Category: Vanara Gita

Vanara Gita 13: Recapitulating lessons learnt in Vānara Gita

To summarize yesterday’s teachings-

1) Chanting divine names should be with concentration i.e. without allowing other thoughts to distract the mind.

2) Japa thus performed has the ability to favourably alter the surroundings, rendering it pure. The power contained in the nama japa is such that even the greatest anxieties and disturbances are simply blown away in fraction of second.

3) Where a person relentlessly undertakes nama japa, the environment (surroundings) automatically is rendered peaceful.

4) To any person, there is no mantra greater than the mantra of his/her favorite deity! For example, to a person who reveres the Guru, Guru mantra will be the supreme most mantra. To him, ‘Om namo Hanumate namaha’ or ‘Sri sadgurubhyo namaha’ is the highest mantra. That’s all.

This year Swamiji has given the mantra ‘Om Namo Hanumate namaha’ for the entire society at large. Millions of people are either reciting or writing this mantra worldwide. Many non-Hindus too are participating in this nama japa Yagna. So far this mantra has been recited many millions of times. Unimaginable positive changes are taking places in the lives of those who are reciting it. The fruits of this recitation are tremendous. Their life is taking a beautiful turn for the good. All of you (who are listening to the TV program) please keep reciting this mantra ‘Om namo Hanumate namaha’. It is a very simple mantra.

5) Nama smaran (recollecting/ reciting the names of God) takes one towards tyaga (renunciation, performing charity).

In a nutshell, everything can be achieved through japa. For this reason, Gandhamādana sought that eternally he should be blessed with the chance to chant Hanuman’s name.

Moving next in this Vānara Gita, Vānara Sushena praises Hanuman –

Ramabhakta charita kathāmṛtaṃ vayutanaya guṇānu keertanaṃ

Ramadasa! tava pāda sevanaṃ sambha vantu mama janma janmani.

In each and every birth of mine, I seek to taste the divine nectar called listening to the stories of Hanuman the ardent devotee of Lord Rama, to sing the praises of this son of wind and to serve the lotus feet of this Lord who is a servant of Lord Rama. May I be blessed thus!

There are many who do not seek re-birth. Yet, at the same time, there are many others who seek that even if they were to be re-born, devotion to God should reign most supreme in their lives. Great saints of Maharashtra have stated in their abhang- ‘Na lage mukti dhana sampada santa sanga dei sada’ – In every birth I seek to be associated with those who are devoted to you O Lord. Sushena belongs to this category of devotees, who seeks to serve the Lord in every birth of his.

We watch countless movies, listen to countless stories, yet none of them stay in our memory long enough. But when one listens to Ramayana, Mahabharata or Bhagavata, the stories linger in our memory. We tend to get deeper into the story and somewhere the story gets imprinted in our memory. Why is this so? This is because these stories are real and not fictional; they are eternal stories. It is important to realize that these were not fictitious stories that were penned down by some poets.

Om namo Hanumate namaha.

Permanent link to this article: https://puttugam.com/episode-13-recapitulating-lessons-learnt-in-vanara-gita/

Vanara Gita 12: Chanting divine names leads to mental peace

While bathing in River Ganga if the person is doubtful as to whether really it will wash away his sins or not, then take it for granted that the bathing is a sheer waste. Due to the doubt entertained, none of his sins will be destroyed. All the money, time and energy that were spent in travelling to reach the river will only go down the drain. The trip is fruitless.

The person should have immense faith. It is the mind which is at the root of all doubts and confusions. When river bath is undertaken with the absolute faith that all the sins will definitely be destroyed and that the mind will be rendered peaceful, then it will definitely happen!

Reciting the name of Hanuman endlessly has exactly the same effect, i.e. the mind will turn calm and peaceful. For this reason only Gandhamādana declared that reciting the name ‘Hanuman’ (nama japa) is a sacred bath!

When reciting or when writing the mantra ‘Om Namo Hanumate namaḥ’ continuously, say for about a thousand times, then somewhere, at some point of time, the mind will get absolute concentration (ekagrata) for a fraction of a second. That concentration enjoyed during that fraction of second is equivalent of having taken a holy bath in the Ganga. Hence, without any doubts and without heeding to the mental disturbances, the person should continue the Hanuman nama japa endlessly.

Engage in healthy discussions about good matters. There are many good topics, good movies, good songs and good books. Do not waste your time in useless gossip. Continuously reciting the divine names of the Lord automatically cleanses the surroundings and renders it pure. Even the greatest mental disturbances can be washed away in the least amount of time due to nama japa. It has the power to drive away even the greatest disappointments in a fraction of a second.

Nama japa becomes our Guru and begins to direct us in the right way forward. Hence it is of utmost importance that children should be introduced to this at their tender age itself.

Many parents leave their children in hostels. It is important that during their formative years they should be under the custody of parents. Only after they obtain the required mental maturity they can be sent to hostels. When they are sent to hostels at young age their affection towards parents reduces. They develop unnecessary friendships. They secure good marks but their mind would not have matured the right way. However after teaching them the right methods and when their intellect has ripened even if they are living in hostels, they will continue to tread the path taught at home.

Our mind is also very child-like. Until devotion is firmly established, until supreme knowledge is obtained or until the mind stabilizes at a particular point, divine names should endlessly be chanted. Always remember that the surroundings of the person who endlessly chants divine names are always peaceful!

Om namo Hanumate namaha.

Permanent link to this article: https://puttugam.com/episode-12-chanting-divine-names-leads-to-mental-peace/

Vanara Gita 11: Importance of upāsana and of Guru darshan

In Maharashtra the quote- ‘dhanya dhanya o pradakshina’- is often heard. Pradakshina (circumambulation) to the Guru is considered to be very auspicious and sacred!

People of Maharashtra do not go to bed until they have remembered the Lord and sung bhajans praising Him. They consider circumambulating a Guru very sacred.

Great saints have often said that remembering our Guru smaran itself is Pradakshina (circumambulating) to Him! Remembering Him is itself the holy bath (snana)! This itself is penance (japa)!

Having Guru darshan is a sacred pilgrimage! Each visit undertaken for Guru darshan is a sacred pilgrimage! No other pilgrimages are required.

This is not some rule that has been incorporated so as to benefit the sick people. Even when a person is fit and fine and is capable of undertaking pilgrimages to holy centers, he should opt for Guru darshan only!

In Maharashtra people believe that sleeping in His sacred presence is meditation. Even sitting for an hour in His sacred presence is akin to visiting Vaikunṭha (abode of Lord Vishnu). In fact the person should spend a greater part of his time in such sacred premises such as temples.

It is very essential to sit in a temple and meditate or chant divine names. Japam performed in a temple or in Guru’s presence is turns very powerful provided it is performed with concentration.

Similarly, to Gandhamādana, recollection of Hanuman’s name is itself a holy bath as well as a penance. Hanuman is his upasana.

Our scriptures state that along with the physical body the mind is also purified during bathing and that it ultimately brings mental peace. Many people wonder about the necessity of bathing in daily life. The truth is that we have not evolved to a state wherein we are able to achieve absolute purity purely through chanting divine names. Bathing ensures that along with the physical body, the subtle body is also cleansed.

Bathing and Sandhya vandana have been mandated by our scriptures for the same reason. Sandhya vandana also means recollection of the divine names. While it is easy to understand that bathing cleanses our physical body, we wonder as to how the mind is rendered pure with bathing. The trick lies in reciting names of the Lord during bath. The power that exists in divine names cleanses the mind. Ultimately the mind is rendered peaceful.

Om namo Hanumate namaha.

Permanent link to this article: https://puttugam.com/episode-11-importance-of-upasana-and-of-guru-darshan/

Vanara Gita 10: Importance of Upāsana (focus upon our favorite deity)

Just because Gandhamādana states that reciting ‘Hanuman’ itself is a sacred bath, it does not imply that a person should skip his daily mandatory bath just because he performs nama japa. Bathing is pre-requisite for cleansing the physical body. Reciting the name of Hanuman is a sacred mental bath.

The term ‘upāsana’ means visualizing the favorite deity in every deed performed in the daily life.

There are millions of Devatas. Each Devata has millions of mantras associated with Him/Her. If so, how is a person to choose which mantra is supposedly superior? To a person, that mantra into which he has received initiation from his Guru is the most superior mantra. Based on the individual destiny, buddhi (intellect) and mental tendencies (nature) of the person, the spiritual Self-realized Guru will bless the devotee with a particular mantra. Such mantra should become the most superior mantra for the person.

There are some who do not see the necessity of securing a spiritual Guru or initiation into a mantra from a spiritual Guru. They believe that locating mantras in books and reciting them is good enough. Fine. In this case, it will be apt if you consider the holy book as your Guru and treat the mantra as initiation from that Guru. Those who have not found a Guru can treat the sound of the mantra that they have heard as a Guru and meditate upon it. Suppose your neighbour is listening to a TV programme and the mantra ‘Sita rāmābhyām namaḥ’ falls into your ears, treat that itself as an initiation and focus on that mantra.

Mantra thus received from the Guru should be treated as the most supreme mantra and hence it should be recollected and recited at all times! This is ‘upāsana’ of the mantra. There is a very sacred hymn ‘sandhyā vandana bhadramastu’ wherein the poet very marvelously states- ‘I offer my obeisance to all these obligatory duties of bathing, sandhya vandana etc. However to me undertaking the japa of Lord Krishna’s name is of utmost importance.’

Om namo Hanumate namaha.

Permanent link to this article: https://puttugam.com/episode-10-importance-of-upasana-focus-upon-our-favorite-deity/

Vanara Gita 9: Gandhamādhana’s hymn; What is true worship?

The merit that is earned by giving away billions of mountains of gold and that which is earned through gifting away billions of cows can be achieved merely by having the darshan of Lord Hanuman, says Sugriva, the King of Vānaras!

Swamiji is going one step further- “I am saying that this same merit will be earned by chanting or writing the mantra ‘Om namo Hanumate namaha’ in all earnest”. This is your Guru’s order. Every true disciple should just abide by your Guru’s order. Laziness is unacceptable in this regard.

It should not be misinterpreted to understand that those who have had the darshan of Lord Hanuman could stop all their acts of charity. On the contrary, it means that by having the darshan of this Lord Hanuman, a person is blessed with the prosperity that is needed to conduct such charity. More importantly, he is blessed with the good intellect (buddhi) that is critical to undertake deeds of charity. Even reciting the mantra ‘Om Namo Hanumate Namaha’ bestows the same fruit.

Let us now move on to the second hymn in this Vanara Gita.

Gandhamādhana, the most superior among all the Vānaras, states-

Hanumann ithi may snānam Hanumann ithi may japaha

Hanumann ithi may dhyānam Hanumat keertanaṃ sadaa.

Reciting the name ‘Hanuman’ is my bath, ‘Hanuman’ is itself my penance, Hanuman is the Lord on whom I meditate, eternally I seek to hear and sing the glory of Lord Hanuman (keertana). This itself is my liberation.

Some people always rush for river baths as they grant immense merit. Even when the Supreme Lord is seated directly in front of them, they plan trips to sacred temple towns. What to say to such people? Ok, let us suppose they travel to that temple town. Are they at peace in this town? No. They worry endlessly about their belongings and home. A pilgrimage that is devoid of devotion and dedication is not a pilgrimage at all!

What is the use of a river bath if faith is missing? What is the use of visiting temple towns when dedication towards them is missing?

Here Gandhamādhana states that chanting the name ‘Hanuman’ is itself a sacred river bath! It is my japam! It is my meditation! I only want to think of Hanuman all the time!

In this hymn, Gandhamādana highlights the method of worshipping (upāsana) Lord Hanuman. What does upasana mean? The devotee should, in every action of his, perceive the presence of his most loved deity! Witnessing the mantra received from the Guru in every deed and in every moment is itself upasana. The mantra received from our Guru should ring in our ears at all times. If we have received initiation into the mantra ‘Om Namo Hanumate Namaha’ then it should ring in our ears at all times!

Om Namo Hanumate Namaha.

Permanent link to this article: https://puttugam.com/episode-9-gandhamadhanas-hymn-what-is-true-worship/