Canto 44

Nandagopa organizes the naming ceremony of the child.  Sage Garga who knows the true nature of the Child,  gives broad hints to Nandagopa that the child is blessed and that steadfast love and devotion and trust in him will endow freedom from the cycle of births and deaths.

Sage Garga never reveals the true identity of the little Sri Krishna.  The Paramathma remains beyond the senses. He is however ever visible to the inner eye. 

His residence is always in our consciousness. Our duty is to free our consciousness from the entrapments of the mind.  

The slokams of Canto 44 relate to the naming ceremony of the Paramathma.  Nandagopa and the residents of Gokula are the most fortunate of all in presiding over the naming ceremony of the Paramathma.  He, whose names are borne by each and everyone of us,  was being given what always has, is and will belong to Him alone. 

Whatever we give the Paramathma,  whether it is name, happiness, our belongings really actually belongs only to Him. 

This is the core of all teachings of the Paramathma.  We have to surrender all our belongings to Him.  He will test the sincerity of our intent.  That test should be undergone when we set out on the path of Bhakthi.  There is no escape from undergoing trials and tribulations, simply because we have huge layer of pretensions enveloping our true inner self.  The tests are the means of the Paramathma to reveal our true weaknesses to us so that we can work constructively  towards elevating and ascending to the heights that are necessary to attain Him.

The meaning of true surrender,  is to genuinely place whatever we have at His feet, with all our heart.  There should be no remorse or anxiety when we are swayed by the winds of turbulence.

This state of surrender is not easy to achieve. It must be preceded by the dropping of all desires, bondings,  attachments and dependencies.  Until we are completely free of fear and insecurity that surrender will not happen.

There seems to be a contradiction here.  To be independent,  our needs must have already been met.  If the needs are to be met, we should have already acquired all that we need for the present and future.  That means we should have been engaged in working for rewards? But if we did that, would not possessiveness and attachments be already deeply embedded in us? Can we keep the wealth accumulations, and drop the attachments alone? 

That clearly is not going to happen. When kings, who conquered the entire world and accumulated enormous wealth and power,  suddenly find only dissatisfaction and problems from the accumulations, they give up everything and walk away into the forest with nothing to fall backon.

Is it possible to do in the Kali Yuga, what the kings of yesteryear did? The Paramathma’s guidance is clear.  We are never to look for the results, no matter what happens.  We are never to dedicate ourselves to  accumulating wealth,  or indulging in excesses of any kind. 

In the Kali Yugam, nama japam or repeating the name of the lord incessantly is the path recommended by the Paramathma to attain moksham.  The Paramathma tells Udhhava clearly that mere repeating of His name is enough in Kali Yugam to attain moksham. 

Vishnu Sahasranama that many of chant every day is a compilation of 1000 names of the Paramathma.  Each name represents an attribute of the Paramathma.  Chanting the name along with an understanding of the attribute bestows on us the strength to carry on undeterred in the face of challenges.

Chanting the Paramathma’s name is the primary tool of Bhakthi Margam to keep the mind fixed on the Paramathma and to rid ourselves of fear and anxiety, (of which there is plenty in this world).

The residents of Gokulam unwittingly chant the Paramathma’s name, every time they call little Sri Krishna’s name.

We also give our children the various names of the Paramathma from the Sahasranama.  So we are assured of chanting the Paramathma’s name when we call each other. 

The power of saying the Paramathma’s name is emphasized in the Bhagavatham when Ajamila gets a reprieve from the clutches of Yama.  Even an unintended saying of the name has a powerful impact.

It cannot be overemphasized that a conscious chanting of the names of the Paramathma will endow the ultimate gift of moksham on us.