This unique piece was published in the Tamil edition of Madhura Murali monthly magazine. Let us all be inspired and driven to chant the Names of God constantly!
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I bring to my memory the innumerable patients in cancer hospitals, tormented by pain, and I take effort to chant Nama
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I bring to my memory the innumerable patients whose kidneys have failed and who suffer the pain of treatment, and I take effort to chant Nama
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I bring to my mind children suffering from autism and the plight of their parents, and I take effort to chant Nama
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I bring to my mind the scene of dead bodies lying on roads due to hit-and-run cases, and I take effort to chant Nama
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I bring to my mind children in orphanages and special-needs children in special institutions, and I take effort to chant Nama
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I bring to my mind old people being treated worse than street dogs in their own homes, and I take effort to chant Nama
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I bring to my mind those who chatter away the whole day like frogs croaking, and I take effort to chant Nama
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I bring to my mind those who, in this rare and dear human birth, get entangled in needless problems and know not how to come out of it, and I take effort to chant Nama
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I bring to my mind some who have slipped into a coma after meeting with an accident and remain in that state for a long period of time, and I take effort to chant Nama
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I bring to my mind many who, caught in the trials and tribulations of a householder’s life, struggle in their failure to come out of it, and I take effort to chant Nama
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I bring to my mind those who work hard to earn a morsel of food. When I think of such people, I, who in the name of a devotee remain lazy, feel a traitor. I feel guilty to eat my food. I, therefore, think that I should eat only if I chant Nama, and I take effort to chant Nama.
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I bring to my mind those unfortunate ones who kill themselves, and I take effort to chant Nama.
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I bring to my mind the dark worlds that one goes to after death, and I take effort to chant Nama
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I bring to my mind the fear of being born as a dog or a pig or a buffalo or an elephant in my next birth, and I take effort to chant Nama
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I think with regret about the time spent in entertainment, unnecessary matters, gossip, etc. and I take effort to chant Nama
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I feel ashamed of the fact that despite undergoing much suffering and blows in life, I have not learned my lesson and earned dispassion, and I take effort to chant Nama
When I while away my time lazily without chanting Nama
I bring to my mind sins that I have committed openly and on the sly, and I take effort to chant Nama
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
By:
Houston Ramaswamy, Chennai, India
