Which Name should one chant?
(Continued from Issues 163 through to 171)
 
Should a woman chant the Name of The Lord as per her religion of birth or as per her husband's religion?
    A woman should chant the Name of The Lord as per her husband's religion for the following reasons:

Usually after marriage a woman's last name changes, as she is considered to be a part of her in-laws family.

Major events in life, such as birth, marriage and death are pre-destined. One is born in a particular family, whose religion or divine principle of worship is most appropriate for one's spiritual progress. Once one's worship of that divine principle and destiny with the family of birth is complete, the next step in spiritual progress is to complete the destiny with the family that one marries into. As well, one should complete the worship of the divine principle of that family.

 
    For example, if a woman is married into a Buddhist family, she would chant 'Namo Buddhaya', similarly, if married into a Christian family, she should chant 'Hail Jesus', and so on.

Exceptions to the rule

	If a woman has been chanting The Lord's Name as per her religion of birth prior to marriage and is a progressed seeker (with a minimum spiritual level of 40%), then she may continue chanting the same Name.
	Similarly, if a Guru has imparted a Name (The Lord's Name for chanting) to the woman prior to her marriage, she may continue to chant the same Name after marriage.

    (Refer to Issue 3, Clarification of Doubts section, which lists the Names to chant for various religions).
 
    [Reference taken from the Sanatan's publication, Volume 6: Path of Chanting The Lord's Name (Namasankirtanyoga) and Path of Mantra (Mantrayoga), compiled by H. H. Dr. Jayant Athavale and Dr. Mrs. Kunda Athavale.]

 
Practical application
    The above text discusses the importance (for married women) of The Lord's Name that is most conducive for spiritual progress. Thus,

If a woman marries in the same religion, then she can commence or continue to chant The Lord's Name as per the religion with the faith that it will bring her spiritual progress or closeness to The Lord. (In the case of the Hindu religion, where virtually every family worships a different deity, the woman should make efforts to find out the Name of the husband's family deity and chant it with faith.)

One should note that only the spiritually evolved could correctly decipher one's spiritual level. Also, most seekers do not fall in the category of progressed or advanced seekers, as explained in the above text. Hence, the married woman should commence chanting The Lord's Name as per her husband's religion with faith, instead of deciding on a chant as per one's liking or intellect.

 
 

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