God is the source of all love and man’s love for God loosens his worldly bonds and saves him from the cycle of birth and death. There is no difference between the holy name of the Lord and the Lord himself. As such, the holy name is as perfect as the Lord himself, in auspiciousness, purity and divinity.
Swami says “Chanting the name of the Lord must be considered as the highest form of sadhana. You can travel anywhere in the light of this name. In this age of Kali Yuga the easiest way to reach the Lord is this chanting of the Lord’s name. There is nothing more sacred than his name.”
Simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord one can advance perfectly in one’s spiritual life. In this Kali age, this is the simplest and most powerful route to success in life. Anyone can do this and even if one is physically unwell, has no material possessions, or is not advanced in his spiritual exercises, chanting and singing of the holy name is beneficial.
A university education, good looks, and financial wealth are not necessary for advancement in spiritual life. Rather, purity and devotion to the Lord are necessary. Devotees with these qualities are satisfied by glorifying the name of the Lord, and such glorification is called Keerthanam.
Keerthanam refers to chanting and singing the name of the Lord. When the devotee hears about the Lord, His mercy, His compassion, His love for the devotees, His selflessness, he cannot help but move to the next step of devotion, which is KEERTANAM. The devotee then wants to tell everyone about it. Whoever comes to him will hear the divine name and its glory. Or the devotee seeks the company of other devotees with whom he can openly talk about his beloved Lord and His delightful activities. The devotee cannot contain the growing love for the Lord within himself and so wants to share it with others. In this way he immerses himself in the beauty of the Lord and His name by singing it constantly.
In the Kali age there is no simpler means of self-realisation than chanting the name of the Lord. Swami says singing His name can be regarded as a sacred devotional exercise. Combining one’s voice, tune and rhythm to the melody of the devotional song, the devotee immerses himself in the singing. By harmonising one’s feeling with devotion, the sacred words of the song become an outpouring of love for God. And when the Lord’s names are sung melodiously they appeal to the hearts of listeners as well.
Singing His glory includes glorifying Him, His activities and His spoken words. Indeed, when one loves the Lord, one cannot help but speak of Him and contemplate on His words to understand Him better.
Meera Bai expressed her devotion through singing. Meera was a princess and when she was young a saint by the name of Goswami visited the palace. During his visit he brought an idol of Lord Krishna which he worshipped. Meera was attracted to the idol and seeing her love for it the saint left it behind for her. From then on, her childhood centered on the idol, she played games with it, danced and performed puja for Krishna. She loved to listen to stories about his childhood and her love for the Lord grew.
When she was of age her family got her married to King Bhojraj, who loved her very much. She was a dutiful wife and daughter-in-law but after she finished her household chores she went back to her Krishna. Her devotion to the Lord was pure, simple and so complete that none of the hurdles she faced in life affected her. She used to sing all the time, making up the most beautiful and moving lyrics. Her bhakti for the Lord was immense and she spent all her time remembering Him through singing, dancing and chanting the name of the Lord.
The benefits of singing devotional songs with love for the Lord are many. They include:
1. Singing calms the mind
Every man seeks joy and peace. However, Swami says that most do not know where to look and so seek joy in personal relationships and material possessions, and peace in quiet spots. But joy and peace are actually within us. When we realise this and turn inward, with the grace of God we will begin to experience heaven on earth.
The principal agent through which joy and peace are experienced is the mind. Our mind is a bundle of thoughts, and depending on the thoughts we have we experience pleasure or pain, joy or sorrow, peace or agitation. Swami says that with bhajans one can train the mind and expand one’s heart because bhajans encourage man to rediscover his real self. In fact, Swami often concludes His discourses with the bhajan “Hari bhajana bina sukha shanti nahi” which means that without singing the glory of God one cannot experience joy and peace.
Devotional singing occupies a prominent role in almost every religious tradition. Therefore, one should teach the mind to revel in the glory and majesty of God.
2. Foster virtues
The mind of man has not only become agitated but also mean and wicked. Swami says: “In this Kali Age, the wicked have to be reformed and reconstructed through love and compassion. That is why this Avatar has come unarmed. He has come with the message of love. The only weapon which can transform the vile and the vicious is the name of the Lord, uttered with love. The name is redolent with divine glory. So when it is turned over in the mind, it transmutes it into an instrument for liberation from delution.”
As we think so shall we become, and when we sing the glories of God our mind dwells on His auspiciousness. Gradually we acquire these same qualities. Hence, one must train the mind to dwell on the Lord more and more.
3. Purifies the atmosphere
The recitation of the names of the Lord will purify the atmosphere as a result of the sacred sound waves being transmitted into the atmosphere. The atmosphere that has been polluted by impure sound waves can be changed by the chanting of the divine name. There is no better purifying agent than this. Thus, everyone should sing the name of the Lord and His glories, and so purify the atmosphere and promote the well being of the nation and whole world.
Thus, Keerthanam not only purifies the individual mind but the entire atmosphere. People who are unable to serve God in any way, either because of old age or other limitations, can easily do this simple sadhana of singing or speaking His glories. In this way, Keerthanam is a form of seva.
4. Draws divine grace
Remembrance of God becomes constant and steady through Keerthanam. This speeds us on the path of winning the Lord’s grace. Swami says: “The tongue is the post and bhajan is the rope, you can bring God near you and tie him up so that his grace becomes yours.” In order to reach God through Keerthanam singing must be a felt experience. Devotion is the stamp which posts our loving thoughts to God.
When a song is sung without understanding and love for God it is just a mechanical performance. Swami says: “I accept your singing only when love is the key note.”
While singing His glories one must do so with one-pointedness and enthusiasm. One must sing aloud without any reservation. When a man has fallen into a well and is unable to get out, does he mutter to himself or does he scream for help? The yearning to be saved from the cycle of birth and death should be expressed sincerely and loudly through singing.
Swami says: “Let your whole life be a spiritual song. Derive strength, comfort and joy by singing His glories in His presence. Let melody and harmony serge from your hearts and let all take delight in the love that you express through that song.”
On this step of devotion the Lord Himself comes to his devotees so that their love may grow further. By singing His glories with faith and feeling they can invoke His presence in their midst anywhere and at anytime. As our beloved Swami has proclaimed: “Where ever my glory is sung, I install myself there.”
As our devotion increases we will be able to live in His presence more and more until His presence alone remains. Such is the power of Keerthanam.
JAI SAI RAM