Hearing And Chanting Are Helpful In The Kirtana Process The Most Important Thing Is To Remember God
सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां यतन्तश्च दृढव्रता: |
नमस्यन्तश्च मां भक्त्या नित्ययुक्ता उपासते || 9.14||
satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaśh cha dṛiḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaśh cha māṁ bhaktyā nitya-yuktā upāsate|| 9.14||
Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 9- Ver. 14:
They are always engaged in my worship, continually glorifying me with steadfast effort and devotedly worshipping me.
Explanation
After stating that the great souls practice His devotion, Shree Krishna goes on to explain how they practice bhakti. He claims that devotees become connected to kirtana as a technique of practicing and increasing their devotion. The chanting of the Lord’s glories is known as kirtana, singing glories of God’s Names, Forms, Qualities, Pastimes, Abodes, and Associates.
Kirtana is one of the most effective forms of devotional practice. The purpose is to fix one’s mind on God, but this is made simpler when hearing and chanting are combined. The mind, like the wind, is restless and naturally moves from one thought to the next. Hearing and chanting engage the divine realm’s knowledge senses, which aids in returning the mind back from its wanderings.
The mind craves diversity, which it receives through kirtana in the shape of God’s Names, Virtues, Pastimes, Abodes, and other attributes. Because kirtana entails loud chanting, the divine vibrations of God’s Names bless and sanctify the entire atmosphere. For all of these reasons, the most common form of devotion among saints has been kirtana.
In the period of Satya Yuga, the most effective method of devotion was simple meditation on God. It was the offering of sacrifices for the delight of God during the time of Treta Yuga. Worship of the gods was the encouraged practise during Dwapara Yuga. It is just kirtana that exists in this Kali era. Whether you have a lot of desires or none at all, whether you have no flaws or a lot of them, if you practise kirtana, you will reach the highest level. There is no question that chanting the names of the Lord of this can save even those who are deeply immoral and devoid of spirituality.
Hearing and chanting are helpful in the kirtana process. The most important thing is to remember God. The kirtana will not purify the mind if we leave it out. As a result, Shree Krishna says that His devotees perform kirtana while constantly thinking of Him. They put forth a lot of effort into it in order to purify their minds.
Verse & what we can learn
“Kirtana” and “bhajana” are performed by noble people. We usually associate kirtana with performing songs in front of a deity. But there’s a deeper meaning here. The three-step process of hearing scriptures, resolving doubts, and internalizing information is referred to as kirtana. The true nature of Ishvara can only be understood through this method.
Prakriti, as we have seen, requires no assistance in tempting us daily with the lure of name and form. In addition, Prakriti is in charge of not just visible objects, but also ideas, feelings, emotions, and memories that might lead to a separation from Ishvara. The best way to avoid such distractions is to practise kirtana on a daily basis.
Fasting or refraining from pleasures on specific days is encouraged in most spiritual traditions. Keeping such vows improves our willpower, allowing us to employ that inner strength to fight Prakriti. Without the willpower to stay set in that knowing, Ishvara wisdom will not work. It will be impossible for someone to deal with Prakriti’s might if they can’t even go a day without meals.
The nobles do “namaskaara” to Ishvara, which translates to “offering oneself to Ishvara.” It’s simple to accept Ishvara’s will when things are going smoothly. Many people, however, lose trust in Ishvara when they are going through a difficult time in their lives. True veneration occurs when we recognize that even the most trying times in our lives have a purpose that we shall eventually comprehend.
Not only his brain, but also his mind, should be dedicated by the devotee. Our pursuit will always be dry until we engage with something on an emotional level; persons who possess these qualities are true devotees. They have grasped the fundamental meaning of Ishvara devotion. That is why they are always “nitya yukta,” or united and connected to Ishvara, and Ishvara is always joined with them.
To acquire knowledge and to implement that knowledge in life one needs to be mentally and physically active and healthy and for that daily meditation is a great tool.
There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There are also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.
In the next verse Shri Krishna tells Arjuna the different ways in which these noble individuals worship Ishvara.
Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…