Ashtothram Introduction-bn
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Ashtottara Shata Namavali
This is a garland of 108 sacred names in praise of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, each describing one of His countless Divine attributes and powers. Each of these 108 sacred names begins with AUM SRI SAI and ends with the word NAMAHA. What do these four words signify? The meaning of these words from different sources are given below:
OM:
The primal sound that persists through all changes in all creation (as well as in the Central Spinal Cord of man, during Yoga). It is the very signature tune of Brahman and therefore of Baba.
SRI:
Glory in all its aspects.
NAMAH:
‘Bow down’ bend with folded palms, the ten fingers held together the ten senses (both internal and external) to God. Namah according to Baba must be done along with the mental resolution, Na Mama, ‘not mine’ but Thine. Namah must be the outward expression of that inner surrender.
[Source: Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas Primer II – For Group II – Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust]
AUM:
The chanting of each name starts with Aum which is the primordial sound from which the whole creation has emerged. All the sounds in the Universe are only waves or vibrations of this primeval sound which is therefore, considered most sacred. For the same reason, Aum represents and also symbolises the Brahman or the all pervading Supreme Cosmic Consciousness itself. It is called ‘Pranava mantra’, Sacred syllable having spiritual significance and power.
SRI:
‘Sri’ signifies the subtle beauty, charm and grace of auspiciousness embedded in the Divine. It also stands for the radiance of spiritual manifestation and power in any particular deity – goddess or god.
SAI:
‘Sai’ is the composite form of ‘Sa’ indicating Sarveshwara the creator or Father of Creation and ‘Ayi’ indicating Shakti or the creative Energy or the Mother of creation. Thus, Sai is the embodiment of our Divine Father as well as Mother looking after our material welfare as well as our spiritual progress towards realizing the truth of our own divinity.
NAMAHA:
In common parlance, Namaha means ‘my salutation or namaskaram’. Namaha has also a deeper significance, which is more relevant in these sacred names all of which end with this word. ‘Na’ means no, not, or nil. ‘Ma’ signifies delusion which makes one identify himself with the inert body (Ego) and, thereby, subjects him to ignorance, misery and death. ‘Namaha’, thus, signifies the surrender of one’s ego to the – Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent God in recognition of the truth that we are also a part of that supreme reality. Each of these sacred names, therefore, ends in a note of reverence, salutations and surrender.
Thus ‘AUM SRI SAI’, at the beginning of each name is intended to elevate our vision to the sublime glory of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai while ‘Namaha’ at the end of each name serves to awaken in us a spirit of reverence, humility and self surrender to the Avatar of this Age. It is in this spirit that we have to chant each of the line in the following Namavali.
[Source : http://www.ssso.net/108/ ]
OM:
We find that all 108 names start with ‘Om (the pranava, the sound of the universe)’ and end with ‘salutation (namah)’. The sound of pranava is the basis of all other types of sound. A mantra or Name (namavali) without pranava is like a gun without a bullet.
NAMAVALI:
The Name in the middle is a description of an aspect, a characteristic, the depiction of an event, etc. For an inspiring commentary on the string of the 108 names, please see the first reference for this section.
NAMAHA:
‘Na’ means no, nil, or not. ‘Ma’ signifies the delusion that makes one identify with the inert body (ego) and thereby subjects one to ignorance, misery ,and death. ‘Namah’ signifies the surrender of one’s ego to the Omnipresent, Omniscient, and Omnipotent God in recognition of the truth that we are also part of that Supreme Reality. Namah must be done with the mental resolution ‘not mine’ but ‘Thine’ (Na Mama).
A corollary of this explanation would suggest that one should worship the Lord without desire (nishkama), for God knows what is good for the devotee. The I must be cut right across, and the individual must be crucified in that ‘Namah’. All action and all the means of knowledge and awareness should be offered at the feet of the Master, before whom one bows, with folded palms. The right palm is ‘Tat’ (the Unseen Basic Universal Absolute, the Paramatman), the left palm is ‘Twam’ (the seen, the particular, the limited, the wave, the image, the soul in the individual (jiva). When the two palms are brought together and kept in contact, the oneness of that and this, of Tat and Twam, is emphasized and demonstrated. It is the gesture/symbol (mudra) of ‘I am Brahman, the individual soul is the universal soul (Aham Brahmasmi).
Why 108?
The number 108 is sacred because man breathes 21600 (=200×108) times a day, and it becomes 9 by adding up each number (=1+0+8). 9 is Brahman’s number. 108 or 1008 Names is recommended in the scriptures because there is just a chance that we will utter at least one Name out of the Namavali with the sincere yearning to which the Lord will respond and bless.
[source: http://www.sathyasai.org/devotion/meditation.html ]
Baba was sought as a Son by His ‘Mother’, Easwaramba, through a series of Satyanarayana Vrathas; so, He was named ‘Satyanarayana’ and called ‘Satya’ until His fourteenth year, when He judged the time had come to announce that He was no other than Sai Baba, come again. He is therefore to be worshipped as Sai Baba; millions know Him as Sai Baba, or ‘Satya’ Sai Baba (The ‘real or the ‘genuine’ Sai Baba). Sai means Lord, Master (Shahi, Shah, Padshah, Sahi, Sayi, Sai). It also means ‘Sa’ Sarveswara, Sovereign; ‘Ayi’ Mother; Baba means Father. So, Sai Baba means ‘Master, Mother and Father’. ‘Namah’ means ‘bow down’, bend with folded palms, dedicating by the ten fingers held together the ten senses (both internal and external) to God. Namah according to Baba must be done, along with the mental resolution, Na Mama, ‘Not Mine’ but ‘Thine’. Namah must be the outward expression of that Inner Surrender – ‘Thajjapasthadartha Bhavanam’. Repeat it and dwell on its meaning. “Om Sri” is to be pronounced before every name because Om is the Primal Sound that persists through all changes in all creation (as well as in the Central Spinal Cord of Man, during Yoga). It is the very signature tune of Brahman and therefore of Baba. “Sri” means Glory in all its aspects.
[Source: Garland of 108 Precious Gems, Ashtotthara Shata Nama Ratnamala, by Prof N Kasturi]
NAMAHA:
When reciting the Namavali at the end of each name we say ‘Namaha’, ex. “Om Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Babaya Namaha”. We must say it keeping in mind the meaning of the word as explained by Swami Himself. He says, ‘Namaha’ means na-mama, that is not mine, but thine. Same as in Christianity where it is said, ‘Thy will be done’ indicating surrender. Accepting everything as His Grace, praying to Him in gratitude, we offer our love and reverence as salutations to God. In so doing, we bow down to God.
Akrura, a devotee of Lord Krishna, is an illustrious example of a devotee who sanctified his life by constantly prostrating before the Lord and offering obeisance to Him with humility and purity. Vandanam does not mean merely holding the palms together and offering salutations. The two hands represent the five Jnanendriyas (sense organs) and the five Karmendriyas (organs of action). Vandanam means offering to the Lord all that the Karmendriyas and Jnanendriyas do, in a spirit of total surrender. Akrura worshipped the Lord in this spirit of total submission to the Divine Will. Hence he could get a vision of the Lord everywhere.
The joint hands also remind us of our true nature. The right palm indicates the Supreme, all-pervading consciousness that we call God – ‘Tat’ or ‘That’ from the Upanishads. The left palm indicates ‘Twam’ – ‘I’, the limited Jeevatma. It reminds us that the ultimate goal of all spiritual practices is the merging of the two – Jivatma and Paramatma. “Tat Twam Asi” – That Thou Art, or I and He are one.
[Source: Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation, UK May 2006 : Prayer and Prostration]
NAMAHA:
The one Namaskaram you do, do with devotion. That is enough. You do not do even that; you do it so callously, so indifferently and automatically. When you fold both your hands and bring them together, feel that you are offering at the Feet all the actions of the five Karmendriyas and the five Jnanendriyas as indicated by the ten fingers. Again, the purpose of Namaskaram is to touch the Feet, to have Sparsan of the Lord. The negative pole Mayasakthi, and the positive pole, Mahasakthi, have to meet in order to produce a spiritual current that will flow through you. – BABA
[Source: http://www.saidarshan.org/cgi-bin/gems.cgi?50×14 ]