As such, narayanaya can be interpreted as the “direction of a human” or that which helps an individual toward their goal of self-realization. Alternatively, nara can also mean “living entities,” so narayanaya may refer to the “resting place of all living entities.”Īnother commonly cited translation of nara is human, whilst anaya can be understood as “direction” or “goal”. This is reflected in the Tarasara Upanishad, which states that those who practice this mantra will reach Vaikuntha, the abode of Vishnu. Om namo narayanaya can therefore be understood as a reverent and respectful means of unifying individual and universal consciousness.Īnother interpretation of narayanaya comes from its Sanskrit roots nara, meaning “water” and anaya meaning “resting place” or “shelter.” Narayanaya may thus be representative of the Hindu god, Vishnu, whose resting place is water. Narayanaya has more complex roots and interpretations but is believed to be symbolic of Brahman or the inner self. Namo represents the nature of prakriti, and can be translated from Sanskrit as “to bow to” or “to pay homage to”. It is believed that this mantra revealed its significance and meaning to these Vedic seers through their penances, after which they shared it with seekers as a means of self-realization.Īccording to the Tarasara Upanishad, om is the divine sacred syllable that represents the nature of Atman, encompassing all universal energy and consciousness. A.C.In the Sama Veda, om namo narayanaya is said to have been taught by Vedic seers to the seekers who came to them for wisdom.Text and Image courtesy of Prabhupada Connection (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.18.8, Text and Purport) Any devotee aspiring to be free of material desires should offer his respectful prayers to Nṛsiṁhadeva as Prahlāda Mahārāja did in this verse. He was therefore the cause of great disturbance to the topmost devotee, Prahlāda Mahārāja, until Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva killed him. Thus Hiraṇyakaśipu was the perfect representative of materialistic life. Hiraṇya means “gold,” and kaśipu means “a soft cushion or bed.” Materialistic persons always desire to make the body comfortable, and for this they require huge amounts of gold. Therefore we should always offer our prayers to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, who killed Hiraṇyakaśipu, the personification of material desire. That is called pure devotional service.” Unless one is completely freed of all material desires, which are caused by the dense darkness of ignorance, one cannot fully engage in the devotional service of the Lord. “One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. Therefore Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī describes pure bhakti (devotional service) as follows: One cannot stop the repetition of birth and death without being completely desireless. For this purpose, the conditioned soul must accept one body after another, and thus his strongly fixed fruitive desires continue. Therefore you are advised to engage in the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva.”Įvery living being within this material world has a strong desire to enjoy matter to his fullest satisfaction. Because this is very difficult, the nondevotees-the jñānīs and yogīs-cannot stop the waves of sense gratification, although they try to do so. “Devotees always engaged in the service of the toes of the Lord’s lotus feet can very easily become free from hard-knotted desires for fruitive activities. Santaḥ tadvan na rikta-matayo yatayo ‘pi ruddha. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (SB 4.22.39) Sanat-kumāra speaks the following words to Mahārāja Pṛthu: Please appear in our hearts and drive away our ignorance so that by Your mercy we may become fearless in the struggle for existence in this material world. O my Lord who possesses nails and teeth just like thunderbolts, kindly vanquish our demonlike desires for fruitive activity in this material world. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, the source of all power. Grasa oṁ svāhā abhayam abhayam ātmani bhūyiṣṭhā oṁ kṣraum Vajra-nakha vajra-daṁṣṭra karmāśayān randhaya randhaya tamo grasa Oṁ namo bhagavate narasiṁhāya namas tejas-tejase āvir-āvirbhava In honor of the appearance day of Lord Nrsimha, we are posting a beautiful verse and purport from the Srimad Bhagavatam 5.18.8 glorifying the Lord and his devotees.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |