“Om
Kleem Krishnaya Namaha!”
This mantra is
one of a kind and is significant in the worship of Lord Krishna. Having said
that it is important to specify a few details and break up the mantra to reveal
the meaning of each word. Some very general opinions on this mantra may be
found here:
This word is
perhaps the most important of words in all of Hindu theology. It happens to be
the first word uttered when evoking each and every God and Goddess. This is so
because when it is sincerely uttered, the energy of the sound is said to be
derived from our navels. It climbs up through our upper torso through the
oesophagus before passing through the vocal chords and exits our bodies through
our mouths. The navel is the point of our creation. The umbilical chord that
links a mother to her child does so by linking the two by their navels. This is
symbolic of the source of all of creation. Lord Brahma, the creator of the
Universe is said to have been born from the lotus navel of Lord Vishnu.
Besides, when
chanted continuously, the word Om, slowly resembles the Sanskrit word ‘Vyom’ or
space. This is the fifth element that is necessary for all creation to take
place. The Vyom of space is also the great void that creates everything but by
itself is nothing. Divinity encompasses everything and nothing, matter and
anti-matter, the void and the totality. It is not some incantation that must be
uttered without thought. It must be understood for its unlimited potential.
Therefore this
one word basically manages to capture the true essence of all Gods and
Goddesses.
‘Kleem’
This word
represents Kaam or desire. This
desire is violently misinterpreted by vulgar, spiritually unrealized
individuals as lust. In fact it stands for much more. Without desire, creation
is not possible, be it that of life or of other marvels of spiritual,
technological or sociological importance. Kleem is as such referred to as the
‘Bija’ or the seed from which all things come into being. In our attempts at
deliberately moralizing actions and deeds, one runs the risk of thinking about
desire in a rather puritanical sense. Doing so is extremely counter-productive.
We are human beings, made for exactly what, we may never know but what is true
to all of us is the fact that we desire. Desire is endless and absolutely
insatiable which is why it is said that it must be bound lest it disrupt the
fabric of social life.
If somebody were
to go to The Christian God or to Lord Brahma for that matter and advised them
to create but with restrictions, our universe would look very different. Every
world religion tells us that creation was a spontaneous process, that it is the
manifestation of God’s will and His/Her desire. Mankind is said to have been
made in His image with the inherent capacity to create. That is exactly why the
potential ability of every human being is unlimited. We allow social strictures
and outdated moral principles to prevent us from reaching our highest potential
because we feel we cant do what we desire. The truth is, regardless of how hard
we try to repress the urge to desire, the more injustice we do to ourselves.
Desire is by
itself neither a negative force nor a positive force. It is the faculty that
makes us want to seek new things, new experiences and new adventures. It
prompts the growth of our knowledge and our experience. It makes humanity the
ruling species on this planet. Nevertheless, left unchecked, desire also has
the potential to destroy everything as has been evident in the two world wars
witnessed all through the 20th and 21st centuries.
That is where
the next part of the Mantra is activated.
‘Krishnaye
Namaha!’
All of that
unbridled energy of creation is directed towards Krishna. In mythological ad
religious terms, this may be seen as the devotee offering her/his self to the
judgement of Krishna, accepting Him as the supreme guide.
From a secular
perspective, the offering is equally impressive. It requires an enthusiast to
know what Krishna really stands for- zest for life, steadfast loyalty to
pragmatism and the ability to make the difficult choices in life in order to
preserve the fabric of society that nurtures the good and weeds out the bad,
even as it compensates for all the shades of grey in between. For more
detailed information on Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna do visit: http://thevishnuexperience.com/
We can clearly see therefore why the Mool Mantra is so central to
Krishna Puja. The offering of the mantra is not so much ritualistic as it is
experiential. Constantly keeping in mind what the Mantra stands for strengthens
the soul and empowers the mind to make the body realize its fullest potential,
thereby justifying existence in an otherwise arbitrary world. For more
information you can visit our website: http://thevishnuexperience.com/category/janamashthami/
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