Baal Kaanda
11 - Salutations to and the glory of the Name
Chaupais
Description
The name and the object named, though similar in significance, are allied as master and servant one to the other. (That is to say, even though there is complete identity between God and His name, the former closely follows the latter even as a servant follows his master. The Lord appears in person at the very mention of His Name). Name and form are the two attributes of God; both of them are ineffable and beginningless and can be rightly understood only by means of good intelligence. It is presumptuous on one's part to declare as to which is superior or inferior. Hearing the distinctive merits of both, pious souls will judge for themselves. Forms are found to be subordinate to the name; without the name you cannot come to the knowledge of a form. Typical forms cannot be identified, even if they be in your hand, without knowing their name. And if the name is remembered even without seeing the form, the latter flashes on the mind with a special liking for it. The mystery of name and form is a tale which cannot be told; though delightful to comprehend, it cannot be described in words. Between the unqualified Absolute and qualified Divinity, the Name is a good intermediary; it is a clever interpreter revealing the truth of both.(1-4)