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).
(SSS Vol.35, p. 233)
Most of the Names of the Divine (Rama,Krishna,Hara,Hair,Data, Sati,Kali, etc.) have but two letters or syllables; the significance of the number, two, is, that the first syllable represents Agni (Fire Principle), which burns up the accumulated demerit or sin, and the second represents the amrita principle, the restorative, the refreshing, the re-formation force.
The two processes are necessary; removal of obstructions and construction of the structure. (SSS Vol.7, p. 117)
The name of God is like a torch that guides your steps in the dark. Suppose you have to walk through the forest in the night, you may wonder how a little torch can help you through such a long journey in the dark. Well, when you walk with the torch in your hand, the light it sheds walks with you. So also in the long journey of life through the night of ignorance, the name of God on your tongue acts like a torch light, bright and clear, to direct your every successive step. Repeat the name of God or hum a Bhajan, and you will find that all your bad thoughts will have fled, leaving you free from evil. (SSS Vol. 10, p. 156)
The Divine Name when uttered by a dedicated soul like Prahlada brought out the Lord from wherever he sought Him. The Divine Name saves and liberates. It is armour against the onslaughts of pride and self-pity. When Japam is started by you in a systematic manner, fixing your inner eye on the Form, which illustrates the Name, you will meet with many obstacles, disquieting thoughts and enticements. They should be ignored by-passed, treated lightly. Strengthen your habits, stick to your discipline, improve your inner administration; mix more in the company of the good and the godly. The unruly bull has to be roped and tamed, its nose bored and ringed, it has to be yoked and trained to drag heavy loads and become the docile servant of its master.
The six passions should be kept as docile servants for your useful purposes. Hate and avoid forever those who slight the Name of the Lord. Attachment can be used to fix your heart on the Lord; be fascinated by the overwhelming Beauty of his Form reflected in all the loveliness of Nature. (SSS Vol.2, pp. 265-267)
Have the Name of the Lord on the tongue and it will drive away the inner darkness as well as the outer. The name of the Lord has vast potentiality. (SSS Vol.2, p. 166)
I will never force you to take up a particular Name or Form of the Lord as your Ishtam (Ishta-Deva). The Lord has a million names and a million forms, and He wants that faith and attachment should be evoked in you by any one of them as you recite the Names or contemplate on the Forms. (SSS Vol.2, pp. 10-11)
The Samskara will have its say, whatever you may wish.It is no mean achievement to get the Name of the Lord on one’s tongue at the last moment. It needs the practice of many years, based on a deep-seated faith. It needs a strong character, without hatred or malice; for the thought of God cannot survive in a climate of pride and greed. And how do you know which moment is the last? Yama, the God of Death, does not give notice of his arrival to take hold of you. He is like the man with the camera taking snapshots; he does not warn, "Ready? I am clicking." If you wish your portrait to hang on the walls of Heaven, it must be attractive; your stance, your pose, your smile must all be nice, is it not? So it is best to be ready for the click, night and day, with the name ever ripping on the tongue and the glory always radiant in the mind. Then, whenever the shot is taken, your photo will be fine. (SSS Vol.2, p. 7)
Name is Nityam and Rupam is Anityam. (GV, p. 107)
The Name is the Narasimha for the Hiranyaksha of the mind, the Rajasika and Tamasika forces besieging your heart and bent on your downfall. Just as they give calcium and vitamin tablets to cure anaemia, take namam tablets to get rid of mental anaemia and other illness. Have the Namam on your tongue and imbibe its taste slowly to get rid of the troublesome upsurge of passions and emotions. (DW, p. 21)
With the Name imprinted on his (Hanuman’s) heart and rolling on his tongue, he leaped across the sea; temptations called on him to halt on the way; terrors pleaded with him to turn back; but the Name urged him on and carried him forward, through space to distant Lanka where Sita was. He had no space in his mind for anything other than the Name of his master. (SSS Vol.5, p. 80)
You are also playing marbles with the name of God, unaware of its value. Once you realise its worth, you will keep it in your heart of hearts as the most precious treasure. Know that the name is the key to success in your search for consolation, confidence, courage, illumination and liberation. (CK, p. 34)
(CK-P34)
Draupadi’s husbands were great heroes including the powerful Bhima and the valiant Arjuna. In their presence, Duryodhana sought to humiliate Draupadi in the open assembly. Neither the powerful Bhima, nor the valiant Arjuna, nor the very embodiment of Dharma, Yudhishtira, ventured to come to her rescue. Ultimately she cried out: ‘Oh Krishna! The kinsman of the hapless!’ Physical prowess did not come to the rescue of Draupadi. Only the name of the Divine came to her help.
People tend to treat lightly the name of the Lord. They do not realise the potency of the two syllables in the name of the Lord. All the power of the cosmos is contained in those two letters. You must understand properly the significance of the name and use it in the right way. Chanting the Lord’s name (namasmarana) is the panacea. It is the easiest path to God-realisation. It is the boat that will take people across the ocean of mundane existence.
How does the chanting of the Lord’s name transform the devotee? Every word that we utter sets in motion waves that fill the world. The radio waves sent out from the broadcasting station in Delhi reach out to every part of the world. (SSS Vol.30, p. 47)