Namasmarana
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, in his previous incarnation as Lord Krishna, preached the way of prapati [what you are destined to get] and namasmarana (remembering the name of God) in the Bhagavad-Gita [an epic]. Again, in this incarnation, He is repeatedly preaching about the path of reaching God by chanting His name. For mankind, there is no easier path to lead a happy life. But, man with his fickle and restless mind wants to become a rajayogi, wants to learn meditation, wants to raise his kundalini powers (spiritual powers) by merely uttering some technical jargon and resorting to complicated methods to elevate his spirituality.
Long ago Sri Shankaracharya [a sage]described the nature of this wonderful mind of ours. He said, “Mind is like a monkey. It gets drunk. It is in agony when a scorpion stings him, and his misery is complete when a demon enters him.” This is the true nature of our mind, prone to indecision, dread, and sorrow. Just like monkeys by practice, learn to do the feats that the beggars in the street teach them, in the same way we should also train and control our minds, says Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita.
He says that the mind can be controlled by abhyasa (practice) and vairagya (dispassion). “Fix your mind on Me and establish your reason in Me alone,” said Lord Krishna. In other words, namasmarana is sufficient. When and where should namasmarana be done? Baba repeatedly says, “Everywhere and always.” Namasmarana is one of the important modes ordained in the nine modes of devotion. It is also the easiest. Namasmarana along with roopasmarana [remembering the form], is even better. In this way, by constantly remembering the name and form of the Lord, our mind can be controlled to a great extent.
Prapati is the practice of the cat and the kitten relationship—sarva bhara samarpita [surrendering the entire burden] attitude. Just like the kitten simply continues mewing, placing all its burdens on the mother cat, so also the devotee should place his trust in the Lord. The mother cat holds the kitten in its mouth and removes it to a safer area or transports it safely through very narrow passages. So, too, the devotee places his burden on the Lord and surrenders fully to His will. This should not however lead to lethargy and absence of effort and failure to discharge one’s duties.
To win the grace of God and how a devotee should conduct himself has also been enumerated in the Bhagavad-Gita. Krishna said, “A true devotee is one who is free from malice toward all beings, who is friendly as well as compassionate, who has no feeling of ‘me,’ and is free from egoism, to whom pleasure and pain are alike, and who is forgiving by nature. He who is ever content and mentally united to Me, who has subdued his body, mind, and senses and has a firm resolve, who has surrendered his mind and intellect to Me, who is not a source of annoyance to the world, and who never feels offended with the world, who is free from delight and anger, perturbation and fear.
“A sincere devotee is he who craves for nothing, who is both internally and externally pure, is clever and impartial, and has risen above all distractions, who renounces the feelings of doer- ship in all undertakings. He who neither rejoices nor hates, neither grieves, nor desires, who renounces both good and evil, and is full of devotion to Me. He who is alike to friend and foe and likewise to honor and ignominy; who faces alike both heat and cold, pleasure and pain and is free from attachment. He who takes praise and reproach alike, who is given to contemplation and content with whatever comes unasked for, without attachment to home, fixed in mind, and full of devotion to Me. Such a devotee never comes to harm.”
Namasmarana can be done either by repeating the name of the Lord mentally by always thinking of the Lord’s name and his leelas [divine play], or by singing devotional songs. Baba had been teaching ‘Japa sahita dhyana’ (chanting along with meditation). Pranayamam [breath control] and pratyaharam [sense withdrawal] practices are not necessary. “Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, worship Me; and bow to Me.” said Baba in the Gita. He also said, “Those who have full faith attain knowledge. He who constantly thinks of Me, to him I am easily attainable. Devoted to his own duty, man attains the highest perfection. And the karmayogi [who practices the yoga of action], who has taken refuge in Me, though ever performing all actions, attains through My grace the eternal imperishable abode. With your mind thus fixed on Me, you shall get over all difficulties by My grace. And if out of pride you will not listen to Me, you will be utterly destroyed.”
Even though Baba had been preaching this for many thousands of years [in His various incarnations], mankind is still running after gurus, substituting them frequently, impatiently wanting to learn dhyana [meditation] and earn salvation. For the present age, nothing more is required than chanting the name of the Lord. Those who enjoy the bliss of namasmarana alone know the divine efficacy of the same.
~T. Govardhana Rao
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Dec. 1973
