Hari Nama is the name divine. It is, indeed, a manifestation of the lord.
When two or more are gathered together in sankirtan to chant shabdas (hymns) and sing Hari Nama (the name of the Lord), there is generated a gentle force—the God force which, as you take it in more and more, helps you in your spiritual growth.
By united singing of Hari Nama—the name of the lord—the place is magnetised, the hall becomes a healing centre, the city is purified, and the mind is clarified.
Everyone who goes into the heart-centre, sings the name of the lord, is purified and the purifying influence touches the very essence of the outer and inner bodies of those who sing and those who listen to the sacred word.
Nama if recited as it should be, awakens the seeker.
But you need a teacher—a Guru to help you to hear Nama in your heart and when you hear the name, love springs in your heart.
The name divine purifies and draws the heart nearer to the life divine. It does not depend upon rites and ceremonies. Mere utterance of the name saves everybody—from the ‘highest’ to the ‘lowest’.