Shri Brhamachaithanya Pravachan- Feb.12

Nama is the Ultimate Truth in Essence

Nama is doubtlessly superior to the form; so even if you are unable to visualise the form while meditating on nama, persist in the meditation. The form will follow in due course. The form, being material and perceptible, is subject to birth, growth, and decay, occupation and change of space, change in course of time, and such other limitations. Nama is subtle, transcendent to perception, causation, birth, growth, diminution and decay; nor is it subject to dimension, change of position, limitations of time and space, etc. It is, in fact, the Ultimate Truth, and more comprehensive and omnipotent than form. What is more potent is obviously more independent, that is, less restricted, less limited. Therefore, nama is more extensive and pervading, more powerful, more independent, more free of limitations, than the form.
Let us examine the process whereby we imbibe knowledge. Suppose we stand on a hill top and survey the scenery around us. Firstly, the rays of light from all the objects pass through the eyes to the brain. Sense organs are thus the instruments of knowledge of external objects. The sensations conveyed by the senses are co-ordinated by the mind, and the intellect, by its power of discrimination, gives them an interpretation, so that we come to know what the object really is. But the function of human intelligence does not end there. After perceiving these objects severally, the trees, creepers, houses, gardens, humans, birds, lakes, etc; it synthesizes all of them and creates the conception of scenic beauty. This co-ordination of separate impressions perceiving unity in diversity, is a unique characteristic of human knowledge. In this world we notice such a variety in everything. Diverse types of stones, insects, birds, animals, all of them share one common quality, 'existence,' whether they are living or non-living. Similarly, even the emotion of joy 'exists', or has 'existence'. This quality of 'existence' is nama, the divine name, or 'omkar', the symbol of the Ultimate Reality, 'Paramatman', the Cosmic Soul. Therefore, nama was there at the beginning of creation, it is there today, and it will survive even the destruction of all creation. Nama is God. It gives rise to myriad forms which, eventually, re-merge into it. The form, therefore, has no existence independent of nama, for nama includes and trancends the form.
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