From the Infinite to the Intimate…!

Swamiji said that chanting the Lord’s name can protect one from all suffering. When I shared this with my teenage son, he questioned it sharply: “Doesn’t that make it easy for wrongdoers to escape karma? How can chanting alone free someone from everything?”

He later sought Swamiji’s guidance. Swamiji explained that when a person truly turns toward the Lord, it is a sign of inner transformation—a desire to become better.

Swamiji reminded us that Lord Rama was willing to forgive Ravana had he sincerely repented. The Lord’s compassion extends equally to sinner and devotee alike. Yet Ravana’s arrogance prevented surrender, leading to his destruction. True repentance, therefore, is neither easy nor superficial.

When repentance is genuine and surrender complete, the Lord burns one’s karma without residue—like fire reducing cotton to ash. This transformation is not something to be reasoned out; it must be experienced.

– A mother’s reflection

When it comes to unseen forces and eternal realities, it is wise to follow the guidance of Elders —wisdom that has stood the test of time. The Lord is a beautiful tatthva: infinite in His expansion, sustaining and holding everything in perfect order, yet He also assumes a form to become intimate with those who seek Him.

What is essential for us as seekers in this process is purity—both outward and inward. And this purity can be attained only through chanting the Lord’s name supported by wisdom from the company of blessed devotees.

yasmare:th pundari:ka:ksham saba:hya abhyanthara suchihi

When one remembers and chants the name of the Lord, one becomes pure—both outwardly and inwardly.

Goda Devi sings five names of the Lord, revealing how the Lord comes to us – step by step—from being the infinite incomprehensible form to becoming the intimate accessible form.

1. Ma:yanai

The Infinite One who governs and controls ma:ya
The Lord controls the incomprehensible infinite ma:ya—prakruti itself. Ma:ya does not mean illusion but it is that whose working seems difficult to understand or recreate – example: a seed developing into a big tree, or a cloud holding water that showers down as rain later, despite gravitational force. There are many aspects in Nature that are beyond our comprehension.

2. Mannu vada Madhurai maindanai

Descended to Mathura and sustains our very existence in the body
Mathura here represents our bodies. Though He appeared externally in Mathura, He dwells within every being as the antharya:mi (anathar+ya:mi = governs from within), sustaining life itself in each of us. Our failure to recognize His presence within does not arise from His absence, but from our ignorance—and sometimes, our arrogance.

3. Thu:ya peru-ni:r Yamunai thuravan

Crossed the sacred Yamuna to reside firmly in the hearts of rushis
Here, Time is represented by river Yamuna (Kaala – Yama’s sister Yamuna). Over time, He reveals Himself to those who hold Him firmly in their hearts with deep love—the rishis, represented here by the gopikas. Through them, His presence, qualities, and deeds become known to the world.

4. A:yar-kulatthinil tho:nrum mani-viḷakkai

As a radiating gem born in the lineage of the Acharyas
From the rishis, knowledge of Him continues to shine through the lineage of true teachers—the Acharyas—like a mani villakai (precious divine lamp). Through living tradition, instruction, and example, they illuminate the path for seekers across generations.

5. Tha:yaik-kudal viḷakkam seitha Da:mo:daranai

Revealed by Acharya through Yasoda—as Damo:dara to all seekers
A sadacharya (represented by Krishna’s father, Nandagopa) initiates the seeker with the Narayana mantra (represented by Yasoda) and bestows the archa vigraha (Krishna bound to the grinding stone as Damo:dara). As deity (archa vigraha), the Lord becomes tangibly accessible—allowing the seeker to approach Him, serve Him, worship Him, and seek His protection in a personal and intimate way.