Shrimat Acharya quotes many verses from various scriptures in his Krishnamruta Maharnava to lay emphasis on chanting the Lord’s names. What makes the Lord’s names even more amazing is the fact that they are a one stop solution for all types of miseries. It is a panacea that works for all patients of suffering and all types of suffering. Shrimat Acharya brings this out beautifully.
“आर्ता विषण्णाः शिथिलाश्च भीता घोरेषु च व्याधिषु वर्तमानाः। सङ्कीर्त्य नारायणशब्दमात्रं विमुक्तदुःखाः सुखिनो भवन्ति।।” – Krishnamrita Maharnava, Verse 65
“Those who are troubled by miseries, who are in grief, have become feeble, are frightened and those suffering from deadly diseases will get rid of all such sufferings and attain peace just by chanting the word Narayana.”
Even Lord Brahma who sees the entire cosmic egg, like a berry placed on top of one’s own palm, without being astonished, apparently expresses astonishment when he sees people not chanting the Lord’s names which is such an easy solution for the most complex problem of materialistic bondage! He says-
नारायणेति मन्त्रोsस्ति वागस्ति वशवर्तिनी। तथाsपि नरके घोरे पतन्तीत्येतदद्भुतम् ।। – Krishnamrita Maharnava, Verse 64
“There is this mantra called ‘Narayana’. There is a tongue at one’s disposal. Yet people fall into dreadful hell. This is a wonder!”
When we study the scriptures, especially Dharma Shastra, the first thing we realise is that we are huge sinners! We are full of sins. The day we realise this and develop a deep sense of remorse, scriptures instruct us to perform atonements (Prayaschittha) to get rid of those sins. But most of the atonements that the scriptures instruct are more terrifying than the sin itself! They are as intense as pulling our souls out of the body along with the sins! Most of them are impossible to be performed by feeble mortals like us. So how to get rid of various sins? Are we helpless? Shrimat Acharya answers-
कृते पापेsनुतापो वै यस्य पुंसः प्रजायते। प्रायश्चित्तं तु तस्योक्तं हरिसंस्मरणं परम्।।- Krishnamrita Maharnava, Verse 35
“On sinning, if a deep sense of remorse arises in the person, remembering Hari is recommended to be the best form of atonement.”
This glory of Hari Smarana rescues us from drowning in the ocean of sins. The Lord, as we have seen earlier, is beyond our grasp in every possible way. His benevolence is unmatched and infinite. We see people who are fond of others’ valuables. There are thieves who rob people of their gold, money or some valuable belonging. But would anyone try to snatch a dirty piece of cloth such as a handkerchief from us? Would anyone bother about a bag full of torn pieces of paper? The Lord however is unique in this aspect too. We are carrying huge backpacks full of sins. No one would want to rob it from us except the Lord! He snatches it away from us just if we call him! He is the only one who robs us of things which are harmful to us. Shrimat Acharya says this-
नारायणो नाम नरो नराणां प्रसिद्धिचोरः कथितः पृथिव्याम्। अनेकजन्मार्जितपापसञ्चयम् हरत्यशेषं स्मृतमात्र एव।। – Krishnamrita Maharnava, Verse 48
“There is said to be a person called Narayana who is a popular thief among men on earth. He robs away all the accumulated sins that have been earned over several births, just on remembering Him.”
The most unique aspects of the human form of life are intelligence and speech. The creator has gifted us with these two so that we use our intellect to know the Supreme Being and then make him the pivotal object of love, so much so that we fondly keep calling him by using our ability to speak, with complete surrender unto his feet. Though chanting of the Lord’s names is a very important part of spiritual endeavour in all Yugas, in Kali Yuga it is the single most important Dharma as all other rituals like sacrifices, penances etc. are too hard to be executed even to a small extent of perfection, due to the filth of Kali. What actually makes Kali Yuga the most favourable period to walk in the path of spirituality is that liberation can be achieved merely by remembering the names of the Lord along with the virtue (Guna) and form (Rupa) indicated by that particular name. This is emphatically brought out in the Bhagavata Purana (12-3-51).
कलेर्दोष-निधे राजन् अस्ति ह्येको महान् गुणः । कीर्तनाद् एव कृष्णस्य मुक्त-सङ्गः परं व्रजेत् ॥
“In this age of Kali which is a storehouse of flaws, there is one great virtue; one becomes free from all attachment and attains the Supreme abode just by singing the names of Krishna.”
Irrespective of the place and time that we are in, we need to remember the Lord through his names. This should be our main focus in life. It is the gist of all scriptures and a sure shot way of reaching the other side of this ocean of materialistic bondage which is the abode of Lord Vishnu. The Lord’s name is not only a boat on which we traverse this miserable ocean but also a peculiar boat which comes along with us even after we have reached the destination. Isn’t this sufficient to call his name the most wonderful thing in the world?!
