Pragmatic Prayer
Vishnu
Sahasranama[i],
composed by Veda Vyasa, and included in Anushashana Parva of Mahabharata,
comprising the 1000 names of Lord Vishnu, is a popular hymn read, recited and
heard[ii]
by the Hindus. The hymn is presented as a conversation between Yudhishthira,
the eldest Pandava, and his grandfather, Bhishma, the family patriarch.
Yudhishthira solicits Bhishma to guide him about the best way to attain dharma.
The last
part of the hymn has an interesting feature. The reading, recitation, or
hearing of the 1000 names involves commitment of time by the devout. Those who
can assign the required time are blessed, but those who cannot find as much
time need not despair. The hymn provides a pragmatic solution for such
devotees.
पार्वत्युवाच ---
केनोपायेन लघुना विष्णोर्नामसहस्रकम् ।
पठ्यते पण्डितैर्नित्यं श्रोतुमिच्छाम्यहं प्रभो ॥ २६॥
Parvati asks
Lord Shiva:
KenopAyena
laghunAm VishnurnAmasahasrakam
Pathyate
panditAh nityam shrotumichhAmyaham Prabhu.
Meaning:
O Lord, please
enlighten me about a short and sweet, pragmatic version of the 1000 names of
Lord Vishnu by which the wise may offer their daily prayers.
ईश्वर उवाच ---
श्रीरामरामरामेति रमे रामे मनोरमे । (रामरामेति रामेति)
सहस्रनामतत्तुल्यं रामनाम वरानने ॥ २७॥
Ishvara uvacha
(Thus spoke Lord Shiva):
Sri RAma
RAma RAmeti Rame RAme manorame,
SahasranAma
tattulyam RAma nAma varAnane.
Meaning:
O Dear
Parvati, the simple japa or recitation of the delightful and wondrous
name of Rama is equivalent to the 1000 names (of Vishnu).
Why did
Shiva suggest the name of Rama, and not the name of any other avatar of Vishnu like
Krishna, Nrusingha or Vamana? Maybe, Shiva recalled that Rama had built a
temple for him and worshipped him at Rameshwaram before proceeding for Lanka to
fight the big war. The other avatars had not built any temple for Shiva!
Also, ‘Rama’
is easy on the tongue, a simple word constituted by two and a half letters, and
the simplest of the 1K names of Vishnu. That is why Narada had counselled
Ratnakar, the bandit and murderer to recite the name of Rama. Ratnakar, a
hardened criminal, and a great sinner, could not utter the word Rama, so
twisted was his tongue, and so convoluted his thoughts. Narada asked him to say
marA, meaning died. That was easy for Ratnakar. As advised by Narada, he
sat under a banyan tree, closed his eyes, and kept chanting ‘marAmarAmarA’
for so long that termites built a mound covering his entire body despite which
he kept at his recitation. Vishnu had no problem in deciphering that a sincere devotee
was chanting Rama nama, the name of Rama, his avatar, and transformed the sinner
to a sage. Valmiki, literally the one who was born out of a termite mound, composed
the epic, Ramayana.
Some
scholars call it accidental grace, and cite another familiar example.
Ajamila[iii]
was a die-hard sinner who deserved to rot in hell. On the eve of his death,
Yama’s terrible guards, the Yama-dootas arrived with a noose to drag Ajamila to
hell. Terrified upon seeing the fearful, unwelcome visitors, Ajamila called out
for Narayana, his son. Readily, the guards of Vishnu (Vishnu-doots) arrived to chase
away the Yama-doots, and transport Ajamila to heaven, for he had obtained
virtue and wiped away all his sins by inadvertently uttering the name of
Narayana, one of the names of Vishnu. Accidental grace!
How about an
ordinary devotee? What is she supposed to do? Who to worship- one of the Pancha
Devas, the five principal deities - Vishnu, Shiva, Durga, Ganesha and Surya -
or all of them; or one or more of the 33 koti (categories of) devatas?
After selecting the preferred deity, the devotee may decide which stotra, stuti
or mantra for that deity she should recite daily - the simplest and shortest mantra,
panchakam, ashtakam, ashtottarashatanama or the sahasranama?
She is
spoilt for choice. Not easy to decide. There are at least 40 sahasranamas for
various deities, and several ashtottara shatanamas (108 Names) of assorted
deities. Shatanamastotrasangrah, a publication of Gita Press, Gorakhpur, lists
43 such names.
The devotee
must discharge her worldly duties while also offering prayers to the deities.
For this, too, a pragmatic solution is offered. If the devotee is too busy to
spare the time for a seated-at-peace recitation or shravana of the stutis
of various deities at home or in a temple; she may recite concise, abridged
versions of epics and stotras. Bija mantras and ekashloki versions are
routinely used by such devotees. The gods receive the prayers, and the devotee
is freed from guilt and anxiety.
There are
ekashlokis for Mahabharata, Ramayana, Bhagavata, Gita, Durga, and others. The
devotee may recite her preferred Bija mantra or ekashloki which can be
performed without assigning a lot of time for that.
However, the
ultimate solution is offered at the very beginning of Vishnusahasranama which is:
यस्य स्मरणमात्रेण जन्मसंसारबन्धनात् ।
विमुच्यते नमस्तस्मै विष्णवे प्रभविष्णवे ॥ ६॥
Yasya smArana
mAtrena janmasansAra bandhanAt,
Vimuchyate
namastasmei Vishnave PrabhaVishnave.
Meaning: I
bow to Lord Vishnu, the mere remembrance of whose name releases the devotee
from the bondage of birth and the samsara, the world.
Thus, each
devotee is free to take the route that most suits her. She can read, recite, or
hear the 1K names of the Lord; but if pressed for time, she may meditate in
silence upon the Lord. To each according to her shraddha, or inclination.
***
[i] Garuda purana has a different version of Vishnusahasranama
which lists 1008 names of Vishnu. It is a presented as a conversation between Hari
and Rudra:
रुद्र उवाच ।
संसारसागराद्घोरान्मुच्यते
किं जपन्प्रभो ।
नरस्तन्मे परं
जप्यं कथय त्वं जनार्दन ॥ १॥
हरिरुवाच ।
परेश्वरं परं
ब्रह्म परमात्मानमव्ययम् ।
विष्णुं
नामसहस्रेण स्तुवन्मुक्तो भवेन्नरः ॥ २॥
यत्पवित्रं परं
जप्यं कथयामि वृषध्वज ! ।
शृणुष्वावहितो
भूत्वा सर्वपापविनाशनम् ॥ ३॥
[iii] Mr. Willy Singh, a friend provided reference to the story
of Ajaamal in Guru Granth Sahib Ji:
Bhagat
Maalaa ~ Part IV - The Story of Ajaamal | SikhNet
Authors who mention
Bhagat Ajaamal in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji:
Bhagat Naam Dev Ji, Ang 345, 874
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, Ang 632, 830, 901, 1008
Bhagat Kabeer Ji, Ang 692
Guru Raam Daas Ji, Ang 981, 995
Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Ang 999, 1192
Bhagat Ravidass Ji, Ang 1124
