Naam Japa has a great power in it, but to be truly effective, one must add to it love for the Deity from the heart. It means that instead of focusing on how many times one should do it, as if one has to give attendance and log into a register the number of times one has done the Naam Japa, one should add depth and intensity. It is like using a key to open the door. The concentration should not be so much on the key as on the person who is behind the door whom you want to meet. Such should be the concentration on the Divine that after a while, the mechanical Japa drops off and the Ajapa Japa continues, as happened in the case of Valmiki.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
