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Is it true that if one does the namasmarana 13 crore times then he gets the darshana of the supreme lord?

While doing namasmarana with mouth if another worldly thought comes into our mind then does that namasmarana gets counted?

Eg. At first let's say while ironing my clothes I start doing namasmarana, For the first 50 times I do it with full attention then after that for the next 100 chants, different thoughts came into my mind, but my mouth is continuously doing Japa, then does that next 100 chants are useful or do they get counted?

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    SUGGESTION Yes, yes everything counts! God loves you as you are. Don't have any expectations while doing Sadhana. Simply say to the Lord before starting: "Oh God Lord, I am offering all that I see, hear, touch, smell, eat, speak, do, and even think to Thy Lotus Feet!" and end the sadhana day with "Oh God Lord, I offer all that I have done, thought and spoke, good as well as bad, at Thy Lotus Feet. I am Thy child." Sadhana is done to purify the Mind and realize the True Self. Eventually you will see that the power of your Sadhana takes You to Your Self. This is also Darshana. :) All the best!
    – Sai
    Oct 5, 2015 at 3:13
  • At start our attention do remains on it... but after some time we realize that its just going mechanical chant and from mouth we are taking god's holy name but thinking of something else in mind. @Sai
    – C Sharper
    Oct 6, 2015 at 6:14
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    yes the mechanical chant will eventually purify all your senses and finally that mechanical chant will probe deeper and deeper into your consciousness. There is something called conscious mind. When you chant consciously you're in that layer. As you keep going deeper, you reach the subconscious mind, this is the mechanical chanting. After that you go deeper, you reach the Super Consciousness, or God. That is where you will experience yourself as you are. What you think as your consciousness, is actually your ego consciousness, not your real consciousness. All the best.
    – Sai
    Oct 6, 2015 at 13:48
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    Yes it is natural and definitely that is the case where we start chanting consciously and then it becomes an unconscious action. However with time the changes will be visible. Nothing comes immediately in life, and this includes liberation. All the best
    – Sai
    Oct 7, 2015 at 14:34
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    Yes absolutely! The Lord Loves any form of devotion that is offered to Him. During the Bhagavatam Prahlad ji mentions the nine types of bhakti to God: listening (Shravanam), singing (kirtanam), Vishnu smaranam (thinking of God), vandanam (worshipping), pada sevanam (serving the lotus feet of Lord), archanam (admiring beauty of the Lord through poojas, archanas), dasyam (serving the Lord), sakhyam (friendship to God) and atma nivedanam (complete self surrender) are all coming under different types of bhakti. All the best
    – Sai
    Oct 8, 2015 at 14:08

1 Answer 1

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Question 1. While doing namasmarana with mouth if another worldly thought comes into our mind then does that namasmarana gets counted?

To my limited knowledge, I think we'd be hard pressed to find explicit references on this in the scriptures.

However, Swami Ramsukhdasa does attest the significance of "name-chanting" upto a particular number, to experience the physical manifestation of our ishta deity.

This is what he says in his work - GitA-DarpaNa (page 76), I'm summarising his opinion by self translating from the original Hindi work-

7. The God's name in the GitA


Question - In the shastras, and also as said by several saints & sages, that doing the naam-japa of a particular deity for a particular counting bestows on the chanter the vision of the deity, Is this true?


Swami Ramasukhdasa answers -

Yes.

  • Chanting the Hare Krishna Mantra for 3.5 crore times yields the vision of the God. This has been mentioned in the Kalisantarana Upanishad.

  • Also, chanting the name of Rama, 13 crore times, yields his divine forms' vision. This has been written by Samarth Ramadasa Baba in his work "Dasa-bodha".

However, if one has complete, unequivocal faith in the name and substance of the God and his glory, the revelation of his divine form may occur earlier than the prescribed japa numbers.




Question 2. - While doing namasmarana with mouth if another worldly thought comes into our mind then does that namasmarana gets counted?

Yes, it does count.

Although, there might be more advantages of contemplating with complete concentration, but even without concentration, the japa of God's name is beneficial, no doubt about it.

In his book, Japa, Sri Swami Sivananda observes

JAPA YOGA

GLORY OF DIVINE NAME

The Name of God, chanted correctly or incorrectly, knowingly or unknowingly, carefully, is sure to give the desired result. Just as burning quality is natural to and inherent in fire, so also, the power of destroying sins with their very root and branch, and bringing the aspirant into blissful union with the Lord through Bhava-Samadhi, is natural to and inherent in the Name of God.

The glory of the Name of God cannot be established through reasoning and intellect. It can be experienced or realized only through devotion, faith and constant repetition of the Name.

In fact, the famous Vishnu Mantra which is generally recited in the beginning of religious rites itself confirms the above idea, even so indirectly though, perhaps.

अपवित्रः पवित्रो वा सर्वावस्थां गतोऽपि वा ।
यः स्मरेत्पुण्डरीकाक्षं स बाह्याभ्यन्तरः शुचिः ॥ १,२१७.१ ॥

Be one may be impure or pure, or even in any other conditions. He who remembers Pundarikaksha (the one with the Lotus-like Eyes), they become Pure outwardly as well as inwardly.

Garuda Purana 1.217.1

Note that, this same Shloka is found in multiple texts like Brahmavaivarta Purana (1.27.27), et al.




To Conclude:

  • As per words of saints atleast, doing mantra japa of Sri Rama, 13 crore times, yields his divine forms' vision. Similarly, if faith and belief is strong we can experience the divine revelation of any deity earlier than the prescribed number of japa.

  • Doing namasmarana with mouth, if another worldly thought comes into our mind then that namasmarana also gets counted. Although, the effect maybe less, but it does count.

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