( Likhita Japam)

The method of ‘Likhita Japam’ has been recommended for purifying one’s mind (Likhita Japam is a form of spiritual exercise in which one is engaged in writing the name of the Lord). ‘Likhita Japam’ should be performed in a spirit of devotion. A wealthy man, who had no peace of mind despite his riches, went to a sage for advice. The sage suggested to him that as a way of reducing his insatiable desires, which were the cause of his worries, he should write the name of the Lord some crores of times. Unused to such an arduous exercise, the rich man found a shortcut to achieving what the sage had suggested, by resorting to mechanical devices for multiplying the number of times he wrote the name of the Lord. This is a total travesty of the spiritual exercise suggested by the sage. It is tantamount to cheating God. This sort of deception and hypocrisy is rampant today. It is not quantity that counts. Even the writing of a few names with sincere devotion in better than filling pages mechanically. (SSS Vol.27, p. 142)

For one to come to this godly path, one has to contemplate on God incessantly. Today in Tamil Nadu the Likhita japam movement and the worship of Padukas (sandals sanctified by the Divine Feet of Bhagavan) have grown by leaps and bounds. An 85-year-old devotee is striving to achieve even greater progress in these movements. In devotion it is not age that counts. What matters is the determination and the dedication. At this age, he comes almost every week to Prasanthi Nilayam without regard to the strain involved. His sole concern is service to Bhagavan. All devotees should become exemplars like him, of dedicated service. When that happens the world will be an earthly paradise. This old devotee has been able to bring together large numbers of people to get involved in this form of collective worship by his example and enthusiasm.

The saint Tyagaraja had great difficulty in chanting the name of Rama 96 crores of times. But in Tamil Nadu today the Lord s name has been written 108 crores of times (one crore is ten million). Countless devotees have been engaged in writing the name of the lord, without wasting their time in useless gossip or meaningless activities. What a sacred pre-occupation is this! Do not waste your time in useless pursuits. Instead devote all the time available to remembering and writing the Lord s name.

Nama Likhita japam" (repeated writing of the Lord s Name as a spiritual exercise). This practice promotes harmony in thought, word and deed (first thinking about the Name of the Lord, then uttering it and then writing it). All these three processes should be carried out with a pure heart. (SSS Vol.26, p. 162)

To experience the Divine within you all you have to do is to dedicate all your actions to the Divine. No other spiritual exercise is necessary. This does not mean you should give up other forms of worship like japa. The basic equipment is that whatever spiritual exercise is done it should be performed whole-heartedly, with full concentration.

For instance, we have Likhita Japa. (Bundles of notebooks in which devotees had written the name of the Lord thousands of times had earlier been placed at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan) Today people write the names without thinking aloud the name of the Lord in their minds and uttering the names with their mouths. As you start writing the name, you must first reflect on the name in the mind and utter the name by the mouth, and then write the name with your hand. This is Likhita japa, the penance of writing the Lord s name. Some people, to complete the writing of the name a crore of times, resort to devices like using carbon paper to multiply the number of names written or cyclostyling what they have written once. This cannot be described as Likhita Japa. The name should get inscribed in the heart. It then becomes a kind of negative from which any number of prints can be taken.

Dedicate all deeds to God Whatever you do, deem it as God s work. This can be applied to every ordinary act in daily life, whether it is sweeping the floor, or preparing chapattis or cutting vegetables. Everyone of these acts can be turned into a spiritual exercise by the spirit in which you do it. To perform every act as an offering to the Divine is true devotion. (SSS Vol.28, p. 100)