What is True Naam Jap?

We often assume that memorizing the scriptures or engaging in difficult penances that torment the body is the only path to reach the spiritual summit. But can mere collection of information or suppression of the senses lead us to that inner peace?

The Gap Between Words and Deeds

The greatest obstacle in spirituality is the gap that exists between our words and our conduct. Merely remembering the Lord's words or reciting them impressively to others is an intellectual skill, not spiritual attainment. Many people are skilled at preaching to others, but those who embody that truth in their own lives are rare. "One thing is spoken in words, something else dwells in the heart, and deeds are yet another—this is the mark of a worldly person.. The unity of words, mind and deeds is the mark of a sant, and this is only possible when we accept the Lord's words from our hearts." As long as our speech, thoughts and actions are not centered on one point, the door to supreme bliss does not open. Merely "knowing" is information, but "living" that is true understanding.

Shraddha: Knowing Through Faith

Generally, the law of the world is "believe after knowing"—first we test something, then we trust it. But on the path of bhakti, this order is reversed. Here, "knowing through faith" is that revolutionary turn which is called shraddha. Shraddha does not mean blind belief, but accepting exactly as the Lord has taught, without any "why" or doubt. The wise one first knows through discernment, then practices sense control. But the bhakt first accepts that "the Lord is mine," and through this one acceptance alone, faith becomes firm in their heart. This initial shraddha leads the bhakt to such heights of spirituality that knowledge and detachment follow naturally in their wake.

The Supreme Yogi: Divine Transformation of 'Existence'

Lord Krishna clarifies in the Bhagavad Gita that among ascetics, wise ones and ritualists, the supreme yogi is one who with complete shraddha is "absorbed in Me (Shri Krishna)." This thought transforms the entire definition of sadhana. It moves sadhana from action to 'state of being'. Here the remarkable example of the Philosopher's Stone and iron is apt. Just as iron, no matter how heavy or dark, becomes gold upon the touch of the Philosopher's Stone, so too this body, though mortal and made of five elements, becomes divine (the Lord's form) the moment the sadhak accepts that "I am only the Lord's." When the sadhak's heart accepts that "I have none but the Lord," then their sadhana ceases to be 'effort' and becomes 'unique belonging'.

Natural Yoga: Where Bhakti Becomes Breath Itself

For the bhakt, yoga is not a separate physical practice. Through constant remembrance in bhajan, their life force naturally becomes subtle and pure. Where the life force becomes gross in worldly pleasures, it becomes so subtle in the Lord's love that the bhakt has no need to practice pranayama or sit in padmasana separately. That great truth of the Upanishads—"Sarva khalu idam Brahma" (All this is indeed Brahma)—which the wise one experiences after years of study, a bhakt naturally finds in the waves of love. For them, bhakti becomes their very breath and their entire wisdom.

Krishna-Centered Vision: Uddhav and the Gopis

When bhakti matures, the bhakt's vision becomes "Krishna-centered." A living example of this is the account of Uddhav and the gopis. Uddhav, who was foremost among the wise and a direct disciple of Brihaspati himself, when he came to Braj, was amazed at the unique devotion of the gopis. The intimacy that Uddhav had not obtained even while living directly with Krishna, the gopis had attained even in separation. Finally, the supreme wise one Uddhav prayed that he might become some creeper in Braj, so that he might receive the dust from the feet of those gopis absorbed in love.

The bhakt's state is such that the distinction between word and meaning, day and night, and life and death dissolves: "Jad chaitanya kachhoo nahi dikat, jahan dikat tahan Shyam khade."
Neither matter nor consciousness appears separate; wherever I look, there stands Shyam.
For a bhakt, from the waves of the Yamuna to the creepers of the forest, everywhere there is only the smile of their beloved. Indeed, even their own body is no longer theirs, but becomes the playground of their Lord.

Conclusion: A Final Thought

True naam jap is not merely completing the count of beads on a mala, but dissolving one's ego and all desires into the will of the Lord. When we stop using God as a 'means' to fulfill our desires and instead make God our 'goal', then we are in that state of the 'supreme yoga'.

A question for reflection: Will we offer this rare human birth as a sacrifice to our small and fleeting desires, or will we accept that 'unique belonging' which the Lord Himself has called the supreme path? As long as 'I' and 'mine' remain, yoga is incomplete. The moment the feeling "I am the Lord's and the Lord is mine" awakens, at that very moment liberation and supreme bliss become the servants of your feet.

Original article: bhajanmarg.com