The Miracle Of The Word

The Miracle Of The Word

Such is the importance of Nam simran in Sikhism that Guru Nanak, the founder of the faith, proclaims, “I have no miracles except the name of God.” Nam japna or Nam simran is the repetitive remembrance of the Supreme, the Satnam, the only true Word. Nam is the Ultimate reality which manifests itself in the form of Creation and Nam, like Nature, is all-pervasive.
Nam is not name, identification or combination of words to address God like Hari, Ram, Allah; it is more than that. Nam is the representation of the Almighty, manifestation of His attributes. Nam is expression for the whole nature of Akal Purakh, the timeless, infinite and all-pervasive. To be linked with the divine name is to grow in likeness to God – being merciful, compassionate and loving until it results in divine union.
Satnam is not eternal silence; it takes the form of the divine Word, Vaheguru, the divine light, dispeller of darkness. In Sikh tradition, the Supreme is referred to as Vaheguru. Absorption in Nam, constant remembrance of Vaheguru, is recommended. As the believer meditates on the Word, bondage to the world, fear and injustice is overcome. Nam simran has the power of freeing us from the self-centredness that leads to endless cycles of reincarnation. All gains, spiritual and material, flow from concentration on Nam. Nam simran, chanting of ‘Satnam Vaheguru’ in congregation or in solitude is one of the three cardinal principles of Sikhism, along with kirat karni or honest labour and vand chhakna or sharing with the needy.
Nam japna can be performed at the individual level, in private meditation. It involves the practice of repeating the sacred word which helps you internalise the meaning of the Word. Guru Nanak believed that by repetition of Nam, one can overcome the ego. Nama marga, the path of the divine Word, is the way to liberation.
Nam simran can also be performed collectively in sadhsangat, when devotees sing together hymns of praise or the shabad in the form of kirtan. Guru Nanak says satsangat is where the divine Nam is cherished. This is where virtues are learnt, where godlike qualities are cultivated. In sangat devotees seek unity with God through recitation of Bani as well as hearing His Word. Nam simran is related to hearing or listening to the Word as well as becoming aware of what has been heard.
Remembrance of Nam does not bind the person to any place or time. One can recite it while walking, driving or while performing household chores. It sets you free. Guru Arjan says, “Nam is mukti, liberation, jugati, way to attain liberation, fulfilment, tripati as well as bhugati, enjoyment. All who follow the pathway of Nam experience vismad, the incredible awe and wonder of knowing the greatness of the Supreme Being – vismad nad vismad ved, wondrous is the sound, wondrous the wisdom.
But mechanical repetition of Nam is not enough. One has to realise the Divine as a reality and be in harmony with him. When we recite gurbani or the divine Word we are in fact remembering the attributes of God and as a result the followers also try to imbibe good qualities like love for all creatures, sewa, forgiveness, universal brotherhood, fearlessness etc. Nam simran is the ultimate path of bliss, of liberation.

Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ [Bs. 5.1]

The Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, is the dearest in both the conditioned and liberated states. When a person does not know that the Lord is the only dearmost object, then he is in the conditioned state of life, and when one knows perfectly well that the Lord is the only dearmost object, he is considered to be liberated. There are degrees of knowing one’s relationship with the Lord, depending on the degree of realization as to why the Supreme Lord is the dearmost object of every living being. The real reason is clearly stated in Bhagavad-gītā (15.7). Mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ: the living entities are eternally parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord. The living entity is called the ātmā, and the Lord is called the Paramātmā. The living entity is called Brahman, and the Lord is called the Parabrahman, or the Parameśvara. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ [Bs. 5.1]. The conditioned souls, who do not have self-realization, accept the material body as the dearmost. The idea of the dearmost is then spread all over the body, both concentrated and extended. The attachment for one’s own body and its extensions like children and relatives is actually developed on the basis of the real living entity. As soon as the real living entity is out of the body, even the body of the most dear son is no longer attractive. Therefore the living spark, or eternal part of the Supreme, is the real basis of affection, and not the body. Because the living entities are also parts of the whole living entity, that supreme living entity is the factual basis of affection for all. One who has forgotten the basic principle of his love for everything has only flickering love because he is in māyā. The more one is affected by the principle of māyā, the more he is detached from the basic principle of love. One cannot factually love anything unless he is fully developed in the loving service of the Lord.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The Revival Of Bhakti

Aguru wondered whether his student was worthy of receiving the ashtakshara mantra that would release him from earthly ills. After much deliberation, he finally disclosed it, but only after wresting a promise from him that it would not be revealed to others. The student pondered over the mantra and the next day, went atop the village temple and announced the mantra to a large gathering that had collected there. The guru, furious, said that the worst hell awaited him. To which the student replied, ‘If this act of mine delivers thousands to heaven, i do not mind going to hell.’ Thrilled, the guru hugged his disciple. The guru was Saint Tirukkottiyur Nambi.
Ramanuja was born in a Vaishnava family at Sriperambudur, near Kanchipuram. His own teacher, Yadavaprakash, felt threatened by the clarity and extent of his knowledge and so decided to kill him. However, due to divine grace Ramanujacharya survived. Ramanujacharya was against the caste system. He took an illiterate but knowledgeable saint, Kanchipurna as his teacher. One night Ramanuja invited Kanchipurna to his house. After serving him food, Ramanuja offered to wash his feet. Kanchipurna was embarrassed as Ramanuja was a Brahmin. An upset Ramanuja declared that one who was devoted to God was beyond any social order.
Ramanuja expounded the Vishishtha Advaita philosophy – qualified non-dualism. It talks of a personal God who is one and only one (non-dual), but vishishtha, one with unique attributes. It says that the Supreme Being is ‘soul of all souls’. He explained that there were three factors of interplay: God or Brahmn, we or jivatmas, nature or prakriti. He further explained that God manifests in two modes: Chit or sentient, living beings and achit or non-sentient, without consciousness. Brahmn along with these two modes formed the Tattva Traya or the threefold doctrine of Vishishtha Advaita philosophy that established an organic relationship of oneness of the universe and individual souls along with Brahmn. Individual selves are sparks of the divine and the world is no illusion. This philosophy is an integral part of Sri Vaishnavism, which says that Sriman Narayana is Paratattva, Supreme Truth. He is the abode of all life and is antaryamin, the internal controller. He is easily approachable and responds to his devotee’s loving devotion. The philosophy is theistic and says Brahmn is the union of Vishnu and Lakshmi (Sri), the father and mother elements, respectively.
Ramanuja was deeply influenced by the 12 alwars or Vaishnavite poet-saints, who were immersed in bhakti or devotion towards Narayana. Through bhakti, Ramanujacharya advocated saranagati or total surrender to God. Indeed, Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita advises Arjuna to rise above the lesser dharmas or duties which keep the soul bound to matter. He urges Arjuna to 'surrender all unto me and I shall free you from fears, bondage and sorrows'. The act of surrender is termed as saranagati, which forms the nucleus of the vishistha advaita philosophy, and is referred to as the prapatti yoga. In deference to Yamunacharya’s wishes, Ramanujacharya wrote the Sribhashya, a commentary on the Brahmasutras, Gita Bhashya, Saranagati Gadyam, among many other works. He travelled all over India and standardised the liturgy at many temples including the Sri Venkateshwara temple at Tirupati, and the Cheluvanarayana temple at Melkote, Karnataka, where he spent a major part of his life.