BANGALORE: “To worship the Supreme Lord with devotion is the greatest among all Dharmas.” This was the reply of Bhisma. In Sri Sankara's commentary on the above verse of Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam, we find the following points. Performance of Karmas involves adherence to many Vedic injunctions, whereas worshiping the Lord does not involve such injunctions. There might occur many lapses while performing Karmas.
Avidhinaa kruthamkurtham The Sastra say that improper performance of Karmas is equal to their non-performance. However, this is not the case with the Bhakti Marga. Therefore, Bhakti Marga is considered the simplest of the paths to liberation.
All the limbs of our body are for the purpose of divine worship only.
Saa rasanaa thay nayane'
thaave'va karau sa eva kruthakurthyah |
Yaa ye yo yav bhargam
vadatheekshethay sadaarchatah smarathi ||
Our tongue will attain purity only if it chants the divine names. It cannot become pure by talking about a thousand other issues. Our eyes get their purity only by beholding the bewitching form of Ishwara in temples and not by other sights. Our hands are for the purpose of performing Puja to Ishwara. If they do not perform worship, they are not to be called 'hands' . Likewise, our mind should ever contemplate on the lotus feet of Bhagavan. If all the above organs are used by a person for the purpose of divine worship, he is indeed the most fortunate one.
Sri Sankara Bhagavatpadal wrote in one another hymn:
Narayana karunamaya sharanam karavaani thaavakau charanau |
Ithi Shatpadee madeeye vadanasaroje sadha vasathu //
“O, Narayana, Compassionate One, Your feet are my refuge. Let my tongue always repeat these six words.”
The six words are:
Narayana karunamaya sharanam karavaani thaavakau charanau
with verses like the one mentioned above, our ancients have shown us the essence of Bhakti.
Another interesting verse is:
vane' charaamo vasu chaaharaamo
nadeestharaamo na bhayam smaraamah |
Itheerayantho vipine kiraathaa
Mukthim gathaa raamapadaanushangaath ||
The verse is said to have been recited by some hunters in a forest. The meaning of the verse is:
Vane' charaamah : We wander in the forest
Vasu chaaharaamah : We bring money
Nadeestharaamah : We cross rivers
Na bhayam smaramah : We know no fear
We can see that each of the quarters in the original verse contains the word “Rama”. It is said that the hunters attained liberation even as they unknowingly uttered the name 'Rama' four times. I mentioned this merely to highlight the potency of chanting the divine names. Therefore, we must follow the footsteps of our ancestors and attain divine grace.