Hari Aum.
Lord Narayana has made a number of great promises that are well-known. In the Gita, He makes a number of promises regarding the preservation of good, destruction of evil, and granting relief to His devotees from the pains of samsaric existence. We are all familiar with His statements that He will incarnate in every yuga to uphold dharma (goodness/righteousness) and remove adharma (evil/unrighteousness). Also His promise that one who abandons all sense of personal doership and seeks refuge at His feet, will be delivered by Him.
I would like to discuss one particular promise of His however that is mentioned in the Padma Purana. Here Hari and his devotee Narada are having a conversation. Hari says to Narada "Naham vasami Vaikunthe, Yoginam hridaye na cha. Madbhakta yatra gayanti, tatra thishtami Narada".
He says "I do not live in Vaikuntha, nor in the hearts of yogis. Where my devotee sings, there I reside Narada". This sloka is quoted by many, including my Guru Sivananda, as a reason to perform sankirtan- singing the names of God. God is an embodiment of Truth. Truth is given great importance in the spiritual path. God's words are not to be taken lightly therefore. The origins of these words is the embodiment of Truth Himself and therefore the words are also absolutely true.
Of course in truth, God is everywhere. In Vaikuntha, in our hearts, here, there and everywhere. There is nowhere where He is not. However, this sloka is to give importance to the practice of the singing of the names of God as a powerful means to be in the presence of God. People often complain that God feels very far away. Through the practice of kirtan we can invoke His presence and feel Him near us.
Almost as a response to this great promise of Narayana, is the devotee's statement in the Brihan-Naradiya purana. "Harer namaiva, namaiva, namaiva mama jivanam. Kalau naastyeva, naastyeva, naastyeva, gatiranyatha". This means "Hari's name alone, name alone, name alone is my life. In Kali (yuga), there is no other way, no other way, no other way". The repetition of the phrases three times in each sentences is for added emphasis.
I like to sing these two slokas sometimes when singing by myself (I almost always sing alone as this feels more natural and unrestricted - and I don't have to worry if my singing sounds good or otherwise!). The first sloka is to remind Lord Narayana of His promise to be present where His names are sung (He is present anyway, so it is probably more a way to remind myself that He is present here and now). The second sloka is to make a request to God that the name of Hari should be the basis of my life.
I have a picture of my Guru Sivananda on the wall just above my wooden temple with Vishnu and other deities. My Guru loved kirtan and used to be called 'sankirtan samrat' during his lifetime as he was so keen on promoting this sadhana as an effective means of God realisation. I know he is listening when I sing, his picture looks extremely alive to me. Guru is a principle not a body, and is everywhere, including in the photo. Looking at his photo while singing gives me increased faith and interest in kirtan and the name of God, as my Guru is an embodiment of faith in the Name.
Om Sri Guruve Namah
Om Sri Krishnaya Namah
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
Lord Narayana has made a number of great promises that are well-known. In the Gita, He makes a number of promises regarding the preservation of good, destruction of evil, and granting relief to His devotees from the pains of samsaric existence. We are all familiar with His statements that He will incarnate in every yuga to uphold dharma (goodness/righteousness) and remove adharma (evil/unrighteousness). Also His promise that one who abandons all sense of personal doership and seeks refuge at His feet, will be delivered by Him.
I would like to discuss one particular promise of His however that is mentioned in the Padma Purana. Here Hari and his devotee Narada are having a conversation. Hari says to Narada "Naham vasami Vaikunthe, Yoginam hridaye na cha. Madbhakta yatra gayanti, tatra thishtami Narada".
He says "I do not live in Vaikuntha, nor in the hearts of yogis. Where my devotee sings, there I reside Narada". This sloka is quoted by many, including my Guru Sivananda, as a reason to perform sankirtan- singing the names of God. God is an embodiment of Truth. Truth is given great importance in the spiritual path. God's words are not to be taken lightly therefore. The origins of these words is the embodiment of Truth Himself and therefore the words are also absolutely true.
Of course in truth, God is everywhere. In Vaikuntha, in our hearts, here, there and everywhere. There is nowhere where He is not. However, this sloka is to give importance to the practice of the singing of the names of God as a powerful means to be in the presence of God. People often complain that God feels very far away. Through the practice of kirtan we can invoke His presence and feel Him near us.
Almost as a response to this great promise of Narayana, is the devotee's statement in the Brihan-Naradiya purana. "Harer namaiva, namaiva, namaiva mama jivanam. Kalau naastyeva, naastyeva, naastyeva, gatiranyatha". This means "Hari's name alone, name alone, name alone is my life. In Kali (yuga), there is no other way, no other way, no other way". The repetition of the phrases three times in each sentences is for added emphasis.
I like to sing these two slokas sometimes when singing by myself (I almost always sing alone as this feels more natural and unrestricted - and I don't have to worry if my singing sounds good or otherwise!). The first sloka is to remind Lord Narayana of His promise to be present where His names are sung (He is present anyway, so it is probably more a way to remind myself that He is present here and now). The second sloka is to make a request to God that the name of Hari should be the basis of my life.
I have a picture of my Guru Sivananda on the wall just above my wooden temple with Vishnu and other deities. My Guru loved kirtan and used to be called 'sankirtan samrat' during his lifetime as he was so keen on promoting this sadhana as an effective means of God realisation. I know he is listening when I sing, his picture looks extremely alive to me. Guru is a principle not a body, and is everywhere, including in the photo. Looking at his photo while singing gives me increased faith and interest in kirtan and the name of God, as my Guru is an embodiment of faith in the Name.
Om Sri Guruve Namah
Om Sri Krishnaya Namah
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
I too follow Guru Maharaj Swami Sivananda
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