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Words have tremendous power. They can arouse emotions and they can calm them. They direct, they infuriate, they reveal, they confuse. They are potent forces that bring up great reserves of strength and wisdom. Therefore, have faith in the name and repeat it whenever you get the chance.

Sathya Sai Speaks 4, p.184

2. Divine Names: Keys to Immortality

In this spiritual era, repetition of a divine name is a practice that is sufficient to endow us with spiritual liberation. Although the present age is characterized by spiritual decline, it is paradoxically the easiest time to gain release from the cycle of life and death. The Hindu scriptures speak of four great ages, or Yugas, each lasting many thousands of years. This age, the Kali Yuga, is marked by lack of virtue in social and individual life. However, because of the widespread wickedness among people, less is required of us to secure God’s grace.

The present age is described in the sastras (sacred texts) as very conducive to liberation, for while in past ages rigorous penance was prescribed as the means, the Kali Age, in which you are, requires only namasmarana (remembrance of the name of the Lord) to win liberation！

Sathya Sai Speaks 4, p. 106

It is difficult to understand how such a simple practice can accomplish so much. A story is told that illustrates the point. A man stood beside a great forest at night and despaired. He had to cross through the forest in the darkness, but he held only a small lamp. He did not know how he would travel such a distance in the dark, because his lamp would light the path only a few feet ahead of him. While he despaired another traveler saw his plight. The second traveler explained that if he held the light before him it would show the path ahead as far as he needed to see.

Remembrance of the name is like that lamp. It guides our steps as far ahead as we need to see. Perhaps, like the traveler, we cannot see the solution because it is so simple.

Namasmarana is the best means. Only you do not really believe that it can cure or save you: that is the tragedy. People believe in the efficacy of only costly, brightly packaged, widely published drugs; the simple, easily available remedy which is in everybody’s backyard is ignored as useless.

Sathya Sai Speaks 2, pp. 164-165

3. Namasmarana, a Practice for All

From mountain solitudes and lonely jungles, the name of God has arisen from before recorded history. On shifting desert dunes and by timeless seas, his name has echoed into the vastness of creation. The practice of reciting the divine name can be taken up by anyone at any place in any time. There are no prerequisites for the discipline. It is the simplest and easiest path for our age.

For namasmarana, no expense is involved; no materials are needed; there is no special place or time to be provided. No qualification of scholarship or caste or sex has to be proved.

Sathya Sai Speaks 5, p.80

Any name of God will shower grace, if repeated with sincerity and devotion. We need not renounce our own chosen form of God to engage in this practice. It is not restricted to one religion or to one name of God. We can choose any name that stirs love and joy within us. However, once a name is chosen, it should not be cast aside for a new name. If we decide to dig a well, we must continue to excavate in one spot. Many shallow holes will not yield the benefit of one deep hole.

The constant recital of the name of God – any of the million names by which he is identified by human imagination or intelligence --- is the best means of correcting and cleansing the mind of man.

Sathya Sai Speaks 6, p.133

4. Say the Name with Feeling

When a baby cries for its mother, she does not insist on correct pronunciation of her name; she immediately goes to the aid of her child. The child’s longing and devotion to the mother draw her response. Thus, when we repeat the name of God we should say it with devotion and longing. The Lord sees the heart of the devotee and gauges the love and sincerity of the call. When we call on the Lord, we should visualize the form and picture the glory and sweetness of God.

The name of the Lord must be recited with awe and wonder, humility and reverence. The bow has to be drawn full before the arrow is released; then it will pierce the target. Feeling is the force that draws the string taut and makes the name reach the nami, the bearer of the name.

Sathya Sai Speaks 4, p.165

The divine name must be said with reverence. It must reflect our sincere yearning for unfoldment. Our actions must conform to our words. There is little use in reciting the name and expecting results if we are not living in accordance with high standards of conduct. Virtuous character and adherence to divine prescriptions for our behavior are essential ingredients.

The ajna command of the guru or Lord is even more important than the name of the guru or the name of the Lord. Of what use is the repetition of the name without at the same time purifying the impulses by the observance of his commands?

Sathya Sai Speaks 4, p.47

Very few spiritual teachers are capable of leading us to self-realization. Many teachers claim to know the path, but few demonstrate godly qualities. It is best to have faith in God and hold fast to him. God is our best guide for the current age. The most direct means to win his grace and guidance is through devotion and remembrance of his name. Only God can protect us in all circumstances and lead us to liberation.

The only hold that man has in this dreadful darkness is the name of God. That is the raft which will take him across this stormy sea darkened by hate and fear, churned by anxiety and terror.

Sathya Sai Speaks 6, p.163

5. Have Faith in God’s Wisdom and Mercy

When we climb aboard a train, we leave the task of reaching our destination to the engineer. He knows the method to direct the train through many junctions to its journey’s end. We need only sit back and relax, enjoying the sights along the way. God will be the engineer of our lives if we have faith in him. He will himself direct our footsteps toward God-realization. The Lord knows our strengths and weaknesses. He can guide us along paths proper to our needs. We need only remember the Lord and have faith in his guidance.

The gardener alone knows how much earth to put under each plant and how the earth is to be so put. So, too, the order is “Do namasmarana!” Provided you continue that work, he himself will direct where and how the work is to be done.

Dhyana Vahini, p.41

The Lord, in his infinite love and wisdom, determines what is required for our spiritual development. When we surrender to him, he guides and guards us. There is no need to worry or to resist his will.

Really, if you only have faith in the name, you need not struggle to secure the chance to detail to me your desires and wants. I will fulfill them, even without your telling me… Have the name bright and clear on your tongue, in your mind, and the Form symbolized by it before your eye and mental vision – then nothing can harm you.

Sathya Sai Speaks 2, p. 165

6. Regular Practice Grants Success

If we wish to split a large rock, we may have to strike it with a hammer twenty-one times. The final blow that achieves success is dependent on the twenty unsuccessful attempts. Although no progress may be perceived until the final victory, all of our efforts to that point are essential.

Remembrance of God’s name also may require repeated attempts, but no progress is lost. Whether seen or not, all efforts contribute to success. Complete surrender and faith in the Lord require constant effort. Results are not gained by superficial practice. The effort must be persistent and it must reflect our total devotion to achieving spiritual liberation.

The smarana (repetition of the name) has to be constant. If you rub a bit of iron on a hard surface, it develops heat. If you continue to rub it vigorously, it can be made red hot. If you do so between long intervals, the iron will become cold and all the effort up till then is a waste. The work has to be repeated over again.

Sathya Sai Speaks 5 p. 275

If developed fully, the practice of namasmarana enables us to win God’s grace and reach the goal. Many people complain that they cannot find time for this exercise. However, they find time for activities of less importance. Time must also be found for this most worthwhile practice. However busy we are, we find time for the activities we consider to be essential.

You have no time for reciting the name of the Lord or meditating on his form, which is within you! Alas! You have time for the club, for a game of cards, for the film show, for wayside chats, for all kinds of trivialities, but no time for a little quiet, for a simple item like worship. It is a false excuse this, the want of time. No. Face the truth and proceed towards the truth.

Sathya Sai Speaks 2, p.168

If we do not find time during our youth to remember the name, we may find it even more difficult to master the practice in old age. It is said that in our last moments, we should remember the name of the Lord. If we do so, we will gain liberation. However, to fix the mind on the Lord at the time of death requires great discipline and devotion throughout our lives. Those who do not take up the discipline in earnest now will be likely to fail when the moment arrives.

A story is told of a shopkeeper who named his seven sons each by a name of God. He knew that at the time of death he would call them; thus his last words would be the names of the Lord. When the shopkeeper’s last moments arrived, he called all of his sons by their divine names as planned. However, when he realized that all of his sons were with him, he asked, “Who is minding the store?” and then he died. Thus he failed at the final moment, because his heart resided in his shop, not in God.

7. The Name is Enough

We may not command the spiritual power to rise in meditation to formless bliss. We may not possess the devotional heart that allows us to float in the warmth of the divine sea. We may unable to perform the dedicated service that unfetters the chains of our actions. But if we hold fast to the name of God, we can still achieve fulfillment.

Constant remembrance of the name is a complete spiritual discipline. It fosters the virtues of devotion, patience, and faith. The practice grants us strength and confidence to travel the spiritual path to its conclusion. In time it can endow us with God-realization. Then we will know that the God we worship is within our own hearts, ever present and joyful.

The name is enough to give you all the results of every type of sadhana (spiritual discipline).

Sathya Sai Speaks 3, p.15

Questions for Study Circle

Why does God’s name hold such power?
Will any name of God do for recitation?
What is required to make the practice effective?
Does today’s aspirant have enough time for remembrance of the name?
Is namasmarana too simple to be effective?
Is this a new spiritual discipline?
Is a special time or place necessary?
Can this practice by itself carry the seeker to spiritual realization?
Are words other than the Lord’s name effective?
Do the words have to be said aloud?
How does a spiritual aspirant decide on a name?

References for Further Study

Conversations, pp. 84, 94-95, 119
Dhyana Vahini, p.36 (The name is better than the form).
Dhyana Vahini, pp. 37-39 (Benefits of namasmarana).
Dhyana Vahini, pp. 40-44.
Prema Vahini, p. 85 (Stay with one name).
Sanathana Sarathi, Aug. 1974, pp. 166-168.
Sandeha Nivarini, p. 5 (Keep one name).
Sathya Sai Speaks 1, pp. 35, 85.
Sathya Sai Speaks 2, p.7 (Remembrance at time of death).
Sathya Sai Speaks 3, pp. 14-18.
Sathya Sai Speaks 4, p. 216.
Sathya Sai Speaks 5, pp. 100-101.
Sathya Sai Speaks 6, pp. 200-201 (The name is like a precious gem).
Sathya Sai Speaks 6, pp. 280-281.
Sathya Sai Speaks 7, pp.37-38 (How to use a japamala or rosary).
Sathya Sai Speaks 7, pp. 123-124 (Why divine names have two syllables).
Sathya Sai Speaks 10, pp. 70-71 (The officer and the teacher).