Shraddha (faith) is the first word in devotion and the last word also. If we don’t have shraddha and we approach a Guru, and he may be the greatest Guru in the world, he may be a jagadguru (guru of the universe), but we will gain nothing, nothing. We will, in fact, incur a loss.
We will commit nāmaparādh (offense to the Divine Name) when we go to a Guru without shraddha. We will look at how he looks. We will look at the length of his hair. We will look at his facial features. We will look at what he does, “Why does he do this, why doesn’t he do that, why did he talk like that, why does he have long hair, why does he have short hair, why does he have no hair? I don’t understand.”
And we will have problems with anything and everything that he does, and we will come back empty-handed. On the contrary, we will come back not benefiting, but incurring, a loss. Shraddhayā deyaṁ. When you give charity, give it with shraddha. Shraddha is so important. When you chant the name, do it with shraddha. What kind of shraddha? What kind of faith? Faith that God lives in His name - that shraddha.
This way, Shukdev Paramhans (the great Divine gyani Saint)) had—when he chanted the name of ‘Radha’, when he just took the name of Radha, when he just said, “Radha! Radha!” That’s all he had to say. And he would go into the state of samadhi (complete absorption), prem samadhi (absorption in Divine love) for six months. Six months samadhi?! Yes. How? Because he had faith that Radha lives in Her Name. That’s how. And that faith had led him to love Radha Rani so much that he would just lose consciousness for six months upon uttering Her name. This is why he did not say, “Radha.” He did not call out to Radha as he was reciting the Bhagwatam to King Parikshit. (That is) shraddha.
Our scriptures say that even if a man is illiterate, if he has shraddha, he will reach God. Case in point: a dacoit, a murderer, who later became a Saint, Valmiki (the composer of theRamayan).
