“First surrender yourself to God and then take His Name.” Surrender must come before repetition,not after. If you have got keen longing for God and God alone, even if you lose the whole world you will not mind.

Nama Article 12th December 2013

 

Devotee: How to stop the mind from running about even while repeating Ram Nam?

 

Swami Papa Ramdas: That shows your devotion to God is not sufficiently strong. Pray to God within you to grant you intense devotion. By Abhyasa and Vairagya you can control the mind. Now your Abhyasa is not continuous and your Vairagya is nil. Then how can you control the mind? Jnaneswar says, "First surrender yourself to God and then take His Name." Surrender must come before repetition,not after. If you have got keen longing for God and God alone, even if you lose the whole world you will not mind. Whereas now your mind is restless even if anything goes wrong slightly here and there.

 

Vairagya comes through Ananya Bhakti — exclusive thought of God, "I want You and You alone, my God." You are ever longing for God until He is realized. You want the joy of the Eternal. So towards transitory things there is dispassion, and towards God there is intense devotion. Both together — dispassion and practice of God-remembrance — will enable you to fix your mind upon God. At present your devotion is nothing; there is no earnestness in it. Repetition is done as a matter of routine. Mind is as restless as ever. You read the Bhagavad Gita, but do not act up to the teachings of Krishna. In his Sadhana days Ramdas found himself in a state where even if he tried to forget God he could not do so.

 

Chant the Mahamantra Nama kirtan :

 

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare