“Om + Name + Namah”?


🌼 In Nāma Japa

Why do we chant:
“Om + Name + Namah”?

Examples:

> Om Nārāyaṇāya Namah
Om Śivāya Namah

1️⃣ “Om” — The Primordial Sound (Praṇava)

What does Om mean?

Om is the sound-form of Brahman

The sound that existed before creation

The symbol of Sat–Chit–Ānanda
(Existence–Consciousness–Bliss)
The Upaniṣads declare:

> Om is the name of Parabrahman
Therefore:

We begin nāma japa with Om

So that our japa rises
from the individual level to the Brahman level
📌 Inner meaning:

> “I am not chanting as a limited individual,
but in remembrance of Brahman.”
2️⃣ The Name — The Attribute-Form of the Deity

Examples:

Nārāyaṇa — the One who supports and pervades all

Śiva — the auspicious, blissful reality

Lakṣmī — completeness and abundance


🔹 In Aṣṭottara and Sahasranāma,
each name represents:

a divine quality

a power

a truth
📌 Inner meaning:

> “May this divine quality shine within my inner being.”
3️⃣ “Namah” — Surrender of Ego

This is the most crucial part 🌺

What does Namah mean?

Sanskrit breakdown:

> Na + Mama
Na = not
Mama = mine
📌 Complete meaning:

> “This is not mine”
“I am not the doer”
“I surrender my ego”
Therefore:

While chanting,

even the feeling “I am a devotee” dissolves
4️⃣ Why “Om” at the beginning and “Namah” at the end?

Because nāma japa follows a complete spiritual sequence:

Component Meaning

Om Remembrance of Brahman
Name Contemplation of divine qualities
Namah Dissolution of ego
📌 In essence:
> Beginning with Brahman →
abiding in divine qualities →
ending with ego-surrender
5️⃣ The Ultimate Meaning from the Advaitic Perspective 🌼

At the culmination of japa, this truth must be realized:

> Om — That is Me
Name — That is My own nature
Namah — There is no separate “me”
Which means:

> The one who chants
the act of chanting
and the deity being chanted
👉 are all one and the same
🌸 This is perfect japa in Advaita Vedānta
🌺 In One Simple Statement:
> Om — Remembrance of Parabrahman
Name — Contemplation of divine attributes
Namah — Dissolution of ego


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