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Japa, The Most Powerful Weapon!

 

Once upon a time, Sage Vishwamitra and Vasishtha were having a debate. Vishwamitra said that Dyana (meditation) was more powerful than Japa (continuous chanting of the Lord's name). Vasishtha disagreed and said Japa was more powerful. Soon, they reached an impasse. So, they approached Lord Vishnu for a solution. Vishnu asked Adishesha (King of serpents) to settle the debate between them. Adishesha agreed and said he could not think as he was carrying the earth on his head. He asked one of them to carry it while he did some thinking. Both, the sages agreed. Vishwamitra carried the earth on his head first and started meditating. No sooner had he lifted the earth, he could not bear it's weight. Immediately, Vasishtha volunteered and placed the earth on his head and started chanting "Hariye Namah" (japa of Lord Vishnu). Vasishtha could easily carry the weight of the earth. Adishesha then intervened and said as you can see, Japa is more powerful than meditation. Hence, settled the debate between Sage Vishwamitra and Vasishtha.






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