THE VISION, April 2026, Vol 93, Issue 7:
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Beloved Readers,
Among all spiritual disciplines, chanting the Divine Name stands out for its simplicity. It can be practised by anyone, anytime, anywhere — without prerequisites or formalities.
This practice can be approached in two ways. The first is through absolute faith in the Nami. With such faith, nothing more is needed. Through the Nama, the Nami Himself leads us to the awareness of His presence within and everywhere, and that He alone is behind all thoughts, words, and actions. Life then becomes an offering in surrender to His will.
For many, this unshakable faith is still evolving. Along with devotion, there is a need for deeply contemplating the Nami as the Origin and Master — responsible for our birth, body–mind–intellect, nature, and all that sustains life. Chanting is thus supported by refined thoughts, words, and actions, infused with love, dedication, perfection, and gratitude. This leads us inward, to recognise His presence as Life Force, Consciousness, and Intelligence.
Namotsav, being conducted in various places, is intended to strengthen both — deepening faith and encouraging reflection — so that chanting becomes truly transformative.
— EDITOR
AS WE SCROLL DOWN...
- ‘Invincible Name’ — Swami Ramdas proclaims the Divine Name as the simplest and most powerful means of mastering the restless mind and realising union with God. When repeated with deep faith and love, the Name fills the heart with sweetness and spontaneously occupies the mind. Immersed in its music, all desires are transformed into waves of Divine joy, and the seeker awakens to the vision of God in all — the supreme state of Universal Consciousness and union with the Divine.
- ‘Words of Pujya Mataji Krishnabai’ — teaches that the sweetness of the Divine Name is experienced only when the heart is purified of worldly cravings. Just as fever dulls the taste of sugar, desires veil the joy of Ram Nam. By holding firmly and exclusively to the Divine Name, the seeker gradually acquires its taste and discovers that it is both the path and the goal, granting spiritual fulfilment and leading surely to God.
- ‘Words of Pujya Swami Satchidananda’ — highlights the transformative power of the Divine Name, which, when chanted with love and devotion, fills the atmosphere with peace and bliss. Through constant chanting, remembrance of God becomes continuous, gradually changing our vision so that we begin to see all beings and circumstances as manifestations of the Divine, leading to a life of harmony and sacred awareness.
- ‘Editor Answers’ — explains that Nama chanting becomes a true offering when it transforms from mere repetition into living communion with the Divine. By pausing inwardly to dedicate the chanting to Him, recognising that the very ability to chant is His gift, and feeling that the Name flows from Him and returns to Him, the mind remains connected with gratitude and devotion. With this simple Bhavana — “For You… by You… to You” — chanting gradually deepens into effortless surrender.
- ‘The Gita Touch in Daily Life’ — through Vasumati’s experience, illustrates that when formal spiritual practices become difficult, daily work itself can be transformed into worship. By offering every action to the Divine with the simple intention, “This is for You,” ordinary duties become sacred. As the Gita teaches, even if constant remembrance is not possible, performing actions for God’s sake sanctifies life and leads the seeker towards spiritual fulfilment.
- ‘The Divine Name’ — Swami Chidananda explains that though God is intangible, He is made accessible through His Name, which is His tangible and experiential aspect. As Shabda-Brahman or Nada-Brahman, the Divine manifests as sacred sound, bridging the formless Absolute and the manifest world. Since Nama and Nami are one, repetition of the Divine Name becomes a direct means to realise God, leading the seeker towards perfection and ultimate union with the Supreme.
- ‘Begin in a Shrine, End in the Infinite’ — reminds us that while spiritual practice may begin with formal worship and Nama chanting, its true purpose is to recognise the Nami — the Divine Reality — pervading the entire universe. As Beloved Papa Swami Ramdas taught, the world itself is our Guru, and every experience becomes a means for inner growth. By learning to perceive the Divine as the Source, Support and Doer in all activities and forms, life itself transforms into continuous worship, revealing the One Reality behind all diversity. (To be contd.)
- ‘Epistles Of Swami Ramdas’ — reveals that true peace and contentment arise through complete surrender to the will of God. Wherever the Divine Name is sung, there the Lord reveals Himself. Through ceaseless remembrance, the seeker realises that the Divine already shines within the heart, and ultimately awakens to the truth of oneness with Him.
- ‘In Memoriam’
- ‘Anandashram News’:
- ‘Book In Focus’
- ‘Thought For The Month’
- ‘Download THE VISION’ in PDF format.
INVINCIBLE NAME
By Swami Ramdas
By the repetition of the Divine Name your mind is lifted to the loftiest state of consciousness in which you realise your union and oneness with God. Of all the disciplines for controlling the restless mind there is none so easy and efficacious as the taking of the Divine Name. But there is a way in the repetition of it and that is, it must be uttered with full faith and love for it; then only you will feel that the Lord’s Name is very, very sweet. It is a psychological truth that our mind thinks most of the object which we love most, because, our concentrated love inevitably influences the mind to remember that object. So also, if our mind is fired with an intense love for the Name, this love will automatically enable us to remember the Name constantly. The Name of God will start on our tongue spontaneously and will run on it continuously. When thus the mind is inebriated, as it were, with the love of God and filled with the music of His Name, all its desires will be transmuted into Divine waves of ecstasy, and all the movements of the senses will be saturated with the same joy. In this state, vision of God will flash out through our eyes raising us to the supreme status of Universal Vision. This is the ineffable summit of Divine union and revelation.
WORDS OF PUJYA MATAJI KRISHNABAI
Purity Makes The Name Sweet
Saints assure us over and over again that the Lord’s Name is sweeter than nectar. How is it, then, that the Name appears tasteless to some? It is like this. A person who has fever, if given sugar, finds it bitter. But a normal man would assert that sugar is sweet. There is nothing wrong with sugar. We should blame the fever. Similarly, to those who have the fever, namely, the desire for worldly objects, the Lord’s name is tasteless.
Hold On To Ram Nam Exclusively
Give up all reading and all other practices and stick to Ram Nam and Ram Nam alone. That will grant you all the spiritual experiences that you crave for and will also take you to Papa (God). Ram Nam should become our be-all and end-all. It is powerful enough to take you to the goal surely and safely.
Acquire The Taste For Ram Nam
Beloved Papa Swami Ramdas has often spoken and written about the sweetness of the Name — how it is both the means and the end in Itself. Once you have acquired the taste for the Divine Name, you will find it so sweet and blissful that you will not feel like asking for anything else.
WORDS OF PUJYA SWAMI SATCHIDANANDA
Power Of God’s Name
God’s Name is so powerful that, when chanted loudly and with all love and devotion, it will surcharge the entire atmosphere with the peace and bliss of the Mantra in due course and anybody entering the house will be able to feel it. Chanting of His name will make Him manifest His qualities. So, all of you go on chanting the Mantra as much as possible, sitting together and also keep it going individually whenever you are not engaged in any mental work.
Constant Remembrance
If we keep on chanting the Name as much as possible we will be able to maintain continuous remembrance of God. That will help us to see everything as Divine. While in this process, it is not that we are going to do anything new except changing our attitude towards everything i.e., when we see others, instead of seeing them as individuals, we will start looking at them as manifestations of our Beloved God.
EDITOR ANSWERS
Question: We are told that Nama chanting should be like an offering unto Him. How can we hold on to this Bhavana while chanting?
Answer: Nama chanting becomes an offering when it transforms from repetition into living communion. A few simple inner orientations can help:
- Pause briefly and inwardly say: “This chanting is for You.” This sets the direction of the mind.
- Move from “I am chanting” to “He within is making this Nama flow.” This naturally turns chanting into an offering.
- Feel: “Even this ability to chant is His gift.” Gratitude keeps the mind connected to Him.
- Simply come back with: “For You… by You… to You.” No strain, just a quiet return.
- An offering becomes alive when we feel: “He is here, and receiving.”
Even a little love makes chanting natural and heartfelt. This Bhavana may not stay, but each return deepens it.
In essence: “This is Your Name… offered to You… by You.” Over time, chanting itself becomes effortless surrender.
THE GITA TOUCH IN DAILY LIFE
Chapter 12, Shloka 10 — Submission
Vasumati, a young teacher newly appointed in a rural government school, dreamed of shaping lives while remaining rooted in daily prayer and spiritual discipline. But reality was far from easy. The school lacked basic amenities, and the children came from difficult backgrounds. Her days began before sunrise — cleaning the classroom, preparing lessons, handling emotional outbursts, and walking miles to visit absent students’ homes. By night, she was too exhausted to chant or sit in silence.
Initially, guilt troubled her — she missed her fixed prayer hours, her readings, her formal connection with the Divine. One evening, after a tiring day, she sat on the classroom floor and whispered, “Lord, I cannot find You in my schedule. Please accept my day as my prayer.”
Something shifted. She began each class with a silent intention: “This is for You.” Every action became her offering.
“If you are unable to constantly remember Me with devotion, then work for Me.
By performing actions for My sake, you shall attain perfection.”
We can sanctify our work when it is done not for praise, results, or duty alone, but as an offering to the Divine. Thus, life itself becomes prayer.
THE DIVINE NAME
By Swami Chidananda
God is intangible. However, this intangible Being is present with us in one tangible aspect, which we can actually create, experience, feel and practise. That is Name. The Rupa of Bhagavan is beyond our comprehension. But here is something, an aspect of God identical with Him, discovered in ancient times. It is the Mantra of the Supreme Absolute Being. It has vibration. And it is Divinity in manifestation as sound — Shabda or Nada, which Vedanta refers to as Shabda-Brahman, Nada-Brahman. He Who is beyond Nada is caught by Nada. He can be thus approached by this particular Nada because it is Nirakara. So, it is at once a Tattva that has access to the formless Parabrahma Tattva, and at the same time it has access to Saguna, the field in which we are living. Nama and Nami (The Lord and His Name) are identical. Thus, Patanjali has a Sutra which says that perfection can be obtained through repetition of the Name. And Jagat Guru Lord Krishna says: “He who repeats My Name at the time of leaving the body attains Me. He does not return once again into this mortal world.” The Abhedata of Nama and Nami has been established by the direct experience of those who have practised this path and attained perfection.
Source: Ponder These Truths
BEGIN IN A SHRINE, END IN THE INFINITE
Our Master, Beloved Papa Swami Ramdas said: “The world we live in is a school, in which observation and experience offer us immense possibilities for self-improvement. Nay, the world itself is our Guru or God.” Many of us have heard this statement innumerable times. Intellectually, we appreciate its beauty and truth. Yet, in practice, we seldom apply it. It remains a concept stored at the intellectual level rather than becoming a practical reality of our lives. True spiritual growth begins only when we apply them.
The purpose of this reflection, especially in the context of Nama chanting, is to give thrust to move from mere Nama chanting to recognising the Nami — Divine Reality — in the entire manifestation. Hence, Beloved Papa said, “Behold Divinity in every aspect of this world-Lila. Verily, it is He at play in all beings and creatures.” This echoes the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna declares that He is the source and essence of all existence:
I am the generating seed of all living beings, O Arjuna.
No creature moving or non-moving can exist without Me.
Yet, we tend to confine spirituality to temples, Ashrams, scriptures, rituals, etc., and we treat daily life as “worldly” or separate from our spiritual practices. Namotsav, being conducted in various places, seeks to dissolve this compartmentalisation by making us associate the Nami with the positive aspects of the manifestation and later with all.
God is the Cause, Substance, and the Effect of everything. A deeper understanding emerges when we reflect on the teaching that the Divine is the efficient cause, material cause, and instrumental cause. As stated in the Bhagavad Gita: “I am the generating seed of all beings. Nothing, moving or unmoving, can exist without Me.” This means:
- Every object originates from the Divine.
- Every process is sustained by the Divine.
- Every form is an expression of the Divine.
As this understanding deepens, we no longer see life as fragmented, but as a unified expression of the One Reality.
Generally, we tend to associate God only with certain places, occasions, and practices. Yet when deeply pondered over, this teaching will, as stated by Beloved Papa, lead us to eat, drink, sleep, move, sit, stand, talk, think, look, hear, smell, touch, do everything in His name and for His sake only. Then the Puja room is no longer the only place of worship — it is a training ground. The real practice begins when we step out and recognise the same Divine Presence everywhere.
Seeing The Nami In All — Everyday Analogies
To train the mind to associate the Nama with the Nami in everyday objects, activities, and situation, some simple, yet powerful analogies are shared:
- Nami silently dwells within us: Vehicle needs fuel; words need a white background.
Fuel and white background stand for the Nami, the unseen support enabling the body–mind to function. - Drop “me” and “mine” to see the Nami: Clouds hide the sun; mud clouds water.
Clouds and mud stand for ego, which hides the ever-present Nami. - Nami pervades the universe: Space remains undivided; thread holds beads.
Space and thread stand for the Nami, silently pervading and holding all forms together. - Let deeds flow as spontaneous expression of the Nami: Flute needs breath; pen needs a writer.
Breath and writer stand for the Nami, the true Source behind all our actions. - Nami is the beginning, middle, and end of all happenings: Movie rests on the screen; waves arise in the ocean.
Screen and ocean stand for the Nami, the Substratum in which all appears and dissolves. - Nami is the real Doer: Machines run on electricity; fire cooks food.
Electricity and fire stand for the Nami, the Power that alone performs all actions. - The Nami — who is Love — dwells in the heart: Heater gives warmth; sweetness pervades sugarcane.
Warmth and sweetness stand for the Nami, expressing as love within us. - All are one in the Nami: Gold becomes ornaments; clay becomes many pots.
Gold and clay stand for the Nami, the one Substance behind all diversity. - Nami expresses as innocence and sincerity: Seed grows in fertile soil; reflection needs clear water.
Fertile soil and clear water stand for a pure mind, where the Nami shines clearly. - Each life is uniquely the Nami’s expression: Many instruments, one melody; many bulbs, one light.
Melody and light stand for the Nami, expressing uniquely through each form. - Rest in the protecting Grace of the Nami: Child trusts the parent; passengers trust the driver.
Parent and driver stand for the Nami, the unseen guide we can fully trust. - Awaken the awareness of the Nami: Musk deer seeks its own fragrance; rice appears in many forms like Idli, Dosa, Poha.
Fragrance and rice stand for the Nami, already present within though sought outside. - Nami is the Origin and the Great Provider: Words arise from alphabets; music from notes and silence.
Alphabets and silence stand for the Nami, the Source from which all arises. - The Master has a Master Plan: Actors depend on the director; sailors trust the navigator.
Director and navigator stand for the Nami, guiding all from behind the scenes.
(To be contd.)
EPISTLES OF SWAMI RAMDAS
Beloved Ram,
…In all matters perfect submission to the will of God is the only way to real peace and contentment. It is perfectly true that wherever He is remembered, there He is — wherever His Name is sung, there He reveals Himself. Since your mind is ceaselessly remembering His name, you may be sure that He stands revealed in your own heart and being. Nay, you are in reality He Himself…
IN MEMORIAM
- Dr. Jyoti B Shah (aged 84) an old and ardent devote of the Ashram from Vadodara was called by Papa on 27th of February 2026.
- Smt V Nirmala Devi (aged 74), an ardent devotee of the Ashram from Trivandrum and the Poorvashram wife of Swami Sukumaranandaji, dropped her mortal coil on the 28th of February 2026.
- Smt Jaya Mahadevan (aged 81) an ardent devotee of the Ashram from Coimbatore was also called by Him on the 23rd of March 2026 in Bangalore.
ANANDASHRAM NEWS
15500-CRORE NAMA JAPA YAGNA FOR WORLD PEACE:
The total Japa received in the fourth round of the 15500-Crore Nama Japa Yagna for World Peace in the month of February 2026 is 210 crores, chanted by 186653 devotees.
The grand total of the Japa done so far in this round now stands at 6880 crores.
***
SESSIONS WITH CHILDREN AT ANAND KUTIR IN ANANDASHRAM:
In the month of February 2026, 7 interactive sessions were held with children at Anand Kutir, in which 301 students participated. As the sessions are free from teaching and preaching, they help the children to bring out their own learnings:
- Suphana: “The session gave me an opportunity to understand myself. I realised that I need to eliminate the sense of ‘otherness’ in my mind.”
- Rejah Nasrath: “We must look into our inner self rather than focusing on outer beauty.”
- Zainabath Safeera: “It is our perspective that makes something good or bad, not the thing itself.”
- Muneer: “I realised that love radiates from everything in nature.”
- Rajesh: “I had not spoken to many of the students studying with me for the past two years. I realised the importance of understanding and listening to others.”
- Vaibhav: “We should contribute something to society, even in small ways. Small things make a difference.”
- Navya: “The session reminded us that there is another side to everything, and that we should consider it when we respond.”
142ND JAYANTI OF BELOVED PAPA SWAMI RAMDAS:
Beloved Papa’s Jayanti falls on 2nd April 2026. This occasion reminds us of his life of complete surrender to the Divine and his message of Universal Love and Service based upon the vision of Divinity in all. May this day inspire us to deepen our Sadhana, live up to this ideal of loving all and serving all, and walk steadfastly on the path he has shown.
***
MOUNA SADHANA IN ANANDASHRAM:
A day-long Mouna Sadhana is scheduled on the 12th of April 2026. The session invites participants to introspect on the Master’s Master Plan. Devotees interested in participating may kindly inform through email (pms.anandashram@gmail.com) or by WhatsApp (+91-9037466744).
BOOK IN FOCUS
‘With The Divine Mother’
‘With the Divine Mother’ is a treasured three-volume work by
Swami Shuddhanandaji, offering an intimate glimpse into the teachings of Pujya
Mataji Krishnabai. Drawn from her conversations with devotees in Anandashram,
these volumes reveal the simplicity, depth, and power of her guidance.
Through vivid anecdotes and candid dialogues, Mataji’s
message shines with clarity — urging seekers to anchor their lives in constant
remembrance of the Divine Name, unwavering faith in the Guru, and sincere
dedication in daily life. Her teachings emphasise that true Sadhana lies in
inner transformation, where every action becomes an offering to God.
Simple, direct, and deeply illuminating, this work is a source of inspiration — guiding seekers towards a life of devotion, surrender, and God-centred living.
Available in English.
THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH
“In all weathers cling to the Name of the Lord.
It is the one plank which does not allow the man
who hangs on to it to sink and be lost.
The Name is the Lord, Guru and all in all.”
— Swami Ramdas
DOWNLOAD THE VISION
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Hariom
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