We all need protection. And we can have that shelter when we chant.
When I met my Spiritual Master, who I always offer my respects to, he told me this is your shelter, this is your protection. Take shelter in this transcendental sound. The Holy Names, these are names of the Supreme Lord. So the Supreme Lord is the ultimate shelter. His Names are non-different than Himself. Many people prey, if they pray, God help me. Most prayer is in this category: Help me, protect me. Because sometimes we understand, I need protection that I cannot get in this world.
My friends cannot protect me, my family cannot protect me, my government cannot protect me, the doctors cannot protect me etc etc. A fortunate person is one who realizes ‘there is no real protection here’. So then their only other place to seek protection is spiritual protection, and this spiritual protection of course is basically understood by everyone to be God. I don’t know if you keep up with the news, but recently there was this German Wings airplane, which was deliberately crashed by the co-pilot, it killed 150 people. And it took 8 minutes for this plane to go from it’s altitude of 38.000 feet to the crash into the mountain, 8 minutes, a lot of time to know you are going to die.
At first, they did not know, it was going to be 8 minutes. But I am sure; they had at least 4 – 5 minutes to realize: I am going to die. The captain being locked out of the cockpit was banging on the door, trying to break the door down.
So everyone was very aware, I am sure, that ‘this is it’. So what was their protection? The seatbelt was not good enough. The life raft under your seat would not help you. The stewardess cannot help you, push the call-button, it will not work. So where is the protection? There is no protection there.
8 minutes, 7 minutes, 4 minutes, whatever. And so the fortunate people would call out for God’s help. And I am sure many did, even the atheists. You see, normally they don’t believe in God, but at this point many would prey – ‘God, help me’, because intuitively we, the spirit soul, know ‘I need God’s help’.
So if those people on that plane were calling out ‘Gauranga’ for instance, then there would have been a completely different result, when they did leave their body. That protection would have been there. So we need to actually more and more find our help and protection in the Names of God.
“Your help is in the Name of the Lord.” “ Save me, oh Lord, by Thy Name.” “He who calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” Lord Jesus Christ taught a prayer for you ”Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name”.