You repeat the name of the Lord, sing Bhajans, and perform meditation to earn single-mindedness, is it not? Once this single mindedness has been earned, its inner significance will be revealed to you and effort will become unnecessary. Those eager to become aspirants, to attain salvation, should not yield to arguments and counter-arguments. You should not be enticed by the wiles of bad feelings! You should see your own faults and not repeat them. You should guard and protect the one-pointedness, with your eyes fixed on the goal, and dismiss as trash whatever difficulties, defeats and disturbances you may encounter on your path. (Sai Inspires on 7.4.2010)
Those who aspire to attain the holy Presence of the Lord, must acquire certain habits, discipline and qualities. The usual, accustomed ways of life will not lead to God. They have to be modified somewhat, by means of Sadhana. Look at the crane; It walks about pretty fast in water. But, during that walk, it cannot catch the fish; it must, for that purpose, become slow and quiet and motionless. So, also if one proceeds with greed, anger and similar qualities, one cannot secure the fish of Satya, Dharma and Shanti. Whatever Sadhana a person may or may have, he must practice uninterrupted Namasmarana. Then only can he master the natural attributes of Greed, Anger etc. All Shastras teach but this one lesson. Since Lord is the universal Goal and in this journey of Life has Him as the Destination, keep Him constantly in view and subdue the mind, which makes you wander from the path. All the good qualities automatically gather around the person who practices control of speech and the constant contemplation of the Lord. (Prema Vahini, p. 62)
There was a merchant who was exhorted by his teacher to repeat the Name of the Lord; he pleaded he had no time to sit and repeat it; the shop took up all his time and energy. He had to go out a little way from the village, every morning for answering the calls of nature. He spent about half an hour for this. So, the Guru asked him to use this time for the daily Smarana. Hanuman, the great Rama Bhakta was passing through the sky, when he saw the merchant defecating and heard him repeat Ram, Ram, Ram while so engaged. Hanuman was incensed at the impertinence; he was desecrating the Name, by pronouncing it while unclean. So, he gave him a hard blow on his cheek and continued his journey to Ayodhya.
When he reached the Divine Presence and looked at the splendour-filled face of Rama, he noticed the swollen red print of a hand upon his cheek. Hanuman was shocked and His grief was too deep for words. Rama told him, ‘Hanuman! Do not ask Me the name of the person who dealt this blow. I always anticipate the moment of calamity for my bhakta and I intercede in time, to save them. That poor merchant, sitting outside the village, who was repeating My Name when you were coming here, could he withstand the terrible onslaught of your angry fist? The fellow would have collapsed on the spot. So, I intercepted this blow and received it on My own cheek, my dear Hanuman.’
Bhakta rakshana is one of His main tasks. Yogashemam vahamyaham is no empty assurance; it is the vow of the Lord, and He is Satya swarupa, the Truth Itself. (SSS Vol.5, p. 226)
Do not indulge in Namasmarana as a pastime, or a fashion or a passing phase, or as the unpleasant part of an imposed timetable or a bitter quota to be fulfilled each day. Think of it as a sadhana, to be seriously taken up for the purpose of reducing your attachments to fleeting objects, purifying and strengthening you, and liberating you from the cycle of birth and death. Hold fast to it as the means of rescuing yourself in every way from the bonds of time and change. It looks a frail cure for such fearful malady; but it is a panacea, nevertheless. (SS Sept 11 , p. Back Cover Page)
The mind is the mischief-maker; it jumps from doubt to doubt; it puts obstacles in the way. It weaves a net and gets entangled in it. It is ever discontented; it runs after a hundred things and away from another hundred... Take up the task of training it into an obedient servant; it can be educated, if only you know how to do it. (SSS Vol.2, p. 21)
Tame the mind by the process of Namasmarana, (SSS Vol.2, p. 196)
To evoke the Divine in you, there is no better method than Namasmarana. (SSS Vol.2, p. 206)
Namasmarana is the best means. Only, you don’t believe that it can cure you or save you, that is the tragedy. (SSS Vol.2, p. 175)
There is no short cut to the Grace of the Lord; Namasmarana is the safest route. (SSS Vol.2, p. 174)
Every being has to reach the Goal, however slowly they walk or however circuitous their road.
To reach the Goal quickly without passing through the ordeals of the long journey and stopping at one caravanserai after another, passing from birth to birth, learn Sadhana... especially the easiest and the quickest, Namasmarana. (SSS Vol.2, p. 38)
Not only in this Kali Yuga but even the earlier Yugas, the Krita, the Treta and the Dwapara Namasmarana was the secret for liberation from bondage. The temple is the place where Namasmarana is natural and automatic and undisturbed. Therefore, going to them is imperative, especially in the Kali age when the air is full of wicked and ungodly thoughts. (SSS Vol.24)
Winning the Grace of the Lord is as easy as melting butter; that is why the heart of the Lord is compared to butter. It is as soft as butter, they say. A little warmth is enough to melt it; a little warm affection shown to a suffering companion, a little warmth while pronouncing His name, turning it over on the tongue, so to say. The Name is the spring of all the Chaitanya that you get by Namasmarana; it is the Life-giving Nectar; it is the fountain of Primal Energy. Recite the Name and the Named will be before you; picture the Named and the Name will leap to your lips. They are the reverse and the obverse of the same coin, the Name and the Form. (SSS Vol.2, p. 194)
Of the various types of Bhakti, Namasmarana Bhakti is the best. In the Kali Yuga, the Name is the Path for saving oneself. (Prema Vahini, p. 68)
When man lived in the name of God and had no other thought, the rolling in the objective world, this Prakriti and its changing phenomena, had ceased; the Name and the chain of destiny cannot exist together. Prarabdha will melt away like fog before the sun when Namasmarana is done. (SSS Vol.3, p. 126)
First of all, man needs to grow the crop of love in the field of his heart. This was the teaching of Charaka. God is not in some distant land but resides in your very heart. He is with you, within you, above and below you and around you. With such faith, man should chant the Divine Name. Discarding such an easy path, man is subjecting himself to needless agony and suffering. On the other hand, people in ancient days instantly get rid of any suffering- all by chanting the sacred Name of the Lord.
Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha (Chaitanya Charitamrita 17:21)
(Chanting of the Divine Name is the only path to liberation in this Age of Kali).
In Kali Age, Namasmarana (chanting the lord’s Name) is the penacea for all our suffering. There is no greater power than the Divine Name. Chanting the Lord’s Name bestows infinite bliss on man. No one can estimate the power of the Lord’s Name. In Krita Yuga, meditation was the chief means of man’s liberation. In Treta Yuga, it was Yajna and in Dwapara Yuga, worship. But in Kali Yuga, Namasmarana is the most potent spiritual practice to earn God’s grace. That is why the practice of Namasmarana has been spreading in all parts of the world. (SSB 2002, pp. 26-27)
Namasmaran or singing the name and glory of God is the easiest and yet most effective method of unfolding the Divinity in our heart. When fire burns the wood, it covers itself with a layer of ashes. You blow away that ash and see the burning fire. So too, water in a pool gets concealed under its own green scum or marshy foliage. Remove this scum and you see the pure water again. Even so, the Atman or Blissful Self gets concealed under the cover of Raga (attachment) and Dvesha (hatred) and allied dualities. Namasmaran is the best means to remove this cover and experience Divinity in our hearts. This Sadhana puts to rest the fickle mind in the sweet love and glory of the Lord while the clapping of hands drives away the birds of Raga and Dvesha and other dualities from our heart. The divine names we sing are potent mantras which have the power of sublimating our mind and developing faith and devotion. In fact, it becomes Nada-Brahma (Divine-sound) and puts us in touch with God and gives us the experience of His ananda (bliss). (WD, pp. 78-79)
Chanting the name of the Lord, the practice of Namasmarana is acceptable to all religions...... Christians chant the glory of the name of Jesus. For the Sikhs the sacred name is everything. Chanting the name is acceptable to all. It brings about unity of all. It can bring total harmony. Chant the Lord’s name. Make Him closer to you. This is the easiest way. (SV, p. 47)
Today the atmosphere is filled with the discordant and disturbing noises of various kinds. These radio waves get into the minds of people and pollute their thoughts. Hence, if we wish to listen to pure sounds, the atmosphere must be free from pollution. The pollution cycle starts from smoke and clouds and ends in the food we eat. Hence the state of our minds depends on the kind of food we constant. The nature of the food depends on the environment. The environment is determined by human actions. Today men s actions are not along right lines.
Most devotees are like the fruits of the fig tree attractive to look at from the outside, but infested with worms, inside. Devotees should strive to purify their hearts. For this purpose, they have to chant the Lord’s name. The effect of Namasmarana must be properly understood. Chanting the Lord s name purifies the environment. The first step is to purify one s own heart. Transform yourself before you set out to transform others. (SSS Vol.30, pp. 47-48)
Start the first step with Namasmarana
Turn the key in the lock to the right, it opens; turn the same key to the left, it is locked. So too, turn your mind towards the objective world, it is locked, caught, entangled. Turn it to the right, away from the objects of the senses, the lock is loosened, you are free, deliverance is at hand. How to turn it right? Well, begin with remembering the Lord’s holy name (Namasmarana), as the first step . All journeys start with the first step. That will itself take you through the second and the third, to the very goal. (SSS Vol.4)