Japa Yoga

 

My dearest embodiments of pure love,

When the inner and outer worlds are challenged by various factors of our existence, meditation is difficult. One can still meditate if he or she is well established and well settled within the world inside (inner world) and dependency on the external world is minimal. When an individual uses his senses purposefully, and if his mind is not affected by the most enchanting of sense objects the world can offer, he could always bring his senses under control and detach from them at will. We are living in a world of fancy. There are many glitters around us to hook ourselves with, sometimes consciously and mostly unconsciously.

We are living in a world of fancy. There are many glitters around us, to hook ourselves with, sometimes consciously and mostly unconsciously.

Inertia is easy to sell. Television and internet sell it well. Most of the objects that we experience with using the eyes, sell inertia. At the same time everything in moderation, has value. They are part of our life. We cannot ignore them all and be part of society as well, because human existence is oriented in relationships which are the tangible extensions of relativity, the basic substratum of creation. This is also because there is an underlying flavor of emotions spicing up our relationships.
Do remember, anything in excess is BAD.

When inertia is at its peak, one cannot even handle the slightest of turbulences in life. They blame other people for their situation, which they themselves consciously or unconsciously created. They resort to excessive food, alcohol, sex or drugs to maintain their comfort levels.

The sale of tamas is rampant. Tamas means inertia. When we become couch potatoes, it is a clear sign that we have swallowed a lot of tamas, and that we have already bought ourselves into it. When inertia is at its peak, people cannot even handle the slightest of turbulences in life. They blame other people for their situation, which they themselves have consciously or unconsciously created. They resort to excessive food, alcohol, sex or drugs to maintain their comfort levels. They watch sob stories such as soap operas and enjoy the sadistic pleasure of watching others suffering with an inner glee that they are relatively better off than those characters in the films! But they do not understand the most important point:  that they are accumulating similar karma in their own life through gathering and storing such emotions.

Whatever data is entered into our system or whatever is consumed through thoughts, words or action, or whatever food we consumed through our body, mind and intellect, becomes the ingredient and basis for our further existence, this one and the next.

Data of suffering is unconsciously entered into their systems. Since they are emotionally participating in those stories, they are living it or experiencing it. Those impressions are stored in their minds. These will become realities or ingredients of their next incarnation. Some people don’t have a clue about the causes of their suffering. They do not know why they are suffering in life despite many good deeds they might have accomplished in this existence. It is simple. Whatever data is entered into our system or whatever is consumed through thoughts, words or action, or whatever food we consumed through our body, mind and intellect, becomes the ingredient and basis for our further existence, this one and the next.

Remember, inertia sells well because its buyers are many. Food for the senses always sells well. If a new book is released with a title, “Tantric Sex for you”, or “100 new ways of making love”, it will sell well, and such authors who do this for money will be respected well by the society, while people will avoid true satsang or company of an enlightened master because they think, “Ah, the same boring lecture about the SOUL which nobody has seen”, or, “This man brings forth my worst hidden fears into light”. People will choose to keep their fears rather than let them go, pretending they do not exist.

People rather say, “This man brings forth my worst hidden fears into light”. People will choose to keep their fears rather than let them go, pretending they do not exist.

Society consists of people and when it is mostly tamasic people, they either convert the not-so-tamasic to their group or they destroy them. That means the tamasic community makes people in their own image or it destroys them. Digging a little bit into history, we can see that we have consistently destroyed – either killed or silenced all those who spoke eternal truths. If we were not able to do that, we ran away from them and their teachings. Human Existence!

We can see heavily tamasic and greedy people sitting in places of power, which is actually a big tragedy. They dish out ‘believable’ excuses for not performing any positive action. They have impossibility pasted on their forehead loud and clear. Then again, they have come out of the same society that we belong to. The society created them. People will only get rulers that they deserve. Hence it is important to shed the tamas at the grass root level in order to create a better world. Positive transformation should happen in every heart in society.

We can see heavily tamasic and greedy people sitting in places of power, which is actually a big tragedy. They dish out “believable” excuses for not performing any positive action.

When the times create restlessness, it tests the talent of even the most consistent spiritual seeker. This is natural. Meditation and practices (sadhana) will become difficult. On one side the looming cloud of tamas which constantly push one to ‘sleep a little while longer’, and on the other side, the lack of environmental support. The mind really sways. Many give up. Many will become disillusioned. Many change their Gurus, imagining that it is because of their Guru that they are suffering!!!

When the times create restlessness, it tests the talent of even the most consistent spiritual seeker… The best recommended practice during such time is Japa Yoga

The best recommended practice during such time is Japa Yoga, or the Yoga of Chants (chanting of the Lord’s name).

Lord Krishna and almost all the great masters who walked on earth have acknowledged the importance of Japa yoga. “Among the various types of yajna (a ritual or sacrifice into fire, with chants or mantras and materials),  I am the yajna of Japa”, said the Avatar Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. The Gita also emphasizes the importance of chanting ‘which destroys all afflictions, sins and sufferings’.

Patanjali instructs that Japa be done for prolonged period without interruption so that we become one with the chant and this should be done with deep reverence and respect. Japa is the very form of God. Perfection can be attained by chanting the Divine name. In this context, I remember the story of the great Valmiki – the transformation of the hunter Ratnakara to Sage Valmiki! He attained the highest possible state of spiritual elevation and total transformation (metamorphosis) by just chanting the name of the Lord Rama and thus becoming one with the name.

Constitutional change can happen when we become one with the name of the Lord. God is the subtlest of the subtlest. In that context, even the name is gross. But, the name itself can be considered as the form of God, where the sound is the form. The sound ‘OM’ can be considered the form of God because God is formless or all forms.

The name itself can be considered as the form of God, where the sound is the form. The sound ‘OM’ can be considered the form of God because God is formless or all forms.

Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya says, “Control the self, restrain the breath, sift out the transient from the true. Repeat the holy name of the Lord and still the restless mind within. To this universal rule, apply your heart and soul.”

Zarathushtra says that Japa (name of the divine) cures all ills.

Guru Nanak said that the Holy Communion with the Naam is the only means to have oneness with the Lord Supreme.

The great saint Kabir Das says, “Without sincerity, thought or chant of the Lord’s name is not possible. If one ‘imbibes’ (be one with) just one particle of Naam – no, even half a particle, all one’s sins will be reduced to ashes”. This is profound indeed.

Chant from deep within. Be one with the chant. Keep your spine erect, and chant in your spine, if you could. Chanting just from the throat out is of no use. That will just be an addition to the already existing sound pollution. 🙂 Going within while chanting is important and being one with the name you chant is also equally important.

Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti said, “If you rub the mirror of your heart with the name of God, you will see God’s effulgence reflected on it”. Beautiful!!

Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi said, “Mantra is a channel of shifting current of thoughts. Mantra is a bund or dam put up to divert the water where it is needed. Japa is clinging to one thought to the exclusion of all other thoughts, that is the purpose of Japa. It leads to dhyana which ends in Self-Realization.”

Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi said, “Mantra is a channel of shifting current of thoughts. Mantra is a bund or dam put up to divert the water where it is needed. Japa is clinging to one thought to the exclusion of all other thoughts, that is the purpose of Japa. It leads to dhyana which ends in Self-Realization.”

Bhagavan Nithyananda of Ganesh Puri says ,“Japa is a means. Very easy as well as highly efficacious. Through japa sadhana and the vibration thus created, the body gets cleansed and by that the mind also becomes pure and Divine. Continuous Japa will result in nada-upasana and such a state will help to reach the state of Self-Realization”.

Bhagavan Nithyananda of Ganesh Puri says, “Japa is a means. Very easy as well as highly efficacious. Through japa sadhana and the vibration thus created, the body gets cleansed and by that the mind also becomes pure and Divine. Continuous Japa will result in nada-upasana and such a state will help to reach the state of Self-Realization”. Here, Bhagawan talks about the cellular level purification due to the vibration created by chanting. Since body and mind are integrally connected, cleansing happening in the body also cleanses the mind. Sincere Japa with a steady mind on the sound and the Lord, will ensure an all-round cleansing. This is the most effective practice possible in turbulent times.

Saint Teresa of Avila found completeness “when each breath began to silently say the name of Lord”.

Eknath said, ‘Remembrance is liberation. Forgetfulness is regression. Utterance of the name is essential devotion”.

Saint Teresa of Avila found completeness “when each breath began to silently say the name of Lord”. Eknath said, ‘Remembrance is liberation. Forgetfulness is regression. Utterance of the name is essential devotion”.

Shirdi Sai Baba said, “God’s name is eternal, Allah Malik!” Baba also implies that God has no name. He is beyond name and forms.

Shirdi Sai Baba said, “God’s name is eternal, Allah Malik!” Baba also implies that God has no name. He is beyond name and form. But for us, a name or form will be helpful to transcend to the formless. So we should catch the rope of the name and climb to the highest possibility of our existence, while we can.

One more thought and I am off… Tukaram said, “The Lord’s name is eternal. Do japa of Ramakrishna Hari and He will always save you. THIS IS MY LAST REQUEST AND ADVICE!” Thus concludes Saint Tukaram.

Even when we can meditate, chanting can lead to deeper meditation. The name of the Lord, the sound, the breath, the vibration, everything helps silence of the mind.

The scriptures have given a few road signs or guidelines for chanting, especially on its results. Some of them are as follows:

1. This is the era or Yuga (Kali Yuga) where people can achieve the same results that one might achieve through penance, rigorous practices or rituals through the chanting of the Lord’s name.
2. In this era, while mantra recitation needs a certain systematic approach, the chanting of the Lord’s name can be done by anybody at any time, without any restrictions. Hence the best practice to follow in this era is chanting of the Lord’s name.
3. The only requirement that any devotee need is absolute bhakti or devotion or faith on the deity of worship.
4. Lord’s name has the power of fire which burns hard karmas.
5. Those who consistently and with absolute surrender and dedication, chant God’s name will become as powerful as a yogi who has done years of penance. He will be as purified as one who has done penance on fire.
6. One who chants more than 30 million times the name of God, will even change his hard destiny. The lines of his hand will change for good. Diseases and afflictions will leave him.
7. Those who chant more than 40 million times the name of God will never suffer poverty and will be rich inside and outside.
8. Those who chant more than 50 million times the name of God, will have the awareness equal to that of great masters. Their stature will grow beyond limits. The more one chants, the nearer one approaches inner purity. Nothing that belongs to earth will ever affect them again.

I shall leave you now to contemplate on these thoughts. When we cannot meditate, chanting helps. Even when we can meditate, chanting can lead to deeper meditation. The name of the Lord, the sound, the breath, the vibration, everything helps to reach silence of the mind. Chant the name, contemplate on the name of your chosen God or Guru and merge with that constitution, which would be the state of oneness. I wish you that.

Finally, let us sincerely chant ‘Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu’. May all the beings of the world and the whole world itself, be happy and peaceful. All are one. One consciousness – or various expressions of One Consciousness.
I love you
M

May all the beings of the world and the whole world itself be happy and peaceful. All are one. One consciousness.

Surrender Matters

Dear all,

Mohanji has given the practical prayers to be in harmony with ourselves and others and pointed out the depth of the benefits of surrender. He explains possible misunderstanding of the word ‘surrender’, too.

Love,

BTW Team

Surrender purifies us completely

My Beloveds

            Surrender, is one of the words in human languages that is most misunderstood in usage. Surrendering to someone is a big hit on one’s ego. It diminishes one’s self-esteem. Having to surrender is considered as a weakness or a deficiency, in terrestrial terms, where ego decides actions.

While, in spiritual terms, this is a good thing. Man minus ego = God. So, surrender nullifies our ego and then the Godhood within us starts to shine. This is why we prostrate in temples and monasteries. When our head and heart come in one line, horizontally, ego is under control. When we bow down in reverence, we nullify our ego, at least temporarily. Bhakti or Devotion has a lot of value because it brings ego under control. Ignorance expands our ego while surrender brings it under control.

Bhakti or Devotion has a lot of value because it brings ego under control.

Traditionally, our ancestors used to practise some simple methods to maintain health and keep ego under control. Here are a few chants and their explanations.

When we wake up in the morning, after lying horizontally the whole night, our energy pattern in the body would have changed. Its frequency would have altered. While sleeping, the energies of our body has attained a tranquil, passive state. It is more latent energy. When, we wake up, we must give time for energies to start moving, preparing the body for action. In order to provide this time, they suggest lying down and look at the palm instead of jumping out of the bed and being vertical all of a sudden, which can affect the rhythm of the heart and adversely affect the meridians of our system. There is a mantra to ease our getting up. Look into the palm of your hands and chant ” Karagre vasate Lakshmi, Kara moole Sarastwati. Kara Madhya Sthitha Gowri, Prabhate Kara darsanam” This means, At the tip of our hands or fingers stays Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth. Lakshmi never stays constant at any place. Money changes hands. Fortunes change too. So, it always stays at the tip of our fingers. Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge stays at the opposite side, that is, the root of our palm near the wrist. Acquired knowledge stays with us till we die. It is more stable in terrestrial terms. In the middle stays Goddess Parvati, the kindness incarnate, the mother. She balances the knowledge and action. She enhances wisdom. With this knowledge, if you see your hands and remember the pattern of our existence, it will give sufficient time for the latent energy to move in an even fashion within as well as give us a balanced outlook. It also enhances our commitment to selfless work. It activates kindness and reverence within us. This also is a reminder that it is the god energy in us that makes things happen in our life. This is also meant to nullify our ego and surrender to the supreme.

Then we sit up in our bed. Our body has become vertical from horizontal. Energy has started moving differently. Then, we need to earth it off as we were lying horizontal before. In order to achieve that, we chant “Samudra Vasane – Paadasparsam Kshamaswame” and we bend down and touch the ground with our right palm, which is the opposite side of where our heart is. This earths the excess energy which we accumulated or conglomerated during our sleep and saves our heart as well. This is why we earth the energy through the right hand. Then we are ready for the day.

There is also one version of the same hymn where it says that Lord Krishna stays in the middle of the palm (Kara Madhye tu Govinda:). Well, He is the Guru of the Universe. If He stays in the middle of the palm, we can only function with total equanimity and detachment. He has blessed us with the Great Bhagawad Gita and if we follow His teachings and function with detachment, we attain liberation.

Morning chant, to balance our energies and frequencies. Lying down, look at the palm and chant, “At the tip of our hands or fingers stays Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth. Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge stays at the the root of our palm near the wrist. In the middle stays Goddess Parvati, the kindness incarnate, the mother.”

Then we sit up for a few seconds in our bed before we stand on our feet. This is good as it helps the body rhythm and the flow of prana through our meridians. When the feet touches the ground, we pray “Samudra Vasane Devi, Parvata Sthana mandale, Vishnu Patni Namastubhyam, Padasparsam Kshamaswame”. This prayer is to the Goddess which we call Earth, even though we address it to the wife of Lord Vishnu, Goddess Lakshmi. “One who pervades the water and mountains, or One whose body is the oceans and mountains, I prostrate to the Goddess and please forgive me, as I step on you or tread on you.” This is reverence to the mother Earth. If we have such reverence to the mother Earth, we will never be insensitive towards her and destroy her. So, we thus seek her permission to walk on her for our purpose. We remain in gratitude. This time also gives our body an easy pace between horizontal to semi vertical and totally vertical. It helps to keep our energies even and well circulated. It maintains our meridians.We are mentioning earth and water, the basic two elements in our body. Samudra (ocean) represents the water element in us which is regulated by our hara chakra. And Parvata (mountain) represents the earth element as well as potential for the highest elevation in us – the kundalini energy. Hence this is also invocation for both the elements, mother kundalini and also the other elements in us, with the prayer to assist us as we move through the day. If kundalini energy inspires us, wisdom will flow. It also says be conscious right when you wake up until you sleep. And always live on prayers and surrender.

Sit up and chant, “One who pervades the water and mountains, or One whose body is the oceans and mountains, I prostrate to the Goddess and please forgive me, as I step on you or tread on you.” This is reverence to the mother Earth.

Then we stand up, looking towards the rising sun in the east, remembering Lord Vishnu or His Avatar, Lord Krishna, the maintainer of the universe, and chant  – “Kaayena Vaacha, Manasendriyaiva, Buddhyatmanaavat, Prakrite Swabhavaat, Karomi Yadyat, Sakalam Parasmai, Sri Naarayanaayeti Samarpayaami”. This means, Whatever I perform today, with my body, mind, intellect, senses, speech, my nature and character, I surrender everything at the Lotus feet of the Lord Narayana.” Narayana means the destination of man or the Supreme Father. Everything came out of Him and will merge back into Him. So, this prayer is to the Supreme Lord. When we start our day with this chant, and this understanding as well as surrender, we will accept all that happens that day with equanimity and poise and our desires or expectations will be totally under control. Even if things do not happen as we expected, we will not be perturbed and will start to accept it as the Will of Lord Narayana.

Then, stand up turning to the sun and chant, “Whatever I perform today, with my body, mind, intellect, senses, speech, my nature and character, I surrender everything at the Lotus feet of the Supreme.”

Then, we conclude our day with the surrender mantra, requesting complete forgiveness for all our actions, thoughts,and words. “Kara charana Kritam Va, Kayacham Karmacham Va, Shravana Nayanacham Va, Manasam Vaaparadham, Vihitam Avihitam va, Sarvametat Kshamaswa, Jaya Jaya Karunabdhe, Sri Mahadeva Shambho, Sri Sai Natha Sambho.” This is the final prayer before we go to bed. It says, Whatever I performed today, with my organs of action such as hands and legs, organs of perception including senses, mind and intellect, all that I performed as per your wishes or against it, due to my ignorance and non-understanding, Oh Lord, please forgive everything, please forgive me, my supreme Lord Shiva, My Lord, Sai Baba. (They are one)

End your day with surrender mantra, “Whatever I performed today, with my organs of action such as hands and legs, organs of perception including senses, mind and intellect, all that I performed as per your wishes or against it, due to my ignorance and non-understanding, Oh Lord, please forgive everything, please forgive me, my supreme Lord.”

As we surrender all that happened that day at the feet of the Supreme Lord, from where everything originated and perpetually dissolves, we become free from all bondage. We become detached from all our thoughts, words and action. Thus, Surrender purifies us completely. Also, we are surrendering all our activities of the day at the feet of Lord Vishnu who maintains and supports existence. He is the one who maintains creation. Preservation is His job. 🙂 And at the night, we are laying ourselves at the feet of Lord Shiva, the dissolver.  He dissolves existence. He merges us with our creator. Each night, we are re-born, as we dissolve our identities during deep sleep and regain it as we wake up. So, we are requesting the lord of dissolution to forgive everything and help us dissolve smoothly into emptiness and provide us a blissful sleep. So, readers may kindly note that in the morning, we are requesting for continuity in thoughts, words and action so that all that we perform on that day bear positive results and in the night, we are requesting forgiveness which helps smooth dissolution into the lap of the Almighty without terrestrial entanglements. Those who carry hatreds and heaviness of hearts, may kindly be aware of this. One prayer goes to Lord Vishnu and the other to Lord Shiva. Both are essentially one. Both are expressions of one Parabrahma.

Surrender in spiritual sense is a great thing. It helps liberation from the birth-death cycle. The same method can be followed by people who follow any faith of their choice. The main thing is the attitude of surrender, to your chosen deity  or Master or Prophet and leave all ownerships at His feet. He does everything. The whole existence belongs to Him. (He does not mean a male. Gender has no value here. It can be the Supreme Energy which is formless, genderless.)

Surrender in spiritual sense is a great thing. It helps liberation from the birth-death cycle. The same method can be followed by people who follow any faith of their choice.

Love You Infinitely

M