When the Lord awakens within

During the Covid 19 pandemic, i used to chant the name of the Lord throughout the day. I was particularly listening to Kadaiyanallur Rajaagopalan's Marathi abhangs followed by Shri Andal's Nachiyar Thirumozhi.Tears would flow ceaselessly when i would listen to Nachiyar Tirumozhi. Her devotion and faith in the lord was perfect and for her, he was the only goal. The Marathi Abhangs also spoke of Lord Pandarinath appearing and dancing with his devotees since he was overwhelmed by their bhakti bhava. The one specific abhang i got addicted to was titled 'Naam dev kirtankari, prema bharo nache panduranga'. This got stuck in my mind and i kept on singing this day after day. Evenings i would dance with my child and husband to the tune of the song and other Abhangs. Shri Radhakrishna Swamiji was very fond of Vittal and so also Shri Sai. In fact, Swamiji had gifted a beautiful idol of Vittal and Rukumayi that i used to be fascinated with, as a child. As a child, i grew up listening to Vittal's leelas and his extraordinary affecton for his devotees. Vittal would serve his bakthas in their homes by appearing as a cook, or as a maid or as themselves to help them get relief from their domestic problems. Such was the great love of the Lord for his devotees. Thus, the Vittal nama got stuck in my head and my mind went on chanting without stopping for three days and more. Then on the fourth day, a strange thing happened. The name started to fill my whole being. Like an incense stick being lit and the fragrance spreading everywhere in the space, the name and a divine energy filled my whole being from head to toe. I could not come out of this feeling and it was a very special feeling to be engulfed by the Lord's name from head to toe and floating in it like a boat in a calm ocean of peace. It was blissful. Then on the fourth day, gradually i was able to return to a normal state of mind. Is there so much power in the Lord's name!!?? This was a revelation for me. I am sharing so that those who read this blog also get that experience. Keep chanting Panduranga, Panduranga...when possible. He is the nama and the nama takes us beyond everything wordly. An out of the world experience! Looking back, i think it is the Guru's grace that gave me this experience of the Lord's presence within. He made my mind get attracted to the Lord. They say it takes several births for the mind to be attracted to the Lord. Then, many more births for it to remain with the Lord and then many more until it finally merges in him. However, with a Guru who is self realized, so many births are not required. The Guru carries us forward very quickly to our destination as he has already attained the goal and knows the path very well, says Sai in the Sai Satcharitra. Blessed is such a guru who cares for his disciples more than himself. Shri Saipadananda was such a rare selfless guru. Blessed to have you in my life, Swamiji! Jai Shri Sainath Maharaj ki!