 

Who is the greatest Lord in the world?

 

2. kim vaapyEkam paraayaNam?

 

Who is the one refuge of all?

 

3. stuvantam kam praapnuyuh maanavah subham?

 

By glorifying whom, can man attain peace and prosperity?

 

4. kam arcanat praapnuyuh maanavaah subham?

 

By worshipping whom can man reach auspiciousness?

 

5. kO dharmah sarva dharmaaNaam bhavatah paramO matah?

 

What is, in thy opinion, the greatest Dharma?

 

6. kim japam mucyatE jantur janma samsaara bandhanaat?

 

By doing Japa of what, can creature go beyond the bonds

 

and cycle of birth and death?

 

Bhishma responded by reciting the one thousand names now hailed as the

Vishnu Shasranama, and reminded him that either by meditating on these

names or by invoking the names through archana (Offering), our minds can be

lifted to higher consciousness.

 

Indeed, such long recital of namaas glorifying the Lord and His splendor is rare

in the world. Yet a rational person is apt to question how mere words and their

repetition can create such great power. Just imagine for a moment that you are

in an assembly, and the lecturer begins his talk with the word " boat " . You can

at one grasp the image of a boat, and there is calmness of mind. Suddenly then,

if someone in the ssembly, utters the word " snake " , will your calmness continue?

 

It therefore follows that vak (utterance) and artha (meaning) together

infuse a subtle energy either positively or negatively. The thousand

naamas are storehouses of proven spiritual content that can easily

uplift our minds. Indeed the expression NaMa is made up of Na for

Naramandala and Ma for manas, our Mind. NaMa, the chanting of which

helps to unite our nervous system and Mind.

 

The main body of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama consists of 107 stanzas which

contain the one thousand names of Sri Maha Vishnu. Every one of the one

thousand names is full of significance and refers to one particular guna

(quality, characteristic, or attribute) of Paramatma. These names invoke a

sense of bonding with the Lord. The meanings of the names give us an

understanding and depth of God as there is a deep connection between the name

and the named.

 

Why were these 1000 names chosen?

 

Does the Lord get absolutely defined by these one thousand names? The

Vedas affirm that God is neither accessible to words nor to mind. It is said

that you cannot comprehend the Paramatma with the human mind alone, even if you

spend all your life trying! Given this infinite nature of the Paramatma, who is

not governed or constrained by any of the physical laws as we know them, the

choice of a thousand names of Vishnu by Bhishma should be recognized as a

representation of some of his better known qualities that are repeatedly

described in our great epics.

 

Some might say that they do not understand the meaning of the Sanskrit

words, and therefore do not feel comfortable chanting them. But

learning the chanting of prayers even without knowing the meaning is a

worthwhile act, and can be compared to finding a box of treasure without the

key. As long as we have the box, we can open it whenever we get the key of

knowledge later. The treasure will be there already.

 

Others might feel that they do not know the correct Sanskrit

pronunciation, and do not want to chant incorrectly. There is an

analogy of a mother to whom a child goes and asks for an orange. The

child does not know how to pronounce the word " orange " and so

asks for " ange " . The mother does not turn away the child and

does not refuse to give the child the orange just because the child does not

know how to pronounce the word. It is the bhaava (spirit) that matters, and so

as long as one chants the name of God with sincerity, considerations such as not

knowing the meaning, not knowing the pronunciation, etc, do not matter, and God

will confer His blessings on us, there is no way a devotee of Vishnu can meet

with any dishonor or disgrace of any kind.

 

Phala Sruti – The Benefits:

 

Traditionally our prayers end with a phala sruti – a section on the

benefits of reciting the prayer. The Vishnu Sahasranama is no

exception.

 

The necessity of cleansing our body regularly to maintain hygiene and

good health is recognized by everyone. But with the busy nature of

today's world, we do not see our mind the same way as we see our

body. As a consequence, the need for keeping our minds clean is not

appreciated.

 

Those who do not cleanse their mind on a regular basis become mentally

ill over a period of time. Prayers are a means to mental cleansing when they

are chanted with sincerity and devotion. The importance of

chanting Sri Vishnu Sahasranama is that the deity being worshiped is

none other than Vasudeva. Sri Vedavyasa, who was responsible for

stringing the naamas together in a poetic form, points out that it is by the

power and command of Vasudeva that the Sun, the Moon, the stars, the world and

the oceans are controlled. The whole universe of the Gods, Asuras and

Gandharavas is under the sway of Lord Krishna. In Bhishma's expert judgment,

chanting Vasudevas's name with

devotion and sincerity will ensure relief from sorrows and bondage. The person

who recites is not the only one who benefits, but also those who for whatever

reason are unable to chant benefit by just hearing the chanting as well.

 

(In consideration to Lord's endearment on those who surrender to

HIM, in Gajendramoksham of Bhagavatha Puranam)

 

With love and regards,

 

Sastry