Smarana
How to do Naam Jaap (Smarana)
Remembering a name, quietly, until the sitting ends. Not a count to chase.
Not a score
Naam jaap is repeating a name. In Bija this is Smarana — remembrance. A number on a mala or a screen is only a way to stay. Not the practice.
There is no leaderboard. There is no one-crore finish line.
One name
Pick one. Stay with it. Rama, Krishna, a mantra you were given, or a name that already lives in your house. Switching mid-sitting is the mind leaving.
Aloud, whisper, or silent
Start where the room allows. Silent is not more advanced.
Vaikhari
Aloud
Spoken. When the mind is loud, or learning the sound.
Upamshu
Whisper
Lips move. Middle path for a shared house.
Manasika
Silent
Name stays in the mind.
A sitting you can keep
Five minutes. Same chair. Most days. Don’t grow the time until the short one is easy to return to.
When the mind wanders
It will. Not a failure. Come back. Coming back is the jaap.
A mala is optional
108 beads, or fingers, or a tally in the app. Or no number at all.
