Jai Jai Jai Manamohana – Further Reading
Jai Jai Jai Manamohana – Further Reading
- Manamohana
- Madhusudana
- Keshava
- Madhava
- Gopala
Manamohana
“Mohana” means He who is, enchanting and captivating”. “Manamohana” refers to Krishna as He captivates everyone’s heart and mind with His abundant charm and love!
Madhusudana
“Madhusudhana” is again an appellation of Lord Krishnan and it means he who slayed the evil demon called Madhu. “Madhu” is the term used in the Vedanta and philosophy to refer to the fruits of actions. Since the Lord destroys the effects of the fruits of actions of those who meditate on him, He is called Madhusudhana. Bhagwan also says that “Madhu” means something which is sweeter than honey and for humans what is sweeter than honey? Our ego! The Lord who can completely destroy the ego is called Madhusudhana. So in this line we extol the Lord as the one who is the Lord of our actions, the most beautiful one, who is most mysterious and who lives in our midst now as the beautiful and beatific Sathya Sai.
Keshava
The Lord with beautiful hair. Keshava also signifies the slaying of a demon named ‘Kesi’ in Krishna avathar. This is the interpretation given by Sri Adhi Shankara and is supported by Vishnu Purana too. Kamsa, the maternal uncle of Krishna sent Kesi to kill little Krishna. But he met his death at the hands of little Gopala. There is another meaning Adhi Shankara has given that is “Kesha” denotes the rays that emanate from the Sun and Krishna is considered to be the very source of Sun, moon and all other effulgent objects in the cosmos. And so he is called “KESHAVA”. Adhi Shankara supports his statement from the Mahabharatha, where Krishna says in the Bhagwad Gita that, the rays that are emanating from me are called ‘Kesas’. So the learned Brahmins call me by the name KESHAVA.
Madhava
Madhava comes from the words “Ma” and “Dhava”. “Ma” refers to Goddess Lakshmi, the deity associated with riches and bounties. “Dhava” means Lord. Lord Krishna is considered the incarnation of Lord Vishnu whose divine consort is Mother Lakshmi. Therefore according to ancient legend, he bears the name Madhava. The inner significance is that Goddess Lakshmi here represents nature or “Prakruthi”which means the inseparable part of the Lord. Creation is inextricably intertwined with creation .In fact creation is the reflection of the Creator. Hence Madhava is the Lord who is the master of nature or the originator of creation.
Gopala
“Go” refers to the cows and “Pala” means protect. Lord Krishna was born in Mathura to Vasudeva and Devaki but was brought up his foster parents, mother Yashoda and father Nanda who belonged to the cowherd clan of Brindavan. As Krishna grew up with other boys of his age, he too tended lovingly to the cows, took them for grazing in the pastures and so on. Thus Gopala means the Lord who played the role of a cowherd. While this is the literal meaning, Baba has explained that Go means individuals. So Gopala is he who tends the souls who fosters individuals, who keeps them away from harm, who strives to ensure that they remain in peace and happiness. He is the one who protects and provides.