When chanting names will fetch you inner peace

The best example of service is often said to be Booththalwar, the Vaishnavite preceptor who was born near Mamallapuram and whose birth anniversary is on November 8. In one of his compositions, Boothathalwar says if the world is a diya, then light it up with the wick of your inner spirituality.

What is this inner spirituality? Modern science tells us that many of us are subject to inner pressures and one of the ways to destress is through music. Spiritual gurus too recommend the same. For those who cannot sing, merely chanting the name of their favourite god – nama sankirta —is good enough, in this kali yugam, we are living in. Pundits have a reason for stipulating the means of achieving divine blessings or inner peace. In kali yugam, the life span of a person is said to be only 100 years. Out of this, we spend approximately 50 years in sleep. Another 15 years are given to adolescence and growing up years. The remaining 35 years are spent in shouldering family responsibilities. Taking into consideration the time constraints, acharyas recommend that chanting the name of a god with fervour is enough to please the gods.

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to narrate an excellent example of the power of chanting with full faith. Hanuman always chanted the name of Rama, and when he had to fly across the sea to Sri Lanka, the power of Rama namam was enough to propel him safely across the waters. However, when Rama himself had to cross the same stretch of water to invade Lanka and rescue his wife Sita from the fort of Ravana, he had to wait for a week for the inclement weather to end. 

People say they are tested often in life. “Why does this happen to me?” is something we have all asked ourselves. Let’s step back a little and look at thins differently. Let’s say there is a huge wedding happening. You feel that a bar of beaten gold worn around your neck in a string is enough. Your sister-in-law, on the other hand, has arrived, sporting an exquisitely designed, jewels, purchased in Dubai or Singapore. She becomes the centre of attraction, while no one gives you a second glance. What is the use of flaunting a bar of gold into which no work or thought or workmanship has gone in? Similarly, being a good person alone is not enough in this life. Nama sankirtan is also important. 

Tyagaraja invoked Rama namam in every song. Devotees of Baba say ‘Sai’ as a form of greeting when they meet others. Similarly, devotees of Pandaripuram are known to say, ‘ Radhe Shyam ’ instead of ‘Hello’, when they answer the telephone. Just as how we have all embraced the SMS style of communication as a convenient and universally comprehensible tool, so too should one take the lord’s name everyday. Many Vaishnavites chant four names in their daily lives: they say Hari, Hari first thing in the morning. Before their meal, much like how Christians thank their lord for the daily bread, the devotees chant ‘Govinda, Govinda’. Prahalad is said to have chanted Govinda before swallowing the poison given to him. Before venturing out of one’s home, the chant of Kesava is said to remove all obstacles in one’s path. Finally, at bedtime, the chanting of Madhava is said to bless one with peaceful sleep. 

Among the many Narada tales, there is the popular one, in which the sage asks God where he can find Him, in kali yugam. God says, ”Why Narada? Where else will I be but with my devotee who chants my name?” Calling out to God is not all that difficult, is it?