Ashtottaram 80 OṀ SAHAJASEṪUSAILABHŨMYAI NAMAH:

By- Devakinanda Ji

OṀ (AUM)-SA-HA-JA-S'EṪU-SAI-LA-BHOO-MYAI-

NA-MA-HA

ॐ सहजसेतुशैलभूम्यै नमः

(Sahaja: Natural, innate, inborn; Setusaila: With sea and hill)

It is believed that Bharata Varsha and Bharata Khandam was once much more vast than it is today. According to legend, during the great war of Mahābhārata in 3139 B.C.E, present- day countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh also came under it. After the great war, many countries separated from Bharata Varsha and declared their independence. After our independence from the British in 1947, Pakistan also separated from India, and consequently split into Pakistan and Bangladesh.

If we look at our boundaries now, we have the Himalayas to the north, Indian Ocean to the south, Bay of Bengal to the east, and the Arabian Sea to the west.They form our natural boundaries. We cannot help but think that Lord Parameśwara himself is sitting on Kailaasa and protecting us from invaders who are waiting like vultures to occupy our land. In our national anthem, Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore included these natural boundaries also. Like our Vedas preach- dharmo rakshati rakshitah,(meaning- 'if we protect dharma, in turn, dharma will protect us)' our Sanātana Dharma will always protect us from enemies. Unfortunately, even though we are protected by our natural boundaries, we were invaded by Muslims and were ruled by them for centuries. This did not happen because our borders failed us, but because our own Indians helped the Muslims. Those Indians did not follow our dharma-śhastrās, and their own selfishness, jealousy and greed made them stoop that low. The slavery went through by Indians, did not teach lesson. We were once again, succumbed to the British- divide and rule tactics, and we lost our land to them for two centuries. Looking at our past history and current status of our country, my anguish inspired me to write the ashtottaram, ekavimśati song and Gāyatri mantras on our Bhāratmāta. As long as we have our dharma śhastrās which proclaim dharmameva jayate (meaning- 'dharma is always victorious') and as long as we have the sun and the moon in the sky, our natural boundaries will always protect us from enemies. We are thankful to Ȋśwara who has blessed us with those boundaries.

Our land is 'Sahajasetusaila Bhūmi'.