Page 4 - Newsletter Mar 2019

FOOD FOR THOUGHT :

Q & A

With

Mrs Asha Manoharan

Praising God

Today, I will address a question raised by one of my friends:

Why do we have to always praise God? Does God need to be praised at all times?

We have talked about Keerthanam in an earlier commentary, as being one of the
superior forms of bhakthi. Keerthanam refers to compositions that extol the vari-
ous forms and names of God.

God can be praised through songs, namavalis, or stories, that describe His/Her
virtues.
Let me first talk about namavalis. When we praise God through namavalis, we

learn about the qualities of God, and try to assimilate those qualities within us. In
this respect, we look at God as our role model and become more dependent on God
for advice and guidance, than any other human being around us. When we talk

about the virtues of God in our religious texts and Puranas, we learn to appreciate
these noble qualities of God, and strive to imbibe them within ourselves.
God can also be praised through songs or sthuthis, which also describe our cul-

ture and traditions. For example, during Margazhi season, devotees recite Thir-
uppavai, which not only contains verses glorifying Lord Vishnu, but also describe
how to perform vrathams. In this manner, these compositions teach us how to in-

corporate these age-old traditions in our daily lives, while leading us on Bhakti
marga.

Another way to praise God is to glorify His/Her various forms. For example, Ab-
hirami Anthathi, composed by the Tamil poet Abhirami Bhattar, describes the
splendid beauty of Goddess Abhirami (Ambal) in intricate detail. When we hear
these collection of songs, we are awestruck with the bhakti of Abhirami Bhattar,

his poetic finesse, and the beauty of Ambal, all at the same time.
In the Bhagavatam, Chapter 12, verse 17, it is mentioned that the best process of

devotion in Satya Yuga is simple meditation on God, in Treta Yuga, it is performing
sacrifices for the pleasure of God, in Dwapar Yuga, it is the worship of deities, and
in Kali Yuga, it is through Keerthanams. In the present day and age, we are doing

all of the above, since we have carried over the process of devotion from one yuga
to another.
In summary, I would like to leave you all with excerpts from the Ramayana and

Thiruvalluvar’s verses, which say that the only way to cross the ocean of life in
Kali Yuga is through chanting or singing the divine names of God.

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