Namasmarana

The following article is based on a talk given by Dr. Mohan Kollengode in July 1998 at a Meditation Retreat in Connecticut.

Dr. Kollengode began with the premise that mankind’s basic nature is bliss, but somewhere along the way, it has been lost. As Swami says, the fundamental problem lies in the fact that we are seeking bliss from the material world, but that is not where it can be found. Instead of bringing peace, joy, and happiness, the material world that we seek—power, wealth, and fame—only brings misery. The solution lies in a simple spiritual exercise that not only guarantees peace and happiness, but also can provide wealth, power and fame if we so desire.

The law of karma is such that every thought, word and deed results in a karmic debt. This debt can be reduced to zero by the simple sadhana (spiritual practice) of namasmarana—chanting the Lord’s name.

Namasmarana, like every other exercise, has both a good and a bad aspect. The positive one is that the process is simple, and anyone can do it, at any time, in any place. It doesn’t require training or preparation, nor does it cost anything. The tragedy is that, in spite of this, hardly anyone practices namasmarana. Its greatest drawback is its simplicity. It seems we only value expensive or difficult-to-attain objectives. An example of this is the reluctance most people have to take an aspirin every day in order to prevent heart disease—a simple and inexpensive remedy. Similarly, namasrnarana seems to hold little value.

Another aspect is that some people will not accept anything unless it is confirmed in the scriptures. This applies even to what Swami says. But the scriptures say that if you place all the spiritual practices on one side of a weighing balance, and place the Lord’s name on the other, the Lord’s name will be more powerful in breaking the cycle of birth and death.

Every religion stresses going on pilgrimages as an important spiritual practice. In the Kali-yuga (iron age), the scriptures say that chanting the Lord’s name negates the need for taking pilgrimages. In other yugas (ages), the practices for obtaining liberation were different. The scriptures mention in several places that chanting the Lord ‘s name is the appropriate method for the particular age we are living in now.

In spite of what the scriptures say, people always ask for practical examples of the benefits of namasmarana. A good example of this is the change that came over the infamous murderer and thief, Ratnakara. As a ruthless robber, Ratnakara had no mercy or pity; rather, he murdered his victims as he stole from them and claimed he did it for the sake of his wife and children. The Lord sent Sage Narada to change him.

Upon meeting Narada, Ratnakara was amazed that the sage was not afraid of being killed. He was even more surprised when Narada informed him that, according to the law of karma, he (Ratnakara) would have to pay for all his sins. Ratnakara replied that, as he was doing this for the sake of his family, they would have to pay for his sins as well. Narada pointed out that this was not true and, in fact, both the wife and the children denied any responsibility for the sins committed by their husband and father. Ratnakara then asked Narada how he could undo all the sins he had committed. Narada replied that all the sins in this world could be wiped out by chanting the name of Lord Rama. But Ratnakara, with his unsavory tendencies, was not able to chant the word “Rama.” So Narada asked him to say “Mara” instead. (When chanted repeatedly, the word sounds the same as Rama.) Ratnakara began to chant with immense sincerity and over time he became known as the famous Valmiki who wrote the Indian epic, Ramayana.

One could argue that this happened eons ago, and now the practice is irrelevant. But there are many more recent examples, such as Tyagaraja, Ramadasa, Purandaradasa, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Chaitanya, and Meerabai whose life was changed by chanting the Lord’s name.

Another important aspect of chanting the Lord’s name is that the Lord Himself appears when the name is chanted. Because He appears in his subtle form, He is not visible. The question has been asked whether the Lord can be made to appear in flesh and blood. Swami says yes, it can be done. The poet Tyagaraja began chanting the name of Rama at the age of 21. At age 42, he was granted a vision of Lord Rama.

In the scriptures, there are expiatory rites that can remove sins, but none of them remove the tendency to commit the same sins again. Namasmarana is the only spiritual practice that can remove the tendency as well. Hence, it is the best method for wiping out karma.

The main question devotees ask is what name should be chanted. Swami says that all names are His and you should use the name that suits you best. Regularly changing the name is like digging for water by putting shallow holes in many places. One would do better to dig a single deep hole in one place in order to be assured of finding water.

Another question often asked is whether the name should be chanted with faith or not. Sankaracharya answers this by saying that the potency of something is not diminished by whether one understands the character of the thing or not. Fire has the capacity to burn; its potency is not diminished by the fact that someone does not understand the phenomenon. The power of the name is such that the Lord hears the name because He is omnipresent. The presence of faith, nonetheless, is an added bonus. It helps to speed one along the path of liberation.

Sometimes, a person may carry out namasmarana for two months or so, and then stop. The reason for this is that the six bad qualities, desire, anger, avarice, attachment, ego and jealousy, override the sweet qualities of December 1 998 chanting the Lord ‘s name. However, perseverance of namasmarana results in elimination of these bad qualities so that the sweetness of the Lord’s name can be tasted.

The usual excuse given for avoiding spiritual practice is that there is no time. If time is scarce, namasmararna can be carried out during “stolen” time—moments available while you are performing mundane tasks, such as brushing your teeth, driving the car, or mowing the lawn. Time is available if the mind is willing. The chance to practice namasmaranashould not be lost. Swami has suggested namasmarana as the practice for obtaining liberation in this age.

~Chandra Nair
New Jersey, USA

“This spiritual discipline of namasmarana
has to be practiced regularly every day.
It is like sweeping and dusting the floor of our home.
A day’s neglect means accumulation of more dust.
The altar of the heart will be clean if the sadhana is regular.
Always, at all times, in all places, let there be
remembrance of the Lord. The name of the Lord must
dance on your tongue forever.
To constantly allow the divine name to dance on the
tongue is our duty. When the name dances on the
tongue, the tongue. will speak only soft and sweet words,
giving pleasure to others.
The tongue guards the human heart.
An atom bomb will destroy the body but the tongue is
the weapon that can destroy the heart of man.
The good words that we speak strengthen and console,
while the bad words hurt and destroy.
Our hearts and emotions should be guided by a
constant, continuous and unceasing process of namasmarana. “

                                                                                                                               ~ Baba