DIVINEINFORMATION PART 13 Dear friends,
While going through one of my externalmemory device, I came across some good information stored from a website (not available now). I thought of sharing interesting ones fromthem as a series. These are short information. Inpart 13 , I am starting with 56th item in this posting. Sincerely, Gopala Krishnan 22-05-2021. 56 Chantingthe Nama brings peace january10, 1987 Caughtin the trammels of worldly activities, even a sincere person, who is zealous ofmaintaining religious traditions, may find it difficult to perform the variousspiritual exercises and observe the austerities. There is noneed to feel depressed because Scriptures have provided an easy method ofinvoking divine bliss. It is to chant God's numerousnames which spell out His auspicious attributes and boundless compassiontowards humanity. The distressed and the enfeebled can get relief from griefand enjoy happiness by this simple process, the only condition being that they should have totalfaith in its efficacy. If a person recites the holynames of God even unconsciously, his sins will dissolve like salt in water. The recitation can be done at all times, by all and inall places, with little or no expenses. The test of sincerity is that the bodywill be thrilled when the names are uttered and tears will stream down theeyes, the voice getting choked with emotion. There is spiritual power andpotency in each name and it serves to realise the Lord. Theson of the great Saint Kabir once told his father that he cured a sick person,a devotee of God, of a dreadful disease by chanting "Ram, Ram".Instead of getting enthused over his son's achievement, Kabir chided him. People aroundwere amazed and felt that Kabir might have becomeinsane. Kabirtold his son that he had not understood the sanctity of the Lord's name andthat evenby uttering "Ram" just once, the purpose would have been gained. Repeating it might mean reducing thename's greatness. Kabirthen asked him to meet Tulsidas and Surdas. Kamal(the boy) who went to Tulsidas was taken to a colony of leprosy patients where the Saint poured Gangeswater into their mouths, uttering "Ram" only once. Therewas instant relief and all the cured joined in the prayers, in praise of God. When Kamal met Surdas, the latterled him to a corpse and uttered "Ram" once into its ear when the deadman rose, as if from a dream. Swami Vimalananda in a discoursealso referred to dacoit Ratnakara becoming Valmiki, by virtue of his"initiation" with the "Rama" Mantra. The glory of God's names cannot beestablished through reasoning and intellect. It can be experienced, throughdevotion and a continuous repetition of the nama. 57 HELP February5, 1988hanting Divine names, easy way to Oneof the most distinguishing traits which every person shouldtry to cultivate is to forget even the greatest help and mostmerciful deed that he might have done to others. At the same time, he should never forget even thesmallest assistance that he has received. Theseideals are indeed very difficult to practise, because invariably the tendencyis to boast about even an insignificant help done to others. Sri Rama, God-incarnate,displayed the rare quality of magnifying others virtues. If someone had shownHim even an insignificant gesture of goodwill, He would go out of the way toglorify it and even blow it out of proportion. Itshould be the aim of every man to do good to others always. Based on thisarises the maxim – think noevil, do no evil and never conduct yourself in a way that makes others hateyou. To uphold this, the mind should be kept pure.The mind functions like a camera lens, retaining whatever be the object onwhich it is focused. Scriptures point out to jealousy and ostentationas the roots of evil.To keep the mind steady, without being pulled in many directions, the mereclosing of the eyes or retiring to a secluded spot may not serve the purpose. Our prayers toGod and the love we show Him will make Him give us the powers to resisttemptations. SriSathya Sai Baba, in a discourse, said that even as a person who has money canpurchase what he desires, a devoted person can adopt the easy method ofchanting the Divine names and with the spiritual powers so secured, plead withGod to show mercy. His names serve as wealth to "purchase" theAlmighty. Hinduismis so broad based that people see God in every creation, the reason why they worshipbasil (thulasi) plant, specially chosen trees, the cows and the idols.To lead a peaceful and virtuous life, one should never abuse others, as that isbound to recoil. Anothervital message that should be remembered is that our kith and kin can accompany us only up to the gravebut God alone is our permanent companion and hence we should place our totalfaith in Him and seek His constant guidance. The example of Harischandrashould remind us of the need to uphold the principles of righteous conduct. The killing by Sri Rama of Thatakiindicates the need to subdue wicked propensities in us, of restoring life toAhalya and seeing to her reunion with her sage, about the necessity to bepolite and gentle and the embracing of Sri Sita to His fold, about God's closeaffinity with His devotees (rajas, tamas and sattva qualities). God's presencecan be felt by our deep devotion and service to humanity. 58 The power ofDivine names March27, 1989 It is an admitted fact that no one isinfallible.Born as a human being, one cannot avoid committing sins or mistakes or misdeeds– in some cases this may not however be deliberate. But as per Divine dispensation, the act willdeserve punishment. Scriptureshowever say that expiatory measures can be adopted by the erring man whereby hecan plead with God and express his regret that he had carried out theprohibited act without being aware of the, consequences and assureHim that he will not repeat the act, Gods response will be instantaneous. A question is asked as what willhappen if the penitent, after some time repeats, the sinful act. The propitiatory process of reciting thenames of God will take care of even such a situation. The chanting makes thegenerator, from which the misdeeds originate, to stop totally. My note- This doesnot mean aperson doing misdeeds in day and innight chanting god’s names for pardoning. The constant repetition ofDivine names with faith and confidence of securing the pardon from the Divinityhas been proclaimed as a universal remedy for the ills of man. Onewho suffers from troubles, who feels miserable, who has no strong foothold, whois afraid of this worldly existence, who is afflicted with terrible diseases,who suffers from psychic disorders like imaginary tension and delusion – allcan take recourse to this easy method to win God's grace. Age, sex, status,time, method of expression and nature or magnitude of the sinful act will notmatter. Onemay not even be aware of the way to pronounce it properly or know the meaning,but one will be freed of the sins. God destroys all of them when He is remembered even by men of evildesigns, Sri M.R. Nagasubramaniam said in a discourse. Thisextremely simple process of seeking Divine intervention does not takecognizance of the intention of the individual. A leper who wished to commitsuicide took a sip from a pitcher of nectar left in his hand by a strangerwarning him that it contained poison, was cured of his illness. Even as a small match stick can reduce ahayrick to ashes, though the act might have been caused by a child, Divinenames can save everyone even if uttered casually. 58a Efficacy of chanting Lord's names July11, 1990 Whilereciting the names of God has been prescribed as one of the easy steps to wipeout one's sins, it should beunderstood that a person cannot get away with the consequences by continuouslyand deliberately committing misdeeds hoping that the Divine recipe suggestedwill suffice. Godwill certainly excuse our mistakes if we adopt any of the means but what is tobe understood is that when it is not possible to resort to an act of atonement,he can pray that he has no other way except to seek His pardon. None should repeatthe mistakes knowingly and claim immunity by the process of chanting. Therepentance should be genuine and to the best of his ability, a person shoulduphold the rules of good conduct and refrain from doing prohibited acts. Thereshould be no misapprehension that elaborate and extravagant worship will pleaseGod. What God expects of a devotee is his sincerityand faith. Otherwise, the procedures adopted will only indicate theworshipper's hypocrisy. Theextraordinary value of the Divine names has been made known in the Bhagavatam in the Ajamilaepisode. A scholar of repute, he fell a victim to thecharms of a woman. As he was about to die, he uttered the name of his lastchild, which was also that of the Lords'. The reward was in the form of pardon. By retracing his steps and being devotedin the next life, he was liberated. This only reveals that God's names carry immense power. Pointingout how human beings should express their gratitude to God for the mercy He hasshown to them, SriVishwesha Thirtha Swami referred to the refusal by some holy men to part withthe offerings intended to be given to God through a religious rite, to hungry youngsters sent byKrishna whereas the wives of these saintly men gave the sameunhesitatingly to the boys, as they knew that the purpose of observing the ritewould be served when God-incarnate Himself is present in their midst, ready toreceive the offerings. The Upanishads say that God is within each one ofus and that we should feel His presence at all times. We should return to the Almighty what He has grantedto us. On that score, what was earned through unrighteous methods should not besubmitted to Him. God willbe with us if we entertain pure thoughts in our minds. Toreach God, spiritual knowledge (about His supreme powers and of the Self andits limitations), devotion and detachment are necessary. Vadiraja humourously says thatmen know how to make money, are devoted towards their families but detachedwhen it relates to God (They shy way from Him). Thefoster mother of the Divine child Krishna while attempting to tie Him to astone to prevent His mischief had abundant love but not spiritual knowledge.God will get bound when we equip ourselves with these requirements. 59 Chanting of God's names efficacious July23, 1994 Thegoal of human life has been clearly specified in our sacred texts, viz, toattain salvation, and they also indicate the method for achieving it. Theprescription pinpoints the need to uphold the Law of righteous conduct which,prescribes that one's thoughts, utterances and actions should be identical andone should eschew anger and other evils. The religious injunctions permit earning wealth tomeet the day-to-day needs, but it should be acquired only through legitimatemethods. Man is also permitted to enjoy comforts but heshould not be avaricious. Toobserve these duties, a person need not retire to a secluded spot. He shouldfollow with sincerity, the path shows by sages and seers. What men shouldlearn, what type of knowledge they should acquire, how they should conductthemselves and what constitutes the salient features of the Law of Virtue havebeen placed before humanity. The Azhwars have propagated their message, inTamil, which is collectively called Divya Prabhandam or "Dravida Veda". The Jeeyar Swami of Vanamamalai Mat in a discourse, said the Lord in His incarnation as Ramahad declared in His own words that He was an ordinary human being, and had demonstrated howeveryone could observe the Law of Virtue. TheAzhwars have extolled all the incarnations, but Nammazhwar has laid stress inone verse, on the life of Rama because He had shown the way to lead a perfectlife. The Ramayana has been adapted by many illustrious personalities likeKamban, Tulsidas and Vedanta Desika (in his Raghuveera Gadyam). Rama never deviated from the path ofrighteousness. ThoughRama lived long ago, yet humanity worships Him through idols and pictures eventoday. Should a person find it difficult to visit a temple or perform worship to His image, he hasbeen shown as easy way to receive His grace, through recitation of His name"Rama". When the syllable "Ra"is uttered, bad thoughts within one will be erased, while the other syllable"Ma" will ensure prevention of their re-entry. In North India,Rama is described as "Maryada Purushothama"(the Revered). The chanting of thename "Narayana" may be slightly long for some and hence the name"Govinda" which has only three letters (in Sanskrit) is easier forrecitation. Whileleaving this world after completing His mission, Lord Krishna said, that He could not re-pay Hisdept to Draupadi, who at a critical juncture invoked His help by uttering Hisname "Govinda". But simpler than this name is the twosyllable antidote for all ills, "Rama". Outstandingpersonalities derived benefit by chanting "Rama" and have transmittedthe spiritual power they acquired to humanity for peace andprosperity. 60 Sacred name which purifies our mind January26, 1995 Oneof the essential lessons a man of devotion should learn from the study of theRamayana is to maintain equanimity even amidst the pairs of opposites – joy andsorrow. It is not easy but the life of Rama, God-incarnate, will teach a personhow to achieve it. TheLord, in His manifestation as Krishna also, emphasizes this aspect (through the BhagavadGita). The spiritual culture of India is reflected in the Ramayana and the Gitaand in the other epic, the Mahabharatha. The very utterance of the word "Rama" willpurify our mind. It also destroys the sin accrued by the use ofunpalatable words. After the original work on Rama'slife in Sanskrit by Valmiki, several versions in other languages have beenwritten by other poets and the outstanding contribution in Hindi has been byTulsidas, a bard of Uttar Pradesh of the 16th century. This inspired apostle has given humanity anintimate perspective of Divinity. Throughout his narration in his Book Divine,called Ramcharitamanasa,Tulsidas reminds us that the purpose of the Lord's incarnation as Rama was todemonstrate how to uphold virtue. Evenan enemy (Mareecha) glorifies Him as the embodiment and the very image ofRighteousness. The bard'sexpressions are steeped in overwhelming emotions; they are soaked in sorrowwhen Rama is banished and soar into ecstatic joy when it was decided to crownHim as the emperor-successor. Inhis lecture, Swami Thejomayananda (Chinmaya Mission) said Tulsidas reveals theidentity of Rama as Hari who makes us experience Supreme Bliss by theelimination of sorrows. Ourworldly bondage will be snapped and we can easily cross the ocean of mundaneexistence by holding to His feet. Thebard describes the Lord's charm, His wisdom, His compassion and His love forthe helpless. He grants liberation even to demons. The immortal poet says thatthough he (Tulsidas) was dull-witted, the grace of the Lord and his spiritualmentor motivated him to write this poem. He says he composed the poem for hisown joy. It reveals the nature of the Divinity and teaches us our duties inthis world. "Goswami"Tulsidas offers his obeisance to Lord Siva who represents faith. Theprayer describes Siva and Parvati by his side, Ganga on His head, deadly poisonheld in the throat, the king of snakes upon His chest, and pleads that Heshould protect him. TheRamayana of Tulsidas is thus an elixir of devotion and a poem sung rapturously. I will continue in next posting -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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