Questioner: If God is nirakar (formless; shapeless), then when we use name and form and say the name 'Simandhar Swami' it is in the name form. So does that not limit the Lord's form? Does it not limit the Lord to that form? If parmatma (the omniscient soul) is formless, then what is the reason for worshipping the name and the form?

Dadashri: It is like this, by using the noun 'mango', we have in our awareness that there is juice in the mango. We eat mangos for its juice, do we not? Therefore, by simply taking the Lord's name, we are assured that the Lord is within. The name is the temple and the God is within it. The other state is the elemental form, which is formless, and so it cannot come into your awareness. Therefore, wherever there is a formless element that has manifested completely, you reap benefits from the moment you worship His temple. When you use the word 'mango', it is not used for the word itself, but for its taste. Many times when you see a mango, you get a taste in your mouth.

Questioner: But just by saying the word 'car', a car does not appear. Just by calling out someone's name, we do not get their love.

Dadashri: We cannot get stuck on a name and yet we cannot do without a name either. Because how else will you perceive that which is formless? You cannot perceive that which is formless, and that is why a name has been given to it. A name is not an obstacle of any kind, but those who get stuck in the name are the ones who cannot perceive the formless. They become insistent about the name. The name is given for the benefit of the formless. There is no other reason.

Questioner: By holding on to the name, it will not become mechanical for us, will it?

Dadashri: It is like this, when you say 'Dada Bhagwan', it is not the one that you can see. Dada Bhagwan is the one who has manifested within. But when you say it, it is understood that Dada Bhagwan is within and it is His darshan that we do.