Sivam, Not Savam

Ghandikota Subramanya Sastry read and offered what he called a Navaratna Haram, a Garland of Nine Poetic Gems; but though I do not accept garlands, I certainly accept the devotion that gives fragrance to the garland. He said that the Vedas are for the glorification of the Gods (Devanam stutyartham), that in the Kali Yuga, one is asked to rely more on Namasmarana (repeated remembrance of God) for liberation. Why is it considered enough for the people of this Age? For, other Sadhanas are fraught with difficulties. They need rigorous discipline and much preliminary effort. Again, there is another advantage in Namasmarana: as soon as the Name is uttered, the owner of the Name comes into view. When you think of the Form, the name may not always accompany; you may not be able to identify. There may be more than one Name and you may be confused. But take the Name, and the Form automatically appears before the mental eye.

In Bharat, the discipline to remove attachment to the senses and to curb the mind from running after fleeting pleasures is clearly laid down since ages; and we have the experience of many saints, recorded in the sacred literature of this land. All the activities of thought, word, and deed are sublimated to this higher purpose. Man is Sivam (auspicious), not Savam (corpse); he has three eyes, which are derived from the Sun and the Moon, and from Agni.

Where The Lord’s Name Is Sung There He Sits

The Agni eye is the internal eye, which can be opened by the discipline of the Yoga. The three-eyed Shiva can see the past, the present, and the future. A boy of ten whom you have seen, you can recall his picture as he was when you saw him; but you can’t see him as he is now or as he will be ten years hence. But, if you earn the Trinetra (three eyes), capable of seeing the past, present, and future, you can see all three. You become master of time and space.

The Name is enough to give you all the results of every type of sadhana (spiritual effort). This is accepted by all the sastras and all the sadhakas (spiritual aspirants) who have left accounts of their struggle and success. Moreover, the Name is capable of being recited and meditated upon by all, equally. Of course, the Name is a limitation of the Universal; it identifies the un-identifiable through one of its aspects. Take the Upadhi (disguise) as a means of saving yourself; take it as a boat that will take you across the sea of birth and death.

When you repeat the Name, all the sweetness of the Form and its associated glory must come to memory and just as your mouth waters when you remember some sweet dish you relish, your mind must “water” when you contemplate it. Choose the Name that captivates your heart. Why run after riches when all the pleasure and satisfaction that riches can offer and even a hundred-fold, can be got by dwelling on the Name? The Lord has said that where His name is sung, “tatra tistami,” (“there I sit”). He establishes Himself there! He will not move from the place. So, the tongue is enough to win Him, the tongue that speaks the language of the pure mind.

The Lord is a Kalpavriksha (Wish-fulfilling Tree); you have to approach Him and develop attachment to Him. You must win His Grace and be ever near Him keeping back all the forces that draw you away from Him. Even if you commit some technical faults in singing about Him or in worshipping Him, it does not matter. Bhakti (intense devotion) makes every error excusable. Nectar, though poured into a brass cup, will not lose its savour or taste. Poison, even when poured into a cup of gold set with gems, will not lose its death-dealing property.

The Name Persuades The Form To Bend And Bless

Bhakti will force the Lord to give you Himself as the Gift. The Coronation Ceremony of Sri Ramachandra and the celebrations were all over; the presentation of gifts to all important people was over. Then, Sita remembered that Maruthi had been forgotten. There was no one in the hall except Rama, Sita, and Maruthi. Rama wondered what to give him; He suggested to Sita that the gemset ring that Janaka gave him on the occasion of the marriage would be the best gift, because he had said, “your father gave this to me, on the day he gave you to me, a second time. So, I shall give him this.” Maruthi did not seem quite happy when the ring was placed in his hand. Evidently, he did not appreciate the gift because it was not given in full sight of all; when all others were given, he was neglected! But Maruthi placed it near his ear, as if he sought to know what sound emanated from it; he bit it with his teeth; tried to peer into its structure.

Rama asked him why, and Sita was also anxious to know. Maruthi said, “I am finding out whether it has the Ramanama which I want to the exclusion of everything else.” Then, Rama embraced him and said, “Maruthi! what other gift can I give you? I shall give you Myself as the gift. Accept Me!”, that is why he was neglected when everyone else was awarded a gift! That is why wherever Maruthi is, there Rama is bound to be; wherever Rama is, there Maruthi is invariably present. The Name is so valuable for the bhakta (devotee). It persuades the Form to bend and bless.

The Name That Pleases You Is Best For You

Just consider this: the form changes from age to age, from one appearance to another. Rama and Krishna were different in form; even their deeds were distinct. But still, people agree when you say that both are identical. Well, tell them that Rama held aloft the Govardhanagiri, they will not accept it. The Name has the association of all the special fragrance of the Leela (Divine play) and the Mahima (Power) and the Upadesha (spiritual instruction). Each one has a special attachment to one Name out of many, suited to the temperament and the Samskara, the inherited instincts and tendencies shaped in previous births.

Mira loved the Name Giridhari (mountain-holder). To her, that Leela appealed as the most significant, as the most symbolic of the Lord’s glory. The name that pleases you, that arouses the sweetest and the purest love, is best for you. ‘Ramayati iti Rama’ (the thing that pleases is Rama); Harati iti Hara (the thing that destroys Maya, is Hara or Hari).

Keep The Name Lit On The Tongue

Surdas was overwhelmed with grief when the lovely little body who held his stick and led him along the road to Brindavan suddenly left him with the announcement that his name was Krishna! He ran about with both hands extended to catch Him and keep Him in his embrace, but Krishna had disappeared; then Surdas shouted, “You may run away from my clasp; but I have you in my heart. You can never run away from there.” Prahlada was also like that; he had no other thought; he saw nothing else; elephant, snake, poison, fire—all were for him Narayana-tattvam (divine principle) itself. How then could they harm him?

The Nama is the Narasimha for the Hiranyakasipu of the mind; the rajasika (passionate) and tamasika (ignorant) forces, besieging your heart are bent on your downfall. Just as they give Calcium and Vitamin tablets to cure anaemia, etc., take Naman tablets to get rid of mental anaemia and other illnesses. There are some throat pastilles, which you have to carry to your mouth and whose taste you have to slowly swallow, in order to relieve cough; have the Naman on your tongue and imbibe its taste slowly to get rid of the troublesome upsurge of passions and emotions. Keep the Name lit on the tongue; it will illumine your interior and also the exterior. It will cleanse your mind, as well as minds of those who hear the Name when you recite it. Keeping it on the tongue is like keeping a lamp lit on the doorstep at the entrance of your house.

Namasmarana is the best sadhana; it is the most beneficial sat-pravartana. That is the highest Japam, the most profitable tapas. Kuchela won the Grace of the Lord through the same means. Fill the Name with your Love, whenever you repeat it; saturate it with devotion. That is the easiest path for all of you.

Prasanthi Nilayam, 29-4-1963