CHANT OF GOD NAME

What does it mean to chant the divine name with faith? It means repeating it because your Guru — or someone you deeply revere — has instructed you to do so. When you have such faith, your mind doesn’t entertain doubts. This state of unshakable trust is both incredibly fortunate and quite rare.

Chanting the name with steadfastness means doing so without doubt. Doubts can take many forms — for example, wondering whether the divine even hears the name being chanted, or questioning what posture should be adopted while chanting, where to focus your gaze, whether one must always be physically pure to repeat the name, and so on. All these doubts essentially boil down to one main question: Does the divine name truly reach God?

Since God and His name are one and the same, absolutely nothing can stand between the two. Think of this: if you’re walking behind someone and say their name aloud, they immediately turn around. If this is how an ordinary person responds, how can we assume that the all-knowing Lord wouldn’t respond when His name is called?

In fact, the ability to chant God’s name comes from His grace alone. It is He who places His own name upon our lips. So, if He is the one who enables us to chant, where is the room for doubt that the name won’t reach Him?

Imagine two people sitting down to eat. One is lost in thought, unaware of the food, but still mechanically eating. The other eats mindfully, enjoying every bite. Both finish their meals — and both are full. Likewise, even if you chant mechanically at times, the name still has its effect. It’s not wasted.

Think of another scenario — you write a letter to someone in another town inviting them to visit. When that person arrives and says, “I’m the one you wrote to,” you accept their word and welcome them. Similarly, the divine has promised: “Wherever My name is chanted, there I am.” Why not trust that and see His presence in the very act of chanting?

That is true faith — just like we carry our family name as a part of our identity because of our parents, we should live bearing God’s name in our heart. Let our lives reflect the belief that God alone is our protector, guide, and sole companion in this world. When a person surrenders in this way, God places such a devotee above even Himself.

Through the name, one attains God.