NAmasankIrtana

1
NAmasankIrtana Medicine and elixir

• dyAyan krtE yajan yagnaI trEtAyAm dvAparE
  arcayan yadApnOti tadApnOti kalou sankIrtya
  kesavam
• (The means for liberation in krta yuga is
  meditation (mental) in trEta is oblations
  (physically complicated) in dvApara is arcana
  (physically simple) in kali is nama sankIrtana
  (oral)
• Although the end is fixed the means gets
  simplified in successive yugas finally
  culminating in chanting Bhagavans His holy names
  
• Medicine is a bitter cure elixir is a sweet
  enjoyment that follows. Milk is a cure as well as
  delight so is bhagavan nAma. It eliminates the
  pain of material world and absorbs us in bliss.

2
Why nAma sankIrtana

• As we realise atman s subservience to parmAtma
  we engage in various services that please the
  Master. One of them is nAma sankIrtana (stavya
  stavapriya stOtram..)
• His nAmas fill the vacuum of His physical
  absence. He is a 24 ct gold but His namas are
  like 22ct gold, fit for ornaments. Even when He
  is away His nAmas are close as evident from the
  episode of draupadi. Eventhough Krshna was at
  dvAraka when she called His namAs blessed her
  clothes.
• All are eligible to chant nAmAs a son hates his
  mother and slaps her, murmurs amma when his
  hand pains even to blame an atheist uses His
  names. There is no need for any qualification to
  chant as this is the qualifier.
• It is not mandatory to know the meaning of each
  nAma it works even without that fire burns when
  touched irrespective of whether we know that it
  would burn or not.

3
Testimony

• The story of ajAmila in Srimad bhagavatam. It is
  a misconception that nAma sankIrtana is a
  recurring medicine that allows us to repeat
  mistakes. For ajAmila, the company of duta
  bhagavatas destroyed his papa and so he repented
  and that eventually led him to liberation.
• The episode of mudgala and kshatrabandhu
• 1. Kedum idarAyavellam kEsavA enna 2. Vadati
  yamakila tasya karna mUlE . Naman tamarAl
  ArAyappattariyAr kandir..3. kim tvayA nArcitO
  dEva kEsava klEsa nAsana 4. kAvalil pulanai..
  5. Paccai mA malai..(tondaradippodi azhvar gave
  up mOksham for the joy of chanting nAmas)

4
Sri vishnu sahasranAma

• The cream of Mahabharata is in Gita and
  sahasranAma. Yudhishthira requested for the
  decision of Bhishma about the 1. ultimate
  reality, 2.human end and 3.the means - bhishma
  confirmed that only nAma sankIrtana facilitates
  bhakti. kimEkamjagatprabhum..Further he says
  that nAmAs are explanatory of the auspicious
  qualities (yAni nAmAni gouNAni).
• nAmAs explain one of the following .1 His
  essential nature (kAraNa) or 2. divine form
  (puNdarIkAksha) or 3. quality (vatsala) or 4.
  wealth (visvamUrtE). Kesava is one nAma which
  accommodates all four.
• nAma sankIrtana aids in practicing bhakti which
  in turn is the means of liberation. This
  removes fear, cures diseases, clears confusion,
  improves wisdom, nurtures bhakti and blesses
  wealth needed for service. (vanE raNe.. vEdantagO
  brahmana syAt). Sivas reply to Parvati
  suggests Rama nAma as equal to all the thousand
  nAmAs.
• We must not trade namAs for low human ends. Chant
  for the pleasure of chanting (as an end by itself
  and not means)