Nama Mahima

By Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has repeatedly emphasised that Namasmarana is the best exercise to reinforce Prema (supreme love) towards God. Bhagawan Baba explains further, "When the Name of the Lord is remembered with all the glory that is associated with it, a great flood of Ananda (Bliss) wells up in the mind. It is so easy in this Kali age to win the grace of the Lord."

Bhagawan has dwelt at length on Namasmarana and Nama Sankirtan as a spiritual Sadhana for the devotees, in His various discourses, right from the early years of His Avatarhood. Nama Mahima is a compilation of Swami's message to the devotees, dedicated at the Lotus Feet of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
• Release date: Oct 30, 2013
• ISBN: 9789350691496

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Sri Sathya Sai Baba was born as Sathyanarayana Raju on November 23rd, 1926 in the village of Puttaparthi, in the state of Andhra Pradesh in South India. Even as a child, His spiritual inclination and contemplative nature set Him apart from other children of His age, and He was known as 'Guru' and "Brahmajnani' among His peers and others in the village. On October 20th, 1940, He made the historic declaration of His Avatarhood and the world at large learnt of this divine phenomenon. Today, millions of devotees worship Him as an 'Avatar' and an incarnation of the Sai Baba of Shirdi.Revealing the purpose of His Advent, Sai Baba has said that He has come to re-establish the rhythm of righteousness in the world and repair the ancient highway to God, which over the years has systematically deteriorated.Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is an integral manifestation who combines two very significant roles. Firstly, He is a great spiritual Master, famed for His simple and sweet exposition of the greatest and most intricate of spiritual truths which form the fundamental teachings of all the religions of the world. His formula for man to lead a meaningful life is the five-fold path of Sathya, Dharma, Shanthi, Prema, and Ahimsa. Love for God, fear of sin and morality in society - these are His prescriptions for our ailing world.Secondly, He is an inexhaustible reservoir of pure love. His numerous service projects, be it free hospitals, free schools and colleges, free drinking water supply or free housing projects, all stand testimony to His selfless love and compassion for the needy and less privileged. True to His declaration - "My Life is My Message", He has inspired and continues to inspire millions of His devotees worldwide by His personal example to live the ideal that service to man is service to God.Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is a beacon of hope in the world. A devotee said, "Bhagawan Baba is nothing but Love walking on two feet."

Book preview

Nama Mahima

The Glory Of The Divine Name

A compilation based on the Divine Life and Teachings of

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

By

Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust,

Publications Division

Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Publications Division

Prasanthi Nilayam - 515 134

Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, INDIA

STD: 08555 ISD: 91-8555 Phone: 287375 Fax: 287236

E-mail: [e-mail]

Website: www.srisathyasaipublications.org, www.sanathanasarathi.org, www.saireflections.org

© Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Publications Division; All rights reserved.

The copyright and the rights of translation in any language are reserved by the Publishers. No part, passage, text or photograph or artwork of this book should be reproduced, transmitted or utilised, in original language or by translation, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo copying, recording or by any information, storage and retrieval system without with the express and prior permission, in writing from the Convener, Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Publications Division, Prasanthi Nilayam, Andhra Pradesh India - Pin Code 515134, except for brief passages quoted in book review.

This ebook is commercially licensed for you only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

First Edition: 29th October, 2013 (29/10/2013)

ISBN: 978-93-5069-149-6

Paperback ISBN: 978-93-5069-014-7

Published By

The Convener,

Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Publications Division

Prasanthi Nilayam, India, Pin Code – 515134

STD : 08555 ISD: 91-8555 Phone: 287375 Fax: 287236

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Publisher’s Note

Sri Adisankara in his famous Viveka Chudamani has declared "Mokshakarana Samagryam Bhakthireva Gariyasi" (Among the different paths for attaining Moksha (Liberation), Bhakti (Devotion) is superior. Dwelling on the concept of Bhakti, the celestial sage Narada in his Bhakti Suthras has explained Saa Thwasmin Parama Prema Rupa (Bhakti is supreme love towards God). And Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in present times, has repeatedly emphasized that Namasmarana is the best exercise to reinforce Prema (that supreme love) towards God. Bhagawan Baba explains further, the efficacy of Namasmarana as a means of Liberation (Moksha) thus:

"The present age is described in the Sastras as very conducive to liberation: for, while in past ages, rigorous penance was prescribed as the means, the Kali age in which you are, Namasmarana alone is enough to win liberation. When the Name of the Lord is remembered with all the glory that is associated with it, a great flood of Ananda (Bliss) wells up in the mind. It is so easy in this Kali age to win the grace of the Lord."

Bhagawan has dwelt at length on Namasmarana and Nama Sankirthan as a spiritual Sadhana for the devotees, in His various discourses right from the early years of His Avatarhood. Here is a compilation of Swami’s message to the devotees, entitled NAMA MAHIMA (the glory of the Divine Name), dedicated to the Lotus Feet of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

It is hoped that this humble offering will help the devotees in their spiritual Sadhana to reach their goal.

Convener

Prasanthi Nilayam

Dated: 20th August, 2004

Publications Division

Contents

Ch.1 – Glorify The Lord’s Name

Ch.2 – The Power Of The Lord’s Name

Ch.3 – Namasmarana – The Easiest and Surest Way To Reach God

Ch.4 – Namasmarana – Its Meaning And Importance

Ch.5 – Namasmarana – The Proper Way

Ch.6 – Namasmarana – Its Salutary Effects

Ch.7 – Namasmarana – Examples Set By Puranic Personalities And Saints

Ch.8 – Bhagawan Himself Leading The Way In Namasmarana

Ch.9 – Guidelines Given By Bhagawan For Conducting Bhajans

Chapter 1

Glorify The Lord’s Name

"Sweeter than the sweetness of sugar

Tastier than the taste of the cream of curd

Sweeter and tastier than the ripened honey

The more you chant the more is the taste

It is Divine Nectar verily

Chant that Divine Name of Rama daily"

- Baba

Embodiments of Love!

Only when we realise the preciousness of the diamond, will we take care to safeguard it. Likewise, only when we are aware of the value of chanting the Lord’s name, will we make the effort to practise it and benefit from it.

Devotees recite or sing the names of the Lord in two ways. One is keerthanam and the other is sankeerthanam. Keerthanam is done individually and benefits only the devotee concerned. Sankeerthanam is done collectively for the good of the world as a whole.

Keerthanam is of various kinds. First is Guna keerthana – praising the qualities and attributes of God through song. Second is Bhava keerthana - expressing the inner feelings and emotions of the devotee. Reflecting the feelings of peace, companionship, yearning, filial love or sweetness experienced by the devotee, these songs give vent to the emotional outpourings of the devotee. The third is Leela sankeerthanam - praising in song the sports and Divine play of the Lord. This is done through singing of the Ashtapadi (of Jayadeva) or describing the sports and miraculous deeds of the Lord. The Rasakreeda is also in this category. The fourth is Namasankeerthanam - singing the names of Lord. This is the most efficacious of all forms of devotional singing. But, in actual practice the devotees derive joy from singing all types of devotional songs.

Special Significance Of Nama Sankeerthana

What is the special significance of Nama-sankeerthana – singing the names of the Lord? "Nama" is made up of three letters: Na aa, ma. All music is based on the seven swaras - the seven notes. According to the science of numerology the letters "Na, aa," and "ma" have the numerical values 0, 2 and 5 making up seven in all. The seven notes are sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, da, ni. The Gopikas made use of these