Let us start with ‘Oh God’, ‘Oh Heavens above’, ‘Angels fear to tread, where fools go lightly’. It is interesting to observe that we always remember God, when we are diminished or aghast.

In Hindi we have exclamations like ‘Hai Ram’, which means ‘Oh Ram’, or ‘Hey Bhagwan’, which means ‘Oh, God’. They all express our shock. Another exclamation is ‘Prana sukh gaya’, it means that I was dying of thirst or starving. It is also remembering the vital breath. We invoke the name of God, when we most need him and are not aware of what we are doing.

Swami Sivananda said that if we could not practice Sadhana, we should say the name of Ram or of the mother, every one hour. I did not know about this until a short time ago, and I realized that I was using the exclamations frequently to express my helplessness or horror at a calamity. We also use the exclamation Baap re, (calling the father) which indicates fear. By God’s grace and May God bless you, are also frequently used.

It is possible for us to use such phrases constructively, keeping Swami Sivananda’s words in mind. It will clear our thoughts, free us from fear and we can wish others well with sincerity.

Aim Hrim Klim