Vishnu Sahasra Nama Names 1-3 Realize how the Lord is never far away from us by chanting

Transcript

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Om Vishwam Vishnur Vashatkaro This is the first line of the names of Lord Vishnu in the Vishnu Sahasranam. Om Vishwam O my dear Lord, You are Yourself the Vishwa. So, Krishna manifests how He is the Vishwa through His Virata Rupa form.
The whole universe is made of His energies. And He is, in that sense, non-different. Kunti Maharani also in her prayers, she said, Vishwesh Vishwatman Vishwamurte Sukheshume Vishwamurte So, You are the universe.
Actually this is a very fundamental realization that a devotee seeker needs to have. That I am never separated from the Lord. In the sense that wherever I am, I am still in the Lord only.
So, even when we are in mental existence, even the mental existence is Krishna’s energy. The universe is non-different from Krishna. So, I offer my obeisances to that Lord who is the Vishwa.
Now, at our level of consciousness, we do not realize it. But, as we chant Hare Krishna and we revive our Krishna consciousness, then we start realizing how Krishna is everywhere. Om Vishwam Vishnu Vashatkaro Vishnu The name Vishnu refers to one who pervades everything.
So, first this is yourself the universe and then you pervade the universe. That Lord who is in every anu of the Vishwa, He is Vishnu. He pervades everything.
There is nothing that is not imbued with His presence. And in Vashatkaro, Vashatkaro can mean that He is invoked by the sacrifices. When yajnas are performed and sacrificial rituals are done, then it is His presence that is invoked.
And another meaning is Vashatkaro. He not only pervades the universe, but He controls the universe too. Air pervades space, but air doesn’t control the place where it is.
If air is in a room, it doesn’t control. Krishna not only pervades, but also controls. So, Om Vishwam Vishnu Vashatkaro Actually, the realization of Krishna’s all-pervading presence can help us to break free from whatever fears, insecurities, uncertainties we may be having in our life.
Knowing that, we may think Krishna is far away from me. Does Krishna hear the chanting of my name? Does Krishna hear my prayers? No, He certainly does hear it. Because He is.
Actually, we are never separated from Him. And He is always there with us. And when we chant Hare Krishna, we invoke His presence.
So, His presence, which is not perceivable by us right now, will become perceivable as our consciousness becomes purified. Till that point, when our consciousness is not yet purified, we have to focus on purification. And just remembering the glories of the Lord, when we chant Hare Krishna, we are trying to concentrate on the Lord.
When we meditate on His names, as in Vishnu Saraswarna, we are concentrating on His glories. And that itself is a means of purification. Remembering how we are never separated from the Lord, how He is always there with us, and how chanting enables us, it offers us an easy way to start perceiving His presence.
And then we realize that Sarvam Krishnamaya Jagat, that actually the whole universe is pervaded with Krishna, that realization will come by the presence of chanting, if we just apply ourselves to it. And then even in this world, we will not be separated from Krishna. As Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita 6.30, that this person sees me everywhere.
So, one who sees me everywhere, and sees everything in this person, is never lost to me, and I am never lost to such a person. So, by chanting steadily, we can come to that stage, where Krishna will never be lost from us.