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Sing The Divine Name

चेतोदर्पणमार्जनं भवमहादावाग्निनिर्वापणं
श्रेयःकैरवचन्द्रिकावितरणं विद्यावधूजीवनम् ।
आनन्दाम्बुधिवर्द्धनं प्रतिपदं पूर्णामृतास्वादनं
सर्वात्मस्नपनं परं विजयते श्रीकृष्णसंकीर्तनम् ।।
– शिक्षाष्टकम् १ (चैतन्य महाप्रभु)

ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahādāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ
sreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyāvadhū-jivanam |
ānandāmbudhivarddhanaṁ pratipadaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvadanaṁ
sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate srīkṛṣṇa-saṁkīrtanam ||
– sikṣaṣṭakam 1 (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu)

Translation:

Supremely victorious is Sri-Krishna-sankeertanam (singing of Lord Sri Krishna’s name), which cleanses the mirror of the mind and extinguishes the forest conflagration of worldliness; which radiates auspiciousness like the white lotus radiating the cooling moonlight; which is the life-force of Knowledge the bride; which swells the ocean of bliss and with every word brings the full taste of immortality; which bathes all the souls and makes them divine.

Points for Introspection:

Life in this world is full of anxiety, tension and fear leading one to deep affliction and misery. The anxiety, fear etc. arise because of various desires and their non-fulfillment. Throughout the day, the mind remains mostly agitated. We do get joy through worldly interactions, but such joy disappears soon, leaving the mind tormented again. All the happiness that we derive from the objects and interactions in the world cannot make us happy everlastingly as all these are perishable and short-lived.

While carrying on with the worldly activities, fulfilling one’s duties and responsibilities, with every coveted possession that man acquires, he also gathers the burden of discontent and non-fulfillment. The mind becomes scorched with affliction, tormented by lack of hope and confidence.

Every human being seeks unbroken peace and bliss. In order to have everlasting peace and happiness, one must withdraw the mind from the distracting worldly objects and focus it at the holy lotus feet of the Supreme Universal Lord. That is why when we go to temples, or we worship the Lord in our own pooja-room chanting and singing His name, we feel relaxed and relieved as if all burden has been removed. As much we sing His holy name, so much our love for Him increases. Proportionately, the mind also withdraws from the world.

When the Lord’s name is repeated with lot of fondness and love, to the exclusion of all other worldly allurements and enjoyments, one is able to feel the presence of the Universal Lord in one’s own heart. As one sings, the mind and heart become full, eyes get filled with tears of joy and the voice gets choked with loving emotions. One feels completely secure and fearless as if one is in the mother’s lap.

This shloka highlights the effect of singing the glory of the Lord. Naamasankeertana (chanting the holy name) of Sri Krishna (or the Supreme Lord) cleanses the mirror of the mind. In a clean and polished mirror alone, we can see our face clearly. In a similar manner, for God to be revealed in one’s own within, the mind must be free of all impurities. When we chant God’s name fondly, relying on Him completely, His presence is felt within the heart. With the Lord’s presence in the heart, all evil thoughts die down.

By singing the divine name, the forest-fire of worldliness is completely extinguished. The more we sing, deeper becomes the love for God. As love for God deepens, attraction for worldliness recedes naturally.

By chanting the holy name, everything around becomes divine. Nothing seems non-divine any more. The mind, which was scorched by worldliness, becomes calm and cool by the singing of His name. As the cooling radiation from the moon makes the pure white lotus blossom and reflect the cooling rays all around, singing Lord’s name makes the inner lotus bloom and radiate purity and auspiciousness all around. As for a chaste woman, her husband is her life-force, so is the singing of the holy name of the Lord the life-force of the Supreme Knowledge (its bride).

When we chant the name of the Lord and find it growing tastier and tastier every moment, the mind gets flooded by the ocean of bliss. With every word and every step the mind becomes full with the taste of immortality. One feels as if he has had a complete dip in the nectar of infinitude.

Such is the glory of singing the name of the Lord. Every moment of our life should be made divine by chanting His holy name.

Word Meaning:

चेतोदर्पणमार्जनम् (ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ) = it cleanses the mirror of the mind; भवमहादावाग्निनिर्वापणम् (bhava-mahādāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ) = it extinguishes the forest fire of worldliness; श्रेयःकैरवचन्द्रिकावितरणम्(sreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ) = it radiates auspiciousness like the white lotus radiating the cooling moonlight; विद्यावधूजीवनम्(vidyāvadhū-jivanam) = it is the life force of Knowledge, its bride; आनन्दाम्बुधिवर्द्धनम् (ānandāmbudhi-varddhanaṁ) = it swells the ocean of bliss; प्रतिपदम् पूर्णामृतास्वादनम् (pratipadaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvadanaṁ) = with every word (at every step) it brings the full taste of immortality; सर्वात्मस्नपनम् (sarvātma-snapanaṁ) = it bathes all the souls; परम् विजयते (paraṁ vijayate) = is supremely victorious; श्रीकृष्णसंकीर्तनम् (srīkṛṣṇa-saṁkīrtanam) = singing the glory of ṣri Krishna.

अन्वयः

चेतोदर्पणमार्जनं, भवमहादावाग्निनिर्वापणं, श्रेयःकैरवचन्द्रिकावितरणं, विद्यावधूजीवनं, आनन्दाम्बुधिवर्द्धनं, प्रतिपदं पूर्णामृतास्वादनं, सर्वात्मस्नपनं श्रीकृष्णसंकीर्तनं परं विजयते ।

ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ, bhava-mahādāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ, sreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ, vidyāvadhū-jivanam, ānandāmbudhi-varddhanaṁ, pratipadaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvadanaṁ, sarvātma-snapanaṁ srīkṛṣṇa-saṁkīrtanam paraṁ vijayate.