Nam-simaran
Also called: Naam simran · Topic: Bhakti and Sufi Traditions · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Bhakti-Sufi Traditions"
Meaning
Nam-simaran means remembering God's name and repeating it again and again. It was the central practice of nirguna saints such as Kabir and Guru Nanak, who worshipped a God without form. They saw it as the true path to God, in place of rituals, idols or sacrifices. Some of Kabir's verses describe it in sufi terms: zikr, the repeated recital of God's names, and ishq, intense love of God.
Example
In the 15th–16th century, Guru Nanak taught that the way to the Absolute was to repeat the Divine Name. He did this through shabad, hymns in Punjabi, which his attendant Mardana accompanied on the rabab, a string instrument.
Don't confuse with
- Zikr: This is the sufi practice of reciting God's names. Kabir used it to express the idea of nam-simaran, but it comes from the Islamic sufi tradition, not from bhakti.