[GHHF] Bhajan Groups from Madanapalli Division sang Hari Nama Sankirtanalu in TTD’s Asthana Mandapam – a rare privilege for three of our Bhajana Mandals.

17 Jul 2023 756 Views

“If you sing alone in your shrine, the vibrations return to you as a reaction. But in community singing, what you have is not a reaction but a wave of vibrations. They enter into the atmosphere and purify the polluted air.”  (Sathya Sai Baba)

Global Hindu Heritage Foundation in Madanapalli Division has been engaged in organizing Bhajan Mandals. Sri Gopal, one of our Pracharak, is an expert Hari Nama Sankirtan teacher. It is the aim of GHHF to instill pride in our traditions and customs. One such unique feature of Sanatana Dharma is to extol the virtues of the Lord. Madanapalli village is closed to Tirupati, many of the villagers sing songs on Sri Venkateswara.  Sri Gopal went to several villages and created 25 Bhajan Mandals. Out of which, three Bhajan Mandals were selected based on their talent of singing. These three Bhajan Mandals were taken to Tirumala and sang in Ashtana Mandapam. All the stalwars are given permission to sing on that stage. The fact that our three groups were allowed to sing in Ashtana Mandapam is a rare privilege.
    These three Mandal members were taken on Bus where they were chanting Hari bhajans as they travel to Tirumala. Following Akhanda nama sankirtans, they were taken to the Temple and darshan was arranged for our Bhajan Mandal members. 
Why Hari Nama Sankirtanalu are important?
As per Sankrit verse: 
Devotion is the basis to attain knowledge of the Supreme Being.
Devotion is the panacea to get rid of the disease of birth and death.
Devotion leads to the knowledge of eternal truth and confers liberation,
which is the ultimate goal of life. (Sanskrit Verse)
People follow various paths of bhakti (devotion) to attain the grace of God. What is meant by bhakti? It is derived from the root ‘bhaj’, which means seva (selfless service). It signifies the principle of love. ‘Bhaj’ has many other meanings.
Chanting Divine Names Gives Eternal Bliss
Devotees have been singing the glories of God in four ways: guna gana, geela gana, bhava gana, and nama gana (singing about divine attributes, deeds, thoughts, and names of God).
God is gunateeta (attributeless) and bhavateeta (beyond thoughts). By extolling the attributes of the Attributeless One, you cannot derive complete satisfaction. It is mere delusion to think that you can please God by extolling His attributes. The satisfaction that you derive out of guna sankirtan (singing about God’s attributes) is only temporary. Truly speaking, God has no attributes.
Many devotees extol the attributes of God in this manner:
Oh the Lord of the universe!
You are dear to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.
You confer auspiciousness on those who take refuge in You.
You recline on the serpent Adi Sesha and are the embodiment of wealth and bliss.
Please destroy my worldly bondages and grant me eternal happiness.
(Telugu Song)
People extol God as Sesha Sayana, Srinivasa (in whose heart Lakshmi resides), Chidvilasa (abode of bliss). Who is Srinivasa? Who is Chidvilasa? Does it not amount to extolling His attributes? Devotees who extol the attributes of the Lord in this manner can derive only temporary satisfaction.
Similarly, many devotees like Jayadeva and Gauranga sang the leelas (plays) of the Lord. Jayadeva, Gauranga, Mira, and Sakkubai tried to derive satisfaction by singing the divine leelas, but ultimately they realised that the entire world is the leela of the Lord. Creation itself is His Leela. Then how can you separate only a few acts of God as His leelas? Having realised this truth, they started performing nama sankirtan and experienced bliss. Nama sankirtan is the highest form of devotion, which can lead man to the ultimate goal of life. Mira craved for the vision of Krishna’s blissful form in this manner:
Dear One! Come and bless me with Thy vision.
Without thee, oh Krishna, I cannot be.
I have no hunger during the day and no sleep at night.
What can I say when the words do not come out of my mouth?
Come, oh Lord, and soothe this burning heart. (Hindi Song)
Ultimately, Mira realised that day is Krishna, night is Krishna, and everything is Krishna. He is time itself. Everything is His Divine Leela. Having realised this truth, Mira considered Krishna as her Hridayavasi (indweller of her heart). She said, “Oh Krishna, my heart is Your temple.” Nany devotees are lost in the thoughts of God. They sing:
Oh Lord, Your face is as beautiful as the moon and Your Lotus Feet are worshipped by all the gods.
You are dear to goddess Lakshmi. Wherever I look, I find You only. You are there even in lanes and bylanes.
I see You as the indweller of everyone and as the embodiment of bliss.
You bestow auspiciousness on those who take refuge in You.
Oh Govinda, the bestower of eternal bliss, come quickly and save me. (Telugu Song) (Source: https://saispeaks.sathyasai.org/)
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