श्वास जब खींचो तो ‘रा‘ कहु मनहिं मन ते प्यारे |

श्वास छोड़ो तो कहहु ‘धे‘ ध्यान भी करु प्यारे ||

Shree Kripaluji Maharaj says:

हरि को नाम रूप गुन, हरिजन नित्य निवास |

सबै एक हरि रूप हैं, सब में सबको वास || ( Bhakti Shatak)

Shree Krishna, His Names, Forms, Qualities, Abodes, and His Associates, are all one because they all reside within each other.

God can see, listen, and smell with the help of His eyes alone. He can perform every task without the sense organs. In the same way, God Himself is present in His name with all His Divine powers. This name is not separate from God Himself, rather they are one. In the material world, a person and his name are two separate entities. The name Water and the entity water are two separate objects. By chanting the word “Water”, you will not be able to quench your thirst. Similarly, the flower Rose, and its name Rose are two different things.

However, this differentiation does not exist in the spiritual realm. God is not different from His name. He resides in His name. Thus, when you chant ‘Hare Krishna’, Shree Krishna is personally present in His name and in the sound itself. If we realize this with complete faith, we will experience special Bliss on chanting His name, and would be overwhelmed with happiness. If Shree Krishna tells us that He will reveal Himself and meet His devotees at midnight at a certain place, a crowd of devotees will definitely gather with excitement. Even atheists, who are uncertain that there is God or not, will go there, simply to check it out. This proves that everyone is eager to meet God and see Him; the degree of faith in Him may be more or less. Now God says that He resides fully in His name as well, so we should be equally eager to chant and hear His Name.

Why don’t we realize the importance of God’s name? This is because we do not have complete faith that God has seated Himself in His name. If we accept this, we will be exhilarated while reciting His name. Our voice will choke with love for Him.

A Mahapurush realizes the fact that God is personally present in His name and therefore, always experiences and relishes Divine Bliss at all times.

Thus, all Saints and Shree Kripaluji Maharaj tell us to chant God’s Divine names with complete faith and love. He also instructs that we should not chant God’s name using a mala, orgarland of beads. This process is for beginners. We should progress in the spiritual path. What is the meaning of chanting our beloved’s name by counting numbers or beads? If we love Him, then we should remember His name everywhere and continuously.

We should remember God’s Divine name with a feeling of love and affection. Saint Kabir ji said:

श्वास श्वास सुमिरन करो, यह उपाय बड़ो नीक

“Take the name of God with every breath.” Shree Kripaluji Maharaj also says that when you inhale, say ‘Ra’ and when you exhale say ‘dhe’. Also, meditate upon the personal form of God. You can also chant any other name of your choice, like ‘Radhey Shyam’, ‘Sita Ram’, and so on. But you must practice to chant the name of God with every breath. This is called as ajapaa jaap. There is no need for a mala, or garland of beads. You can silently chant the name, and nobody will come to know that you are remembering God. According to the philosophy, our spiritual practice and devotion must be hidden. This increases our devotion, and its progress will also be hidden. Nobody can question as to why we breathe. Everybody breathes. What we do while breathing is a personal matter. Thus, Shree Kripaluji Maharaj advises all the devotees to pay attention to these two lines.