All posts in this series
- Bhagavan’s Name & Form
- Worshipping Name & Form
- Power of Bhagavan’s Name & Form
- Thirty-Three Crore Deities
- Clash of Interest Between Deities
- Recognizing our Ishta Devata
Pujyapad Puri Shankaracharyaji explained why we need to worship Bhagavan in name and form, to start with. In this article, he gives examples to highlight the power of name and form. This is something to pay great attention to, particularly for those seeking spiritual growth.
Power of Bhagavan’s form
The great Bhishma pitamaha was proceeding to let go of his body, as per his will.
Bhagavan Sri Krishna said,”Pandava’s, your Pitamaha is about to leave his body. Let us go and have his darshana.”
There was a break in the course of the war since Bhishma pitamaha was the relation of both Kauravas and Pandavas.
When Bhishmaji got to know that Bhagavan Krishna has arrived, he said, “Parbhu, good that you gave darshana as I am lying on the bed of arrows. Please, keep standing before my eyes. I wish to leave my body, seeing your sweet form, having darshana of your divine appearance.”
Bhagavan Sri Krishna responded, “As you command.”
Soaking in the divine form of Bhagavan through his sight, Bhishmaji finally left his body.
The story highlights how important the divine form of Bhagavan is. Even the great Bhishma pitamaha wished to let go of his mortal body, witnessing the form of Bhagavan Sri Krishna
Power of Bhagavan’s name
The name Bhagavan contains incredible power. Pujyapad Puri Shankaracharyaji states an example to explain this in simple terms.
When a person is in deep sleep, and we call out his name, he wakes up. The question arises, does the person wake up on hearing his name or he hears his name after waking up? If he wakes up on hearing his name, he was not asleep in the first place, and if he hears the name after waking up the name cannot be that which woke him up.
The answer is that the sleeping person wakes up on listening to his name being called. The name of the person, no matter what it is, has so much power that it can wake him up from deep slumber.
Now imagine, if an ordinary worldly name has such power, what would the power of the divine name of Bhagavan as Rama, Krishna, etc, be?
In the Brahmasutra it is described how, on remembering the vedic word “Bhu”, prithvi (earth) is created by Bhagavan. This is how creation is manifested by Bhagavan.
It is impossible to engage in the world or know anything without words. We cannot do any thinking, remembrance, decision making, etc., without words.