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

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

Some people have a question: How should one constantly contemplate upon God? Here, Shree Kripaluji Maharaj discloses a secret. He tells us to chant the Divine name of God with every breathe that we take. Our mind needs a base to which it can get attached. Otherwise, how will you attach your mind? So the solution is to firstly, chant His Divine name. When you chant His name, your mind will naturally think about God. So, chanting of God’s name is a very good means of absorbing your mind in God. Besides chanting, you can also visualize and meditate upon the Divine form of God. The third point is to think and sing the glories of God’s qualities. He is the friend of humble souls and purifier of sinners; He is the ocean of mercy and Grace, more beautiful than infinite cupids. He is the soul of our soul. By contemplating upon these qualities of God, we should divert our mind towards Him.

You should think about the leelas, or pastimes of God – He is sitting, we are fanning Him while He rests, He is sitting on a swing, etc. You can imagine any leela of God as per your wish and meditate upon it. In addition to the leelas, think of His Divine abodes. If you are unable to concentrate upon God then you can think about Vrindavan. Think that the tree nearby is a Divine tree from Vrindavan. From every leaf, the sound of chanting of ‘Radhey Radhey’ is emanating. Or, you can meditate on the form of the Guru. The main point we have to remember is that God has infinite Names, infinite Forms, infinite Attributes, infinite Pastimes, and infinite Associates, and that are all one. They all reside within each other. Therefore, God’s Divine Names, Forms, Pastimes, Abodes, Qualities, and Associates, all belong to the Divine realm of God. By meditating on any of these areas, your devotion is strengthened. This is the foundation for practicing devotion. If you attach your mind to any of these Divine attributes, it is Divine and you will get the Divine result.

भक्त भक्ति भगवंत गुरु चतुर नाम बपु एक।

True Saints have blessed us with a huge treasure of devotion. They write and compose keertans. In these keertans, they have described God’s infinite Names, Forms, Pastimes, Qualities, and Abodes. Devotees sing and chant these keertans, and with the help of these Names, Qualities, Abodes, and Pastimes, the Saints shower their love for God. Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj has written many keertans. Surdas, Tulsidas, Meera, Jaidev, Saint Tukaram, have composed many keertans and mentioned about God’s Divine Name, Pastimes, Qualities and Abodes. They have left a vast treasure for the future generations. Surdas and Meerabai came to this world 500 years ago, and wrote so many keertans. Since 500 years, the devotees have been singing these keertans and kept increasing their love for God.

That is why during the lifetime and descension period of a Mahapurush, very few devotees realize the importance and value of his appearance. There is also less preaching about the teaching of that Mahapurush during the descension period, as compared to the wide preaching afterwards. In every keertan of Shree Kripaluji Maharaj lies a treasure which is precious. He says, “People are not aware what I have written in the 1008 pads of Prem Ras Madira. When the propagation of these pads will happen, then people will specially learn Hindi language just to read and understand them, and immerse themselves in devotion.”

Hence, the Divine Names, Qualities, Pastimes, Abodes, and Forms, are all the basis of practicing devotion. Amongst all, the easiest one is God’s name. Chaitanya Mahaprabhuji said:

भजनेर श्रेष्ठ नवधा भक्ति |

तार मध्ये सर्व श्रेष्ठ नाम सङ्कीर्तन ||

In Navadha Bhakti, the best is chanting the glories of God, or singing keertans.

खाइते सुइते यथा तथा नाम लेय |

While eating, drinking, sitting, standing, or doing any daily work, chant the name of God. Keep doing your work alongside and keep chanting the Divine name of God. This method will elevate you spiritually. Lord Ram descended in this world in Tretayug, and lived for 11000 years. In those years, He benefited only a few souls. But He left the Divine name “Ram”. By just uttering the name, many people benefited themselves spiritually. Thus, Tulsidas ji writes:

राम एक तापस तिय तारी | नाम कोटि खल कुमति सुधारी ||

“Just look at the wonders of Lord Ram’s Name. Ram descended to this world and graced only soul, Ahilya. But His name, “Ram” is the most amazing thing. It has provided spiritual benefit to millions of people and gave them Divine knowledge. So, the Divine name of God is a very powerful way. There is another specialty of the Divine name. What is it?