Naam Jap Tricks #3

The most important thing that should occupy our mind should be nothing but the holy name of the Lord. Once we have understood this clearly, we can now watch our thoughts. Whenever we think of something else, we must look back and see what it was that removed my attention from the most important thing -- the name of the Lord.

After figuring it out, we must look at its relevance. Most of the time we will find that it was not at all relevant. It could be some random planning, some random past event, or it could be some random attention to detail.

We should feel regret that we did not take the name but instead let our mind wander here and there. What if we were to die in that moment? We would die without the memory of the Lord, without the name. And then we would have to take rebirth again and again.

We should not let a moment pass without the name of the Lord going on super intensely from within. One moment is enough for our body and mind to become permanently non-functional. As a famous song tells us:

क्षणभंगुर - जीवन की कलिका,
कल प्रात को जाने खिली न खिली।
मलयाचल की शुचि शीतल मन्द
सुगन्ध समीर मिली न मिली।

कलि काल कुठार लिए फिरता,
तन नम्र से चोट झिली न झिली।
कहले हरिनाम अरी रसना,
फिर अन्त समय में हिली न हिली।

The central message is that since death can come at any moment and we may lose the ability to speak or remember God in our final moments, we should continuously chant the divine name while we still can. Beautifully sung here:

We should be super alert all the time. If the name is going continuously without any pause, it is all good. If we detect any pause, we must look back and see what caused that pause. Then, we will be able to start taking the name with more continuity.