DIALOGUES on JAPA-Swami Nirgunananda

8/12/2019 DIALOGUES on JAPA-Swami Nirgunananda

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DIALOGUES ON JAPA

Q. What is Japa?

A.Repeated recitation of a word or words, Mantra or name of God inparticular is called Japa. It has to be remembered that only mechanicalrepetitions of mantra or name is not Japa. In Yoga Sutra (Aphorisms onYoga of Patanjali it is said !Tatjjapam tadartha bhvanam" #Tat$ that(Mantra% japam= Japa% tat$that (Mantra% artha$meaning% bhvanam$contemplation& i.e. Japa should be done along with contemplation on themeaning of the words'mantra'name. In Kulrnav Tantra (one of the core

boos on )antra it is said that the letter Ja meansJanmntara sahareshukrita ppa pranshant(for the destruction of sins committed in thousands

of births andPameanspardevapraksha(for the manifestation of theultimate Godhead. *apa is practiced to reach spiritual goal.Q. Is Japa specific for any particular school of Indian spirituality?

A. +o. Almost all the schools of religious practice in Santan Dharma(eternal harma% here religion and harma are not e-uated by the author,this will be discussed in some other contet ad/ocate Japa as a tool ofspiritual practice and use it.

Q. Do other religions adopt Japa as a tool of practice?A. In 0hristianity and Sufism constant remembrance of God plays ma1orrole in spiritual practice.Japais another name of constant remembrance. InShikhismand TntricBuddhism Japais also adopted as a spiritual tool.

Q. Are there any references to Japa in the Vedas?

A. As such though there are scanty references to *apa in the 2edas, practiceof *apa in 2edic rituals is not uncommon. In 2edic way of Ya1na (sacrificial

rites in fire oblations are offered to the fire by repeated utterance ofMantras. )his in a way can also be called *apa.

Q. What is the difference beteen Japa and !a"na?


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A. A simple definition of Yajna is to offer something to God forsaing thepropriety on the ob1ect offered. Yajnais a spiritual rite whereasJapais aspiritual practice.

Q. In chapter #$% &hloka '(% of the )ita lord *rishna said% +!a"nnm"apaya"nasmi, i.e. of the !a"nas I am Japa !a"na. If by definition Japadiffers from !a"na% ho can you e-plain the aboe /uotation?

A. A good -uestion indeed. In Yajnaoblations are offered to the sacrificialfire in the name of God reciting a Mantra with the wordsshand namama at the end. 3or eample, when an oblation is offered to God!ndratheMantra goes lie !"m !ndr#a sh$ idam!ndr#a na mama" whichmeans 4 !I offer (the oblation to!ndra$this belongs to!ndra not mine(na$not% mama$mine. )he aims of all Yajnasare to please the god. )he

same is withJapa also. Mantras play a most important role in Yajnaas wellas inJapa. Yajnasare elaborate and rituals intensi/e. 5/en any inad/ertentlapses in performing the rites will mae a Ya1na futile whereas inJapaassuch no strict rites and rituals are re-uired for its effecti/eness. )here arestrict scriptural ordains regarding eligibility to perform a Yajnawhereas

Japahas uni/ersal eligibility.In the Git6 the abo/e saying of 7ord 8rishna is to glorify simpleJapa

practice o/er complicated Ya1na rituals, ha/ing no differences as far asultimate results of both are concerned.

Q. 0eople call Japa as Japayoga. Is Japa a !oga? If yes% ho can onee/uate Japa ith !oga?

A. 9efore answering the -uestion let us first try to define the term Yoga. )heroot /erb Yujfrom which the word Yoga is deri/ed ha/e se/eral meanings: ;(to add or connect (one with the ultimatereality?, (@ Yuj= san#am# to restrain (the mind from the /ariousob1ecti/ities of the world&. According to atan1ali the author of Yoga Sutra

(aphorisms on Yoga !Y&'asittavrittinir&dhah" (Bittavritti$thoughtcontrast% nir&dhah$confinement i.e. Yoga is the ultimate cessation ofthought contrast. )he result ofJapagoes well with all the meanings ofYoga. +aturally,Japacan well be defined as Yoga.Japais a tool to be inunion with the Godhead.Japahelps in restraining mental di/ersions andattaining the state of uni;focal awareness.


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Q. What is the difference beteen 1ma2Japa and 3antra2Japa?

A. Repetition of a name of God is(ma)Japaand repetition of a Mantrarelated to God is*antra)Japa.)here are no restrictions regarding eligibilityof(ma)Japabut according to scriptural ordain a person initiated to aMantra by his Guru is only eligible for*antra)Japa.

Q. Which of these to is more efficacious?

A. +o spiritual practice is futile if performed properly and sincerely. Successof spiritual endea/or depends on the aspirant, not on the paths. Ma used tosay !+mi jni nmei sabh&i" i.e. !I now that all spiritual aspirations can befulfilled only by chanting the name of God." 9oth(ma)Japaand*antra)

Japaare e-ually important and efficacious spiritual practice. All the great

saints lie Caitan#a *ahprabhuof 9engal$ ,knth$ Tukrmand-mdsof Maharastra andKabir were all praise for(ma)Japa. Amongst thecontemporary saints of 9engal, Sri -makrishna,-mthakur$ *ahprabhu

Ja'atbandhu$ Sitrmds"mkrnthand*a nandama#eealwaysad/ocated(ma)japaas a simple and effecti/e spiritual practice. Ascriptural Shl&ka(Sansrit couplet goes lie that: ;

/arernma harernma harernmaiva kevalamKal&u nstaiva nstaiva nstaiva 'atiran#ath.InKali#u'a()he Iron Age there is no other ways but only the name of/ari(the 7ord which can gi/e sal/ation.

Q. What is the difference beteen 1ma2Japa and 1ma2kirtan?

A. In both the cases the name of God is repeated.(ma)Kirtanis repeatedlysinging the name of God whereas(ma)Japais repeated recitation of thename of God /ocally or mentally. In the Iron Age (Kali#u'a according tothe scriptureKirtanhas special importance. It has been a common sayingamong the 2aishna/ite;schools of spirituality that !Kal&u Keshavakirtant0 1Kal&u$inKali#u'a$Keshava$name of 7ordKeahava$

Kirtant$from singing i.e. InKali#u'asal/ation comes from singing thename ofKeshavathe 7ord. Among the followers of Ma Anandamayee aspecial(ma)Kirtancalled as(ma)Yajnais /ery popular. )he names ofGod !/are Krishna /are Krishna Krishna Krishna /are /are2 /are -ama

/are -ama -ama rama /are /are0are sang uninterruptedly by batches ofsingers from sunset to sunset. uring her lifetime Ma used to participate

physically in singing the names of the 7ord which was most inspiring to the


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de/otees. )he 3aishnavites/ery often spea of(avadh Bhakti((avadh$nine folds, bhakti$de/otion i.e. nine folds practices of de/otionof whichKirtancomes as the second. (


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called 6pn'shu Japa.According to 3rihat Tantrasr(a core boo onTantra 6pn'shu Japamay only be audible to the person doing it.

*nas JapaRepeated mental recitation of a name or Mantra along with contemplation onthe meaning inherent in it is called*nas Japa. In*nas Japathere iscomplete absence of any physical organic mo/ements and audible sound. InthisJapathere is total union of the mind, Mantra and the Godheadrepresenting the Mantra.*apa is also classified as 184 (it#a (daily or routine, 194(aimittik( specialoccasion or purpose and 1:4 Km#a (with worldly desires.

(it#a JapaAn aspirant is supposed to perform routineJapapractice daily. It is ordainedin the scripture that after proper initiation from Guru it is obligatory to doSandh# 6psanthree times a day along withJapa of the Mantra ofinitiation. Sandh#is deri/ed from the word Sandhiwhich means time;

1unction and 6psan 16p$ near% san$seat% i.e. to sit near God or to be incompany of God is the other name of prayer or worship. )he 1unctions

between night and day (dawns, between forenoon and afternoon (middayand between day and night (dus are prescribed for

Sandh# 6psan. In

some cases midnight 1*ahnish Sandh#is also prescribed.(aimittik Japa9esides routine practiceJapaperformed in special occasions, auspicioustimes and days (such as during Solar and 7unar eclipses, full;Moon, new;Moon, the SunJs passage to the net sign at the e-uinoes etc. are called

(aimittik Japa.Km#a JapaKm#a is deri/ed from the wordKm(lust'desire'epectation. In additionto routine ones *apa performed with a resol/e for attainment of worldly

epectations is calledKm#a Japa.

Q. What is A"ap Japa?

A. )he definition ofjap japais -uite different from that of usualJapa.9efore going into scriptural technicalities let us consider the simple

phenomenon of propagation of sound in terms of science of hysics. Sound


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propagates in wa/e patterns following the Simple Narmonic Motion with airas the medium. )he wa/es created in the air reach the eardrum which in turnsends signals to the audio centers in the brain and sounds are percei/ed. Itcan be said that any displacement of air carries sound wa/es. uringinhalation and ehalation there are displacements of air. )he mo/ements ofair during inhalation and ehalation carry the sound/amand Sahrespecti/ely. )he Mantra/amsahis being repeated automatically along witheach respiration. )his is calledjapJapa. It is an effortless and in/oluntarycontinuous process for the lifetime of a person. AJiva (sentient beingrecites/amsah *antra=


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Shaivismin his 3imarsinicommentary on Shi/a Sutra wrote, !)he mind ofthe Sdhaka (Aspirant focused on intensi/e alertness of the Godheadimplied in a Mantra identifies with that Godhead and conse-uently becomesMantra itself.( At that point of time )he state of mind itself which isMantra, not the mere conglomeration of /arious letters of the alphabet." InSriknthi)Samhita, it has been said, !Prithan'mantra prithan'mantri na

siddha#atikadana" i.e. if the practiser is different from the Mantra, thenthis Mantra will ne/er gi/e results. Spanda Krik(one of the core boos on

Kshmir Shaivism says, !Sdhakena ittena tenaiva Shivadharmina" i.e.the mind of the practiser along with the mantra has characteristics of Shi/a.3rom the abo/e discussions it can be said that Mantra is consciousness itself.Sounds or words are the body of Mantra.

Q. If sound and ord are inert ob"ects then ho can 3antra be

conscious?

A. A bodied sentient being is conscious, e/en when the body is inert.7iewise Mantra is not inert in spite of its body (sound or word being inert.

Q. It seems that consciousness is the other name of 3antra and Jia is aconscious being. &hould e take a Jia as representation of all 3antras5?

A. All the mantras ha/e their origin as theKundalini(the latent serpent;power'consciousness' supreme reality in the body of a sentient being. IfJiva is Shi/a in principle and Mantra is Shivadharmina(0haracteristics ofShi/a so it can well be inferred that all the Mantras ha/e their eistence indormancy in the body of aJiva. Kith an appropriate way of spiritual

practice the meaning of Mantra shines in the mind of the practiser. It has tobe remembered that here non;indi/idualistic all per/ading consciousness istaen into consideration.

Q. What is the relation beteen a deity and 3antra?

A. In Shaktisan'am Tantrait is said, !*antrarup& bhaveddeva"(rupa $form, mantrarup&means form of mantra bhavet$becomes% deva$deitydeity becomes the form of Mantra. 5andharva Tantrasaid, !sarveshmevadevnm mantramd#am sharirakam" 1sarveshm$of all, eva$/erily,devnm$deities, d#am$primarily,sharirakam$body /erily Mantra is the

primary body or form of all deities. A deity is represented by three bodies,gross, subtle and subtlest or causal.


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Gross body is of name and form (nma and rupa$image'statue called3i'raha. Subtle body is the symbolic or geometrical representation of thedeity called Yantra. And the subtlest or the causal body is represented byword or sound called Mantra. )he relation between Mantra and deity is thesame as between epression and epressed.

Q. Why a 3antra is called &habda26rahma?A. Shabda)Brahmameans the ualified Qltimate Reality in the form ofsound. +ow let us consider the origin of sound.)he Qltimate Reality or the 5ternal Shi/a (santan Shiva has two forms: ;non;-ualified and -ualified. )he former is independent of +ature (Prakriti 4or Shakti (energy whereas the later is coupled with Shaktieager to bemanifested as creation. It has to be remembered that, in fact, at no point intime is Shi/a without Shakti.9ut at times as Shaktiremains one with Shi/a

with no signs of epression it seems that Shi/a is without Shakti. )heualified Shi/a always has Self;awareness or independent di/ine Killwhich is a subtle acti/ity or spiritual dynamism. )his dynamism is yet toha/e any epression lie physical, psychological orPrnic(/ital force oflife acti/ities.uring*ahprala#a (0osmic night or dissolution of creation this di/ineKill remains concealed within the great 7ord himself lie the memories of a

person in deep sleep. Ne was the Sat)principle (5istence only. )he 2edasaid, !+tm v idameka ev'ra sit.(n#at kinan mishat. Sa ikshata

l&knnu srij iti" #

itare#a 6panishad


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Bindunow breas into three parts as bindu$ bijaand ndaor the great;sound. Nere we ha/e two sets of nada andBindu. )he first one being causaland the second is the manifestation. )he ndawhich comes into being at thesplit ofpar)Binduis nown as Sabda)brahma. All the sounds ha/e theirorigin in that nadaor Sabda)brahma. +aturally a Mantra can be called asSabda)brahma.

Q. If all sounds originate from 1da then hy are all sounds not treatedas a 3antra?

A. Sound is of two forms, with meaning and without meaning. )he former isrepresented by alphabets. Mantra is a conglomeration of alphabets orword'words with meanings, which are to be pondered o/er.

Q. A 3antra is the body of a deity and the sound or ord7ordsrepresented by letters of alphabets are the body of a 3antra. 8nless theseare diine a 3antra ill loose its diinity. 4o can one put diinity in theletters of the alphabet?

A. ne need not put any etra di/inity into the letters of the alphabet(3arna4because these are di/ine by themsel/es. It is said inTantrasadbhva (a )antra scripture that all Mantras are composed of lettersof the alphabet and all letters of the alphabet are the representations of

Shakti(energy called

*trik.As this

*trikremains dormant as one with

Shi/a before manifestations of creation, it also has the Shi/a principle. Atthe onset of creation it per/ades the entire space. In Sansrit fifty alphabetletters uttered or written are the gross representations of this all per/adingenergy.*trik means one who produces. )he energy, which is thecausati/e factor of all gross and subtle creations, is*trik.7etters are oftwo classes, Saravarna (


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meaning to the sound letter is a necessity. Sounds when produced areepressed in different notes and scales independently. It is to be noted thateach letter has its presiding deity.

Q. Words are composed of letters. If each letter has a separate deity then aord is supposed to represent more than one deity and likeise a 3antracomprising of one or more ords should also represent more than onedeity. In that case ho can a 3antra be deity2 specific?

A. Shrad Tilak(a well nown tet on )antra says, !Sarvadevama#i Devisarvamantrama#i Shiva." (Sarva$all, devama#i$form of god,Devi$Supreme goddess, mantrama#i$form of Mantra, Shiva$ consort oflord Shi/a or the presiding deity of the uni/erse. )hat means the Supremegoddess represents all gods and all Mantras are the forms of the Supreme

goddess. )he abo/e tet also says that the Supreme goddess is the othername ofKundalini. +aturally all Mantras are the different forms of theQltimate Reality epressed as sound energy orShabda)Brahma.Suppose two bunches of candles, each bunch composed of ten assortedcandles, are indled in a dar room. 7ight from indi/idual candle in both

bunches contributes to the total illumination. 5ach candle and each bunchhas a different intensity of light but in respect of total illumination neitherone can percei/e the indi/idual contribution of a candle nor of a bunch.Apparently though a Mantra seems deity;specific but in principle itrepresents the Qltimate Reality.

Q. &hould one take all sounds and ords as 3antras?

A. According to )antra philosophy all letters of alphabets, words and soundsare Mantras because, all these are the different forms of the Shabda)Brahma.)he 5andharva Tantrasays, !Caitan#am sarvabhutnm shabdabrahma

sarupakam' 3arnarupen tad v#aktammantravid#di bhedata".(Caitan#am$supreme consciousness,sarva$all, bhutnm$creation,sabda)brahma$ultimate reality in the form of sound,sarupakam$form of,

varna$letter, rupen$as a form, tad$it, v#aktam$manifested, mantra$Mantra,vid#$conglomeration of mantras depicting a deity in particular, adi$etc.,bhedata$differentiations )hat means the Supreme consciousness per/adingall the creations is the Shabda)brahma. Its manifestations differ because ofdifferences in epressions as letters and forms of deities. It can be said thatthe energy in the form of Mantra epresses itself with the help of letters,words and sentences. Mantra can be epressed as any sound irrespecti/e of


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languages pro/ided a particular meaning is imparted in it during applicationsin worships, rituals andJapa.f course, all sound are Mantras in principle.

Q. Are 3antras the products of human intelligence?

A. If a Mantra is the representation of God how can that be the product ofhuman intelligence A Mantra is of di/ine origin and is only percei/ed orrecei/ed in the intelligence which was purified by penance, austerities andintensi/e spiritual practices, of a seer. )hat is why sages are called as-ishah

*antra)drashtrah(Drasht$seer or percei/er of Mantra not*antra)srasht(Srasht$creator.

Q. What are the common factors beteen Veda23antra and other3antra?

A. 7ie 2eda;Mantras all other Mantras also are associated with four factorsas-ishi$ ;handa$ Devatand 3ini#&'a.

;ishi


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related to sensual and other worldly en1oyments and*&ksha(the ultimatebeatitude. 3ini#&'ameans the adoption of a Mantra for particular purposein a particular spiritual rite or practice. (3i$ special'particular, ni#&'a$adoption.

Q. 8nlike Veda2mantra hat are the other essential limbs of a 3antra?

A. In the scriptures on )antra there are references of other essential limbs ofa Mantra. )hese are-ishi$ ;hhanda$ Devat(deity related to the Mantra,

Bij(seed of Mantra, Shakti(power or energy of Mantra, andKilak(peg'pinor a bolt. NereKilakmeans any hindrance that blocs the efficacy of amantra. InDipika commentary of Shrivid#ratnasutram (a core boo onShri)Yantra there is mention of se/en limbs of a Mantra, /iL.-ishi$;hhanda$ Bij$ Kilak$ Shakti$ n'an#s(n'a$limbs of body,

n#s$placement.n'an#smeans the placement of a Mantra or its di/isionsin different limbs'parts of the body of the aspirant or the statue of a deityandDh#na(mental reflection on the meaning of the Mantra. 5#atriTantramentions of fi/e limbs of a mantra as+vhan(in/ocation of the

presiding deity of the Mantra in the statue' Yantra' mindDh#n$ Smaran(remembrance, Samarpan(surrendering the results of the application of theMantra to the deity and 3isarjan(immersion of the deity within the self ofthe aspirant.

Q. Are there any categorical diisions of 3antra?

A. Mantras are broadly categoriLed as 3edic)*antra$ Purnic)*antraandTntric)*antra.3edic)mantra )Mantras contained in the 2edas are called 2edic;Mantras.

Purnic)*antra )Purnasare the scriptural tets written in /erses(Shl&kas4elucidating the intricate religious mysteries and philosophies witheamples and anecdotes. All the Shl&kasin thePurnasare thought to be ofdi/ine origin and esteemed as Mantras.Tntric)*antra: ; Although 3edicandPurnicMantras also ha/e heir place

in Tntricliterature, there are some Mantras found eclusi/ely withreference to )antra.Since all the religious traditions and philosophies ha/e their origin in the2edas, these classifications are somewhat tentati/e.In )antra traditions Mantras are categoriLed in different ways. Mantras areclassified as male, female and eunuch lie in the case of 3arnas (letters ofthe alphabet. According to-'havabhatta(a great commentator on )antra


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this classification is based on the considerations of application and efficacyof the Mantras. In fact, a Mantra being the representation of the QltimateReality cannot ha/e any gender differentiation. A Mantra for a male deity iscalledPun')*antra(pun'$male, for a female deity called String;*antra1strin'$female and all other Mantras are called(apun'sak)*antra(napun'sak$eunuch. 3id# is the other name of female Mantra. Accordingto*eru Tantraa 3emale Mantra brings in en1oyments, a male Mantraresults in liberation.In Shrad Tilak(a treaty on )antra Mantras are categoriLed as S&um#aandS&ura.Soumya is deri/ed from the wordS&mmeans the Moon and Sourafrom Sur#ameans the Sun. S&ura)*antrais also called+'ne#a)*antra('ni$fire.In 3arha Samhitwe find a different classification. Mantras are classifiedas Siddha, Sdh#a$ Susiddhaandri.Siddha *antracomes to fruition by

*apa, Sdh#aby fire oblation, Susiddhaeffecti/e immediately afterreception from a Guru or di/ine source andribrings in disasters.uring initiation (Diksh Mantras are classified as-ini (debtor andDhani(creditor. )his classification is of elaborate details. Nowe/er, in simple itcan be said that if the number of letters in the name of the recipient eceedsthe number of letters in the Mantra it is called -ini)*antraand in there/erse case it is calledDhani)*antra. -ini)*antrais considered to beauspicious and should be accepted and if the Mantra falls in theDhanicategory it should be discarded.Another classification is based on the number of letters contained in aMantra. Mono;syllable Mantra is named asPinda$bi;syllable Mantra is

Kartari, Mantra with three to nine syllables is calledBijak, Mantra with tento twenty syllables is called*antrakand if the number of letters eceedstwenty it is called*l)*antra.

Q. What is a 6i"23antra?

A. In fact, any letter of alphabets con1oined with a note of nadais a Mantra.Ke ha/e discussed earlier that*triks are Mantras.

7iteral meaning of the wordBij is seed. 9anyan tree is manifested in its fullforms as an effect from the tiniest seed as the cause% liewise a Mantra andthe deity related to it are manifested (the effect from theBij)*antra(thecause. A culti/ator first has to sow the seeds in the field, nurtures thegrowth of plants and finally reaps the crops. In the similar way, an initiateafter recei/ing aBij)mantraof his belo/ed Godhead should put all hisefforts into practice so that the deity in his full glory appears before him.


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Q. >an there be more than one 6i"23antra or 3antra for a particulardeity?

A. A single deity can ha/e more than one Mantra andBij)*antra. In generalMantras differ with respect to number of letters or syllables. 9ut it is notuncommon that different Mantras for one deity may ha/e the same numberof letters or syllables. 3or instance, both the Mantras !Klim /rishikesh#a

(amah" and Shrim /rim Klim Krishn#a Sh" ha/ing the same numberof syllables (eight Sansrit syllable in each but differentBij)*antras$standfor 8rishna. )his may be due to difference in the eligibility, aim and schoolwhich the aspirant belongs to.

Q. >an a 3antra of a deity be ithout 6i"23antra?

A. )here are Mantras withoutBij)*antras. 3or instance, !bada badav'bdini sh" is called 3'ishari)*antrawhich has noBij)*antra.Khen theBij


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In the 2edas no otherBij)*antraswere used eceptum2"m. AllBij)Mantras are found in the tets on )antra only.

Q. Where and ho is m7Aum being used in @antra?

A.Pranavais called as !*antrd#a" (6d#a=di$starting or beginning i.e.all Mantras start withPranava. According to 9h6sarroy*antrd#ameansthat which should be uttered at the beginning of Mantra. )he 2edic-uotation !"mkrena sarv vk santrinn" ("mkren$ by the sound m,

sarv$all, vk$Mantra,santrinn$braceted means all Mantras arebraceted by m. In other words it can be said that m should be put bothat the beginning and at the end of all Mantras. Although m is purely a2edic 9i1;Mantra there are many Tntric)*antraswhich start with this.

Q. What is @ntric 0ranaa?

A. In*ahnirvn Tantra(a tet on )antra it is said, !Kal&u tu AAAAA*#d#aisarva karmni kur#u Shankarashsant" (kal&u$inKaliYu'a$Iron Age, tu$/erily,*#$*#)Biji.e.the 9i1/rim, 6d#a$ at thestart,sarva$all, karmni$spiritual rites, kur#u=should be performed,Shankara$lord Shi/a, Shsant$by order or ordain that means all Mantrasshould start with the*#)Bij /rim. )his is also called Tntric)Pranava.

Q. Are there any utilities of Vedic 3antras in the practice of @antra?

A. It has been obser/ed that in some routine and special spiritual practices inSantan Dharma(Santan$eternal,Dharma$religion i.e. )raditional Indianreligious practices, both 2edic and )antric ways are adopted. 9ut there are

purely )6ntric practices where 2edic Mantras are also used but not there/erse.

Q. What are the fields of application of 3antras?

A. )here are innumerable applications for Mantras. )o name a few: ; (


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deities to secure prosperity or to a/ert e/il effects. ( 0ure of diseases, (an an aspirant empoer a 3antra by himself?


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A. 3or this there are different methods described in )antra tets such as (


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whereas propagation of wisdom and nowledge follows Guru;disciplelineage.In all the tets on )antraDiksh is considered to be the first step in spiritualendea/ors. So it can well be said thatDikshis a must for taing up anyspiritual practice.

Q. What are the arious types of Diksh?

A. 9roadly there are two types ofDiksh$(Brhmin$priest class,Kshatri#a$ruler class, 3ais#a$ trader andagriculturist class and Shudra$ser/ile class? in 2edic 5#atri *antraiscalled 3edic Diksh.)his is obligatory for these three castes. )hese three

castes are calledDija (twice born.Dikshis the second birth for thesethree castes. 9esides, before performing any special 2edic sacrificial ritessuch as fire oblations a Yajaman(worshipper through priest needed to beinitiated.@antric Diksh: ADija after taing 3edic Dikshof the 5#atri)*antrashould be initiated in!shta)*antra(!shta$most belo/ed image of deity to anaspirant in the )6ntric way. Tantric Dikshis commonly prescribed for allcastes. In 3ishasr Tantrafour types ofDikahsJ are mentioned.


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/ery rare to find such a Guru capable of gi/ing suchDiksh. fcourse an eligible disciple is the rarest to find.

InKulrnava Tantrase/en types ofDikshsare named such as C.Kri#Diksh$ 9.Kal Diksh$ :.3arna Diksh$ . *nas Diksh (mentalDiksh4E.3k Diksh(Dikshby speech4$ F. Drik Diksh 1Dikshaby loo$and G.Sparsha Diksh(Dikshby touch.Kri# Dikshsare classified into eightand 3arna Dikshsare classified into three categories. 3irst four types arethe same asKri#vatii$ Kalvatii$ 3arnama#iiandBedhama#ii Dikshsrespecti/ely.In-udra Ymal(Y6malsJ are a group of )ets on )antra we find threetypes ofDiksh viH. +navi$ Shktii andShmbhavii.


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=.Shktii Diksha: In 3#avi#a Samhit(a di/ision of Shiva Purn. )hisscriptural tet on 7ord Shi/a describes his lilas and glories inse/eral cantosJ this type ofDiksh is calledJnnavatii (Jnn$wisdom. Nere the wisdom;incarnate Guru enters the body of thedisciple by Yogic;ower and transfuses him with wisdom. )his

Dikshre-uires no ceremonial rites and [email protected] Diksh: In(it#&tsav(a tet which deals in detail with

the processes of u16 of Goddess7alit &r *ah Tripur Sundari6mnandantha$the great eponent ofKshmir Shaivismwrotethat the Guru will contemplate on the red and white feet of

Kmeshari)Kmeshara(the ultimate lord Shi/a and his consortcouple on the crown of the disciple. )hen he will further thin thatfrom these feet the euding of nectar onto the disciple is washingout his both inner and outer impurities. )he placement of the feet of

the great lord and his consort on the crown of disciple is calledShmbhavii Diksh.

Q. Is 1ysa 9placement of 3antra in different parts of body: necessaryfor Japa practice?

A. )he ultimate goal of *apa is to be one with the Mantra and the deity. Infact, aJiva (sentient being is Shi/a.*a nandama#eesaid, !Yatra Jiva

tatra Shiva." and !

Yatra nri tatra 5&uri." )hat means where there is

Jivathere is Shi/a and where there is woman there is 5&uri or the consort ofShi/a. )his attitude gets a firm hold in the mind of an aspirant by the

process of(#sa.)hat is why(#sa is ordained to be obligatory inpractice of Mantra.

Q. What are the other obligations in Japa practice?

A.Dh#na (meditation andPrn#maare the two most importantobligations to be performed before doing *apa.Prn#ma is also

prescribed at the end of *apa. In Sarasati Tantrathe following se-uencesare prescribed before *apa. 3irst of all a Sdhaka (Aspirant shouldremember his Guru. Korship and pay obeisance to him. )hen se-uentiallyhe should perform the following processes as ordained in the scripturessuch as;*antra)shikh(flame of Mantra,*antra)aitan#a(Mantraconsciousness,*antrrtha Bhvan(contemplation on the meaning ofMantra, Meditation on the Guru at the thousand petals lotus at the crown


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a clean and sanctified place. Kithout going into details of innumerableselections of places it can simply be said that the clean and sanctified

place where the mind feels composed and cheerful is the best for spiritualpractice.!"e of Japa: )his has been discussed pre/iously in connection with

(it#aand(aimittik Japa. In addition to routine obligations for an initiatedaspirant, as such, there are no other time restrictions because% one of the

purposes of *apa is constant remembrance of God. In-udra Ymalit issaid that *apa of Shakti *antra(Mantra related to Goddess at night ismore fruitful.#$%t$" of Japa: *apa should not be too fast or too slow. )here should beclarity of the sound of the Mantra and a fied rhythm.Nu"&er of Japa: Routine Sandh# 6psanafter initiation is acommitment for the lifetime of an aspirant. )he firm resol/es as to the

number of routine *apa taen after initiation by an aspirant by himself orordained by the Guru should be fulfilled at all costs.(aimittik Japathatmeans *apa on special occasions or during auspicious moments should beundertaen after ha/ing a firm resol/e regarding the number of *apa. In

Purasharan(ceremonial *apa;ritual obser/ed with strict rules anddisciplines accompanied byPuj$(a/&m( fire oblations, (b

bhishek1ablutionsand (c Tarpan(sprinlings with consecrated waterand (dBrhman Bh&jan( feeding 9r6hmins, as directed in scriptures, inorder to awaen'energiLe the potency of a Mantra numbers play /eryimportant roles. Nere the number of *apa is determined by the number ofletters'syllables contained in a Mantra. Generally one hundred thousandtimes the numbers of letter'syllable are prescribed for *apa followed bysteps (a, (b, (c and (d respecti/ely. +umber of fire oblations should be


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A. Rosaries or*ls help in eeping the number. Qse of rosaries indifferent religions lie Sui@sm$ Tntric Buddhism$ Shikhismand e/en in0hristianity are not uncommon. Rosary is considered to be a sacred toolfor doing *apa. roper use and maintenance of sanctity of the rosaryshould be taen care of. )here are certain rules and restrictions regardinguses of rosaries. Qsually there are


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)here is another type of rosary called SamsmaranIml(Samsmaran$remembrance generally composed = beads and a*eruused for continuous practice of *apa.

Q. Are there any prescribed rules and restrictions regarding the use of3l?

A.*l is not merely a tool for counting *apa. It considered as sacred andits sanctity should be maintained while using it. Scriptural tets ()ets on)antra in particular prescribed certain rules and restrictions regarding theuse of*l.)o mention a few:;


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lie a Guru, scriptures, philosophical understanding and primarypreparation. She termed these as !Sdhanr khel" (Sdhanr$ ofspiritual practice, khel$play that means, play ofsdhan. Sdhan

played through her physical and inner being, orsdhanseemed to be aplay to her. )his again is apparently contradicting our usualunderstanding of spiritual practice. 3irst of all a Guru, or the scriptures,caution an aspirant at the /ery onset of spiritual practice not to tae it asa play. A practitioner is supposed to tae up spiritual endea/or earnestlyand with all seriousness and sincerity. erhaps, Ma is the first in thespiritual history of the world to coin the term !lay ofsdhan".

+ow let us try to understand what we mean by the word play. lay is toamuse oneself, or the epression of inner happiness in action. In otherwords it can be said that play is the epression of the inner lo/e for theself. In play there is continuation of happiness throughout, from the

beginning to the end irrespecti/e of the final result. lay andcompetition are not the same. Incompetitionhappiness depends on theend result, when one wins, whereas in play there is happinessthroughout. In competition one gi/es out energy, epertise andsincerity, but when one looses one feels pain and thins that all effortswere futile. Khen happiness comes at the cost of someone elseJs pain itis not real happiness. In a competition the 1oy of /ictory causes the loser

pain. In spiritual practice one should feel happy while pursuing it.Nappiness in achie/ing the goal will come as a bonus as in the case oftrue play. In addition to lo/e for the imaginary achie/ement or goal oneneeds to ha/e lo/e for the practice as well. Almost all our physical andmental faculties are ac-uired through the eperience of interactionswith the world outside. )he only faculty e/eryone is born with is lo/e.)his is called Sahaja.

Q. 4o can one be in loe ith Japa practice? At times one feelsbored in repeating the same ord or 3antra. Is there any ay to getrid of this boredom?

A. f course, there is a way. Khat one needs is to loo at oneJs actuallife eperience and try to apply it in his spiritual practice. *apa isanother name for constant remembrance of the most belo/ed godhead.A child with /ery few eperiences or interactions with the di/ersifiedoutside world has its lo/e focused on the mother only and constantlyremembers her. A young person spends hours, days, months and yearstogether in constant remembrance of the date of the first lo/e. A young


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mother in the midst of all her worldly actions and household chores hasher attention focused on her new;born baby. In all these cases constantremembrance is an effortless action. 9ut with time on the one hand theob1ect of lo/e changes and on the other hand more ob1ects of lo/einfiltrate into the mind. )he single;minded attention or lo/e becomesdi/ersified. An eclusi/e relation is transformed into se/eral relati/erelations.Numan mind is in constant search for the changeless lo/e. 9ut thechanges both in the belo/ed and the lo/er in the temporal and thespatial frame of the world, come in the way of this changeless lo/e.

+ow the -uestion is, whether it is possible to stop these changes. )heanswer as such is negati/e. )o find the way out, one needs to eaminehis eperience of interactions with the ob1ecti/e world around and seewhether there is any apparently changeless ob1ect or thought that he is

in lo/e with. )he changes registered both in the sub1ect and ob1ects areof the names and forms only. At the surface it seems that lo/e alsochanges with the changes in names and forms. 9ut the fact is deeperthan this. )ae for eample the lo/e for dresses. ne buys dresses ofdifferent colours and designs of ones choice. Apparently there arechanges in the ob1ecti/e lo/e but the fact is that the lo/e for dressremains the same. +ow let us consider lo/e in a sub1ecti/e way. Youcan find changes in yourself with the passage of time. )hese changesare noticed only when you put yourself in the spatial and temporalframe of the world ob1ecti/ely. )o be more precise, changes are noticedonly in the sub1ect;ob1ect relationship. Kith time and situation yourlo/e seems to change with changes of ob1ects but your lo/e for ob1ectremains unchanged.

+ow let us ha/e a deeper loo at boredom. Khy do we feel bored Atthe bacground of all boredom there lies an underlying sense ofchangeless self;lo/e. In the pursuit of feeling the changeless lo/e themind is constantly probing different sense ob1ects and has ac-uired thehabit of seeing change. )herefore anything changeless apparently hasits impact on mind compared with its de/eloped shape, and this is

called the feeling of boredom.It is a transient world. All the ob1ects (material and mental are in the

process of change both in temporal and spatial frames of conception.Sometimes these changes are so minute that the worable and grosssense organs cannot percei/e them and the ob1ect seems to bechangeless. 9ut the fact is that, both the percei/er and percei/ed are


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undergoing changes with respect to temporal and spatial frames. )helac of right mindfulness brings about the sense of changelessness.9ehind any action whatsoe/er (mental or physical there lies the innerurge of the doer to ha/e a taste of happiness. In other words it can besaid that this inner urge is the indirect epression of self;lo/e of thedoer. )o be rid of boredom one should try to go to the root of boredom;and it will be remo/ed.

Q. &ometimes it happens that a seeker receies a mantra either in adream or ision and he7she starts doing Japa of the mantra thusobtained. What do you say about that?

.Yes, it is not uncommon that at times an aspirant recei/es a mantrain dream or /ision and this creates doubts in his mind as to whether ornot to practice this *apa. If the mantra in dream'/ision does not tally

with the mantra he had already recei/ed during initiation the personshould first consult the Guru before doing anything with the mantra.reams are the outcome of Sanskars (Mind;set within. )he Guru onlynows which of thesesanskarsare to be gi/en prominence during thecourse of spiritual practice of his disciple. 9esides, the sound thusobtained may not be complete in all respects so that it can be termed amantra.It has been said earlier that mantra is not mere sounds. A practiser issupposed to now and understand a mantra with all its limbs andmeaning before woring on it. I had been the witness to many suchcases of seeers who recei/ed mantras in a dream and came to Maasing for her guidance. In almost all the cases Ma would as the

person to get the mantra authenticated and sanctified by the respecti/eGuru or an able person in his guru lineage in the physical absence of theGuru.It may so happen that the mantra obtained in a dream is not at all relatedto the Ista (most belo/ed God;head of an already initiated seeer. 9utan aspirant is supposed to ha/e one;pointed attention on his!sta)mantraduring spiritual practice. In that case the seeer will not be in a position

to ascertain how to deal with this situation without the guidance of hispreceptor or guru. Self suggesti/e spiritual practice may not gi/e thedesired result and at times the efforts may pro/e to be futile.

Q. What about a mantra in a dream or ision gien by the )uruhimself?


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conductor (-ittvik of the rites and to get initiated by him. )his type ofdiksharemains /alid till the completion of the special ceremony.

+ow let us consider a few points which could lead a disciple to thinabout changing his Guru.

2ery often it is noticed that a disciple embraces a Guru from a passingimpulse to ha/e immediate or -uic spiritual'worldly gains in a specifictime frame. Khen he does not get the desired results, doubts crop up inhis mind about the path as well as the Guru. 3inally he tries to changethe Guru.

9ecause of psychological in/ol/ement a disciple tries to eep a closeassociation with the Guru. Nere both re/erence and infatuation act

together. Kith time and interactions the different aspects of thebeha/ioral patterns of both the Guru and disciple unfold. Sometimesthis may be the cause of the changes in initial attitudes and the disciplewants to distance himself from the Guru.

In certain cases the Guru fails to assess the physiological as well as themental constitutions of the disciple and prescribes practices which maynot be best suited for the disciple. )he disciple also sometimes ass for

practices for a self;chosen path, which ultimately does not stand him ingood stead for continuing to the goal ; and he starts searching for analternati/e

)o tread the path of spirituality is lie waling on a RaLorJs edge. Itwas said in&hetashatar 8pnishad that the path of an aspirant is lie!skhurasya dhara nishit duratyaya durgam pathastat kaoyohadanti, 9Skhuras#a=of raLor, dhara=edge, nishit$ sharp, durat#a#a$far reaching, dur'am$ full of obstacles, kav&h$ the seers of the past,vadanti$ say i.e. to follow the spiritual path is lie waling on araLorJs edge% this is far reaching and full of obstacles as told by the

seers of the past.

An aspirant is re-uired to ha/e a strong con/iction for the path andshould be committed to the goal for his whole life. A seeer, ha/ing somany worldly duties and preoccupations, cannot maintain unperturbedfocus on his spiritual goal. Ne is always in search of a short cut to


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achie/e his goal within a time frame. Khen it does not happen with aparticular Guru and path, he loos to change.

Q. It is a common complaint of spiritual seekers that hile engagedin Japa the mind roams about ceaselessly on different ob"ects andcauses disturbances. Are there any specific instruction gien by 3a tooer come this?

A.It is difficult to generaliLe MaJs instructions. Khate/er had come outof MaJs lips was in response to a specific -uery by a particular aspirant.Ner ad/ice /aried from person to person. 0ompiled below are a few ofher instructions regarding *apa which can be considered somewhat

generaliLed instructions:;9A:. &thir asan% sthir dristi% Japa ashray% tabei raser asha.

Sthir asan(fied posture'seat:; Nere Ma pointed out thenecessity of ha/ing a fied sitting posture while doing 1apa. It is to benoted that the seat on which *apa is practiced should not be changed asfar as practicable. In all the tets on Yoga, the importance of seats and

postures were discussed in meticulous detail. In the Yoga Sutra ofatan1ali, the third limb of Yoga of eight limbs is the asana. It says,!sthir sukhasanam0i.e. theposture as well as the seat should be fiedand comfortable.

Sthir dristi (fied loo:; Nere dristi means both eternal and internalloo. 0losed eyes can negate the eternal /isual distraction but thehyperacti/e and interacti/e sansars within do not allow the mind tosettle down. A focused mental occupation lie contemplation on themeaning of the mantra is also necessary. )he Yoga Sutra said,!tajjapam tadartha bhavanam." (contemplation on the meaning of the/ery mantra of *apa

Japa ashra# 1Japa as t&&l2res&rt4)*apa is one of the most efficacioustools for controlling the mind. According to Ma one should tae resortto *apa to arrest the uncontrollable mo/ements of mind.

Tabei raser asha) )hen only there is hope for en1oying thenecter'essence of spiritual practice.


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6. !adi "ape beshikshan thakte icchs kare tabe shabder upar lakshyarekhe "ap. Akshar rupe bhagaan% shabdarupe bhagaan. (If onewishes to do *apa for a long time then it should be done being attenti/eto theshabda.God is represented as sound and syllable as well. )hemeaning of the termshabda includes both sound and syllable.Nere Ma was /ery clear about the usefulness of contemplation in *apa

practices and hinted at the options on contemplation. ne may focusattention either on the sound or on the syllable of the mantra.)he syllable'syllables of a mantra are fied for a particular language.9ut the sound generally does not change. It has to be noted that the

pronunciation of a mantra differs from person to person and apparent/ariations of sound may be noticed. 3or eample, a mantra may becommon in both classical Indian tantric order and in Tibetian tantric9uddhism but the syllables and sounds are different. )hese differences

do not affect the potency and efficacy of the mantra.

>. At times it seems ery difficult to contemplate on the meaning ofthe mantra simultaneously ith "apa. In that case the meaning of themantra should be contemplated on first. ne should also think thatthis meaning is fully reflected in the mantra.

Nere Ma is gi/ing some tips to o/er come some of the practicaldifficulties an aspirant generally faces during 1apa practice. Rightmindfulness is complementary to successful 1apa and

vice verse.In the

conscious le/el registration of thoughts follows close se-uences. Assuch it may seem that thoughts float on the surface of consciousnesssimultaneously which cannot be registered separately because of /eryclose se-uence. )he mind fies itself alternately between 1apa andcontemplation on the meaning of the mantra thereby maing 1apa amechanical process. Nere Ma suggests that first the mind should beconditioned by contemplation followed by doing 1apa.

D. +1ishs prasse saha" bhe nm kariy "oy."((ishs$

inhalation%prashse$ in ehalation%sahaj bhve$in natural way,nm$ +ame of God% here nm signifies mantra% kari# j$ should

be continued% that is to say, 1apa of the name of God or the mantrashould be continued along with natural breathings. In another occasionMa said, +&hser dike lakshya rkhiya Jap., (Shser$ of breathing%dike$ towards% laksh#a$ focus% rkhi#a$ eeping on% that means, 1apashould be performed eeping focus on the breathing. )hese two


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sayings of Ma are of primary importance in 1apa practice. )heoretically,the sayings are in simple and understandable language. 9ut to practice

1apa in accordance with MaJs suggestion re-uires detailedconsideration.

Prn#ma is thought to be the most effecti/e tool for the concentrationof mind. In almost all the spiritual practices irrespecti/e of any

particular order pranayama was upheld as an obligatory tool to startwith. In the boos on Yoga >Ast6nga Yoga (Yoga with eight limbs in

particular? there are detailed treaties on differentprn#mas and theirmethods, all of which re-uire rigorous practice under the directguidance and super/ision of an able master. )o ha/e mastery o/er these/ariousPrn#ma calls for a lifetime dedication and endea/or.Nere Ma, without mentioning any name, hinted at one of the easiestmethods ofprn#macalledsahaj prn#maor natural rhythmic

breathing. )here are so many gross and subtle factors (both mental andphysical which influence the normal breathing rhythm. Kithout goinginto the comple biochemical mechanisms which are dependant on somany interrelated criteria, now let us consider in brief the relation

between mental acti/ities and breathing. Any acti/ity, mental orphysical re-uires energy and this energy is being released by thecomple biochemical enLyme;catalyLed reactions within the body. It isa well established fact that substrateWproduct re/ersible'irre/ersibleenLyme;catalyLed transformation can be eplained in terms of electronstransfer mechanism between reactants and products which re-uireoygen. )his oygen is supplied mainly by breathing. +aturally oygeninput is directly proportional to the output of energy and this energy inturn controls the both physical and mental acti/ities. 0on/ersely it canalso be said that any change in mental acti/ities has its direct influenceon breathing. So it can be said that controlled or regulated biochemicalreaction within an organism results in regulated release 'absorption ofenergy which in turn effects both mental and physical actions. 5ternaloygen supply is one of the ey factors for these processes.Prn#maorregulated breathing to a greater etent helps maintaining a dynamic

e-uilibrium in the biochemical reactions within. 9reathing as such is anin/oluntary natural process. Its change in rhythm is also dependant onso many other inter;related mental and physical factors. *apa can beused as an ideal tool to bring in automatic regulation in rhythmic

breathing. An aspirant can fi the number of repetitions of a mantra or(main the time lengths of inhalation and ehalation. )his willautomatically regulate the rhythm of breathing which will ha/e a direct


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influence on the mind in maintaining a dynamic e-uilibrium in itsacti/ities a/oiding erratic mental beha/ior. )his will be furtherdiscussed in the contet of0ractical hints for &uccessful Japa

B.!&hser dikC lakshya rekhC Jap., (Shaser$ of breathing%dike$towards% laksh#a$focus% rekhe$eeping i.e. *apa should be

practiced while eeping focus on the (rhythm of breathing.Since simultaneous focus on *apa and breathing being impracticablethis saying of Ma can be interpreted in two ways. nce the number ofrepetitions of the mantra or nama are fied in the time lengths ofinhalation and ehalation, an aspirant can focus his attention eithertowards (a Sound'Syllable of the mantra or (b the rhythm of

breathing.

. +3an lguk n lguk "apa dhyna smaran karii "o.,(*an=mind% l'uk$get adhere to% n l'uk$ not get adhere to%

smaran=remembrance% karii$/erily to be wored on%j&$toproceed. Khether the mind gets fied in it or not, remembrance of(GodJs name, 1apa and dhyana should be continued.

). +&usthC asusthC anukul pratikul tkn n,.(Susth$in good health% asusth$in sicness% anukul$fa/ourablecondition%pratikul$ad/erse situations% tkn$pay attention to% n=noKhether in good health or in sicness and whether situations arefa/ourable or unfa/ourable one should not pay attention to these. )hatmeans come what may an aspirant should not pay attention to anything

but 1apa. Spiritual practices in any discipline need some primary mentaland physical preparation, congenial atmosphere and fa/ourablesituations. hysical disability and indisposition are some of thedetermining factors for successful spiritual practice. 9ut 1apa can be

pursued at any time and in any situation. Ma further said, !D& #&u st&phavin' a dip because &@ the sea avesL Y&u @inish the bath b# plun'in'int& the aves. 7ikeise tr# t& be ith /is 15&d4 remembrance and

japa in the midst &@ &rldl# turm&il.0

DIALOGUES on JAPA-Swami Nirgunananda

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Transcript of DIALOGUES on JAPA-Swami Nirgunananda