By: Seetha ‘Priya’
My first posting soon after graduation was in a Mining Hospital. I had a lovely bungalow in the colony and friendly colleagues. On all Thursday evenings, we had ‘Satsang’ with Sai Baba’s worship, Sai Bhajans, and chanting of Vishnu Sahasranama and Prasad distribution. Every week one Officer hosted this ‘Satsang.’
One Officer maintained a tidy home. Their living room had a simple sofa set and a traditional swing — a rectangular piece of polished wood hung from the ceiling via four sturdy iron chains, a side-table, a shelf unit built into the wall on one side that contained – nothing.
Each time I visited the sweet couple, at some point my gaze would rest on that empty shelf and I would come away puzzled. How come it is so…er, empty? To ask would be impolite, so I spent many days grappling with this eternal mystery. Maybe they did not have anything to display. Perhaps it was a Vaastu thing? Could it be that objects collect dust, and this was a way of reducing the chore of dusting?
On one Thursday when he hosted the ‘Satsang’ I asked him about this. He smiled at me and quoted the 13th and 14th shlokas of Vishnu Sahasranama and explained as to how the Sahasranama can be a tool of decluttering.
The Thirteenth Shloka of Vishnu Saharanama is –
Rudro Bahusira Babruhu Viswayonihi Suchisravah
Amrutah Shashwatah Stahnuhu Vararoho Mahatapah
If we can clean the basement of the human mind’s unconscious — and that’s what Vishnu Saharanama’s work is. It can be cleaned away. Decluttering is in your unconscious mind.
The Lord causes beings to cry at the time of involution (Rudra) and He has many heads (Bahusira) and is our supporter (Babruhu). He is the originator, the source of the entire universe (Viswayonihi) and about his ‘leelas’ it is always holy and pleasant to hear (Suchisravah). The Lord is Immortal (Amrutaha), Eternal and firm (Shashwatah Stahnuhu ), of high Ascent (Vararoho ) and can be realized only by intense penance (Mahatapah ).
The fourteenth Shloka of Vishnu Sahasranama is –
Sarvagah Sarvavit Bhanuhu Viswakseno Janardhanaha
Vedo Vedavit Avyango VedangoVedavit Kavihi
Lord Vishnu is all-pervading (Sarvaga), Omniscient and Bright (Sarvavit Bhanu), and is a Militant Guard of the Universe (Viswaksena) and Oppressor of the wicked (Janardhanaha). He is the Vedas Himself (Vedo) and Knower of Vedas ( Vedavit), is Perfect (Avyango) with Vedas as his parts(Vedanga). He is the One who is known through Vedas (Vedavit) and is All-Seer (Kavihi)
At my parents’ place, an empty surface would almost instantly get filled with stuff, rather like an invisible scientific law in operation – like ‘nature abhors a vacuum’, so too, ‘in our household abhors an empty surface’. Every room had loads of stuff, some essential, others mostly dispensable but all were there to stay. Forever.
As he explained the 13th and 14th Shlokas of Vishnu Sahasranama, he made us question ourselves: ‘No matter you sometimes tripped over things or had to put back all that spilled out and littered the floor when you tried to extricate something from an overfull cupboard. Or had to wade through bowls and boxes of knick-knacks before you found what you were looking for.
Years later, reading organizing expert Marie Kondo — who has made de-cluttering her vocation and who has gone on to write best sellers on the subject — I was struck by how much her tidying philosophy resonates with what Vishnu 
Sahasranama said about de-clutter, at another level. Vishnu Sahasranama is talking of de-cluttering the mind.
Yes, tidying is indeed a kind of philosophy, even in the physical world. Kondo says, “Rather than a dreaded task, I see tidying as a celebration. It’s an act of gratitude for the items that support you every day ― and the first step to living the life you’ve always wanted. I hope that the magic of tidying will help people to create a bright and joyful future – especially during these uncertain times.” She is of course referring to the pandemic, lockdowns, and work-from-home lifestyle, the new normal today. “The increased time at home has motivated a lot of people to take inventory of their possessions and to reevaluate their relationship with them,” says Kondo. We have a relationship with objects — really?
I guess we do have a relationship with anything that becomes part of our lives. Not just people and animals, but also all the objects that populate our home and workplace! Enthused, I made plans to systematically de-clutter my humble abode. Initially, I was just shifting stuff from one location to another but slowly, the culture of giving away, of ‘emptying’, began to take hold and I have given away many things I had clung onto for years.
A clutter-free home and workplace not only free up physical space but also free your mind and bring joy. You become less stressed; your to-do lists get shorter. So this is perhaps what Vishnu Sahasranama meant when it says, “empty your mind” – only when you give yourself (empty) space, you get clarity as Lord Vishnu is all-pervading – ‘Sarvaga’, including about who you are.
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