The Bhagavad-gita (09.14) states that advanced devotees engage constantly and determinedly in speaking and singing about Krishna. The fact that they focus so much on divine sound points to its defining role in their devotional advancement. In fact, sacred sound is one of the most important ways to express and experience devotion.

Among all sacred sounds, the sound of the holy name is the most potent. Its characteristics can be expressed as the acronym SOUND:

S: Satisfying: Unlike material sounds that leave us bored if we repeat them too many times, the sound of the holy name makes us increasingly satisfied when we repeat it more and more.

O: Omnipotent: Krishna has invested all his supreme power in his holy name, so it has the power to break what the most powerful nuclear bomb can’t break: the shell of ignorance and selfishness that obstructs the unfolding of our spiritual potential.

U: Universal: The sound of the holy name can attract and transform the hearts of all people everywhere because it acts at the level of the soul, a level that transcends all sectarian barriers of language, culture, nationality and even religion.

N: Non-material: The holy name is itself spiritual, and chanting it invokes the transcendental grace of Krishna.

D: Direct: As Krishna and his holy name are non-different, we directly contact him through the sound of his holy name. That’s why the more we tune ourselves devotionally to that divine sound , the more we realize and relish his direct presence and love.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 09 Text 14

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.”