Reciting the name of God, Naam, is a way of thanking and praising the Nami who is the Omnipresent and timeless Creator. When you recite Naam and love God without any motive, He cleanses your mind. There is light in your heart, and the Naam heals your mind, eliminating all negative thoughts; only positive thoughts remain. The hidden joy, love and fearlessness within you will become manifest.
It is not that God wants our praises. The effect of Naam works on us. Our body is just a house where we live. Our life is governed by our karmas, the effects on our life of our sanskaras, our habitual thoughts and actions from this life and from previous births. Our karmas are like great waves that are not under our control. Naam breaks those waves.
As you recite Naam when you are worrying — through word, thought and every breath — those waves start to break up here and there. As you recite Naam there is a small break in that train of thought. You feel, “It will be okay”. But at this stage you are still reciting Naam only with your tongue. Your thoughts and your awareness are not on Naam, and soon your mind returns to its old pattern.
As you go on reciting Naam, you will experience a little light inside, a brief moment of samadhi, a kind of spiritual absorption. But then the mind starts running away again at great speed, and the little bit of light you perceived 'disappears'. Then a longing for God may begin to grow in you, although it is very faint at first. As you are singing or reciting Naam, you may experience a brief communion with the Nami.
To become closer to God, focus your mind on your Isht or that form of God in whom you have faith. At first, your Isht may seem just a faint image in your mind, but gradually its presence becomes a reality. Slowly that Power gives your mind confidence and you begin loving that Isht you are trying to focus your attention on. It takes a long time but gradually you will feel the presence of your Isht within you.
Once you feel your Isht inside you, through the power of Naam, you will begin to see that your Isht is actually controlling everything outside you as well. You will see your Isht is pervading everywhere and everything.
As you keep reciting Naam, whenever you begin to feel anger, greed or ego, the feeling does not last long. It moves aside. Why? Naam is washing away the dirt of your past tendencies; the Light of divine wisdom is burning up your past actions. Gradually, you cease to feel anger or greed and you feel that you are nothing great. You become very humble.
All ignorance ceases as the light of Naam manifests fully. If you reach this stage of enlightenment through continual recitation of Naam and concentration on the Nami, you will see only God everywhere.
Like God, you will feel neither enmity nor fear. You will recognise that the Nami is sustaining and controlling all life. Naam will make your actions bright and will give you clear inner vision, truthfulness, renunciation, the desire to help those in need, and the power to do anything, for the Power of the Nami has manifested in you.
(Excerpted from Loving God. www.gobindsadan.org, info@gobindsadan.org)