Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Divya Nama Sankeertana on Tamil New Year – April 14, 2018 – Mysore
Compiled by Archana Penukonda
We will sing the composition kali mala nashini kalyANi.
Because she (Mother Goddess) removes the sins of Kali (Kaliyuga), she is Kalyani (the one who bestows auspiciousness). This Yuga itself is a sin. There is no merit/punya in Kaliyuga. We are born into sin and grief. That is why, we sing this composition. “Mala” (in kalimala) is sin. Sin brings pain. Pain brings disease. Sin and pain are related – one becomes the cause for the other. Removing sins, removing grief, the mother comforts us all. She is “Bhadrani”. She is in the heart of all beings. (Pujya Swamiji explained the meaning of the composition in simple terms. What follows is a summary of Swamiji’s description of the lyrics).
nIgiSu nisheyanu nikhileshi – In Kaliyuga, we all commit sins unknowingly. This is a kind of intoxication. We get intoxicated from smoking and drinking, but also from anger. We lose control of what we say and the words we use when under the influence of anger. Too much grief is also intoxicating, under the influence of which people curse even God and Guru. Consuming substances alone is not the cause for intoxication. Those intoxicated from unstable emotions suspect that everyone around is talking about them and laughing at them. Even though everyone around is talking about something else, their intoxication leads them to isolate themselves from those people due to such suspicions. Ignorance is also an intoxication. We are praying to Mother Goddess to remove this intoxication.
nikhileshi is the mother who is everywhere. The word “khila” has many meanings.
mAgisu manavanu malayeshi – We pray to the mother to give us learning experiences and a stable intellect. Mother Goddess Parvati is also called malayeshi. We pray “Give my mind some experience. Please remove the pain”.
bhrajisu buddhiya vibhudeshi –Please fill my intellect with light. Please let it bloom with wisdom. Give my mind good thoughts.
vibhudesi – The mother fills us with light. That is why she is also “brAjisu”. We are praying to please fill our beings with light (wisdom).
rajisu matiyali rAjEshi – Please be with me. Please reside in my intellect mother rAjeshi
agaNita guNa nidhi – “agaNita” is countless. There are countless stars in the sky. Your glories are countless. You are the treasure of virtues.
suguNa mahOdadhi – suguNa indicates the mother is full of great virtues. Mahodadhi indicates the mother is already the highest. She is already the treasure of great virtues. If the light is already turned on, we do not ask the light to be turned on. It is already on. The mother illuminates the virtues. She bestows virtues. “guNa” normally means nature. We have some good nature. We pray to mother to please help us make us virtuous.
mahOdadhi – There is a lot of commentary on this. This is the mother who is most peaceful, who is the highest.
nigamAgama – There are many agamas. The mother can change anything that is going on. She can cause rains or stop rains. It is up to her. She is herself the sacred scriptures. She is the treasure. She is the witness to everything. We should adhere to whatever is enjoined by the scriptures. We should not talk without proof or logic.
Even if you feel a certain way about something, you must verify if what you are feeling, seeing and hearing is correct. You must gather proof in those three ways and then speak. Sometimes, the eyes may deceive you. And when you hear something from a hundred people, you might feel like it is true. But would you go with what they are saying, or with what you know to be the truth? Using your eyes and ears and objectively thinking with your mind, you must understand for yourself that it is untrue. That is nigamAgama.
sAramati – This is another name for Mother. This is also the name of this raga/melody. It describes the mother who keeps our intellect stable at all times. It is not enough to just have intellect. The mother lets my intellect function well at all times. The mother bestows sat chit ananda – truth, knowledge, and bliss.
cArumati – this is a reflection of sAramati. Both mean the same thing.
That is the bhajan we are singing.
Bhajan: Datta nama sukhadayi
Bhajan: Hari hari hari hari anuve
Bhajan: Vande sankara mariharam
Bhajan: Vande sankara mariharam
The easiest path to liberation in Kaliyuga – as also mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam – is Divya Nama Sankeertana. There is no easier way to worship the Lord than through Divya Nama Sankeertana. If you cannot even do this, your human birth is a waste. I always remember the people of Maharashtra who wear anklets for rhythm and ecstatically sing the glories of Lord Vithala before going to bed. I wish the Telugu and Kannada speaking people develop this habit. This is a great penance. Every household must inculcate this practice. As soon as you wake up in the morning, light the (oil) lamp. Before going to bed, chant the divine names of God. It is the easiest path.
In addition to learning the scriptures and doing all the sadhana (spiritual practice) to gain knowledge, you must do Divya Nama Sankeertana. If you have no devotion, if you do not sing the Divya Nama Sankeertana, you cannot get liberation. You may gain knowledge, but you will not get liberation. What do you get then? You may reach the higher worlds, but not the abode of the Lord. To get Gau-Loka, you must perform Divya Nama Sankeertana. Sri Sankara Bhagavadpada worked so hard to spread the glory of Divya Nama Sankeertana. “Govindam Bhajan Govindam”. Despite being Lord Shiva himself, he sang the glories of God and exhorted everyone to sing those glories. We must make Divya Nama Sankeertana a habit.
Whenever you come to Mysuru Ashrama, come and join the Divya Nama Sankeertana that takes place every evening. You must not think of it is a recital. You must join everyone and sing. That is when you are truly participating. Do not just sit here to see how others are singing. That is why, Swamiji’s compositions are full of short names of the Lord (nAmAs) so everyone can sing them. You can hear Swamiji’s compositions all over the country, on radios and on TVs. Accomplished musicians are singing it in their concerts, they are experimenting with Swamiji’s music, they are researching, exploring and doing Phds on Swamiji’s music. The compositions are available in so many languages. They are getting Phds with their research on Swamiji’s music. There are two other people in Chennai pursuing their research on Swamiji’s music. One person in West Indies did it. Kavitha Renduchintala from the US also did research on Swamiji’s music. Many people are still doing it. Even Phd holders are undertaking research again to pursue a Phd on Swamiji’s music. They are using Swamiji’s book on Raga Ragini Nada Yoga as their foundation. Jaitra and Mani (part of Swamiji’s celestial message troupe) are working on developing an app for Swamiji’s music.
Bhajan: Pancamukha sri anjaneya
Kakada Arati.