Naam Simran

Naam translates simply as Name, but in the compositions of the Gurus it stands for far more than a label. It sums up all that can be said of God: timeless, beyond the world and present within it.

The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism describes Naam as the divine presence itself, showing itself in creation. A line of the Japji Sahib on ang 4 says that all that has been made is God's Name, and that no place is without it. Naam is therefore not a word to be learned once, but a reality a person learns to recognise.[EoS][DB]

The first level is naam japna, repeating the Name aloud or inwardly. The Name most used among Sikhs is Vahiguru, which is given at initiation as the gurmantar. Private repetition may be done with or without a rosary.

The second level is shared. Sikhs gather in sangat to sing hymns, or kirtan, and to hear them. The third is deep contemplation of the mystery the Name points to. The sources treat all three as proper forms of simran, each supporting the others. A Sikh is expected to pray both alone and with others.

The Sikh Rehat Maryada places this at the start of the day. A Sikh is to wake in the early hours, bathe and repeat Vahiguru with the mind on the One. This early period is called amrit vela.[EoS][EoS][Src][EoS]

The Gurus warn against empty recitation. Sri Guru Amar Das Ji observes on ang 491 that merely having Ram on the lips achieves nothing, and that the fruit comes when God dwells in the heart, by Guru Ji's grace.

The Encyclopaedia names three things on which fruitful simran depends: understanding God's nature through Guru Ji's word, faith in God's compassion and Guru Ji's guidance, and God's grace, for the ability to remember is itself treated as a gift. Sukhmani Sahib says as much on ang 263.

The aim is liberation, called mukti, from the cycle of birth and death. Sikh teaching holds that for some this peace can be reached in this life. Naam also frees a person from haumai, the self-centred pride that keeps people blind to what surrounds them.[EoS][EoS][EoS]