Different Religions and their different ways
In the religion I belong to, a newborn is given a name immediately after birth. A devotional hymn is softly whispered into the baby's ear. This ritual is performed by a senior family member who has already been initiated into chanting the Name.
A few days later, the mother and child are given Amrit (nectar of immortality), and this tradition is carried out by a spiritually elevated saint. Until the young child can chant the Name on their own, it is the responsibility of the parents to gently hold the baby and chant the Name for them.
My experience says that chanting the Name or doing Simran should be a continuous 24-hour process on one's tongue. But this is not possible in the beginning. So, one must chant the Name whenever they remember it - while walking, sitting, standing, or during daily tasks. Just like a student repeatedly memorizes a subject for exams, and eventually that topic becomes deeply ingrained, similarly, Naam Jap (chanting the Divine Name) works like a repetition-based method - the more you say it, the more it enters you and imprints on your subconscious mind.
Now you may wonder, what is the benefit of this repetition? Human beings rarely do anything without a benefit.
Let's understand the answer like this:
Do you know the day of your death? You don't, right?
Have you ever read about the soul plan?
At the time of death, whatever a person is thinking about, their soul immediately moves into the corresponding soul plan. It is written in the Guru Granth Sahib Ji:
Ant kaal jo lachhmee simrai, aisee chintaa mehi je marai.
sarap jon val val autarai. ॥1॥
Meaning: At the very last moment, one who thinks of wealth, and dies in such thoughts,
shall be reincarnated over and over again, in the form of snakes.
ant kaal jo istree simrai, aisee chintaa mehi je marai.
besvaa jon val val autarai. ॥2॥
Meaning: At the very last moment, he who thinks about his women, and dies in such thoughts,
shall be reincarnated over and over again as a prostitute.
ant kaal jo laRike simrai, aisee chintaa mehi je marai.
sookar jon val val autarai. ॥3॥
Meaning: At the very last moment, one who thinks of his children, and dies in such thoughts,
shall be reincarnated over and over again as a pig.
ant kaal jo mandar simrai, aisee chintaa mehi je marai.
pret jon val val autarai. ॥4॥
Meaning: At the very last moment, one who thinks of mansions, and dies in such thoughts,
shall be reincarnated over and over again as a spirit/ghost.
ant kaal naaraa-iN simrai, aisee chintaa mehi je marai.
badat tilochan te nar muktaa, peetambar vaa ke ridai basai. ॥5॥
Meaning: At the very last moment, one who thinks of the Lord Waheguru, and dies in such thoughts,
says Trilochan, that man shall be liberated; the Lord shall abide in his heart.
From all these lines, it becomes clear that once the lamp of Naam is lit within you, then no matter what situation arises - even sudden death - the very first thing that will emerge from within you will be the Name of the Lord. That Name will protect your soul from drifting into any other soul plan.
This is the first method. The second one is equally important, and I will share it with you in
chapter-3.
This is the first method. The second one is equally important, and I will share it with you in Part-3.