THE HOLY NAME IS A POWERFUL MEDICINE - CAITANYA CARAN DAS

Published in

THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL
MUMBAI |MONDAY | SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

Guiding Light
THE HOLY NAME IS A
POWERFUL MEDICINE
CAITANYA CARAN DAS

The Holy Name of God is exalted in all religious
traditions. In the Old Testament it is said, "The
name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous
runneth into it and is safe." In the Islamic tradition,
the ninety-nine names of Allah are chanted
on rosaries and inscribed on monuments. In Buddhist
tradition, the chanting of the names of Buddha
is recommended. Guru Nanak, explains that
he was instructed by the Lord in a vision to "Go
and repeat My name, and cause others to do likewise."
The Vedic wisdom-tradition explains that out of
His love for us, God manifests Himself as His holy
name. The Padma Purana declares: "There is no
difference between the name of God and God Himself."
So the holy name is no ordinary sound; it is
God Himself.
Here's an example. A mother tells her four-yearold
child to tear and throw into the dustbin all paper
that he finds fallen on the ground. The child
gleefully gets down to work. Suddenly, the mother
notices the child, about to tear a five hundred rupee
note that had fallen from her husband's pocket.
The mother screams in alarm, "Stop." The
mother hastily takes the note from his hand, keeps
it safely in her purse and then replies, "This is not
ordinary paper.With this paper, you can get five
hundred chocolates."
Similarly, those with undeveloped spiritual consciousness
think that the holy name is just like
any ordinary sound. But when they chant the holy
names themselves they experience profound peace
and immense joy. For no ordinary material sound
can bring such joy, just as no ordinary paper can
get five hundred chocolates.
Not only can chanting make a huge difference in
our own lives, it can make a significant difference
in the world too. There are significant number of
criminals and addicts who want to become better
human beings, but don't know how to change
themselves. If they could be taught the process of
chanting, they would be able to overcome their
lower natures and thus help make our world a
much better place.
(The Writer is a member of ISKCON, Pune)