In life.

 

The term stotra refers to praising one’s good qualities. God is called Stotra Priya — who can be easily pleased with praise and prayer. The grandsire Bhishma’s praise of God is called Bhishma Sthuthi. Sri Bhishma refers to Him as Sthavya Sthava Priya stotram in Sri Vishnu Sahasra Nama. Similarly, Dhruva Sthuthi, Kunti Sthuthi, Utharai Sthuthi and Prahladha Sthuthi praise Him. Azhwars, Nayanmars and Acharyas have all sung in praise of Him. Vedas praise Him through various sukthas such as Purusha Suktham. He possesses infinite good qualities (Bahavo Nrupa Kalyana gunaa:)

Sri Kesava Vajapeyar Swamy said in a discourse that Lord Krishna Himself says to Arjuna that His qualities cannot be fully described. Still, only prominent ones can be narrated as His opulence is limitless —Hantha te Kathayishyami — chapter X, sloka 19.

We should maintain our status of ever remembering God as an unfortunate situation may arise for us at any time, and we may forget Him. The gatekeepers of Sri Vaikunta (dwara palakas), who were very close to God, were censured out of a curse to be born as demons. Born as Hiranya Kasipu, he was in search of God (forgetting Him) and asked his son Prahladha where God was.

Lord Nrusimha cooled down from his ferociousness on seeing His devotee Prahladha. The Lord told Prahladha that it was His duty to protect him. Prahladha praised the Lord in about 40 slokas, titled Parhladha Sthuthi, described in Srimad Bhagavatha’s seventh skandha (canto), Chapter IX 

Whenever a satsang happens, it is a great blessing for the attendees. Adi Sankara says, “satsangatve nissangatvam, nissangatve nirmohatvam, nirmohatve nischalatattvam, nischalatatve jivanmukti.” “(Through the company of the wise there comes non-attachment, freedom from delusion, resulting in self knowledge)“. Andal also emphasises this when she says, ‘Koodi irundhu kulirdhelor” (experiencing God). Listening to discourses on God is in itself a huge blessing, said Damal S. Ramakrishnan in a discourse.

Sage Suka informs King Parikshit, who is cursed with death in seven days’ time, that listening to the learned expositions on Bhagawan is a rare blessing, adding that only those whose ancestors in the last seven generations had performed dharmic deeds are likely to be blessed with being part of a satsang. Yudhishthira, the epitome of dharma, spent time with Krishna, but was not blessed enough to be in a satsang with Him. Similarly, Arjuna. However, Parikshit was blessed, says Suka, who proceeds to discourse on Bhagavatham, instructing the king on God, His approachability, His sporting test of bhaktas and His attainability. Do not the gopikas sing, “Sravana Mangalam sreemtaha hitam?” “(Krishna, you will give us darshan, you will come running to us when we listen to your history)“.

One may ask what benefit one can reap by listening to Bhagavata Puranam? What does the Ramayana teach? Does it not show that overnight fortunes will change in this world, but one should accept the same with fortitude and equanimity? The last verse in Rama Pattabishekham says wherever Ramayana is narrated, one’s ancestors will be present in that place, as it were, and bless their lineage. The Vedas say it is incumbent on a son to listen to satsang, perform shraddham once a year and visit Gaya at least once and offer pinda dhanam. Only with ancestors’ blessings can one progress in spiritual life.

We often face hindrances in material and spiritual progress. The supreme being is ever alert to the needs of those who repose faith in Him and reach out to Him for succour. The more gnana one develops, the better. One way to achieve this is to visit the Vasihnavite Divya Desams. Even the Pandavas visited a number of sthalams in south India in order to expiate their sins that they felt they had incurred due to the war, said Dushyanth Sridhar in a discourse.

Obstacles are a way of life and one should seek divine help to surmount them. The sthala puranam associated with the five abodes in Kancheepuram states that Brahma sought help from Perumal to conduct Ashvamedha Yagam without Saraswati. Each of the abodes testify to the various impediments she used to try and obstruct the yaga. When she sent eight women to stop the yaga, they were all stopped by Ashtabujanga Perumal, at Ashtapuyagaram. At Tirutannka, Saraswati hindered Brahma’s yaga by sending a demon to darken the world. On Brahma’s prayer, Perumal appeared bright as a light, holding a lamp in hand. Praying to the deity, Vilakkoli Perumal, will dispel one’s inner darkness. Tiruvaelukkai is another place where Saraswati despatched demons to obstruct Brahma’s work. Perumal took the form of Nrisimha to overpower them. A visit to this temple will help one conquer one’s inner demons of fear and cowardice.

At Tiruvetkka, Sarawathi Herself came in full force of river Vegavati to stop Brahma’s yagam. Perumal lay down like a bridge on the river, stopping Saraswati in Her tracks. It is also the temple where the deity left town with Tirumazhisai Azhwar, after injustice was meted out to his sishya Kani Kannan. Later, the deity returned to the sthalam after the king prayed to Him. The Supreme Being always heeds the prayer of His bhaktas.

The avataras of Lord Vishnu such as Matsya, Koorma and Varaha were for specific reasons and hence called Amsavathara. The manifestations of the Lord as Sri Rama and Sri Krishna were to establish dharma, protect righteous men and destroy unrighteous and impious (Parithranaya Sadhunam) and hence called Purnavathara (complete and total.)

the state of enjoying the divine bliss is called Paramanandham. The sloka Vasudeva Sutham devam says Sri Krishna’s mother Devaki derives Paramanandham. Usually, a mother would be happy when giving birth to a child. But Devaki, while in prison, was afraid towards her brother Kamsa, who was eager to kill her yet-to-be-born eighth baby. How could she derive Paramanandham under such a precarious situation?

Lord Krishna did not cry when He was born and showed His divine form to Devaki, holding a disc, conch, mace, and lotus in four hands. That moment was Devaki’s enjoyment of divine bliss.

By his conduct and behaviour, Lord Krishna portrayed Himself as the best Karmayogi. At the end of each day during the Mahabharatha war, Sri Krishna, as a charioteer, had done his duty of feeding, nursing and bathing the horses before leaving them in the stable and had not delegated to anyone.

Another name for Arjuna is Partha, the son of Pruthai (another name of Kunthi). Lord Krishna, the charioteer of Partha, is called Parathasarathy to protect Arjuna. We are also called Parthas, the children of Prithvi (Mother Earth), and the Lord will protect us.