The Hindu : Potency of the Divine name

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 07, 2003

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Potency of the Divine name

CHENNAI APRIL 7 . The scriptures have prescribed rules and regulations for every person according to his station in life and by following them he will be able to conform to Dharma. In practice, while some diligently uphold these prescriptions many do not care to abide by it. In the case of those who advocate Dharma there are occasions when due to either reasons beyond their control or because of temptations they transgress ethical behaviour. As eternal damnation is not ordained in the scriptures, there is hope for even the worst sinner if he wants to change over a new leaf. In such cases there are prescribed remedial measures. A sure antidote to even the worst sin of a human being is the recitation of the Divine name. Saints who have realised God have attested to the potency of the Divine name through real life instances.

One such incident happened in the life of Bhodendra who was a leading saint in the devotional tradition, which practises chanting the Divine name as the means and the end of spiritual life. He happened to overhear during his peregrinations a householder enquiring from a scholar well versed in Dharma about the antidote for a heinous sin. He prescribed the Divine name, Rama, and when the purification rite was over the saint himself accepted hospitality from the couple thereby proving to the world that such corrective measures should be accepted in letter and in spirit.

In his discourse, Sengalipuram Sri Damodara Dikshitar said the instance of Ahalya restored to her pristine form when Lord Rama visited Sage Gautama's hermitage attested to His compassion towards wrongdoers. Among the incarnations of the Lord it was as Rama that He extended succour to even the worst offenders and promised that He would protect anyone who surrendered to Him. Ahalya's husband Gautama cursed her to remain invisible for her act of transgression till the Lord's benevolent grace would redeem her to her original form. When Rama visited the hermitage of Gautama at Sage Visvamitra's instance, Ahalya, who had practised austerities waiting for this moment, emerged before them and offered hospitality to the Lord along with her husband who also appeared then. The Lord gladly accepted it thereby proving that there is hope for anyone who repents for his misdeeds.

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