CHANTING GOD'S NAME

[SS91]

SAI RAM !

CHANTING GOD'S NAME
M. RAMA RAO
(Shri Sai Leela, January-February 1996)

By chanting God's name devotees Dhruva, Droupadi, Prahalad, Meera, Chayaitanya Prabhu and Tukaram so on got God realization. Chanting God's name will bring relief.

Swami Vivekananda says "By Karma, Jnana, Bhakti and Yoga, by one or more of all of these the vision of the Paramatman is obtained.
In my opinion Bhakti is the easiest. Bhakti (Devotion) consists of nine types
as stated below by Swami Chinmayananda.

"This process of self-liquidation at the feet of the Lord has been classified under nine types, according to the means adopted :
 (1) listening to the glory of the Lord (sravanam);

(2) singing the glory of the Beloved of your heart (keertanam);

(3) constantly thinking about his nature and beauty (smaranam);

 (4) adoring the feet of the Lord in a spirit of self-obliteration (Paadasevanam);

(5) with the help of selected mantras and sacred Vedic hymns, employing the necessary things prescribed for worshipping the Lord (archanam);

(6) to pay obeisance to the Lord (vandanam);

(7) serving the Lord (daasyam);

( to invoke the Lord affectionately and to discuss with Him as a friend (sakhyam); and lastly (9) to offer oneself, in total self-surrender to the Lord, as a humble gift at his altar (aatmanivedanam)".
Chanting of God's holy name and singing his glories fall under Kirtana.

Bring relief

Even though the impact of technological advancement has made people highly materialistic in their outlook and forced them to give up adherence to traditional spiritual values, (here are still many who firmly believe in divine intervention in their activities, who respect religious guidelines and who show their anxiety to acquire knowledge, carryout the defined duties and thereby secure release from bondage. They realise that the Almighty will not let them down if only they take refuge in Him.

The easiest path and very simple too, which can be chosen by anyone, at any time and in any place, is to constantly utter the divine names of God, contained in holy books and propagated by sages and saints. These names are not mere sound syllables but each one of them carries a great import, when elucidated. This is the best solution for the tormented souls as their minds will be cleansed of all impurities so that they can concentrate on God.
(The Hindu, August 6, 1993)

Shirdi Sai Baba Promises as noted below :

"If a man utters my name with love, I shall fulfil all his wishes, increase his devotion. And if he sings earnestly my life and my deeds, him I shall be set in front and back and on all sides these devotees, who are attached to me heart and soul, will naturally feel happiness when they hear these stories. Believe me that if anybody sings my Leelas, I will give him intence.

Joy and ever-lasting contentment. It is my special characteristic to free any person, who surrenders completely to me and who does worship me faithfully and who remembers me and meditates on me constantly. The simple rememberance of my name as 'Sai, Sai' will do away with sins of speech and hearing."
(Sai Satcharitra) Chap, III

In the magazine East and West Sri. J. P. Vaswani says to Sadhu Vaswani, therefore, all sectarian strifes and quarrels in the name of religion were due to lack of understanding. "I belong to no sect" he said. "I adore but One God. And my faith is, - to worship the One Mystery and to do good to all !"
The essential quality of his life was compassion and tenderness for all those whom the cruel world trampled upon day after day. He judged on one, - not even the thief and the criminal, nor those whom society regarded as sinners and "fallen" ones.
Dear to him were the words of the Persian Sufi :-
Know the One ! •  ' Speak of the One !
Aspire to the One !
Seek the One !
And ever chant the One !
In the life of service and sacrifice, he urged, new alphabet of Freedom.
A labourer came to him one night, and said to him : - "Come and spend a few hours in my hut : I shall be blessed !"
Sadhu Vaswani went to the cottage, slept there for about two hours on a mat of Straw, then sang a little song :-
"Sing the Song of Name, - the Name Divine !
Suffering comes when we forget Him, --the Beloved !
Forgetfulness is the seed of suffering !
So sing, Brother ! sing the Song of Name !"
In the book 'A necklace of sayings by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi' it is stated on P.54 as :
"Name of God and God are not different.
The Bible also has it In the beginning
was the word and the word was with God
and the word was God".
In the name Rama, 'Ra' stands for the self, and ma for the ego. As one goes on repealing Rama. Rama, the 'ma' disappears getting merged in the Ra and then Ra alone remains. In that state there is no conscious effort as dhyana, but dhyana is always there, for dhyana is our real nature.
In Uddhav GitaChap. 14 Lord Krishna says : v.22. Moving the limbs so as to serve Me, recapitating My attributes through speech, surrendering the mind unto Me, and (vanishing all desires from it.
V. 23. Giving up riches, enjoyment and happiness for My sake; making sacrifices, gifts and Homa,1 repeating my name, undertaking vows and austerities all for My sake.2
1 Homa - offering of oblations in the sacred fire.
2 For My sake - Every act may be conducive to devotion if only it is performed for the sake of the Lord.
By all the above statements we know the efficacy of chanting God's name.
All over the world Sai devotees are conducting Sai Nam Saptas, Japas, continuously for 2 hours, 24 hours 3 days and even for 48 days. The Chanting should not be mechanical as parrot talks. It should be with faith and love of God and His creatures.
Hail, hail to you Sainatha forgive all sins !
I imploye you ! Those waves of doubts and desolusions !
Roll back immediately.
(Sainath Stavanmanjari)


om sai sri sai jaya jaya sai