NAMA MAHATHMYAM

(The Advantage of Reciting God’s Name)

M.P.R.Nair.

At the outset, by ‘Namamahathmyam’, I mean the benefit or advantage of reciting God’ name.
Namajapam, Namasankeerthan, Nagarasankeerthan, Bhajan etc. are quite familiar to us from time immemorial
or from the origin of man, but it is a very great subject, not possible to cover exhaustively in a small article. I am
attempting only to throw some light partly on the mahathmyam alone of reciting God’s name

The existence of the rich tradition of Namasankeerthan is well known in almost all parts of the world
from very ancient times. Namasankeerthan is often done by devotees singing in congregation. Sankeerthan
means singing keerthans or songs in a ‘samyak’ or most beautiful way. When this is done by walking through the
streets of city or cities, it becomes Nagrasankeerthan. Bhajan includes divine songs, accompanied mostly by
musical instruments of different varieties. Bhajan mutts or Bhajan halls are also common even today. Thank
God, in these days the number of ‘Satsangs’ are also seen increasing day by day in various parts of the world. A
Malayalam verse lays down the benefit of Satsang as follows:

‘Chitswaroopamarivaneluppamay satsangatholam nannalla mattonnum’, that is, there is no good

thing other than Satsang , for God-realization.

In temples we watch the performance of pooja, we meditate on the Deity, whereas in Sankeerthan
or Bhajan, we fix our minds on the lord by singing His divine names, His ‘gunas’ or dispositions and His Leelas or
Dvine plays. Bhajan has the unique feature of inculcating Bhakthi directly in people. Sometimes we may go in
trance or weeping or crying like a small child or dance, often ignoring completely the surroundings. Bhakthi
really means remembering always God. ‘Sadhakas’ by repeated ‘Sadhanas’, like repetition of God’s name and
constant prayers with austerities in all its sanctity, become ‘Sidhas’. At that stage, God becomes the same as
man. They have no desires. God is everywhere. Love leads the Devotees to God. Our Sanathana Dharma teaches
us that there is Divinity in anything and everything. So, there is divinity in music and hence musical reciting will
be more beautiful, emotional and exciting. The saying goes that ‘Manthramoolam gurorvakyam’, and hence it
adds another premium of beauty, if we learn it from a Sat-Guru.

It reminds me here, though some personal, the opportunity of my family in having got Darshan of
H.H. Sree Maharanyam Muraleedhara Swamiji of Madhurapuri Ashram, Madras. It was a quite unique
experience that ever remain fresh in my memory. The Ashram was like Vrindavan, every inch of it was
permeated with the sublime presence of the Lord. The place was exquisitely beautiful. It was almost surrounded
by mountains. On one side of the Ashram, beautiful and healthy cows along with their sweet calves were seen
grazing freely. It really defied description. The atmosphere echoed with sweet and melodious ‘Akhandanama
Sankeerthan’. On the other side of the Ashram, we found Tulasi plants, like a little dense forest amidst various
kinds of other flowerings plants. Reaching closer, devotees were seen reciting Hare Rama keerthan, while
perambulating around a tall and shining lighted brass lamp, near a most beautiful and effulgent vigraha of Lord
Krishna. Devotees were deeply immersed in singing the Lord’s name and playing musical instruments according
to its tune, while walking. My joy and ecstasy knew no bounds; I felt that I was in some heavenly world.
Unknowingly within seconds we were also in that stream of devotees, walking and singing His glorious names.

The Veda Patasala on one side of the Ashram, like that we heard of in ancient Nalanda and
Thakshasila, attracts special attention. The Sanctum Sanctorum there, is known as ‘Namadwaar’, being followed
in the same way as those of Chaithanya Maha Prabhuji of the 15th centuary. Swamiji has started many such
Namadwaars at different places in various parts of India and they are all functioning perfectly well with
increased attendance of devotees, day by day.

A long cherished desire of Swamiji was materialized here in America at Manvel, Houston, when
the Mayor inaugurated the first Namadwaar, outside India on Sunday, 28th February, 2010. The Namadwaar is a
power house of Divine Prayers, for universal peace and harmony by the manifestation of the power of Divinity in
each individual through the very simple path of chanting the Divine Name. Prayers to the Almighty from time
immemorial are most powerful; they will never go in vain. Prayers, powered by the Divine names, are extra
ordinarily powerful. All our ancient scriptures extol this fact in unequivocal terms.

In ‘KaliSantharanopanishad’, writen about 5000 years ago, it is laid down that, at the end of
Dwapara Yuga, When Brahmarshi Narada asked Lord Brahma, as to what could be done for salvation in Kaliyuga,
Brahma gave Narada, the following mantra: (This is the one Swamiji uses in all his Namadwaars):-

“Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare,

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare,”

and said that by the mere recital of this Mahamantra, consisting of 16 times the holy names of the Lord, man
gets relieved from all the evils of Kaliyuga and that he could not find any other way to get-rid of the miseries,
though he searched all the four Vedas. Sage Narada then asked Lord Brahma, ‘Lord, what are the rules to be
observed for reciting this Mahamantra? ‘. In reply Lord Brahma said ‘There are no special rules to be observed
for reciting this Mahamantra; it can be chanted by any one at any time, without regard to purity or impurity and
anywhere and everywhere.

After giving us all Vedic Scriptures, Brahmarshi VedaVyasa said that he had searched all Sastras
and finally found out that the very essence of all Sastras is to worship Lord Narayana, through
Namasankeerthan, for real salvation. In this age of Kali many people are seen by nature knowledgeable but
without character, hunting after pleasure without conscience, engaging in commerce without morality, using
science without humanity, worshipping God without any sacrifice, impure of mind, engaged in politics without
principles, gambling, drinking, illicit relations with women, falsehood, intoxication, passion, violence showing
animosity, earning wealth without properly working, and thus committing real sins of the society, eventually
ruining the human race and wasting the most sacred human birth. Namasankeerthan or chanting the names of
God is the only way to reach the Supreme Lord, which is the ultimate aim of mankind.

To quote from our Puranas, a few examples stressing the importance of reciting God’s name:-

‘ Kalou kalmasha chithanaam papadravyopajeevanam,

Vidhi kreeya viheenam, gathir Govinda Keerthanam.’,

that is, Kali makes our mind poisonous, makes us living on polluted things and do rituals in an improper way
using mean short-cuts, and therefore the only way out is to recite the names of Govinda to mitigate all evils.
Our Scripptures also tell us ;

‘Dhyanal krite; yanjai; tretayam; dwaparerarchanad,

Yadapnoti, tadapnoti, kalou sankeerthya Kesavam’, meaning,

for getting Salvation, meditation was the way in Krita Yugga or Satya Yuga; Yanja or sacrifice was the way in
Treta Yuga; Archana or worshp of idols was done in Dwaapara Yuga. Namasankeerthan is the only way to
achieve moksha in Kali Yuga. All our Scriptures exhort us for Namasankeerthan in this KaliYuga.

In the 11th Canto (ekadasa skanda) in Srimad Bhagavatha, it is written:

“Namasankeerthanam yasya, sarva papa pranashanam,

Pranamo dukha shamana: tam namami Harim param’. , that is,

prostrate unto that Supreme Power Sree Hari, the singing of whose Divine names, obliterates all sins, and paying
respects to whom attenuates all the sorrows of the world. Namasankeerthanam causes inner transformation.

Bhagavat Gita re-iterates that Jnana is the highest state in life. As such, how can one attain the
highest state by merely chanting the Lord’s Divine names? Our Swamiji answers the question simply quoting
from the Gita itself as;

‘Swalpamalpasya dharmasya, trayate mahato bhayat’, meaning;

even if you perform the smallest Dharma, I will protect you from the worst fear. Smallest dharma is really
Namasankeerthan, and ignorance or ajnana, is the worst fear. Annihilation of anjana is verily, Jnana.

In Adhyatma Ramayana by Ezhuthachan, Sutheekshna Muni, the best disciple of Rishi Agasthya,
tells Rama, when asked what boon he wants from him;

‘Mutteedum bhakthya nin namamucharikkayeedanam.

Mattoruvaramapekshikkunnenillapotti’ ………………..meaning,

he wants nothing except the blessings for reciting His name with the deepest devotion in mind

devotion in mind.

Bhakthakavi Poonthanam, sings in his famous ‘Jnanappana:

‘Sakthikoodathe namangaleppozhum, bhaktipoondu japikkanam nammude,

Sidhakalam kazhivolameevannam, sradhayode vasikkanamevarum..’

Here, ‘Japa’, is made of two letters, ‘ja’ and ‘pa’,

‘Jakaro janma vischeda: pakara: papanashanam’;

‘ja’ stands for liberation or moksha and ‘pa’ stands for obliteration of all sins. Thus, Japa atonce removes our sins
and makes us free from janmas.

Poonthanam continues:

‘Bhaktitannil muzhuki chamanjudan , mathaneppole nrutham kuthikkanam,

 Parilingane sancharicheedumbol, prabdangalasheshamozhinjupom’. , meaning

shortly, the japa of God’s name without any hesitation, will help us to get-rid of all our difficulties in life.

All famous Philosophies of great Sages like that of Madhvacharya, Ramanujacharya,

Sankaracharya, Sri Vallabhacharya, etc. teach us the importance of reciting Nama or God’s name. God is love
and our hearts should abound in unconditional Supreme Love for God. We should believe in God, as a fish
believe in water. Only complete surrender to God is the way to realize the fullness and grandeur of His love. God
is the only reality; the only Truth. He is atonce transcendent and immanent. One cannot but sing His glory,
because we are all parts of the God – individual units of microcosms of the huge, voluminous and indefinable
Macrocosm. The Supreme Power is Brahman, the Paramatma, and it is infinite. We are jeevatmas, the
infinitesimals; the relation is like that of an ocean and a drop of water, thereof. If Brahman is fire, jeevatma is a
spark, therein. The union of jeevatma with Paramatma or the Jeevatma-Paramatma aikyam, or Pindandam
merging with Brhmandam or the Microcosm becoming one with the Macrocosm, is the ultimate aim of our birth
and it will be repeated until the last life exists.

Only God, the Supreme Truth is perennial; everything else is ephemeral. Sanathana Dharma, the
perennial wisdom, makes it clear to us. We should try to concentrate on things which last long, for only it could
give us permanent joy. So, we should concentrate on God. The higher the soul evolves the more spiritual the
understanding becomes, until rapport with the Divine Spirit is attained. This is atonement and it makes a man
perfect.

Jeevatma is chained to the earth by Karma and when karma ceases to exist the soul or jeevatma
gets liberated. Karma is the law of consequences – of merit and demerit. Karma depends on Character. When
we change our Character, we change our Karma. When character is lost, everything is lost. Character, in its turn,
depends on habits. Good habits should be cultivated from the very childhood. For making easily eligible to be
loved by God, we must remain grateful, humble, patient, generous, show response, be motivating, be brave in
all our actions, be disciplined in prosperity, spread good ideas, fetch name, fame and reputation to the family
and to the country by dedication to work, be intuitive, and also have patience, persistence, perseverance, and
providence.

Sri Bhagavannama Bodhendra Swamiji says, “The ever blissful Supreme Lord, out of compassion
for the welfare of the world, took up various forms such as Sri Vishnu, Sri Siva etc. Feeling that these forms alone
will not suffice for redemption of the world, He also became the Divine Names, such as ‘Hari’ Shambhu’ etc., and
is ever alive in theses names. Divine Namas are not mere names. Like the Deities, they are also verily the Lord,
the ‘wordy idols’. Nama possesses all the powers of the Lord. There is no better boat than the recital of God’s
name, to help us cross over the troubled ocean of life. Ajamila, the horrible sinner, as laid down in Srimad
Bhagavatha, was purified and taken to Heaven, by the messengers of Lord Vishnu, when he uttered ‘Narayana’,
through calling his own son.

Of all the wisdom so far I have gained, I tell you truly that the most important one is the
knowledge about the mahathmya of Namasankeerthan, that we rarely recognize or appreciate until it has been
depleted. So, make your decision to grab this precious moment in joy, faith and thankfulness to God, and chant:

“Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare,

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare,”

and count your many blessings instead of your blemishes, right from now onwards. In the beat of a heart, let
this moment remain in history, as the most auspicious occasion to know how to commune with God.

Jai Hind.

God Bless America.

‘Subham’