Oh Lord, thy name inspires such glory in my soul

O Lord,

Thy Name inspires such

glory in my soul!

It expands in the universe

embracing all!

It touches the shore

of blessed salvation

And each day adds purpose

and new revelation!

O Lord,

This body may whither,

become old and diseased,

But Thy Name in my heart

shall never cease!


This poem from Little Flowers of the Heart, written over forty years ago, expresses the love I have for the chanting of God's name(s). In all my years of yoga practice and in every Hindu community in which I have participated (and other traditions as well), we chanted beautiful songs, prayers and mantras that have sustained my soul with spiritual nourishment and a kind of ecstatic love. I feel it has brought me into the very presence of God and connected me to an ancient tradition that is still so accessible today. Even when I am not chanting or singing, I am humming: I can't help it! I am filled with a sacred vibration.

According to the Vedic scriptures and in the experience of sages and devotees alike, there is no difference between God and the name of God. God is expanding in all space, all time, all objects, and all names: we can't be separate, even if we don't realize it! This is hard to grasp as we are so identified with our bodies and our life stories. And even if we think about God, our conditioning tells us that God is "over there," "up above," outside of us. Yet, even as a drop of water from the sea contains all the qualities of the sea, so we contain all the qualities of God. We are part and parcel of God's true being; we are sat-chit-ānanda vigraha, eternal truth, knowledge, and bliss absolute.

One of the easiest methods of regaining our consciousness of who we are is to chant sacred mantra (man or mind, tra or vehicle), passed down by generations of enlightened beings, from guru to disciple, to aid in the fixing of the mind on God. Since my early years at 14 and 15 in the temples of ISKCON, my primary practice has been japa yoga or continuous chanting of one mantra, aloud or silently, on a japa mala or Hindu rosary. There are 108 beads and one bead for the Guru or God, and we chant a full round on the mala, turning the mala around again and again at the Guru bead to begin new rounds. 

My japa mantra as a young teen was Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, but many years ago, I changed to the japa mantra of my gurudev Swami Sivananda, Om Namo Narayanaya. Narayana is a Hindu name for the Supreme Absolute or Brahman, as well as the name for the Supreme Lord who creates infinite universes and enters into all of them as the heart of all.

I am so grateful to Swamiji for this mantra. I sit every day at my altar and chant japa and fix my mind on my Ishta devata (https://littleflowersoftheheart.blogspot.com/2018/01/time-is-not-for-sadhak.html). I chant hundreds of "rounds" of japa every day and I carry my mala with me wherever I go. I feel so connected to God and so safe: my mala helps me in times of anxiety and brings me back to a peace that is quite profound. And sometimes, in beautiful moments, I am transported to that joy and peace "that passeth understanding" when I feel one with God.

Singing beautiful songs or bhajans in kirtan (group singing) or doing sankirtan in the street (calling passerbys to join in) or even in nature--Why not call all beings to join in?!-- is another wonderful way to feel our connection with the Divine. There is a swift uplifting of the mind and heart, a purification of thought and feeling, and the joy we feel is diffused everywhere, all at once. There is no longer a separation between self and Other; we are one in sat-chit-ānanda with everyone and everything.

No matter how long I shall live or what burden I shall face, may I always remember to chant the beautiful names of God! Om shanti shanti shanti, Om peace. 

Little Flowers of the Heart by Laura Tattoo may be purchased at all the sites of Amazon.com in the United States, Canada, and Europe. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1545373531