Naam Sankirtanam yasya sarva paapa pranaashanam |
Pranaamo dukh shamanastam namaami harim param || (Shrimadbha. 12.13.23)
‘I bow to Sri Hari, the embodiment of the Supreme Being, by the chanting of Whose Name all sins are destroyed and by Whose salutation, all sorrows are calmed.’
In this Kaliyuga, the name of God is most glorified. Although the name is glorified in all the four yugas – Satya, Treta, Dwapara and Kali, yet in Kaliyuga, the name of God is the main support and shelter for human beings and the name of God is the easy and supreme means of welfare.
One there is a mental chanting of Lord’s Name, one there is an Upanshu chanting, one there is a simple chanting and another there is a Sankirtan. Mental chanting is that in which the chanting and contemplation of the name is done through the mind and in which the throat, tongue and lips do not move. Upanshu chanting is that in which the chanting is done with the throat and tongue while keeping the mouth closed and which is not audible even to one’s own ears. Simple chanting is one in which the name is heard by one’s own ears and is heard by others as well. Sankirtan is that in which the name is sung loudly along with the ragas and raginis. Apart from the name of God, His pastimes, qualities, radiance and influence etc. are also chanted, but in all these Naam-Sankirtan is very easy and excellent.
Just as in mental chanting, the more the mind is engrossed in mental chanting, all the more better is the chanting, in the same way, in Naam-Sankirtan, if the Divine Name is sung in a loud voice, becoming immersed in the beat and the note (scale) taal-swara, and equally engrossed with the melody and tune (ragas and raginis).
Apart from the name of God, His pastimes, qualities, effects etc. are also chanted, but among all these, Naam-Sankirtan is very easy and best.
Just as the more engrossed the mind is in mental chanting, the more superior it is, similarly in Naam-Sankirtan, the more engrossed one is in chanting the name in a loud voice along with the rhythm and notes, the more superior it is.
Naam-Sankirtan should be done with full concentration on God. To concentrate means that whether other people are watching me or not, whether other people are doing kirtan or not, what effect my kirtan is having on people – such feelings should not remain in the mind at all. Such a feeling is actually a big hindrance in achieving one’s good. Due to pretentiousness in Sankirtan, it turns into worldly lust for pride etc. and has less impact on life.
The past impressions in the mind that influence behavior in connection with people, body, and scriptures, these three are habitual responses. Similarly, the desire for wealth, desire for a son and desire for love – these are three desires (desires). All these are very destructive. While doing Sankirtan, doing auspicious work, doing satsang, giving sermons, even while telling stories, all this garbage (habitual responses and desires) gets mixed with it, then the greatness of Sankirtan etc. does not remain. Although chanting the name, story, kirtan, satsang etc. never fail, they definitely provide benefit, yet due to these past impressions and desires, they do not provide much benefit, rather very little benefit is gained.
If one concentrates on the Lord and is absorbed in Naam-Sankirtan, it creates a wonderful atmosphere. That atmosphere spreads everywhere, which benefits the world. Word is pervasive – this has been invented through radio, wireless, etc., but emotion is pervasive – this has not yet been discovered by the masses. In fact, emotion is even more pervasive than words; because emotion is more subtle than words. The more subtle an object is, the more pervasive it is. Therefore, matter is not as capable as the sense of service in serving the world. Even among the emotions, Bhagavad-bhav is exceptional and extraordinary; Because Bhagavad-bhav is the conscious element (sentient essence). There is no other omnipresent, all pervasive essence like God. Therefore, if the name of the Lord is chanted with devotion, it has a very extraordinary effect on the world; that chanting can give peace to the entire world.
Words have supernatural power. When a man sleeps, his senses get absorbed in the mind, mind in the intellect and intellect in ignorance, but when the name of the sleeping man is called, then he wakes up. Although other words also affect him and wake him up, his name has a greater impact on him. In this way, the word has so much power that it awakens the senses of hearing absorbed in ignorance and makes a person wake up. Similarly, by chanting the name of Lord Shiva, a person who has been sleeping in the sleep of ignorance for many births also is awakened. Not only this, due to the influence of Naam-Sankirtan, The Lord Who is seated everywhere, also becomes visible. God has said –
Na hum vasami Vaikunthe, Yoginaam hrdaye ch | Madbhakta yatr gayanti, tatr tishthami Nārada. (Adi Purana 19.35)
‘O’ Narada! Neither do I reside in Vaikuntha, nor in the hearts of yogis, but wherever my devotees chant (Kirtan) of the Divine Name, I reside there.’
Due to the immense glory of the Divine Name, its mental chanting has an impact on all living beings and it naturally benefits everyone. But the effect of Nama-Sankirtan not only affects the immovable beings like trees, creepers etc. and the movable creatures like humans, animals, birds etc., it also affects inanimate stones, wood, soil, houses etc.
Wherever God-related things like chanting, meditation, stories, satsang etc. are happening or have happened before; going there brings peace, destroys sins, brings purity and has a unique natural effect on life; But more than this, Naam-Sankirtan has a special effect on the Kirtan lover. Naam Sankirtan has an impact on both the listener and the viewer. Sankirtan has the same direct effect on a Kirtan-loving devotee as beholding God (darshan of God). In Sankirtan, God appears with joy and love. There is direct joy in it, which is experienced by those who do Kirtan.
In Kaliyuga, Sankirtan has special glory – ‘Kalau Taddharikirtanaat‘ (Shrimadbha 12.3.52). There is special promotion of Sankirtan in Bengal and Maharashtra. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Bengal and Saint Tukaram Adi in Maharashtra specially propagated Sankirtan. If everyone performs Sankirtan together with musical instruments in one uniform tone, then a special power is generated from it – ‘Sange Shakti: Kalau Yuge.’ During Sankirtan, close your eyes and keep the feeling that I am alone and only God is standing in front of me; The voice coming from others is also the voice of God. In this way, chanting with devotion is very beneficial and there is no sin, vice or misconduct left, only God’s presence remains.
Unique experience occurs only when there is pure Kirtan.
Samarth Guru Ramdas Baba in Maharashtra is a unique, very unusual saints. One thing (story) is famous regarding him. He was a devotee of Hanumanji and used to have darshan of Hanumanji. Once Babaji said to Hanumanji that ‘Maharaj! One day you please give darshan to (appear in front of) all the people. Hanumanji said, ‘If you gather people, I will give darshan.’ Babaji said, ‘I will gather people in the name of sharing stories and divine plays of the Lord (Harikatha).’ Hanumanji said, ‘Do pure Harikatha.’ People come for Harikatha, ‘I will come for pure Harikatha.’ Babaji said, ‘I will only do pure Harikatha.’
Being a saint and Rajguru, Babaji had such an influence that wherever he went, thousands of people would gather. He went to a city and said that tonight there will be a Harikatha in a certain field outside the city. Preparations for Harikatha started as soon as the news was heard. Lighting arrangements were made, carpets were spread. Many people had gathered on time. All the singers came and sat down and the kirtan started. In between, Babaji would tell the story of God and then start doing Kirtan. While doing this, he became engrossed only in Kirtan. People were hoping that now Babaji would narrate the story, but he kept on doing Kirtan. There was no genuine feeling for beholding God among the people; They thought that, ‘we will do this Kirtan at home; How long will we sit here?’ , Saying this they slowly got up and started leaving. Actually they weren’t doing kirtan at home. The thought of doing kirtan at home was simply an excuse to leave from there. People sitting near Babaji got up with sacred thread hanging on their ears. After a while everyone got up and left. Gradually the singers also disappeared. Babaji with his eyes closed did not stop chanting kirtan, as he was performing pure Harikatha as per the orders of Hanumanji. Those who arranged for the lighting also left. Now it became difficult for the vendor who laid down the carpet to leave, as Babaji was joyously dancing on it. He was wondering how he could remove the carpet? He came up with an idea. When Babaji was dancing on the other side, he rolled up the carpet from this side and when Babaji came to his side, he rolled up the carpet on the other side, thus quickly folding it over, he grabbed the carpet and left. When everyone left, Hanumanji appeared. Babaji said to Hanumanji that ‘Maharaj! Give darshan to everyone!’ Hanumanji said- ‘Where is everyone?’ There was no one left, except Babaji.
In this manner engaging in loud chanting of the Divine Name (Naam Sankirtan) is pure HariKatha. God appears in person where there is pure HariKatha. At present there is a great need for Sankirtan. Whether people come together from place to place or alone by themselves.
In this manner, Sankirtan should be done, together or alone,
in various places . This will spread peace throughout the world.
From Book – “Sadhan, Sudha, Sindhu” pg 387 by Swami Ramsukhdasji Maharaj
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