Doing naam jap but no inner change coming? Adopt these 5 principles!
We do naam jap, we do puja, we have darshan of sants.. Yet why does no inner change come? The Mahapurush tells five principles. Adopt them, and life will certainly change. Let us see them in order—
1. Faith in the Lord's grace is the foundation
The foundation of the path of bhakti is faith.
Without faith, no mansion of bhava can be built.
Faith means:
– Surrendering one's life into the hands of the Lord.
– Believing that for me, the Lord Himself is the greatest benefactor.
The first sign of faith
If you have true faith in the Lord, then you will have no worry for yourself. Just as we trust the barber and give him our throat, we sign papers with the doctor and have surgery done—so why can we not trust our Lord? Ending your own worry = faith manifest.
The second sign of faith
Whatever circumstance comes in life,
may this doubt never arise in the heart: "Does the Lord love me or not?"
The faithful bhakt never asks this question.
He knows—the Lord's affection is unchangeable.
2. Conduct aligned with the Lord
After faith, the second principle is—
to mold life according to the Lord's word and the scriptures.
The Gita, the Puranas, the words of sants—these are all the word-form of the Lord Himself.
To walk in accord with them is conduct aligned with the Lord.
3. Continuous repetition of the naam
The third principle is—naam jap.
The one whose tongue continuously moves with the naam,
virtues naturally begin to come into their life.
If the jap of the naam is with inner love and in a hidden way, it is best.
This is the life-breath of sadhana.
Care while doing jap
While doing naam jap, ego often comes—
"I am a great doer of naam jap, the one in front is a sinner."
The Mahapurush warns:
– This is a test by the naam.
– The naam should teach us humility and love, not pride.
4. Do not try to improve others
The fourth principle is—never get involved in correcting the faults of others.
Remember: you are the first listener.
No effort to change someone else;
to improve oneself is the sadhak's path.
5. Listening to the Lord's attributes and lilas
The fifth principle is—repeatedly to hear and share the Lord's stories, lilas, and kirtans.
Listening is that nectar which melts the heart,
stabilizes bhakti and attaches the mind to the Lord.
Conclusion
If no transformation is seen in life, the reasons are these:
– Faith is incomplete.
– Conduct goes against the scriptures.
– There is slack in naam jap.
– There is a tendency to improve others.
– There is lack of listening to the Lord's attributes and lilas.
The solution too is these same five principles. Faith, conduct aligned with the scriptures, naam jap, self-improvement and listening to the Lord's attributes and lilas—these transform life from within.
Original article: bhajanmarg.com
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