Ans. While meditating, when mind attains the awareness of existence of God through His light, that state is called the revelation of Naam.
Naam is also the sudden awareness (like lightening) regarding collective virtues of God. According to the third Master, Guru Amar Das:
ਅੰਤਰਿ ਖੂਹਟਾ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਿ ਭਰਿਆ ਸਬਦੇ ਕਾਢਿ ਪੀਐ ਪਨਿਹਾਰੀ॥
(SGGS, P. 570)
(Within lies a well overflowing with ambrosia (of God’s Name), the water carrier (Gurmukh) draws out and drinks).
Naam is neither an inanimate object nor a word made up of letters. Rather it is the revelation of eternal light within. This is why Gurbani says:
ਨਾਮੁ ਹਮਾਰੈ ਅੰਤਰਜਾਮੀ॥
ਨਾਮੁ ਹਮਾਰੈ ਆਵੈ ਕਾਮੀ॥
(SGGS, P. 1144)
“The Name or divine Reality is the controller of inner self; it always comes to our help”.
Naam is a force that generates movement within. Naam comes to ones help just as a drowning person would find a boat. It lights up our lives just as an extinguishing lamp may get freshoil:
ਬੁਡਤ ਕਉ ਜੈਸੇ ਬੇੜੀ ਮਿਲਤ॥
ਬੂਝਤ ਦੀਪਕ ਮਿਲਤ ਤਿਲਤ॥
(SGGS, P. 986)
ਜੈਸੇ ਰਣ ਮਹਿ ਸਖਾ ਭ੍ਰਾਤ॥
(SGGS, P. 987)
“Naam is helpful just as brothers and friends come to help in a battle”
ਜੈਸੇ ਪਾਲਨ ਸਰਨਿ ਸੇਂਘ॥
(SGGS, P. 987)
“Naam protects just as a lion would to any creature that it wants to protect”.
Naam is true wealth; one has to earn it. It cannot be attained by a whisper in ones ear (these days many self-styled gurus stealthily give their mantras in ears of their ignorant disciples).
Just as any wealth attained through theft or smuggling leads to punishment; similarly anyone claiming to have attained Naam without proper spiritual toil is a smuggler in Guru’s eyes and will be punished by ‘Yama’. If someone says that he/she is a moralist and therefore does not need Naam, for such a person the Guru enjoins:
ਨਾਮ ਬਿਨਾ ਕੈਸੇ ਆਚਾਰ॥
(SGGS, P. 1316)
“What is morality without Naam”?
If one has not even laid the foundation, how he/she could erect a palace (of life)?
The easy way to attain Naam is the recitation of Gurbani. When during recitation of Gurbani one feels certain calmness; that is the moment of revelation of Naam. If at any time one feels this state of nearness to God slipping away by wandering of mind towards lowly thoughts, one should immediately seek the shelter of Gurbani.Guru Amar Das, the third Master, has prescribed a simple and easy path for the manifestation of Naam in one of his saloks (salok vaaran te vadheek) in Guru Granth Sahib:
ਜਿਉ ਪੁਰਖੈ ਘਰਿ ਭਗਤੀ ਨਾਰਿ ਹੈ ਅਤਿ ਲੋਚੈ ਭਗਤੀ ਭਾਇ॥
ਬਹੁ ਰਸ ਸਾਲਣੇ ਸਵਾਰਦੀ ਖਟ ਰਸ ਮੀਠੇ ਪਾਇ॥
ਤਿਉ ਬਾਣੀ ਭਗਤ ਸਲਾਹਦੇ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੈ ਚਿਤੁ ਲਾਇ॥(SGGS, P. 1413.)
“Just as in a man’s home is the devoted wife who gives him love and devotion. She lovingly prepares delicious meals (of six flavours). Similarly, the devotees (of God) sing the praises of God their utterances with devoted hearts full of Naam”.
Following this procedure ones mind will be tuned to the Lord and realize Him. Such is the great power of Gurbani:
ਧੁਨਿ ਮਹਿ ਧਿਆਨੁ ਧਿਆਨ ਮਹਿ ਜਾਨਿਆ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਅਕਥ ਕਹਾਨੀ॥
(SGGS, P. 879)
“Through recitation comes meditation, through meditation comes realization; such is the inexplicable secret of divinely enlightened ones”.
To meditate and remember are the toil and labour according to Guru’s advice. The fruit of such work is Naam. The main sign of manifestation of Naam is everlasting bright face (with divine bliss) and an urge to live to serve others. The person with Naam will lead a life of compassion and ampathy
ਹੋਰ ਕੇਤੀ ਛੁਟੀ ਨਾਲਿ॥
(SGGS, P. 146)
“With him/her many more will be liberated”.
The most striking feature of Naam is that those who forsake idleness, adorn strength and thus meditate upon Naam, become free from the confinement of physical body. Even when the body is perished, Naam will continue to give them immortality:
ਸਾਸਨਿ ਸਾਸਿ ਸਾਸਿ ਬਲੁ ਪਾਈ ਹੈ ਨਿਹਸਾਸਨਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਵੈਗੋ॥
(SGGS, P. 1309)
“Through the Masters instructions repeating the Name with every breath have we obtained such strength that even when the breath is not there we still repeat His Name”.