The Energy and Power of Harinaam by a crowd is manifold than the energy of a battalion in the army” said Mahatma Gandhi. This great apostle of truth and nonviolence believed in the efficacy of chants and practised this every moment. In fact, even when death accosted him unexpected, he had the name of Ram on his lips. On the occasion of Shivratri today, we may like to spare some time for chanting to enrich our lives. It is believed that the efficacy of chanting is particularly high on special days such as this. 

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Legend has it that the intellectually mighty Veda Vyasa, who had compiled all the Vedas and composed masterpieces like the Mahabharata, was still not experiencing joy or bliss. In spite of being an intellectual giant with these great masterpieces, he was despondent, confided in Narada and requested him to give the secret of ecstatic bliss. Sage Narada, the celestial bard, who would always chant the name of the lord actually initiated Veda Vyas into Bhaktirasa, the essence of devotion and untainted bliss.  It is only after this initiation that Ved Vyas created the masterpiece Srimad Bhagavatam, which oozes devotion and bhakti.  Hearing this story makes me feel that if the mighty intellectual, Veda Vyas, credited with such great works was himself struggling to fill his life with joy and bliss, our predicament is surely understandable. As life unfolds its vicissitudes, with its share of stress and cares, like Sage Veda Vyas we, too, need some magic nuggets to cope with all these and infuse bliss into our lives.

If we were to tune our breath to chants that we continuously roll in our mind and heart, we could slowly make this habit of being anchored in equipoise and joy. There is a lot of research happening in recent times that give evidence for these claims, too. Given that we are intellectually rooted and would critically question everything, asking for evidence and proof, this becomes necessary. A study by K L Naidu et al. published in the World Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences talks of the beneficial effects on chanting the Om mantra for 30 minutes daily for twelve weeks in school children. The results showed a significant improvement in both spatial and verbal memory. The researchers of this study also recommend such chanting as a part of a routine lifestyle for better cognition and memory. This is worth following, isn’t it? Yet another researcher, using cymascope, a technology to make sound visible states that  ‘Chanting (mantra) is an ancient technology that modern science reveals connects us in a very real way to the farthest reaches of the universe.’ 

Over the years, I have personally experienced the efficacy of chants in various ways. For a long time now, I spend Sunday mornings with a lovely community in Gandhinagar, teaching them chanting and singing. The group has young infants and toddlers to adults, and the effect of these chants is palpable, giving joy and bliss. It is said that the chants to be really able to move living beings, and non-living things, too must be sung with deep devotion straight from the heart. It is narrated that even the great bard, Sage Narada had to let go of his pride and arrogance and learn to play his Veena and chant heartfully from a humble and ardent devotee, who performed on the occasion of the wedding of Lord Krishna. This transformed sage Narada and led him to compose the Bhakti Sutras or treatises on devotion, it is believed.  

Today is Shiva Ratri. If we were to spend some time during the day and night chanting the name of the lord, we can taste a new experience that would eventually fill us with bliss. As various realised souls have shared, it doesn’t matter which name we chant.  However, if the names are chanted with heartfelt devotion, the results of this simple practice are phenomenal. 

“To chant the holy name and dance in ecstasy is so easy and sublime that one can achieve all the benefits of spiritual life simply by following this process.” Srimad Bhagavatam, translated by Srila Prabhupada. 

The author is a Harvard-educated civil servant & writer, and has worked in the education sector jayanti.ravi.dna@gmail.com