Stuti” literally means praise and “stotram” is a hymn or song dedicated to God’s glory. Is it necessary to praise the Lord? Would He be affected by our praises and does He really need them? What could be the benefits that accrue from singing His glory? Does He need our praise? From our experience of dealing with the empirical world, we understand it is natural to appreciate someone who does good by us. Suppose we were to receive a beautiful ring as a gift. Would we not instantly thank the giver? How is it, then, that we forget to thank the one who not only created us but also world around us?
We can argue that God is not affected by our expression of gratitude or lack of it. He does what He has to do without expecting any praise. But we are greatly benefited by singing His glories. God is neither gratified, nor pleased or overjoyed by praise. He is happy that we want to do something to show our appreciation. His devotees have felt the need to express their sentiments and so religious literature abounds with many hymns that have been written in his glory.
When we praise the Lord we gain on three major fronts: ee become aware of the many blessings we have received from Him; we wish to express our gratitude ; and through gratitude we develop respect for His gifts and look to use them well. A stuti entails exaggeration. But this is so only for humans. For in case of God, no praise can ever be enough. Goswami Tulsidas said that even if we had unlimited time, we cannot adequately describe His glory.
Bhagvan’s stuti cleanses the heart, removing from it all the accumulated impurities. A sanctified heart enables us to seek out the Truth. This cleansing process facilitates our efforts to break free and get liberated from the cycle of birth and death.
Swami Tejomayananda, head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide, is an orator, poet, singer, composer and storyteller. To find out more about Chinmaya Mission and Swamiji, visit www.chinmayamission.com.© Central Chinmaya Mission Trust.
