You have chanted God's names infinitely more times over countless births than the time you have spent singing them now. Yet those innumerable chants bore no fruit - just as multiplying any number by zero still yields zero, no matter how large the number may be. This means that while chanting God's names, you lack the essential knowledge required. Once that knowledge is added, your mind and intellect will naturally become attached to God's names.
What is that knowledge?
It is the understanding that there is no difference between God and His names. The names and forms in this world are illusory. Knowing that the soul cannot see or know Him directly and therefore cannot develop love for Him, God has mercifully seated Himself in His names.
A skeptic may argue, "I do not experience any bliss when I utter names like Radhey Shyam." But the reason for this is that, although you may have heard this truth, you have not yet fully believed or developed the firm conviction that God truly resides in His name. Why is this so? Because, in this world, a person does not reside in their name. A soul bound by Maya dwells within a limited space, whereas God is all-pervading. Specifically, He resides in whichever name you have imbued with divine sentiments. God never declared that He resides only in a particular name - there is no such restriction.
No one has ever attained the seat of Mother Yashoda, yet she never addressed Krishna as Shri Krishna. She called Him Kanha, Kanuā, Kanhaiya, Lala, and so on. So, choose any name that appeals to you, visualize any form you like, and infuse it with loving sentiments for God - He will accept it. God perpetually resides in His qualities, pastimes, abode, and saints as well, never leaving them for even a moment - abhinnatvānnāma nāminoḥ (there is no difference between God and His Names).
If, by great fortune, this knowledge becomes firmly established in one's intellect and one truly accepts it, one will attain the ultimate goal.
There are, however, varying degrees of acceptance. One person may accept 10%, another 20%, and another 100%. The degree of bliss you experience corresponds to the degree of your acceptance. Practice is required to deepen this conviction. Since eternity, your intellect has been the cause of your downfall - you have applied your material intellect to matters of scripture, God, and the Guru, while failing to exercise it where it truly belongs. In worldly affairs, you act with full conviction; but if, even once, you could develop unwavering faith in God and the Guru, you would experience something you have never known before.
When chanting the name 'Radhey' with the firm conviction that God dwells in you, a sweet, melodious voice will naturally emanate from your heart - it will be pleasing to you. The Vedas, the scriptures, and saints declare, and God Himself has said: "nāmnāmakāri bahudhā nija sarva śakti:" - "I have invested all My powers in My name."
This does not mean that God has been depleted of His powers after investing them in His name. For God and the saints, the more they give, the more their power increases. Therefore, all the divine potencies that are present in God's name are also present in God and in His saints.
You may have some faith that God's power is present in God and in your Guru. However, when it comes to God's name, your atheistic intellect questions, "How can there be any power in a mere name?" Strengthen your conviction that there is absolutely no difference between God and His names, for this is what your Guru teaches and seals with his authority.
In practice, the name of God is regarded as even greater than God Himself - "kahau nāma badā brahma rāma rāma te. When chanting God's name, you should be able to experience the same bliss you hope to attain upon meeting Shyamsundar Himself. You only need to dispel the doubt from your heart. Nāyaṃ lokosti na paro na sukhaṃ saṃśayātmanaḥ - a doubtful person cannot survive even in the material world. If you lack faith in God, it means you are bent upon your own ruin.
Therefore, before uttering the word "Radhey" in kirtan, contemplate that Kishori Ji resides within it. Before taking Thakur Ji's name, strengthen your conviction that Shri Krishna resides in it. This conviction will become firm only through sincere and continuous practice. It is both an instruction and a loving request of Shri Maharaj Ji that you practice this. Within just a few days, you will observe a profound difference in the bliss you experience when you utter the name "Radha."
Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:
The Power of the Divine Name - English
You have chanted God's names infinitely more times over countless births than the time you have spent singing them now. Yet those innumerable chants bore no fruit - just as multiplying any number by zero still yields zero, no matter how large the number may be. This means that while chanting God's names, you lack the essential knowledge required. Once that knowledge is added, your mind and intellect will naturally become attached to God's names.
What is that knowledge?
It is the understanding that there is no difference between God and His names. The names and forms in this world are illusory. Knowing that the soul cannot see or know Him directly and therefore cannot develop love for Him, God has mercifully seated Himself in His names.
A skeptic may argue, "I do not experience any bliss when I utter names like Radhey Shyam." But the reason for this is that, although you may have heard this truth, you have not yet fully believed or developed the firm conviction that God truly resides in His name. Why is this so? Because, in this world, a person does not reside in their name. A soul bound by Maya dwells within a limited space, whereas God is all-pervading. Specifically, He resides in whichever name you have imbued with divine sentiments. God never declared that He resides only in a particular name - there is no such restriction.
No one has ever attained the seat of Mother Yashoda, yet she never addressed Krishna as Shri Krishna. She called Him Kanha, Kanuā, Kanhaiya, Lala, and so on. So, choose any name that appeals to you, visualize any form you like, and infuse it with loving sentiments for God - He will accept it. God perpetually resides in His qualities, pastimes, abode, and saints as well, never leaving them for even a moment - abhinnatvānnāma nāminoḥ (there is no difference between God and His Names).
If, by great fortune, this knowledge becomes firmly established in one's intellect and one truly accepts it, one will attain the ultimate goal.
There are, however, varying degrees of acceptance. One person may accept 10%, another 20%, and another 100%. The degree of bliss you experience corresponds to the degree of your acceptance. Practice is required to deepen this conviction. Since eternity, your intellect has been the cause of your downfall - you have applied your material intellect to matters of scripture, God, and the Guru, while failing to exercise it where it truly belongs. In worldly affairs, you act with full conviction; but if, even once, you could develop unwavering faith in God and the Guru, you would experience something you have never known before.
When chanting the name 'Radhey' with the firm conviction that God dwells in you, a sweet, melodious voice will naturally emanate from your heart - it will be pleasing to you. The Vedas, the scriptures, and saints declare, and God Himself has said: "nāmnāmakāri bahudhā nija sarva śakti:" - "I have invested all My powers in My name."
This does not mean that God has been depleted of His powers after investing them in His name. For God and the saints, the more they give, the more their power increases. Therefore, all the divine potencies that are present in God's name are also present in God and in His saints.
You may have some faith that God's power is present in God and in your Guru. However, when it comes to God's name, your atheistic intellect questions, "How can there be any power in a mere name?" Strengthen your conviction that there is absolutely no difference between God and His names, for this is what your Guru teaches and seals with his authority.
In practice, the name of God is regarded as even greater than God Himself - "kahau nāma badā brahma rāma rāma te. When chanting God's name, you should be able to experience the same bliss you hope to attain upon meeting Shyamsundar Himself. You only need to dispel the doubt from your heart. Nāyaṃ lokosti na paro na sukhaṃ saṃśayātmanaḥ - a doubtful person cannot survive even in the material world. If you lack faith in God, it means you are bent upon your own ruin.
Therefore, before uttering the word "Radhey" in kirtan, contemplate that Kishori Ji resides within it. Before taking Thakur Ji's name, strengthen your conviction that Shri Krishna resides in it. This conviction will become firm only through sincere and continuous practice. It is both an instruction and a loving request of Shri Maharaj Ji that you practice this. Within just a few days, you will observe a profound difference in the bliss you experience when you utter the name "Radha."
Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:
The Power of the Divine Name - English
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