Significance of Chanting God's Name

SHIRDI SAI BABA imparted his teachings in various ways.  Each of his actions had a hidden meaning and a deep message for masses.  On the surface, his intention behind allowing of URS on Rama Navami day and later permitting celebrations of Ram’s Birth on the day was obviously intended to bring about unity of Hindus and Muslims, promoting feeling of brotherhood, mutual cooperation, harmony besides celebrations, festivity, enjoyment and fervour in small village of Shirdi during British ruled Indian era.

Celebrating Hindu God Lord Rama's Birthday each year reminds us of Ram and what Ram stands for.  For Hindus Ram stands for ideal human conduct, as son, brother, Prince, Disciple, husband, King etc. Ram signifies victory of good over evil in worldly terms.  Ram stands for love, duty, courage, compassion, nobility, valor, humility, respect, peace, stability, sacrifice, devotion and so on.

Significance of Ram naam -  Looking deeply we realise that Celebrating this festival each year brings up the efficacy of Ram Naam Jaap.  Saibaba had advised many of his devotees to do Smaran(remembrance).  Chanting of God’s name is said to be very important and there are so many stories about how chanting God’s name saves a devotee during tough times.  All Sai devotees can recall how Saibaba presented Vishnu Sahastranama to Shama to bring about significance of God’s name.  And Ram is special to all Hindus.  

When we celebrate Ram Navami, we remember Lord Ram, his life and times.  We read and sing his leelas( life stories), chant his name with devotion.  This brings peace of mind, gives mental strength to overcome difficult life situations.

What is bigger – Lord Ram  or his name ‘Ram”?  Saibaba perhaps wanted us to understand this.  Saint Tulsidas  in his epic The Ramayana has explained that while both(Ram and his Name) appear as One but both have mutual relationship of obedient servant and master.  Only through high level of spiritual maturity can we comprehend which is bigger.  Though both name and person named as Ram have attributes of Supreme Power yet Lord Ram follows his name.  Take his Name and he appears.   With closed eyes we cannot recognise what is kept on our palm without knowing its name.  However, without seeing its form, if we remember name of something, the same can be visualized with love in our heart.   Between Nirgun (unseen) and Sagun(seen), the Name is a beautiful Sakshi(witness).  Seekers who want to understand the secret and sacred truth of Universe, do so by chanting lord’s name and attain Self Realisation.

When devotees are undergoing turbulent times, name chanting removes their miseries and brings about inner peace.  Many Seekers chant name without any desire, material or otherwise, and want to continue chanting.  Saint Tulsidas says that Brahman(consciousness) has two forms – Sagun and Nirgun i.e., manifest and unmanifest.  Both cannot be defined or measured.  Both were, are and will be. Both are magnificent.  But Name is bigger than both, and controls both.  Nirgun is like a tiny speck  of fire hidden deep in wood while sagun is manifest fire itself which we can see with naked eyes.  In principle, both are same, yet difficult to understand.  However, with Name, both are easy to understand.  

Lord Rama took human body, suffered himself, to free earth from ‘Rakshas’, the demons.  However his true devotees can easily cross worldly ocean by taking his name only.  Saint Tulsidas says Lord Rama freed Ahiliya but his name has reformed negative thoughts of millions around the world.  Lord Rama himself killed one ‘Tadkha’ for protecting Saint Vishwamitra but his name alone has destroyed sins of millions just as Sun destroys darkness of night.  Rama himself destroyed Shiva’s Bow at Sita Swaymvar but his name itself removes all fears of the world.   His name has purified hearts and souls of innumerable human beings and paved way for their ultimate merger with Supreme while Ram himself gave deliverance to only a few like kevat, Shabri and Jatayu etc.

On a special occasion like Ram Navami, when a devotee earnestly sings Ram Naam, with or without understanding true power of Lords name, still the Lord accepts him in his court.  Saibaba wanted us to understand that taking God’s name can free us from all kinds of worldly pain, worries and fear.  If we make it a habit of Remembering and Meditating on Lords name, it will free us from detachment and bring us eternal happiness.  What better day to do it then to do it on Ram Navami day.   He chose this day to remind us of importance of remembering God’s name with Love.

Devotee Dhruv attained an eternal position in cosmos by merely chanting Lord’s name.  Hanuman ji lovingly controls Shri Ram by earnestly chanting his pure name.   

Exoteric form of each world religion preaches use of chanting Lord's name over Rosary beads

Ram, Krishna, Jesus, Prophet Mohd, Guru Nanak Dev may or may not be present today in their physical form but their name SAVES because the name has power.  These Gods listen when we call out to them. This is the only way for our better future/ deliverance/ Salvation.  Sanatan Dharma, Hindu philosophy is all about what Shirdi Saibaba sums up in one line 'Anubhav karo Satya pehchano   (Experience and realise the ultimate TRUTH)

Vandana Ritik Mulchandani

Noida

Concept of External, is Internal

I am the SUBJECT that we refer to as 'I'.   I am not my body.  I am ALL THAT IS.  As a human, we are meant to probe within and unearth this Subject, the Source, that is seeing, perceiving and experiencing the whole Object world. 

There is no external object because the perception of all so called objects is internal.  These external world 'objects' are experiences of the Subject, within.

The idea of internal and external is made by our mind/awareness/consciousness.  This distinction is made by our mind with the help of 'I'.

Through out life this Subject within interacts with outside objects of this world.  We look at these objects with our eyes.  An images of these outside objects falls on our eye lens, mind understands and interpretes these images.  None of these objects enter in our body in any gross form.  Does it? 

Sun does not enter our body. Eyes see it, mind reads it image and our knowledge gives us information about sun.   Thus this was all an internal, subtle experience.

A.  All images are multiple but Mind is One;
B.  All reflections in mind are same as mind, since both are subtle ( we cannot see or touch either the reflection or the mind.  Both can be experienced only);
C.  All is inner experience.  These experiences / impressions add on to our knowledge.

Throughout our life, we are experiencing and gaining knowledge (memory / impressions) that is also experience.  Thus experience adds on.  All is inner experience. Perception of everything external is internal.  At our own will.  When we are sleeping. Only before wakeful person,  the world is seen, not to sleeping or dead. 

Therefore, we have to dissolve this differential assessment and have clarity.  This duality was due to senses which created multiple impressions on One Mind.  Mind is subtle and so are these images.  We see a red carpet in mirror.  Mirror does not change itself into red, does it?  Mirror stays as it is.  Mind is much more than a mirror.  

Like a mirror, many images falling on mind screen give an impression of manifold ness, multiple objects all around us.  

We have to correct / nullify/dissolve these reflections in 'waters' of mind.

We have to understand that Any reflection( that is subtle) is not different from mind(in which it is reflected). Correct the understanding(of ignorance) that world has many objects. And reach Inner Supreme Source/ presence, through process of understanding after taking this knowledge pilgrimage, which is superior to any physical pilgrimage.

The entire awareness/cognition in mind of external objects is internal.  There is no external world.

THIS WHOLE UNIVERSE IS MANIFESTATION OF SAME REALITY.


Based on Discourses of Swami  Bhoomananda Tirtha

The Vedantic Philosophy of Hindus

Hindu religion and its philosophy are mostly based on teachings contained in The Vedas, The Upanishads, The Brahma Sutras and The Bhagvad Gita. Sum total of all these is called - The Vedantic Philosophy. It is very vast, very deep and very sacred. The Bhagvad Gita is the last and the recent Hindu scripture which is said to have originated some thousand years ago. It contains the teachings of Lord Krishna (The Spirit/ Inner consciousness) to the warrior Arjuna (The Soul) in a battle field (of mind) giving us a detail of how to carry on our day to day life in the Kurukshetra (struggle to survive) of life. How a righteous human should destroy the army of close relatives and friends, Kauravas (evil tendencies), with a feeling of total detachment. Nothing belongs to the body. God pervades all.

2. We have to do our prescribed karma with disinterest and offer its fruit to the Lord. The moment we start to say that ‘I am doing it’, we are taking responsibility of our action and creating new karma. This karma will bear some fruit - good or bad – and we will have to take on a body to pay it off by either enjoying or suffering. So we should press on, do our prescribed duties and keep marching ahead in life maintaining a sense of calm whatever the circumstances, good or bad, thinking all to be the will of the merciful God. Whatever happens is preordained and therefore it must be for our own good. When all is predestined than none is responsible for my own hurts and resentments. All is happening as per Karmic and spiritual laws of the Universe, the Brahman. Therefore whatever is happening in our daily life good or bad, we should enjoy or bear it calmly without any show off or unnecessary brooding.

3. Vedas are not books written by any human being. Vedas are knowledge collected over the years about the laws and working of the spiritual worlds. Through Vedas we come to know about creation and its creator. Mostly such continuous flow of religious revelations were collected by number of ancient high and pristine souls of India. These Ascendant masters were both men and women referred to as MahaRishi, Muni, Acharya, Sadhus, Sants, Sages. They collected this information in a state of deep trance. This could be compared to Mediumship / Channeling of universal knowledge ages ago when surroundings were more pure and pristine. During meditation, when we go out of state of body consciousness and reach the state of universal collective consciousness, we can access all the existing information in the universe. Our ancient masters have given us vast information on various universal spiritual laws in operation which operate flawlessly and are indiscriminating. They are same for Deva (Angels) and Rakshas (Devils / Demons).

4. Vedas tell us that creation is without beginning and without end. It existed before and will continue to exist eternally simply because God is indestructible. Where was this energy, that we see around us, before it was created? The universe continues to survive. It was never absent. There never ever was a state of no-energy. We are thinking of only earth, what about other bodies in the universe? Can all be destroyed and vanish into oblivion? No, Universe can never become empty and blank. Modern Scientists have opined that sum total of all cosmic energy is same. Therefore, the world around us was never without creation. Only cyclical destructions occurred. God creates and then makes it survive for sometime and then it is again recycled to come back in fresh and new form. This way the creation undergoes changes and grows. We have been evolving over the centuries. The creator and its creation have been active throughout the Ages and both have been enjoying this process of experiencing and growing. This creation will never end. It will go on evolving for better simply because energy cannot be destroyed.

5. Vedas speak of concept of soul consciousness. It is not ‘I’ the body, it is the ‘soul which lives in the body’. I am a soul living in the body made of 5 elements. After the soul camping in body discards it and flows back to universal energy centre, the body will merge back into these 5 elements. Vedas tell us that knowledge of soul cannot be learnt through books. It has to be experienced by each and all since all have the capability to do so.

6. Vedas teaches us that we are suffering because we are living in a state of body consciousness (we forget that we are not body but soul). To us everything is related to body and its interaction with the outside world – my home, my relations, my work, my social circle, the geographic world around me. The moment we start to live in the state of soul consciousness, our perception of the world around us begins to change and our joys and sufferings make no sense anymore. We become equally calm whether we are successful or not. This happens because we learn to discriminate. We realize that whatever is happening to body and its surroundings is unreal. The real - the truth - is soul. Wise man says that we fail when we ‘think & feel’ we have failed and not when the world tells us so e.g. in some exam etc. A pure, loving, powerful and eternal soul can never fail. We may not think of God but God is always thinking of us. A Hindu considers himself as an instrument of God, a tool that God uses to enjoy his own creation.

7. Great Indian Saint Shirdi SaiBaba said that little turtles live on one side of the shore while their mother tortoise lives on the other. Her loving glance is sufficient for the survival of the young ones. The same is the effect of Lord’s merciful glance on to us.

8. 'I' am a 'Soul'- master of my body - living and experiencing earthly dimension while the Spirit lives in spiritual realm - my permanent HOME. On earth, if we carry on our worldly duties without getting attached to the results and do not forget our spiritual aspect then the God/Universal Laws takes over. The God now brings about internal changes in us in such a way that we become desire free. Now the comforts of world run after us but we are not interested because we have realized they are not real. Thus the Lord makes us reach our final destination and frees us from cycle of birth and death. Supposing there are ten steps between us and our final destination, the Lord has promised that he will take the nine steps towards our spiritual upliftment provided we take that first and vital step towards HIM.

9. A Hindu believes in reincarnation and law of cause and effect. When we see all inequality around us we have to understand that there has to be a cause behind it. There are some past actions behind our present circumstances. What is happening to us today is our own creation in the past. We invited these circumstances and situations into our life knowingly or unknowingly. It is here our intelligence and knowledge of spiritual laws contained in Vedantic Philosophy can play a big role to help us stop creating things which are not for our own good in particular and society in general.

10. Hinduism teaches us universality of God, the essence of pure love existence and bliss called Advaita i.e, God is One. The destination is same however means and ways to reach it differ depending upon level of spiritual growth each soul has reached. One has to see Self in All. None is different from Self. Self pervades all. Therefore whoever worships another divinity, thinking it is other than oneself, does not know.

11. All religions have two aspect exoteric and esoteric. On exoteric level, a Hindu worships an image/ idol as God. On esoteric level, the Hindu knows that God is omnipresent and is not present in that image/idol. He finds it easy to relate to an image/idol representing God because when he bows down before it he is actually connecting to that God who pervades all. This he does at the lower /new stage of devotion. As his devotion grows he reaches a higher stage where he saws the Supreme Almighty in all images. Hindus do not have a single God. Hindus have 84 lakhs Gods. Hindu sees God in all nature around. God manifests itself in all forms of nature.

12. So a Hindu has a Sun God, Moon God, Mother Earth, God of Wealth, God of Knowledge. Animals, Birds, Insects, Trees, Tools of a workman using which he earns his livelihood, Balancing Beams of a shop keeper etc are all considered auspicious and worshipped. River Gods, Ocean Gods, Each planet represents a God and so on. But there is no confusion because for a Hindu, each creation of that Creator represents God and it is therefore worth worshipping. This way a Hindu realizes ‘Singularity in Plurality’. It is just like a ray of light which when hits a prism produces multiple rays of colored lights but still not losing its originality.

13. To a Hindu, the God is that ‘thread’ which passes through all the pearls in a necklace making a complete Circle. Therefore, all is Divine. A Hindu believes in universal brotherhood and is tolerant to all religions because he sees God in all. All are our brothers and sisters because even though many amongst us are on different paths and taking different routes, the destination is same – to realize self and then to realize the ultimate divine truth – the Spirit. This is the reason that a Hindu respects all the religions and does not hesitate to bow his head in all places of worship viz., Temples, Church, Mosque, Gurudwara etc. Hundreds of Gods and Goddesses and different methods of worship do not confuse a real Hindu for he knows that these are only outward symbols representing God ultimately the God is One. Therefore, a Hindu will never say my God is better than your God and that you are committing a sin by not worshipping my God. This gives Hindus one of their great virtues - Power of Tolerance towards all the religions of the world. No wonder Biggest Hindu country India is a Secular country letting all its citizens follow their own religion and treating them all equally.

14. A Hindu sees divinity in all. Therefore, a Hindu believes in Ahimsa (non violence) and majority are vegetarians. They feel what we eat has an impact on our mind and ultimately on our pure soul. When an animal is killed for his flesh at that moment his adrenal and fear level is high and if we eat such a flesh it will affect our mind in similar ways and ultimately leave a poor samskar (impression) on our soul. However, despite this Hindu will never despise a fellow brethern for being a non vegetarian because he sees divine in him too. How can a person who will not kill an animal will cause injury to a fellow human. This is what tolerance has taught a Hindu. To live and let live.

15. Vedantic philosophy is engraved in each Hindu from childhood itself which says that when the mind is not yet developed enough, doing external form of worship (pratyaksh puja) is the first step in the path of God. Once the universal phenomenon of the Spirit is understood, a Hindu starts to offer mental prayers (manas puja) to the Lord. This is because he considers that thoughts are very powerful, where thoughts go, human follows. If we are constantly chanting God’s name (by controlling our constantly wavering mind) through Naam Jaap we are giving positive direction to our thoughts and in course of time we will become the Name we are chanting. Here the precondition is chanting of a single name or hymn with single minded devotion backed with firm faith and patience. Finally, the God has to be realized and experienced by the soul. Vedas have taught us about four methods of union with the ultimate - Four Yoga(not to be confused with physical exercises). Practice of either of these Yoga help us attain union with our Source and we attain the position of Existence-Knowledge-Bliss.

16. To a Hindu this is the sole aim of taking human birth – first to know, learn, understand, contemplate and finally experience the Self. Ultimately, experience the Self with the Spirit. As per Vedas, this is the stage we become desire free forever. This is called the freedom from this unreal world of misery – the Moksha, the Nirvana.

17. The third largest religion of the world, for a Hindu, the entire Universe or Brahman is reflected in the sound and light of 'Aum' called as 'Amen' by the Christians, 'Amin' by the Muslims. Yes, ‘Sabka Malik Ek’ – The God is One.

Vandana Ritik

New Delhi