Smaranam means remembering the Lord, or in other words meditation on the Lord’s name, form, qualities and pastimes.

This activity depends on nothing but your desire to think of the Supreme. You are completely independent from time, place and circumstances.

In the beginning, the same rules apply as with any meditation practice. Sit down in a clean, calm and comfortable place, close your eyes, carefully gather your attention and then focus it on the Lord’s form as you have heard about it from the scriptures, seen it on images or realized it personally.

As with all other items of bhakti, besides regular practice, following the injunctions of scripture and previous acaryas is important. 

This practice follows sravanam and kirtanam. It is essential to have sufficiently heard and chanted about the Lord in order to deeply meditate on Him.

“0 descendant of King Bharata, one who desires to be free from all miseries must practice sravanam, kirtanam and smaranam, remembering the Supreme Lord, who is the Supersoul, the controller and the savior from all miseries.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.5)

Very important is also following your personal taste. What’s your favorite image of the Lord? What aspect of His form or His qualities touches you most. What evokes your attraction and devotion? Let yourself be guided by intuition and inspiration.

You may similarly meditate on the Lord’s name and pastimes. What are your favorite pastimes? How do you feel about them? When you are sufficiently advanced, these images may appear spontaneously in your heart.


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