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The Divine Name as the Ladder

Take the Name as Brahman Himself and using it as a ladder ascend the summit, the supreme God-head with whom you are eternally one.

The Divine Name is a powerful boat that takes man across the whirlpools of life to the haven of his eternal and spiritual nature. His Name transforms man from the human to the Divine. The Divine Name is the one sovereign panacea for all physical, mental and intellectual ills that have created the sense of diversity and misery in the world. To be in tune with the Name is to be in tune with the Infinite Truth and thus to transmute the lower, stumbling and ignorant human nature, into the glorious self-illumined nature.

The Divine Name purifies the mind of its ego and desires, and floods the whole being with light and joy.

Repeat the Name constantly so that its enthralling music should thrill, illumine, elevate and sweeten your entire life. The Name arrests distracting thoughts, subdues unregulated desires and enlightens the intellect. After enabling its devotee to achieve thorough concentration of mind, it helps to draw the mind inward and attain complete absorption in the Eternal Reality, which in its turn takes him to the supreme goal of self-surrender. The Name unlocks the fountain of your heart and floods your being with immortal light, knowledge, peace and joy. It grants you the loftiest vision and experience.

Fixing the mind on the sound of His Name is the easiest way for concentration. Take it that the sound of Name is itself a symbol of God. By gradual practice, the external repetition will lead to an automatic functioning of the Name in the mind. When thus the Name comes into the mind constantly, you will attain concentration. By Sadhana the restless nature of the mind is curbed.

Oh! the charm of the Name! It brings light where there is darkness, happiness where there is misery, contentment where there is dissatisfaction, bliss where there is pain, order where there is chaos, life where there is death, heaven where there is hell, God where there is Maya. He who takes refuge in that glorious Name knows no pain, no sorrow, no care, no misery. He lives in perfect Peace.

In all weathers cling to the Name of the Lord. It is the one plank which does not allow the man, who hangs on to it, to sink and be lost. The Name is the Lord, Guru and all in all.

When the Lord’s Name is on our lips, we need not be afraid of anything in this world or in any other world. The Name is simple. It unveils layers of the deep-seated ignorance that had made you oblivious of your divine existence. It acts with a sure, steady and unfailing purpose. It is the real means for bringing about a complete state of self-surrender. Even from the start of the repetition of the Name, you begin to taste the nectar of immortality. As you go on, your joy increases and when this joy turns into ecstasy, it takes you beyond the body-idea and you become conscious of the Divine within you. Your individual sense disappears, as darkness in the presence of light. When this stage is reached a Sadhaka becomes a Siddha, i.e., the aspirant attains divine perfection.

The Name brings you self-absorption, and meditation becomes automatic, i.e., you are lost in the sweet rapture of the Spirit the moment you sit silent by yourself. The struggle the Sadhaka usually passes through, to keep the mind centred on the Truth, is not there for the votary of the Name. He starts with joy, walks on the path with joy, and reaches the goal which is joy, and ultimately becomes Joy itself. This is the sweetest consummation, all comprehensive perfection and the highest experience of the God-head which the Name grants.

Mantra is a combination of words that stands for the Supreme Reality. It is so set that by the utterance of it a rhythmic sound is produced which has a marvellous effect on both the mental and physical system. The sound of the Mantra produces mental equilibrium and physical harmony. It tunes the entire human being with the eternal music of the Divine. It lulls the feverishness of the mind. This equanimity in turn awakens the sleeping Divine Consciousness, bringing the soul in direct contact with the in-dwelling and all-pervading Reality. One great advantage of Mantra Yoga over other methods is that it is a discipline which is at once self-sufficient and independent. Truly, one who keeps the Mantra always on his lips can attain the infinite power, wisdom, love and vision of God.