CHANT OF GOD NAME

You say, “We keep making mistakes.” But think of a young child learning to walk—he stumbles, falls, or mispronounces words. Still, his parents are filled with joy. In the same way, I feel appreciation for your errors, because they show your effort. Your attempts to correct those mistakes are equally admirable. So, there’s no need to feel disheartened about them.Once, a teacher told his disciple, “Let go of the past, but don’t repeat those wrongs in the future.” A true disciple accepts this with faith. The only way to make up for our faults is through the repetition of God’s name. God’s name is a remedy for every ailment. Like medicine taken regularly in small doses, it should be taken constantly—even in the workplace. Whether one is educated or uneducated, rich or poor, this medicine works equally for all. Whoever takes it with the right discipline will see its effects sooner.

Now imagine a child who insists on jumping into a well. Should his father give in, or should he pull him away—even forcefully if needed—for his safety? Similarly, when you demand certain worldly desires, it is like insisting on harmful things. A true devotee is never unhappy or burdened. He remains content, no matter how poor or ill he may be. Ordinary people feel sorrow when they don’t get what they want. But a devotee has no attachments, and thus no grief. He and the Divine are one. The devotee’s will is in complete harmony with the will of God. As he worships the form of God, he gradually forgets his own ego. The thought “I am not, only You are” becomes strong. Eventually, when the ‘I’ disappears, even the forms of God—like Rama or Krishna—dissolve, and only the pure Divine remains.

Just as a person recovering from illness needs a walking stick, so too should one in worldly life rely on devotion with form (saguna bhakti) for spiritual support. A person attached to the physical body cannot worship the formless; they need a form. We must ask God: “O Lord, may your grace be upon me, and may that grace be that I never forget you.” This remembrance itself leads to devotion. Without God, nothing brings true peace. Life has no joy without Him. Whoever becomes one with God—living in His name—will never feel weary of life.Rather than turning the Divine into something worldly, let us learn to see the Divine in all aspects of our worldly life.