by Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnath

What is the path to God? For Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnath, the answer was not philosophy, not renunciation, not the mastery of yogic technique — it was the Name. In this teaching, shared to soc.religion.hindu in 2008 by a devotee and drawn from Omkarnath's writings, he sets out the four types of upasana (prayer) — Naam, the Name; Rupa, the Form; Leela, the Divine Sport; Dham, the Divine Abode — and argues that each is infinite, each is God himself, and that anyone who holds fast to any one of them will be carried by it to all the others. His particular claim — that the continuous chanting of Naam makes formal renunciation unnecessary, since the disciplines of renunciation come running after the one who holds Naam — is characteristic of the Naam Yoga tradition in all its forms.

Posted to soc.religion.hindu on March 30, 2008, by jaiguru. English rendering by Kinkar Vishwananda (Sri B.N. Mullik). Source book not identified in the original post.

Upasana — prayer — is of four types: Naam (Name), Rupa (Form), Leela (Divine Sport), and Dham (Divine Abode). Each of these four has unlimited power; each is God Himself. First of all comes Naam; follows Rupa after that; the third is Leela; and the fourth is Dham. If a person can develop single-minded devotion to any of these four, he will be able to cross the ocean of Samsara with the greatest ease. Each has a bearing on the other. If a person can hold fast to any one of them, the others will gradually come by themselves.

As a result of the deeds done in previous lives, one comes into this world with specific qualifications. One's Sadhana depends on one's qualification so acquired. It is in accord with the path one has followed in previous lives. Hence one must select the path for which one is qualified. At the beginning of Sadhana one hears of many different paths. As one progresses, all paths meet in one. Whether he is a Shakta or Vaishnava or Shaiva, Soura or Ganapatya, whether he is a Hindu or a Muslim or a Christian — all ultimately reach that one path leading to God.

One constantly hears that renunciation is the first step towards Sadhana. There is no need of renunciation. Stay wherever you are and try to chant Naam constantly. If you can hold on to Naam — which is Bhagawan Himself — then you need not worry any more. He who stays near the King does not depend on the kindness of the door-keeper. He whose tongue is reluctant to sing Naam may think of renunciation. If one can sing Naam, the four types of Sadhana — Vivikta (concentration), Vairagya (renunciation), Mumuksha (sannyas), Shama and Dama (control of mind and senses) — run after him.

The Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, the Tantras, the Samhitas — all direct one along the path by which one can gain that one Purusha. They have laid down different paths for persons with different qualifications. The aim of every person is to become established in that one. All want the One, not two. Some want to be united with Him; some want to mingle in Him — that is the only difference.

Standing or sitting, eating or lying down, if one chants Ram, Ram constantly, one will be able to gain His grace — there is no doubt about it. A person anxious to gain God's grace can experiment on this and test its truth. He who constantly chants Ram, Ram will become Ram; he who chants Shiva, Shiva will become Shiva; by chanting Durga, Durga, or Krishna, Krishna, one becomes Durga or Krishna. This word of the Shastras is absolutely true.

By acquiring learning and by Nishkam Karma, you set an example to the world. There is no real Jnana in the books. Jnana is the fulfillment of Sadhana; it is the life force of Tapasya. If you go on repeating the Shastras like an animal or a bird, you will not be able to acquire real Jnana even after a hundred births. Pray and worship, and enlightenment will come to you. Go on doing Sadhana; the whole power of the Creator of this Universe will come and embrace you.

When one's mind becomes steady by keeping company with Sadhus, by studying the Vedas and other religious books, by doing work according to the instructions of the Shastras, by the grace of God, one then realizes that one is not shelter-less — one has One with whom to take shelter. Thereafter, one is not disturbed by pleasure or trouble, peace or its absence, danger or prosperity, joy or sorrow. One realizes clearly that whatever is happening is for one's Mangal — one's good. One then constantly stays with Naam, and, like a spectator in a film show, watches and enjoys the play of the Prakriti of endless wonders.

Colophon

Teaching by Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnath (1892–1982), Bengali Vaishnava saint and propagator of Naam Yoga. English rendering by Kinkar Vishwananda (Sri B.N. Mullik). Source book not identified in the original post.

Posted to soc.religion.hindu on March 30, 2008, by the devotee jaiguru. Original Message-ID: <[email protected]>.

Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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