by Sri Bmal Mohanty
VOL No. 22
Aug - Sept . 2002

PREPARATIONS FOR SADHANA -Part 3

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

Again according to Lord Krishna

Shraddhaavaan bhajate yo maam sa me yuktatamo matah

My greatest devotee is he, who worships me with shraddha.

But a person without shraddha does not even get to know me and ever returns to this life and death cycle.

Ashraddhadhaanaah purushaa dharmasyaasya parantapa;

Apraapya maam nivartante mrityusamsaaravartmani.

If you only have shraddha in your heart you do not even have to bother about the right or wrong way of doing Bramhan worship.

Ye'pyanyadevataa bhaktaa yajante shraddhayaa'nvitaah;

Te'pi maameva kaunteya yajantyavidhipoorvakam.

Shraddha takes care of everything.

Shraddha is vital for sadhana.

Shraddha is the sadhan of sadhana.

If there is no shraddha, there is no sadhana.

The next and last abalamban is Samarpan or surrender.

TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT ISSUE

QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Question 1

from Ms Shobha Bangalore

I have heard that repeating mantra (doing mantra japa) without taking initiation from Guru does not help for spiritual upfoldment, is it true?

Question 2

from Sri K.S.Subramanian

Sir I have learnt several mantra for chanting from various gurus which unfortunately I am not inclined to continue. I have recently been attracted to ISKCON and I am deeply convinced to chant their mantra only. Please advise me what I should do about the mantras that were acquired earlier. I hear that they can become an obstacle to progress if I dont give them up in a particular way.

Question 3

from Ms Jyoti Nagar

I try to meditate and still the mind but it keps moving on to many mundane things. what is the best mantra for meditation

Question 4

from Sri Debashish Bose

It is said that chanting of a mantra causes vibration, a sort of chemical reaction takes place and this enriches us. I would like to know as to what is the best method of chanting of a mantra. Shall I chant it out loud or shall we keep our lips closed and only with our tongue we should chant a mantra or chanting of a mantra mentally is the best method of chantings. Please Guide.Awaiting your kind reply at the earliest.

Question 5

from Sri K K Rajaram

Is not chanting of Mantras or singing of Bajans without full uninterrupted concentration better than no chanting or singing at all ?

Answer:

Let us begin from the beginning. The purpose of our existence, in this life and lives before and hereafter is to evolve into the highest level of perfect consciousness, its realisation and the ensuing bliss. To help achieve this creature called the human being ( nature's best achievement so far), has been endowed with a very powerful tool, termed as antahkarana literally the internal tool. The soul always acts through this for all its purposes. This antahkarana is constituted of mind (manah) discerning power (viveka) and the performing ego (ahamkara). The mind being the most powerful and easily comprehended element of antahkarana, we for simplification call all this as mind.

Mind alone has the potential power to carry the jiva or the individual self to the doorstep of that ultimate goal, whereafter by the divine grace alone the final success comes.

The urge to rise to this level of perfection is a constant factor in our very existence. It is latent in some and prominent with some, but it is indeed an essential part of everyone's nature.

The path of progress towards this is indeed fraught with many obstacles. ( The reasons are variously explained in our other topics). Whenever the soul encounters these obstacles, it cries out for assistance and tries to invoke the intervention of a superior power ( The Bramhan or God or any of His adjuncts) for help. That is the origin of a mantra.

Mantra is the cry of the soul put to form and words.

When we fervently go on appealing in this manner, the mind draws strength out of its own conviction. With reason to assist, it finds a solution to the problem. Call it the power of mind or call it the divine intervention, the result is the same.

So two things become clear to us. Mantra is what the mind uses when in distress to achieve a certain purpose. It is an instrument of mind. The sanskrt word mantra precisely means that. It is derived from man meaning mind and tra meaning instrument.

Mantra also must assist strengthening of mind to overcome the obstacles. Mananaat traayate iti mantrah. When mentally exercisesd mantra helps mind to overcome obstacles. If it does not, mantrajapa is not working.

Ofcourse it can not work like instant magic. It depends on purpose, practice and one's depth of sincerity. But it invariably works. Every one can experience this in small or large measure in one's life.

So you see mantra has everything to do with mind. Without the active participation of mind mantra becomes an ineffective instrument. If the mind does not understand the mantra how can it draw strength from it? That is why it is so essential to understand and comprehend the meaning of any mantra and then use it.

Subsequently when the power of mantra on mind was discovered, a great deal of wisdom was introduced in construction of a mantra to enhance its efficacy. Otherwise a mantra could as well be a simple prayer in any language and uttered in your own style as long as the intention is clear. Indeed there is nothing wrong in it.

But the mantras from our srutis and other scriptures beautifully amalagamated the direct spiritual experiences of our seers, the power of the sanskrt language and the modulated vibrations of sound and the mind's absorbing power.

The seers defined where and what to look for based on their personal experience and vision. The power of accoustical vibrations of sound was known to our seers. Its power over physical, mental and causal body was a known science which the modern psychology is beginning to understand. Add to this the unique phonetic construction of the sanskrt language. Every sanskrt word is derived from a root syllable. All roots have specific meanings or multiple meanings. Therefore most sanskrt words made out of combinations of the roots convey almost a complete description of the word itself. So every word in a mantra, very carefully chosen is pregnant with a total esoteric meaning conveying the intention of the person uttering them. They are so well chosen that they are unalterable.

Then there is the sound each word or syllable produces. Correctly voiced, the vibrations each word sound produced, energises not only the physical, mental and causal existence of the chanter but also the environment surrounding it and travels through the entire cosmos, affecting everyone and everything. From the physical objects to the cosmos, everything resonates when a mantra is chanted and produces a corresponding energisation or vitalisation. An excellent example of the above concepts is the pranava Om or AUM itself.

(As said earlier, a mantra may be in any language. You can compose your own mantra but none can embody the power of sanskrt, which has prompted the saying "no syllable is unfit for a mantra as no herb is unfit for medicine.")

Considering all these, the power of mantra is believed to be immense.

So as we have seen, mantra chanting has to be both loud voiced and silent. When chanted loudly, it first helps to cut out distractions of mind and helps in concentration. External disturbing sounds are drowned by the sound of the chanter's voice. But more importantly, the beneficial vibrations accentuates the upliftment of the body mind and intellect and sends out positive vibrations beyond and around. It helps us to get locked in tune with the superconsciousness. Needless to say, for this, not only the meaning of the mantra should be understood by the chanter, but the correct pronunciation and chhanda (rythemic meter) should be right. One is not supposed to chant the sruti any way one likes if the maximum benefit is desired..

Is there harm in chanting a mantra wrongly? Not really, although opinions are bound to be divided. You simply can not expect to reap the benefits if all its powers are not made use of in the right manner. Since mantras are inherently intentioned for the good of the chanter and in the larger good of the creation, if it harms anyone then its very purpose will be defeated. But its efficacy will be greatly reduced and wasted.. ( An analogy is the modern craze for yoga as a physical and mental exercise rather than spiritual development for which it was conceived. You draw great physical benefits but it is a colossal waste and poor usage when not used for spiritual development.)

Now about silent chanting of the mantra and chanting without understanding. As we said above, mantra is all around the mind. It is mind's instrument. So if mind does not understand what it is saying, then how is it participating? If it is not participating how can it develop? Understanding the true meaning of mantra even if partially, is absolutely essential. Then when you silently chant the mantra you contemplate on its meaning. That is the first stage for the door to understanding and further opening up of mind.

In selecting a mantra the primary consideration is the compatibility with one's specific need that will bring solace to the mind. It can very well be personal and individual and is also dependent on one's state of truth consciousness or one's spiritual quotient. Mantras which are pure satvic are generally direct prayers which address to Bramhan realisation, distanced from materialistic desires and are for the individual and common good. These universal prayers are recommended for all. There are mantras which are purpose and desire specific concerning our worldly existence. They are rajasic or tamasic depending whether they are righteous or non righteous. Rajasic is to be carefully chosen and tamasic is to be totally avoided.

A Guru (although not always essential) normally guides in selecting the proper mantra, taking great pains in explaining and advising the correct practices to be followed. For this the Guru has to be in full knowledge of the physical, mental and spiritual state of the disciple which is the prerequisite of a teacher-disciple relation. Without this foundation, the modern vogue of doling out mass mantradikshab as a grace form a Guru, is not very encouraging.

A few more important aspects of mantrajapa to keep in mind are as follows:

Mantras basically being good intentioned prayers, one mantra does not nullify or contradict the effects of another. Often people ask to whom they should pray?. It is good to address your mantra to Bramhan or to the particular personal god-form which makes one feel happy so that you receive maximum solace. Sometimes Vishnu worshippers prohibit prayers to Shiva or a Kali worshiper to another form etc. This is rediculous. When you pray to Krishna, Rama is pleased, Devi is pleased, Shiva is pleased and all other gods and goddesses are pleased. These various aspects of the same Divine Self are all One.

Mantras borne out of evil tamasic desires normally do not fructify because they are against divine law. If one persists, one often invites misfortune for the chanter. This is again the divine way to help us in learning the right lesson and desisting from going further.

If one chants mantras wrongly it is not true that some great misfortune shall befall. Sanskrt pronunciations differ from people to people, region to region. As it is said God is more concerned with the intention and feeling. He is always pleased when you remember Him, never offended. However we should learn correct chanting for better effectiveness.

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