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Envisioning God

CHENNAI : The glory of the Supreme Being is infinite and even the Vedas do not have adequate words to describe His splendour. It is for this reason that the scriptures state that the Reality is beyond the ken of the senses and the mind. How then is it possible for man to contemplate on the Absolute in his meditations or visualise God during worship? The Lord Himself has out of compassion for His devotee described His magnificence during His incarnation as Krishna while teaching the truth to Arjuna in the battlefield — the Bhagavad Gita.

In his discourse, Sri Goda Venketeswara Sastri said the man of wisdom would be able to envision God anywhere as He is immanent in all. But in the initial stages of spiritual life, the seeker needs more concrete forms for visualising God. Lord Krishna has said, "Among the Sama hymns, I am the Brihatsaman (the Great Chant); among the Vedic metres, I am the Gayatri; among months, I am Margasirsa and among seasons, I am the flower-bearing spring."

A devotee can thus adopt the fundamental practice of chanting the Gayatri mantra to realise God. The greatness of this Mantra is due to it being the basis of all Mantras and its power to purify the mind of the practitioner. When good thoughts prevail, the individual's entire life will become blessed. If one analyses the basis of this practice it will become apparent that the mind is the reason for a person's success and also for him going astray. Gayatri can be likened to the seed of the banyan tree. Once the seed is sown, watered and cared for, it grows into a huge productive tree; similarly, initiation into this Mantra while young and chanting it regularly ensures that the mind becomes properly channelled.

Such a mind can then resist sensory distractions and desire for liberation takes root. The seeker then will spontaneously take to study of Vedanta and progress spiritually. This is a good example of how a simple spiritual practice when followed sincerely can lead to liberation from bondage within a single lifetime.

The month `Margasirsa' is considered best for chanting the Divine name, which is said to be the spiritual practice best suited to this Kali yuga; similarly the spring season is when nature is at its creative peak, and thus conducive for worship.

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