7. Spiritual Repitition

To a question by a Missionary friend whether he followed any spiritual practices, Gandhiji said:

"I am a stranger to yogic practices. The practice I follow is a practice I learnt in my childhood from my nurse. I was afraid of ghosts. She used to say to me: 'There are no ghosts, but if you are afraid, repeat Ramanama.' What I learnt in my childhood has become a huge thing in my mental firmament. It is a sun that has brightened my darkest hour. A Christian may find the same solace from the repetition of the name of Jesus, and a Muslim from the name of Allah.¹ All these things have the same implications and they produce identical results under identical circumstances. Only the repetition must not be a lip expression, but part of your very being."

Hairijan, 5-12-1936

[1] The Allah of Islam is the same as the God of Christians and Ishwara of Hindus. Even as there are numerous names of God in Hinduism, there are many names of God in Islam. The names do not indicate individuality but attributes; and little man has tried in his humble way to describe mighty God by giving Him attributes, though He is above all attributes, Indescribable, Immeasurable.
- Harijan, 12-8-1938