Hari Om,
I started my third purascharana on January 24. This was a "Ravi pushya yoga" day as per vedic astrology and a good day to commence sadhana. I am doing 11 malas a day again. At this rate, it will take around 22 months to complete the purascharana (providing this is maintained with no increase/decrease in malas) so I should complete it by the end of November 2017. The next two years will be challenging with worldly activities such as buying my first home and potentially starting a family. With God's Grace, hopefully the purascharana will continue steadily in the midst of all this. I met a kind elderly monk from the local RamaKrishna centre last weekend who gave an excellent philosophical talk. Later when I met him for advice, he told me that God's Grace is the most important thing in sadhana. (Self-effort is needed to please God and bring His/Her Grace of course.)
Meanwhile I completed one month of a simple 1 mala a day Durga mantra sadhana (Om Sri Durgayai Namaha). With this I was both thanking the Goddess for giving me the grit to do regular japa in the last four years despite some very trying circumstances. I was also praying to Her to give me spiritual stamina to keep up the next purascharana. In the middle of all this, a small but interesting event took place related to house buying. My husband and I have been looking for a suitable house to purchase for the last four months. We had not really found a house we liked and we did not easily agree on all houses either which made it more tricky to select one. About three weeks ago, after another unsatisfactory viewing of a house, I went to bed feeling frustrated and decided to have a chat with the Divine Mother, in the form of Lakshmi on this issue.
As yogis, we know that Mother Lakshmi represents far more than the crude material wealth that people often worship Her for; She represents all virtues, all blessedness and auspiciousness and also spiritual wealth. She is the embodiment of every good quality. I generally prefer to worship Her as Radha rather than Lakshmi, as I somehow feel I am praying for money whether I worship Her as Lakshmi. This is because of social conditioning; because of growing up in Delhi where "Lakshmi" and wealth are virtually synonymous. I like material comfort as much as anyone else but I know this can be an impediment on the spiritual path. I don't know what secret material desires my mind may harbour (only She knows and can destroy these) but I don't like asking Her for wealth generally, especially as She has already provided quite enough to live comfortably.
Anyway on this occasion, I broke with my tradition and worshipped Lakshmi as Lakshmi, the Giver of material wealth. I said Mother, I need to buy a house- it will be used for both spiritual and material purposes. You have made me a 'house-holder', now please provide a house! If You had wanted me to take sannyasa, then You should have organised this instead of getting me married. Please help me because this house-buying business is really dull (I was fed up of viewing endless houses) and I also feel this process is a serious distraction in my sadhana (was very time consuming). Please let it be over soon!
But let me successful in this house buying only if You ultimately feel this is the right thing for me....I may ask You for all sorts of things, but please only grant what I ask if You agree....because You are wiser than me and always want what is truly good for me....(I like the principle of this prayer in many other situations too....Thy Will be done seems the safe thing to say...one prays that one may say this sincerely)....
The next day, I came across an advertisement online of a rather nice house on a popular website used to sell houses in this country. My husband and I went to view it that weekend. It was of a moderate size and adequate for our needs (not too large/small), a good commute to work for both of us, and in a good neighbourhood. For once there was no argument at all and we agreed it was the right house and that we should put in an offer to purchase it. There were other interested buyers who also made offers for the property; however the seller decided to accept our offer. We are now in the process of the legal and financial arrangements for the sale. So I really feel that Mother Lakshmi answered my prayer to help with the tedious business of house buying! Hope the sale goes through successfully now (can take 2-3 months for the legal process) and the place becomes a house of true tapas.
Coming back to the purascharana, I am continuing to do this verbally (will also consider doing a small amount mentally as I would like to develop this ability). The RamaKrishna Swami said the key thing is faith in the mantra. He said it was fine to do it verbally and visualise the deity in the heart as I am doing. He also said I should not put myself under any pressure to do mental japa and just do whatever feels natural and comfortable.
I also told him I did not like the word "house-holder" at all as this phrase makes me feel spiritually doomed! (Many books by yogis appear to say Sannyasis are first class spiritualists while the householder is merely a second class spiritual citizen who probably won't get far in spiritual life).
I said surely spiritual life should be about one's state of mind (how much it thinks of God) and not about labels like "Swami" and "householder".
Personally I feel that success lies in choosing the path God wants for us, be it sannayasa or house-holdership. If everyone who took up the life of sannyasa and householdership, said O God, Thy will be done- let me do this only if You think it's the right path for me, the world would probably be full of much more happy sannyasis and householders today (Rather than Swamis who fall from their pedestals due to various scandals, and householders who are constantly stressed and miserable). Because God would be standing by us in our path of Sannyasa and householdership.
The venerable Swami agreed with me and said not to see myself as a "householder" or bother with titles such as "householder" or "Swami". He advised me to simply see myself as a "child of God". This pleased me greatly as I already have this feeling and am happy to cultivate it further. While doing japa, I often like to visualise myself aged two and unable to walk properly (literally stumbling on the spiritual path) and seated at the holy feet of Hari, Durga/Radha and my Guru Sivananda while doing the japa......I visualise Them watching me indulgently....as parents would affectionately watch their small child's antics.....I also sometimes imagine myself as a very small child tucked in bed with my Divine Mother Durga with Her arm around me when I wake up at night feeling disturbed and cannot go back to sleep.......many a time, I have slept very well afterwards......it is a most comforting feeling... :)
Jaya RadheShyam. Jaya SitaRam. Jaya DurgaShiva. Jaya LakshmiNarayana.
Hari Om Tat Sat
I started my third purascharana on January 24. This was a "Ravi pushya yoga" day as per vedic astrology and a good day to commence sadhana. I am doing 11 malas a day again. At this rate, it will take around 22 months to complete the purascharana (providing this is maintained with no increase/decrease in malas) so I should complete it by the end of November 2017. The next two years will be challenging with worldly activities such as buying my first home and potentially starting a family. With God's Grace, hopefully the purascharana will continue steadily in the midst of all this. I met a kind elderly monk from the local RamaKrishna centre last weekend who gave an excellent philosophical talk. Later when I met him for advice, he told me that God's Grace is the most important thing in sadhana. (Self-effort is needed to please God and bring His/Her Grace of course.)
Meanwhile I completed one month of a simple 1 mala a day Durga mantra sadhana (Om Sri Durgayai Namaha). With this I was both thanking the Goddess for giving me the grit to do regular japa in the last four years despite some very trying circumstances. I was also praying to Her to give me spiritual stamina to keep up the next purascharana. In the middle of all this, a small but interesting event took place related to house buying. My husband and I have been looking for a suitable house to purchase for the last four months. We had not really found a house we liked and we did not easily agree on all houses either which made it more tricky to select one. About three weeks ago, after another unsatisfactory viewing of a house, I went to bed feeling frustrated and decided to have a chat with the Divine Mother, in the form of Lakshmi on this issue.
As yogis, we know that Mother Lakshmi represents far more than the crude material wealth that people often worship Her for; She represents all virtues, all blessedness and auspiciousness and also spiritual wealth. She is the embodiment of every good quality. I generally prefer to worship Her as Radha rather than Lakshmi, as I somehow feel I am praying for money whether I worship Her as Lakshmi. This is because of social conditioning; because of growing up in Delhi where "Lakshmi" and wealth are virtually synonymous. I like material comfort as much as anyone else but I know this can be an impediment on the spiritual path. I don't know what secret material desires my mind may harbour (only She knows and can destroy these) but I don't like asking Her for wealth generally, especially as She has already provided quite enough to live comfortably.
Anyway on this occasion, I broke with my tradition and worshipped Lakshmi as Lakshmi, the Giver of material wealth. I said Mother, I need to buy a house- it will be used for both spiritual and material purposes. You have made me a 'house-holder', now please provide a house! If You had wanted me to take sannyasa, then You should have organised this instead of getting me married. Please help me because this house-buying business is really dull (I was fed up of viewing endless houses) and I also feel this process is a serious distraction in my sadhana (was very time consuming). Please let it be over soon!
But let me successful in this house buying only if You ultimately feel this is the right thing for me....I may ask You for all sorts of things, but please only grant what I ask if You agree....because You are wiser than me and always want what is truly good for me....(I like the principle of this prayer in many other situations too....Thy Will be done seems the safe thing to say...one prays that one may say this sincerely)....
The next day, I came across an advertisement online of a rather nice house on a popular website used to sell houses in this country. My husband and I went to view it that weekend. It was of a moderate size and adequate for our needs (not too large/small), a good commute to work for both of us, and in a good neighbourhood. For once there was no argument at all and we agreed it was the right house and that we should put in an offer to purchase it. There were other interested buyers who also made offers for the property; however the seller decided to accept our offer. We are now in the process of the legal and financial arrangements for the sale. So I really feel that Mother Lakshmi answered my prayer to help with the tedious business of house buying! Hope the sale goes through successfully now (can take 2-3 months for the legal process) and the place becomes a house of true tapas.
Coming back to the purascharana, I am continuing to do this verbally (will also consider doing a small amount mentally as I would like to develop this ability). The RamaKrishna Swami said the key thing is faith in the mantra. He said it was fine to do it verbally and visualise the deity in the heart as I am doing. He also said I should not put myself under any pressure to do mental japa and just do whatever feels natural and comfortable.
I also told him I did not like the word "house-holder" at all as this phrase makes me feel spiritually doomed! (Many books by yogis appear to say Sannyasis are first class spiritualists while the householder is merely a second class spiritual citizen who probably won't get far in spiritual life).
I said surely spiritual life should be about one's state of mind (how much it thinks of God) and not about labels like "Swami" and "householder".
Personally I feel that success lies in choosing the path God wants for us, be it sannayasa or house-holdership. If everyone who took up the life of sannyasa and householdership, said O God, Thy will be done- let me do this only if You think it's the right path for me, the world would probably be full of much more happy sannyasis and householders today (Rather than Swamis who fall from their pedestals due to various scandals, and householders who are constantly stressed and miserable). Because God would be standing by us in our path of Sannyasa and householdership.
The venerable Swami agreed with me and said not to see myself as a "householder" or bother with titles such as "householder" or "Swami". He advised me to simply see myself as a "child of God". This pleased me greatly as I already have this feeling and am happy to cultivate it further. While doing japa, I often like to visualise myself aged two and unable to walk properly (literally stumbling on the spiritual path) and seated at the holy feet of Hari, Durga/Radha and my Guru Sivananda while doing the japa......I visualise Them watching me indulgently....as parents would affectionately watch their small child's antics.....I also sometimes imagine myself as a very small child tucked in bed with my Divine Mother Durga with Her arm around me when I wake up at night feeling disturbed and cannot go back to sleep.......many a time, I have slept very well afterwards......it is a most comforting feeling... :)
Jaya RadheShyam. Jaya SitaRam. Jaya DurgaShiva. Jaya LakshmiNarayana.
Hari Om Tat Sat
Ha ha ha.. “You have made me a 'house-holder', now please provide a house! If You had wanted me to take sannyasa, then You should have organised this instead of getting me married.” Ha ha how you blackmail mother! Well I too apply that kind of principle in prayers in many situations..Mother do whatever is right for me, give me this if it keeps me on the right path and so on.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations for finding your new house. May you all be blessed with peace and happiness and whoever enters your house finds an indescribable calm and peace and it truly becomes a house of tapas.
When it comes to you, I try not to give any suggestions or advice because I have always felt that you are really on a very high pedestal when it comes to spirituality (otherwise also), beyond my suggestions but as is my wont main chup nahi rahunga… I would suggest..please don’t get offended but I’ll suggest anyway..ha ha.. that you please do mental japa as well and if possible devote more time to mental japa, ok try doing it for 2-3 months..only mental japa and if u feel bored etc then do only 2 or 3 percent of verbal japa..but as the RamaKrishna Swami rightly said that you should not put yourself under any pressure to do mental japa and just do whatever feels natural and comfortable. :)
Well whatever you decide, lots of wishes to you for undertaking third puruscharan.
And don’t be bothered about tags of house holder etc.. we all are at the best place we could possibly be and our situation in life is apt for us at any given moment.
And I’m inspired by your visualizations, will try to bring more of that in my life too. Thank you..
Hey I couldn’t get that movie on Paramhansa Yogananda, it’s not available in India.
And thanks for continuing your blog..
Well sometimes Dharmesh ji, one just has to blackmail the Mother...and occasionally She kindly agrees to give in too! ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind advice and good wishes also....I will do mental japa. But I would like to share with you the reason why I cannot do mental japa of Om Namo Narayanaya for long periods.
I can repeat "Om Sri Durgayai Namah" or "Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah" or other mantras comfortably in my mind at a normal steady pace. But when I try to repeat the "Om Namo Narayanaya" mantra mentally- my mind freezes. It become very very slow.
In my mind, I say Om...Na..Mo...Na..Ra..Ya..Na...Ya. Literally pronouncing every syllable very slowly and carefully. I cannot do it any faster (even if I want). So I can do maybe 3-4 repetitions in one minute! I'm not kidding. I can't even hear the "Ra" sound that clearly in my mind. This is an issue that I have mainly with my Guru mantra (not so much with other mantras). So you can imagine how long it would take to do 11 malas a day at this slow pace!
I don't know why I am like this with this mantra. It may be that I am subconsciously paranoid about hearing the sound of each syllable clearly and audibly in my mind that I naturally slow down.
The yogis also say the mantra should be repeated slowly in the mind because the whole idea is to slow down the oscillating rapid thought waves in and then get a glimpse of Reality/God experience in between the thoughts...so may be my slow mental japa is not a bad thing. Interestingly, the RamaKrishna monk told me to do very slow japa....well, if I do it mentally, that's how it has to be anyway...maybe aside from you, this is another hint from the Universe to do more mental japa! :)
So in a nutshell, what I can practically do at present, is 10.5 malas a day of verbal japa, and then spend may be spend 20 minutes doing just 1/2 mala! This is the only way my purascharana will work- but I'm happy to give it a try. :)
Are you doing only mental japa btw? I guess you are...lucky boy that you can do it! How is your purascharana going- are you still heroically keeping up the two hours a day? :) Two hours of mental japa a day is seriously impressive...you are the one who is a spiritually rapidly advancing soul here!
Btw here is the link for the Yogananda movie free online...(hope it works there too)....
http://gowatchit.com/movies/awake-the-life-of-yogananda-269927
Hi Vishnupriya,
ReplyDeleteI request you to please don’t call me Dharmesh ji, age I think should not be the criteria for commanding such respect.
Of course, you must be kidding, 3-4 repetitions in a minute, that is beyond my comprehending abilities. I agree, when I do mental japa, sometimes it gets very slow, almost stagnant and yes, I feel that is the state which is to be aspired for but in the zest for chanting the mantra, we tend to forego that beautiful state. I am also in agreement with you regarding this particular mantra, though it seems quite innocuous, small and easy, it is difficult to chant mentally. I too am able to chant other mantras, rather difficult ones with ease, even Mahamrityunjay mantra but this one is a bit tough one.
Thanks for considering to do a mental japa for a while daily. As for me, I’m doing mental japa most of the time but also do verbal japa at times, nothing fixed as such. Yes, I’m indeed lucky that I came across you, now I don’t believe in coincidences, but it’s amazing how I started my puruscharan..i was planning to start a mantra japa for some material benefit and was looking for an appropriate mantra with that aim in mind when I happened to read your blog and without wasting much time I decided to recite your mantra and that too for puruscharan..
You know, i always imagined/visualised that if I have to really ask for some material thing from Mother, like if Mother says I’ll fulfill your wish, ask anything you want, then I always , always fail to ask any material thing and always ask for her blessings for spiritual endeavours, moksha and all..and after reading your blog I instantly decided I’ll recite this mantra..will think about material things later on..ha ..ha..
About my puruscharan, yes it’s going good, I’m doing 15 malas in the morning and 15 in the evening irrespective of the time, sometimes it takes more than hour and sometimes less. At times i feel like skipping but I’m continuing, thank God! One day we had to attend a family function and it got so late in the night that I did my evening japa at 03:00 in the morning and then morning wala I did at 07:00 am ..so, God is helping me out and then I have you to look up to, my one and only spiritual Guru..
And thanks for the link for Yogananda video, but it didn’t work here.
Hi Dharmesh,
DeleteI used the "ji" suffix more in a friendly manner actually, not so much in a formal respectful way. ;) (Unless you are at least 20 years older than me in which case I should have used it as a mark of respect!).
However now, having heard of the intense nature of your tapas, and that too for non-materialistic pure spiritual desires only, the suffix "ji" seems very appropriate to use for you. :)
I am really pleased to have encountered a person so enthusiastic about japa and purascharana. It motivates me to keep going too! Definitely God is powering your sadhana - may He/She ever keep you moving forward on the spiritual path. Btw God Him/Herself is your one and only true Guru as I'm sure you already know- I am merely a fellow traveler on the spiritual path.
Now hope you don't mind my checking a few things as your well-wisher...
Firstly, it is highly commendable that you finish your daily japa come what may- but please ensure you get adequate sleep - 4 hours sleep as a one-off is okay, but probably best not to do this too often- don't burn out and become sleep-deprived as it's not good for physical, mental and spiritual health (Krishna advises moderation in sleep and food in the Gita).
Another thing that I hope you don't mind my checking....hope your wife/children are getting to spend enough time with you in the midst of all this intense tapas. Again it is excellent that you are doing this sadhana with such dedication, and I am sure your and the family will benefit greatly from this. However, in my view, it is important to make family feel loved and wanted while sadhana is ongoing. I'm sure you are spending time with family in addition to sadhana but thought I would ask. :) How is your childrens' tapas going btw?
May God and Guru's blessings always be with you and your family.
HI Vishnupriya,
ReplyDeletePlease, I don't mind you advising me or checking my progress etc..in fact i'm happy that i have such a spiritual aspirant who is there to keep a check on my sadhana. Thanks for that and please do say your mind on whatever you feel like saying or think that i am doing anything wrong.
Yes, I do ensure that i take proper sleep cos i cannot do without sleep, :) i have lot of tamoguna present in me at present..
About your good intention and well meaning advice for spending quality time with my family, i would say that i'm a very selfish person and i do things mostly for myself and happiness for me constitutes of time with my family. After work it is only family for me besides the japa period and we make sure that we stay together in whatever we do as far as possible. By God's grace we get sufficient time to engage in happy moments. It felt good that you asked, and children are doing good, 5 malas everyday. I'm not forcing them or guiding them much, i think time will take its own course and God would guide and direct as and when required. No hurry...THe main thing was to make them start :)
Thanks for the blessings and May you and your family stay blessed always.
Waise we all are a part of one big family only..:)
Hi Dharmesh,
DeleteVery glad to hear that you are taking care of all things alongside sadhana, including sleep and enough family time. Also, absolutely wonderful to hear that your children are doing daily japa 5 malas a day. Really excellent.
I'm sure this practice will stand them in very good stead. I agree with you that God will definitely guide them. You're giving your kids a 'direct hotline' to the Supreme Parent in the form of japa)- that is always very handy when dealing with the ups and downs of life...best gift you could give. :)
And yes I also agree also that we are all one large world family. :)
Thank you for the kind blessings.