Nama Article 28th January 2010
Gems from Bhagavan - A Necklace of Sayings by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.
Bhagavan, when asked by a devotee whether he should continue taking the name of God as advised by his late Guru, or change over to vichara (enquiry), referred the devotee to an article in Vision of September 1937, on the 'Philosophy of the Divine Name according to Saint Nam Dev', in which it is explained that God and God's Name are all the same.
The below quotation is from a short work by Namdev titled 'The Philosophy of the Divine Name'. Sri Ramana first discovered it in 1937 and for the last thirteen years of his life he kept a copy of it on a small bookshelf by his bed. He frequently read it out when visitors asked him about the nature and usefulness of Japa and from the number of times he spoke of it with approval it is reasonable to assume that he fully endorsed its contents.
Reproducing the article that appeared in Vision below
PHILOSOPHY OF THE DIVINE NAME ACCORDING TO SAINT NAMDEV
1. The Name permeates the entire universe densely.
Who can tell to what depths in the nether regions and to what heights in the heavens It extends? The ignorant fools undergo the eighty-four lacs of species of births, not knowing the essence of things. The Name is immortal. Forms are innumerable but Name is all that.
2. The Name itself is form and form itself is Name.
There is no distinction between Name and form. God became manifest and assumed Name and form. Hence the Name the Vedas have established. Beware there is no Mantram beyond the Name. Those who say otherwise are ignorant fools. Name is Keshava Himself. This is known only to the loving devotee of the Lord.
3. The all-pervading nature of the Name can only be understood when one recognizes one's own 'I'. When one's own name is not recognized, it is impossible to get the all-pervading Name. When one knows himself then he finds the Name everywhere.
4 None can realize the Name by the practice of knowledge, meditation or austerity. Surrender yourself at first at the feet of the Guru and learn to know who the 'I' in you is. After finding the source of that 'I' merge your individuality in that Oneness – which is Self-existent and devoid of all duality. It is that Name that permeates the three Worlds. The Name is Para-Brahman itself where there is no action arising out of Dwaita (duality),
Here it will be interesting to quote an extract from the teachings of Swami Ramdas Maharaj bearing on the above subject:-
"The easiest way to reach or realize Sri Ram is surely to repeat His most powerful Name. Smaran is to remember what we have forgotten that we are His Swarup. We are always He, but our ignorance has made us forget our real nature. Continuous and ceaseless Smaran of Sri Ram is to remove our ignorance and realize ultimately that we are all He and He alone. There is none but He. To attain this, our minds must be spotlessly pure. Repetition of His great Name is again the only means or Sadhana. A pure mind is the first preliminary to our surrendering to Sri Ram. Let us conceive a strong and intense love for Sri Ram. - the more intense our love for Him, our remembrance becomes automatically more and more continuous and unbroken, because it is our nature to remember that which we love most."
Please check these: Excerpts from a discourse by our Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji
http://guruandnamakirtan.blogspot.com/2010/01/that-love-can-sprout-only-by-his-grace.html
http://guruandnamakirtan.blogspot.com/2010/01/repetition-of-name-will-create-love.html
Chant the Mahamantra Nama kirtan :
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
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