(Continued from Issue 224)

   To awaken and experience spiritual emotion, initially one needs to make constant efforts at the level of the mind and intellect. In the last Issue 224, we saw an example of spiritual experience of gratitude. In this Issue, we will discuss the effort of chanting* The Lord’s Name to develop and increase spiritual emotion.

Chanting the Name of The Lord

    According to the Path of Devotion (Bhaktiyoga), chanting is the very foundation of spiritual practice. The Lord’s Name is (an unmanifest form of) The Lord Himself. That is why the easiest mode of being in constant communion with The Lord is repeating (chanting) His Name continuously.

     The Sanatan’s publication, ‘Science of Spirituality: Vol. 6 A - Path of Chanting The Lord’s Name (Namasankirtanyoga)' explains in detail the importance of The Lord’s Name. It also explains what should be done to chant The Lord’s Name continuously and effectively, and other aspects of chanting.

     From this, one may feel that one develops spiritual emotion for The Lord by being in constant communion with Him through chanting His Name. Often however, our chanting occurs mechanically, without spiritual love for The Lord. This kind of chanting does not help much in developing spiritual emotion for God. That is precisely why chanting The Lord’s Name needs to be done with spiritual emotion or love for God.

    In the next few Issues we will discuss in detail the importance of chanting The Lord’s Name with spiritual emotion and the various means of chanting thus.