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Part 4: The Power of God’s Name

The goal of Islam, and indeed of every religion, is to lead man into the Eternal Presence of Allah which is beyond the three states of consciousness. We attain this Holy Presence when the seed “I” impulse which is the cause of the three states is annihilated.

The final annihilation of the seed “I” impulse happens in meditation. When the mind has been totally unified with the name of God during the waking and dreaming states, through the harmonization and integration of the Primal Sound into every action and through the power of auto suggestion, during meditation, it becomes very easy for the mind sink into Silence.

The constant and unbroken remembrance of Allah’s Name during the waking state and the habit of falling asleep with the Name of Allah endows the mind with the all important quality of one pointed focus.

	'Enter into the space-less-ness of Silence.'				The dome of the Great mosque, in Paris

God’s Name is the arrow – this one pointed focus - that helps us escape, with one leap, the gravitational pull of the mind and enter into the space-less-ness of Silence.

The Science of matter tells us that the physical universe is governed by the laws of gravity. But we must realize that the gravitation of the mind is infinitely more powerful that the physical gravity. In fact, the only gravity is the mental gravity because it is the mind that bears the weight of the body. When there is no mind the body becomes weightless. The body levitates! It is the Name of Allah that helps us escape the gravity of the mind. When we sit in meditation with the single Name of God, we are able to cross the world of thought, and enter the paradise of Allah’s Presence.

The Power of Lord Hanuman

The power of Lord Hanuman lies in chanting of the Name of Rama. His whole consciousness was completely unified with the Name of Rama that it could be said that Hanuman was Rama and Rama was Hanuman. This is the Power of God’s Name! This is the Power of Hanuman!  With the Name of Ram, Hanuman lifted the mountain harboring the Sanjivini herb – the elixir of life – and brought it to Rama to save the life of Lakshmana.

	With the sheer power of Lord Name...'				A permanent place at His Lotus feet

With the Name of Ram Hanuman set ablaze the entire city of Lanka with the fire of right conduct. With the Name of Ram the monkey mind of Hanuman was transformed into an illumination of Divine Love! With the name of Ram every hair, every cell, every atom in the body of Hanuman resounded with the echo of the Divine name Ram, Ram, Ram. With the Name Ram Lord Hanuman was able to cross the ocean of Lanka with just one leap. This means that when our minds are unified with the Name of God, we are able to cross the ocean of birth and death with just one leap. Such is the power of the Divine Name!

Our Beloved Swami told the dazzling story, when Hanuman demonstrated beyond any doubt, the power of the Divine name.

“Vibhishana came forward with a dazzling necklace of gems, which the Lord of the Sea had offered to Ravana. Sita accepted it. Its brilliance shone all over the vast Hall and struck everyone as a unique string of gems. But with the necklace in her hand, she cast a questioning glance at the face of Rama. Rama knew what was passing in her mind. He said, ‘Sita! You can grant it as a gift to anyone among those here who deserves your grace.’ Sita thought just for a second and looked at Hanuman. Becoming aware of the compassion in her look, Hanuman approached her in great humility and stood before Sita with bowed head. The necklace was given by Sita to Hanuman.

	Sai creates the pearl garland gifted by Mother Sita to Hanuman				Attaning the Lord through the power of His Name

“Hanuman turned it around many times in his hand, its dazzle enrapturing everyone in that vast assembly. He was struggling to discover its special quality, with unslaked curiosity. He plucked every gem, put it between his teeth, and placed it adjacent to his ear, and with a face indicating disappointment, he threw the gem away in disgust! All eyes were watching this peculiar behaviour with increasing amazement. They were stunned into silence and inactivity. Until he treated the last gem in the same cavalier manner, no one dared interrupt or condemn.

They could only protest in whispers among themselves! ‘Who is this monkey that treats the diamond necklace so lovingly and so compassionately presented to him by Sita?’ was the question on most lips.

		'Of what good is anything wich has not in it the Name of Rama?'

Even Vibhishana was sad that Hanuman had so brazenly insulted the priceless jewel that he had brought. ‘He has pulled it to pieces and cast the gems aside,’ he told himself. Everyone in the Hall surmised the reason for this strange behaviour in his own way. At last, one vassal Ruler could not restrain himself. He rose and gave vent to his resentment: ‘Peerless Hero! Why did you break that necklace of gems into so many bits? Was it right to do so? Tell us the reason why? Give us some explanation and remove our doubts.’

Hanuman listened to him patiently and replied. ‘Oh King! I examined each gem in order to discover whether each had in it the sacred Name of Rama. I could not find it in any gem. Without that Name of Rama, they are but stones and pebbles.

'So, I cast them on the ground.’ The ruler was not silenced by this. He asked, ‘Hanuman! If it is your desire that in every article and particle there should be the Name of Rama, are you not asking for something impossible?’

Hanuman replied. ‘Of what good, of what profit, is anything which has not in it the Name of Rama? I have no need of such.’ The valiant hero, Hanuman, dismissed the argument of the ruler thus. The ruler, however continued his objections. He said, ‘You would not wear anything that has not got in it the Name of Rama. Well, you are wearing your body. You are carrying it about with you. Prove to us that you have the Name in it.’

Hanuman laughed aloud. He said, ‘I shall prove, see!’ He pulled a single hair from off his forearm and held it very near the ear of the Ruler. He could hear the Name, Rama, Rama, Rama uttered by the single hair! At this, he was overcome with a sense of wonder. He fell at the feet of Hanuman and prayed for pardon.

Rama called Hanuman near himself and warmly embraced him. He asked him, ‘Hanuman! What can I offer you on this occasion? I have no gift worthy to be given to you. I am giving you myself as my gift to you.’ Then, he offered his body to be clasped by Hanuman’s hands. The assembly was moved into shouts of ‘Jai’ at this unique act of Grace. They praised Hanuman and declared that there was no one to equal him in all the worlds. They praised the devotion and dedication of Hanuman.”

The magic of God’s Name cannot be described. Its wonder cannot be explained. It is the one thing which, when you have it you have everything - and without it everything you have is worthless. It is the secret of creation’s evolution.

In a recent discourse on November 13, 2007, our Beloved Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has revealed through a very interesting story, the power of God’s Name and its ability to give a quantum leap in consciousness when it is chanted only once.

Chanting the Name of God only once means that the whole mind has been unified with God’s Name so that the only thought in the mind is the uninterrupted Sound of Allah…. Or one’s chosen Name.

When this Primal Sound is sustained, without the wavering of the mind and without any interruption, Sai Baba says that there is a transmutation in consciousness; a leap from the animal consciousness to the human and from the human to the Divine.

The Power of Rama’s Name         "Oh Narada, go to a crow and utter the word 'Rama'. Let the crow repeat the name." Once, sage Narada approached Lord Vishnu and prayed, "Oh Lord! People speak very highly about the efficacy of Rama’s Name. Will you kindly explain?" Lord Vishnu wished to demonstrate the power of the Name of Rama by an illustration. He therefore advised Narada, "Oh Narada, go to a crow and utter the word 'Rama'. Let the crow repeat the name." Narada went to a crow and said, "Oh crow, your entire body is black, without a trace of whiteness. Hence, chant the Name of Rama just once." The crow uttered "Rama", and immediately it fell down dead. Narada was sad that the crow died just by chanting Rama’s Name once.           "Please utter the word 'Rama' just once" He went to Lord Vishnu and informed Him of the crow's death. Lord Vishnu told him, "Don't worry. This time, go to the beautiful peacock that was just born and ask it to chant the Name of Rama once." As per the instructions of Lord Vishnu, Narada went to the newly born peacock and said, "Oh peacock, your beauty and grace are enchanting to the entire world. You are very lovable and attractive. Please utter the word 'Rama' just once." The moment the peacock uttered "Rama", it also collapsed immediately. Narada again went to Lord Vishnu and reported the death of the peacock after chanting the Name of Rama just one time. Lord Vishnu again advised Narada, "Narada, a cow in the shed nearby just gave birth to a calf. Please go to that new-born calf and ask her to chant Rama’s Name once."         As soon as the new-born calf heard the word "Rama", it also dropped down dead. Narada did accordingly. As soon as the new-born calf heard the word "Rama", it also dropped down dead. When Narada informed Lord Vishnu, Lord Vishnu again instructed him, "Narada, this time, go to the King's palace, where a baby boy was just born. Ask him to chant Rama’s Name once." Narada was very much afraid to approach the newly born prince, since the crow, peacock, and calf had died just by listening to the word "Rama" once. He pleaded with Lord Vishnu to spare his life, since the King would put him to death if something happened to the new-born baby by chanting the Name of Rama. But Lord Vishnu insisted that Narada obey His command. Narada went to the palace and asked the newly born prince to chant the Name of Rama once. The prince saluted sage Narada and informed him that by the mere chanting of Rama’s Name just once, he was transformed from a crow to peacock, from a peacock to a calf, and from a calf to a human being as a Prince.           The prince thanked and saluted sage Narada He expressed his gratitude to sage Narada for initiating him in the Name of Rama. It is only the Divine Name that confers human birth on a being. It is evident from the illustration narrated above that the birds and animals were able to get a human birth by listening to the holy name just once. Thus, the Name of God confers a human birth, which is considered to be a rare gift. Unfortunately, no transformation is taking place in humans, in spite of repeating the divine name several times. You should chant the divine name wholeheartedly, with full faith. No doubt, people today are repeating the holy name, but not with love and steady faith. They are chanting the Name of God with a wavering mind. There can be no transformation by such fickle-minded repetition of God’s Name, in spite of doing it for hours together. The chanting of God’s Name has to be done with absolute concentration and steady faith like a yogi. One can achieve great transformation if the mind is steadily fixed on the Divine Name.

May Allah bring Rest to our Hearts through Remembrance of Him!

Author: Father Charles Ogada, a Catholic Priest of the Order of the Holy Ghost Fathers and Brothers and an ardent devotee of Sai.