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Nine Forms of Devotion- Bhakthi- VANDANAM
VANDANAM
Vandanam is supreme ‘reverence’ or ‘prayer’ to the lord and is the sixth form of devotion. In this form of devotion a devotee begins to see his favorite form of the Lord everywhere and in all beings and objects.
Vandanam is an intensely personal process and it may also be the most universal form of bhakti, through universal prayers that make up the traditions of the different religions and cultures of the world, creating our most ancient ties and our most common language- the language of a sincere prayer to the Supreme.
There are various forms of prayers – simple prayers of gratitude, prayers for the welfare of loved ones, prayers for speedy recovery of ill health and of course, prayers for some coveted desires to be fulfilled.
Chaturvidhaa bhajante maam janaah sukritino’rjuna Aarto jijnaasurartharthee jnaanee cha bharatarshabh Teshaam jnaanee nityayukta eka bhaktirvishishyate Priyo hi jnaanino’tyarthamaham sa cha mama priyah (Bhagavad Gita chapter 7.16,7.17)
“Four kinds of virtuous men worship Me, O Arjuna! They are the distressed, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the wise, O lord of the Bharatas! Of them, the wise, ever steadfast and devoted to the One, excels (is the best); for, I am exceedingly dear to the wise and he is dear to Me.”
Through sincere prayers, great personalities like Akrura have realized the Supreme.
Akrura’s prayers are explained in detail in Srimad Bhagavatham 10th canto; one of which is given below: “O son of Vasudeva [Krishna], obeisance to You, within whom all living beings reside. O Supreme of the mind and senses, again I offer You my obeisance. O master, please protect me, who has surrendered unto You.”—Akrura (Srimad Bhagavatham 10.40.30)
Akrura, the uncle of lord Krishna was one of the courtiers of Kamsa who was sent as a messenger to invite Krishna to Mathura to be killed. Akrura considered this as the greatest of opportunities to meet Lord Krishna and was immersed in so much longing and devotion to meet Him in Vrindavan.
As soon as he reached Vrindavan, when he saw the Lord’s footprints, he immediately jumped down from his chariot and saluted the sacred soil. His heart was filled with deep satisfaction even to see the footprints and prayed sincerely to the Lord, free from all kinds of fear and grief that was instigated by Kamsa. Thus he attained the lord through this form of devotion – vandanam.
Another great example is that of queen Kunti in the Mahabharata. Her prayer to Lord Krishna was: namasye purusham tvadyam ishwaram prakriteh param alakshyam sarva bhutanam antar bahir avasthitam ( Srimad Bhagavatham 1.8.18)
“O Krishna, I offer my obeisance unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all.” The Pandavas and queen Kunti were fortunate to be associated with Lord Krishna, who helped them endure death and separation of loved ones, financial ruin, and even humiliation.
After the Kurukshetra war, when finally the trials of the Pandavas came to an end, Krishna prepared to leave. Kunti prayed to Him thus: “Oh Krishna let our sufferings come again, for when we see them, we see You, and then our birth and death are through.” Later she prayed, “Please cut the ropes of my attachment to my family so my love can flow to You alone, like the Ganges to the sea”. Most of us would be reluctant to offer such prayers, but not the fearless Queen Kunti!
The significance of this form of devotion is that it is not just for humans to practice, but even animals and other beings can offer this form of devotion to attain the Lord. The best example of an animal that attained the Lord through vandanam is Gajendra, the elephant king who, once, while bathing in a river was suddenly encountered by a ferocious crocodile. The crocodile caught Gajendra’s leg in his mighty jaws, and despite Gajendra’s own massive power and the assistance of his elephant herd, he was unable to free himself. As Gajendra saw his death approaching, he realized that no one could truly save him except the Supreme. From deep within the elephant’s being arose the words to a prayer learnt in a former life, and he sang it out with devotion. Moved by the pure-hearted song of surrender, Krishna appeared and killed the crocodile and Gajendra attained moksha.
Thus prayer is a reflection of our spiritual realization and our unique relationship with God. Prayer is everything from our most intimate conversations with the lord in our hearts to the universal expressions of praise and gratitude echoing through time. It is not a language of words, but a language of heart. Beautiful prayers uttered with no feelings mean nothing to the Supreme. The beauty of a prayer, however articulated, lies in its sincerity.
Find your own most beautiful prayers, and offer them with courage.
“O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krishna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.”
—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
“O Lord Mukunda [Krishna], I bow down my head to Your Lordship and respect-fully ask You to fulfill this one desire of mine: that in each of my future births I will, by Your Lordship’s mercy, always remember and never forget Your lotus feet.”
—King Kulashekhara
“O Krishna, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all.”
—Srimati Kunti Devi
“O all-powerful one, I desire no boon other than service to Your lotus feet, the boon most eagerly sought by those free of material desire. O Hari [Krishna], what enlightened person who worships You, the giver of liberation, would choose a boon that causes his own bondage?”
—King Mucukunda
“O my Lord, persons who smell the aroma of Your lotus feet, carried by the air of Vedic sound through the holes of the ears, accept Your devotional service. For them You are never separated from the lotus of their hearts.”
—Lord Brahma
“O son of Vasudeva [Krsna], obeisances to You, within whom all living beings reside. O Lord of the mind and senses, again I offer You my obeisances. O master, please protect me, who am surrendered unto You.”
—Akrura
Sources: vandanam—turning-prayer
divyapracharam.wordpress
This post is for sharing knowledge only, no intention to violate any copy rights
VANDANAM
Vandanam is supreme ‘reverence’ or ‘prayer’ to the lord and is the sixth form of devotion. In this form of devotion a devotee begins to see his favorite form of the Lord everywhere and in all beings and objects.
Vandanam is an intensely personal process and it may also be the most universal form of bhakti, through universal prayers that make up the traditions of the different religions and cultures of the world, creating our most ancient ties and our most common language- the language of a sincere prayer to the Supreme.
There are various forms of prayers – simple prayers of gratitude, prayers for the welfare of loved ones, prayers for speedy recovery of ill health and of course, prayers for some coveted desires to be fulfilled.
Chaturvidhaa bhajante maam janaah sukritino’rjuna Aarto jijnaasurartharthee jnaanee cha bharatarshabh Teshaam jnaanee nityayukta eka bhaktirvishishyate Priyo hi jnaanino’tyarthamaham sa cha mama priyah (Bhagavad Gita chapter 7.16,7.17)
“Four kinds of virtuous men worship Me, O Arjuna! They are the distressed, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the wise, O lord of the Bharatas! Of them, the wise, ever steadfast and devoted to the One, excels (is the best); for, I am exceedingly dear to the wise and he is dear to Me.”
Through sincere prayers, great personalities like Akrura have realized the Supreme.
Akrura’s prayers are explained in detail in Srimad Bhagavatham 10th canto; one of which is given below: “O son of Vasudeva [Krishna], obeisance to You, within whom all living beings reside. O Supreme of the mind and senses, again I offer You my obeisance. O master, please protect me, who has surrendered unto You.”—Akrura (Srimad Bhagavatham 10.40.30)
Akrura, the uncle of lord Krishna was one of the courtiers of Kamsa who was sent as a messenger to invite Krishna to Mathura to be killed. Akrura considered this as the greatest of opportunities to meet Lord Krishna and was immersed in so much longing and devotion to meet Him in Vrindavan.
As soon as he reached Vrindavan, when he saw the Lord’s footprints, he immediately jumped down from his chariot and saluted the sacred soil. His heart was filled with deep satisfaction even to see the footprints and prayed sincerely to the Lord, free from all kinds of fear and grief that was instigated by Kamsa. Thus he attained the lord through this form of devotion – vandanam.
Another great example is that of queen Kunti in the Mahabharata. Her prayer to Lord Krishna was: namasye purusham tvadyam ishwaram prakriteh param alakshyam sarva bhutanam antar bahir avasthitam ( Srimad Bhagavatham 1.8.18)
“O Krishna, I offer my obeisance unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all.” The Pandavas and queen Kunti were fortunate to be associated with Lord Krishna, who helped them endure death and separation of loved ones, financial ruin, and even humiliation.
After the Kurukshetra war, when finally the trials of the Pandavas came to an end, Krishna prepared to leave. Kunti prayed to Him thus: “Oh Krishna let our sufferings come again, for when we see them, we see You, and then our birth and death are through.” Later she prayed, “Please cut the ropes of my attachment to my family so my love can flow to You alone, like the Ganges to the sea”. Most of us would be reluctant to offer such prayers, but not the fearless Queen Kunti!
The significance of this form of devotion is that it is not just for humans to practice, but even animals and other beings can offer this form of devotion to attain the Lord. The best example of an animal that attained the Lord through vandanam is Gajendra, the elephant king who, once, while bathing in a river was suddenly encountered by a ferocious crocodile. The crocodile caught Gajendra’s leg in his mighty jaws, and despite Gajendra’s own massive power and the assistance of his elephant herd, he was unable to free himself. As Gajendra saw his death approaching, he realized that no one could truly save him except the Supreme. From deep within the elephant’s being arose the words to a prayer learnt in a former life, and he sang it out with devotion. Moved by the pure-hearted song of surrender, Krishna appeared and killed the crocodile and Gajendra attained moksha.
Thus prayer is a reflection of our spiritual realization and our unique relationship with God. Prayer is everything from our most intimate conversations with the lord in our hearts to the universal expressions of praise and gratitude echoing through time. It is not a language of words, but a language of heart. Beautiful prayers uttered with no feelings mean nothing to the Supreme. The beauty of a prayer, however articulated, lies in its sincerity.
Find your own most beautiful prayers, and offer them with courage.
“O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krishna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.”
—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
“O Lord Mukunda [Krishna], I bow down my head to Your Lordship and respect-fully ask You to fulfill this one desire of mine: that in each of my future births I will, by Your Lordship’s mercy, always remember and never forget Your lotus feet.”
—King Kulashekhara
“O Krishna, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all.”
—Srimati Kunti Devi
“O all-powerful one, I desire no boon other than service to Your lotus feet, the boon most eagerly sought by those free of material desire. O Hari [Krishna], what enlightened person who worships You, the giver of liberation, would choose a boon that causes his own bondage?”
—King Mucukunda
“O my Lord, persons who smell the aroma of Your lotus feet, carried by the air of Vedic sound through the holes of the ears, accept Your devotional service. For them You are never separated from the lotus of their hearts.”
—Lord Brahma
“O son of Vasudeva [Krsna], obeisances to You, within whom all living beings reside. O Lord of the mind and senses, again I offer You my obeisances. O master, please protect me, who am surrendered unto You.”
—Akrura
Sources: vandanam—turning-prayer
divyapracharam.wordpress
This post is for sharing knowledge only, no intention to violate any copy rights