Vishnusmaranam is the third step on the 9 fold path of devotion. Vishnu refers to the Lord and Smaranam means remembering, so Vishnusmaranam means “Remembering the Lord”. The first step is listening to the glories of the Lord, for that is how one comes to know the Lord, the second step is singing and glorifying His name and the third step is remembering the Lord, His glories and His teachings.

How does one do that? Very often we are not able to retain what we hear. In the early days, after hearing an inspiring talk, when asked how the talk was I could only say “Oh! It was beautiful, wonderful, inspiring.” Not a word beyond that. The mind was like a strainer, full of holes from which all new information passed out. Unfortunately, this appears to be a problem for many. So how shall we stop this from happening?

Swami says that what is heard is retained only if one contemplates on it. Remembrance, contemplation, and reflection fills the holes in our mind. The more one does it the more one remembers. It is only contemplation that makes Shravanam (listening) complete.

King Parikshit heard the wonderful glories of the Lord from Sukdevji, and when the latter finished talking for the day the king put all his mind into the bliss of remembrance. It was his contemplation on the glories of the Lord which made his Shravanam complete. It was his contemplation that immersed his mind in the Lord and helped him remember all that he had heard.

One may ask: Why should one remember the Lord? How should one remember the Lord? When should one remember the Lord?

There is an ancient story of Alladin and the genie. Once upon a time there was a young boy named Alladin. One day he was doing some digging in his garden when he came across an object buried in the ground. When he took it out, he found it was an old lamp. It was covered with mud so he wiped it clean with a cloth. As he rubbed it, smoke started coming out of lamp and out of the smoke emerged a genie. The genie said to Alladin “Master, I was trapped under the ground in that lamp for hundreds of years and today you have set me free. To show my gratitude, I am willing to work as your servant forever. But I have one condition, you must always keep me busy with some work. If I am idle even for a moment, I will eat you up.”

Alladin was happy to get a life-long servant and so he agreed immediately. His first command to the genie was for a big mansion to live in. The genie snapped his fingers and the mansion was ready. Alladin was extremely surprised because he thought a mansion would keep the genie occupied for at least two to three years. He quickly ordered the genie to build a beautiful garden around the mansion. Again, the giant snapped his fingers and a beautiful garden appeared around the mansion.

Now Alladin started to worry, he asked the genie for many more things and the genie produced all of them in a flash. Alladin was really worried for his life now as he was running out of things to ask for. Suddenly, an idea came to him. He asked the genie to build a tall tower. The genie did so. Then he said to the genie, “Keep climbing up and down this tower unless I ask you to do something else.” In this way Alladin was able to save his life and get the benefit of the genie’s miraculous abilities.

The genie in the story represents the mind. The mind is very powerful and capable of fulfilling all our wants and desires. However, like the genie, the mind is also dangerous and if left uncontrolled it can destroy us. Such a mind is the devil’s workshop. Swami says: “Mind is both the instrument of bondage and liberation.”

The tower in the story represents the foundation (remembrance of the Lord) that the mind can dwell on when it is idle. In almost all spiritual traditions, this ‘tower’ is usually a Holy Name, or as is said in Sanskrit, a mantram. Chanting a mantram is the same as remembering Him.

The word mantram has two components: “Man” means mind and “Tri” means to cross. So, that which enables us to cross the ocean of the mind is a mantram. The mantram is the living symbol of the Lord. When we repeat the mantram in our mind, we remind ourselves of the Supreme Reality who lives in our hearts. The more we chant the mantram, the deeper it sinks into our consciousness. As it goes deeper, it strengthens our will, heals the old divisions in our conscious mind that cause us conflict and turmoil, and gives us access to deeper resources of strength, patience and love.

Mahatma Gandhi once said: “The mantram becomes one’s staff of life and carries one through every ordeal. It is repeated not for the sake of repetition but for the sake of purification. Each repetition has a new meaning and carries you nearer and nearer to the Lord.”

One might ask how the mere repetition of God’s name brings us closer to Him? Words are very powerful and this can be illustrated with a brief story. A young man was visiting his girlfriend, and for some reason they ended up having a big argument. The girl became very angry and told the young man that she did not want to see him again, and she pushed him out of the door.

The poor man was heartbroken. He stood waiting at the sidewalk, wondering what to do. Suddenly, he had an idea. He started calling her name, “Maria, Maria”. He shouted it louder and louder, and soon the whole block was echoing with “Maria, Maria, Maria”. Passers-by started gathering, the neighbours started coming out of their houses to see what was going on, and even the dogs started howling. Finally, Maria opened a window and told him, “All right, I’m coming down!”

If even ordinary words have such power, imagine how much power lies concealed in Holy Names? Sincere and systematic remembrance of the Lord’s Name, His form, His glories and His teachings will definitely draw His attention towards us and bring His power to play in our own lives. This kind of remembrance purifies the mind of the seeker. The Lord is all purity and when the seeker comes into contact with the Lord by remembering Him, he purifies his own mind. A little bit of that purity rubs off on us.

How can we choose a mantram?

Mantrams are of two types: Those that invoke the personal aspect of the Divine and those that invoke the impersonal aspect, i.e. the formless. Most beginners do not respond deeply to the impersonal aspect of the Divine. How many of us would like to have an impersonal husband or a transcendental wife?

Most of us need and want a personal incarnation, a figure we can visualise, hear stories about, love, and look up to as a role model. In this case, we can choose a mantra related to the various incarnations of the Lord, such as Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Durga, Kali, Christ, Buddha and Sai.

One should choose the mantram that one responds to most deeply, and once that is done it should not be changed. If one keeps changing one’s mantram, it will not have a chance to take root inside one’s consciousness.

How should we chant the mantram?

One should repeat it understanding its meaning and significance, and use every opportunity in the day for repeating it more. Constant repetition is required for the mantram to sink deep into our consciousness. It may sound tedious but it is not! Nothing is tedious for the one who loves. When you love someone, remembrance of the loved one is quite natural. In fact the loved one is always on one’s mind. For example parents are always thinking of their children in everything they do. The mantram soon becomes a friend who we never grow tired of.

There are three modes of chanting the mantram: first, repeat it audibly, second, recite it with the lips and mouth silently, and third, recite it in the mind silently. The mantram is most effective when it is said silently in the mind with as much feeling and concentration as possible. But it helps one to get started when it is said aloud initially.

The common complaint is that one is too busy to meditate or worship regularly. But the best part about chanting is that there is no need to have a set time for it! One can simply repeat it whenever and where ever possible! If one gets five minutes waiting for the bus, or standing in a queue at the bank or the supermarket, one can use the time to chant the mantram. While traveling to school or work one can silently repeat the Lord’s Name. The little waits and delays that life is so full of are all opportunities to repeat the mantram! At the end of the day, all these minutes add up!

If we are feeling stressed and tired, taking a short mantram break can refresh and energise us. When we are sick and suffering, and have to stay at home or in a hospital, we can use the mantram to take our mind off the sickness! This will also speed up our recovery dramatically!

We can also repeat the mantram while doing simple mechanical tasks like washing dishes, cleaning our homes, cooking, etc. Many people these days have difficulty falling asleep at night, if so one can chant the mantram! If one is anxious and nervous before an examination, interview or presentation, one can use the power of the mantram to distract one’s mind from needless worrying.

In the Bhagawad Gita, Lord Krishna says, “Whoever at the end of his life gives up his body remembering Me alone, merges with me. Of this there is no doubt.” But it is not so easy to repeat the mantram at the time of death unless we have done it all our lives.

We do not know when we will die. Death might creep up quietly and quickly. It might catch one unawares as it does not always give notice of its impending arrival. If one develops a habit of remembering Him all the time then we are safe. Swami says that what we do all our lives will come to us at the last moment. If we have lived a life full of attachment to the world then that is what will come to the mind in the last moment. If one has remembered the Lord in and through everything that has passed, it is the Lord that will come to one’s mind. The choice is ours and whatever one thinks in the last moment is where one goes.

Remembering the Lord by repeating His Name is a simple, free and practical exercise! One does not need a special time or place or qualification to do it. Perhaps we lack the faith that it can cure and save us from all difficulties. Swami says “The constant recital of the name of the God – by any one of the million names by which He is identified is the best way of correcting and cleansing the mind of man.”

This remembrance of the Lord will grow as one’s love for Him grows, for one does not need to remind oneself to think of a person one cares about. The mind automatically runs to that person whom one loves and cares about. The more one loves Him the more one will remember Him. And the more one remembers Him the more one will love Him.

I pray that we are all able to come closer to our beloved Lord Sai through this simple and beautiful form of devotion.

JAI SAI RAM