CHANT OF GOD NAME

Usually, people believe that the goal of life is to gather as many things as possible that give physical pleasure. However, it’s rarely seen that those who possess plenty of such things are truly happy. In fact, the more material possessions one collects, the more one’s greed increases. As age advances, the body weakens and loses its capacity to enjoy these pleasures, yet the craving of the mind remains unfulfilled even when surrounded by plenty.

Therefore, a wise person should begin, even now, to practice not depending on external objects for happiness. When one thing is lost, the mind immediately seeks another. That substitute should be the Divine. Since the Divine is eternal, self-sufficient, and the source of bliss, meditating upon the Divine gradually infuses those qualities into the mind. One can only imagine how rich and fulfilling the life of a person would be, whose mind becomes joyous through the contemplation of such a Divine presence.

For practical, householders like us, there seems to be one main difficulty in this — combining spiritual practice with daily responsibilities. We often think that a person deeply engaged in remembering God cannot manage worldly affairs. Saints like Tukaram Maharaj, who were entirely absorbed in the Divine, are exceptions. For people like us, even if we can spare some time for God after diligently completing our duties, it would be considered real progress.

But if we look closely, we do not dedicate even the little free time we get to God. Therefore, we should resolve to spend at least a fixed, dedicated time every day in remembering God’s name. Everything can be covered under the shelter of His Name, even our own ego, which we must watch carefully. Without getting too caught up in worldly distractions, one should keep the remembrance going. Besides this, reading a little from saintly writings about God daily, reflecting upon them, and thoughtfully considering how those teachings can be incorporated into our life is important.

A person who follows this path will soon notice inner growth and, above all, will find contentment. Contentment is the true sign of real happiness.