Buddha: the embodiment of compassion

Hari Aum.

Today I would like to share my views on the Buddha. I have been watching a television series on the Buddha and feel inspired to write something about him.

My first contact with Buddhism was about 14 years ago (before I discovered my Guru Sivananda) when I read the Tibetan book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche. This book greatly increased my interest in spiritual life.

Later, on the recommendation of a friend, I did the ten day Vipassana meditation course- this involves 10 days of complete silence while doing Vipassana concentration for around 10 hours a day. (Although I was about 21 years of age, sitting for 10 hours a day was no easy task physically- everything ached afterwards!). During the course, the teachers told us that we must exert ourselves to walk on the spiritual path. They said we must walk every step of way ourselves- there is nobody outside us ultimately who can help us. This message had a profound impact on me.

After the course, the teachers told us we must continue to meditate using the Vipassana method for at least two hours daily. I was a medical student at the time- I managed to find time for this (two hours a day seemed easy after the pain of sitting 10 hours a day!). I continued this practice until I discovered my Guru Sivananda- then I switched to mantra meditation, which I have stayed with ever since.

Coming  back to the Buddha and his teaching, who was the Buddha? There are many views. Some have no faith in him, they say he was an ordinary man. Others say he was an incarnation of Vishnu who was born to mislead asuras. Still others say he was an extraordinary being, a great world Teacher, a being of supreme compassion, an embodiment of love and wisdom. My opinion is the third of these- I regard him as a great Teacher, a great inspiration, an embodiment of love and goodness.

I was going to write a full piece on him, then I thought, let me first see what my Guru Sivananda had to say about the Buddha. I found some articles by him on the Buddha, and was delighted to find that my Guru's thoughts and feelings about the Buddha exactly match my own.

Therefore instead of writing my views on the Buddha, I will share my Guru's views here (see links below).

http://www.dlshq.org/saints/buddha.htm

http://www.dlshq.org/religions/buddhism.htm


I will simply summarise the views of my Guru here in my own words and based on my own feelings.

Buddha was a great being. He was born a prince, but renounced everything and became a hermit. He knew that true wealth lay within not outside. He abandoned home and pleasures, he practiced austerity, the middle path, and attained the spiritual goal of life which he called Nirvana.

His message was simple- he said that one should not waste time in pointless arguments such as "Is there a God or not?" "Why does this world exist?" etc. He said that life is short, and there is no time for useless arguments which do not lead one anywhere. 

Instead of arguing, he said one should exert and find out the truth oneself before the body dies- this will lead to eternal bliss and freedom from suffering.

The method prescribed to discover the truth of life onself is basically two steps:
1. Purify the mind
2. Meditate with the pure mind

All mystics from all spiritual traditions ultimately advise the above two steps as the way to realise the Truth and thus experience eternal bliss, and freedom from suffering. So did the Buddha.

The noble eightfold path:

For purification of mind, the Buddha prescribed the noble eightfold path. This is as follows:

1. Right views: having proper understanding of this world, including the suffering in life and the law of karma
2. Right aspiration: having a firm desire to come out of suffering, to attain the spiritual goal of  life
3. Right speech: purity in speech. i.e. speech that is truthful and non-violent
4. Right action: purity in action, i.e. action that is based on non-violence (ahimsa) and control of the senses (brahmacharya)
5. Right livelihood: doing work that is ethical in nature, based on principles of non-violence and truthfulness
6. Right effort: making a genuine and sincere effort to control the mind, to increase pure and sublime thoughts in the mind, and to eliminate negative impure thoughts- working to refine the mind and render it fit for meditation.
7. Right mindfulness:  becoming aware of the activity of the body and mind without associating the 'I' with them, observing them as a witness (sakshi bhav)
8. Right concentration or meditation: having attained purity of mind through practice of the above seven steps, the sharp and pure mind is in an ideal state to concentrate and thus pass naturally into the state of meditation. Meditation then leads to nirvana (or samadhi), the state of direct realisation of the spiritual truths of life.

(Note- yogis say you cannot make yourself meditate. You can make the mind concentrate, and then meditation can happen. It is the same with sleep. You cannot make your mind sleep. You can go to bed, turn off the light, make yourself comfortable and create an environment in which sleep can happen. It is the same with meditation. A pure mind that can concentrate well, creates an environment in which meditation can happen. And when meditation happens, samadhi can happen).

Self-effort or Purushartha:

One of the key messages of the Buddha that I love the most, aside from the non-violence and compassion, is the emphasis on self-effort. What the yogis call 'purushartha'.

In the Dhammpada, the collection of sayings of the Buddha, the Buddha says:

"Just as a fletcher straightens an arrow shaft, even so the discerning man straightens his mind — so fickle and unsteady, so difficult to guard."

"Wisdom never becomes perfect in one whose mind is not steadfast, who knows not the Good Teaching and whose faith wavers."

"By oneself one must censure oneself and scrutinize oneself. The self-guarded and mindful monk will always live in happiness."

"One is one's own protector, one is one's own refuge. Therefore, one should control oneself, even as a trader controls a noble steed."

"Exert yourself, O holy man! Cut off the stream (of craving), and discard sense desires. Knowing the destruction of all the conditioned things, become, O holy man, the knower of the Uncreated (Nibbana)!"

Here is a link to the Dhammapada, a most excellent and practical manual for spiritual practice:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.intro.budd.html

My Guru Sivananda also emphasised the importance of self-effort. He used to say "Do not say 'Karma (destiny), karma, my karma has brought me this'",

He said: 
"Exert, exert. Do purushartha (self-effort). Do tapas (austerity). Concentrate. Purify. Meditate. Do not become a fatalist. Do not yield to inertia (tamas)."

"Do not bleat like a lamb. Roar Om, Om, Om like a lion of Vedanta". 

A lot of people think that a Guru or God outside them is going to give them salvation. The Buddha and the yogis say otherwise.

They all say that Truth, God, whatever you want to call it, is within us. If you cannot find Truth in yourself, you will not find it anywhere- so said my Guru and many other Gurus.

Finally, the Buddha was the embodiment of compassion, of kindness. These qualities are the basis of spiritual life. He was born at a time when people troubled each other in the  name of caste and other divisions, when people killed animals in the name of sacrifices to God. He tried to put an end to these heinous and evil practices by declaring the importance of ahimsa or non-violence as the basis of a moral and spiritual life. 

Hail to the Buddha, the master who commanded his disciples to work for self-realisation instead of expecting somebody else to hand this to them on a platter. Hail to the embodiment of ahimsa (non-violence) and karuna (compassion).

During the Vipassana course we said the following to affirm our commitment to live the noble life outlined by the Buddha, to experience ourselves the truth of his teachings, and I will conclude by saying this now:

Buddham sharanam gacchami
Dhammam sharanam gacchami
Sangham sharanam gacchami

This means:
In Buddha, I take refuge
In Dharma, I take refuge
In the spiritual community, I take refuge.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Method of worship of the Divine Mother: Sivananda's advice

Hari Aum.

There are many great spiritual traditions dedicated to worshipping the Divine Mother. Here I am presenting the advice of my Guru Swami Sivananda regarding this subject.

Sivananda says about the Divine Mother:

"The Mother’s Grace is boundless. Her mercy is illimitable; Her knowledge infinite; Her power immeasurable; Her glory ineffable; and Her splendour indescribable. She gives you material prosperity as well as spiritual freedom."

Sivananda says that, in some ways, the devotee can feel close to God more easily when worshipping God as Mother, rather than as Father. He says this is because, even in ordinary human life, mothers are perceived as being more lenient and forgiving whereas fathers are supposedly stricter and more distant.

He was a follower of Advaita Vedanta philosophy (non-dualism) established by Adi Shankaracharya. This philosophy says that all is God.

My Guru's method of worship of the Divine Mother is based on this philosophy. This says that while God is One, there are many forms of God, all of which are equal. One can attain God by worshipping any form of one's liking. The Goddess is one such wonderful form of the Supreme Being, and by worshipping Her, one can attain the supreme goal of spiritual life.

My Guru's method of worship of the Divine Mother is simple (there are no fancy rituals or exotic practices here). The path he advises is basically centred around mantra japa.  Because he himself was a japa yogi (he attained realisation through japa of the dwadashakshari mantra of Krishna). He says that one should worship the Divine Mother through intense japa and attain Her grace which leads to liberation.

The mantras for Goddess worship advised by Sivananda (written in his book 'Japa yoga') are:

1. For Durga: Om Sri Durgayai Namah
2. For Lakshmi: Om Sri Maha- Lakshmyai Namah
3. For Sarasvati: Om Sri Sarasvatyai Namah
4. For Kali: Om Sri Kalikayai Namah.
5. For TripuraSundari: Om Sri Tripura-Sundaryai Namah
6. For BalaParameshwari: Om Sri Bala-Parameshwaryai Namah
7. For  Gayatri: Om bhur bhuvah swaha, Tat savitur varenyam, Bhargo devasya dhimahi, Dhi yoyo nah prachodayat.

He says one should sit for japa in a room, or corner of a room, specially designated for this purpose. One should create an altar and place a picture of the Divine Mother on it. One should sit facing East or North during the daytime (and face North only at night. This applies to all sadhana to all deities for spiritual progress). This enhances the power of the japa. One should sit on the ground on a mat or cloth made of cotton, wool or silk as this is said to preserve body electricity. (As silk production involves violence -killing the silk worms by boiling in water etc- I avoid using this and personally prefer a woolen mat with a folded cotton sheet spread over it).

Then he says that one should light a lamp and burn incense prior to starting the japa as an offering to the Goddess and to create a sacred atmosphere. As kumkum is dear to the Goddess (as tulasi is to Vishnu and bhasmam/sacred ash is dear to Shiva), this should be offered to Her if possible. He says one can worship Her external picture or perform mental worship by visualising Her within the ajna chakra (space between the eyebrows) or anahata chakra (centre of the chest, heart chakra).

Sivananda also says that a crystal or sphatika mala is traditionally used when doing japa of Goddess mantras (though one can also use a rudraksha or tulasi mantra if desired).

He advises that spiritual aspirants keen on attaining liberation through worship of the Divine Mother should take up japa of one of the above mantras and do this regularly.

He advises extended japa practices such as an anushthana of 125,000 recitations or a purascharana of more recitations (similar to worship of other deities). He advises that the japa be continued until adequate purification is attained and the devotee obtains Darshan/vision of the Divine Mother and Her grace.

He also advises that the Goddess should be worshipped with recitation of the Devi Mahatmyam, Lalita Sahasranama and so on as per the devotee's ability. As a minimum, daily japa of one of Her mantras should be done. During Navaratri, he advises recitation of the Navarna mantra as much as possible.

In terms of the attitude with which to approach the Divine Mother, Sivananda says:

"Approach Her with an open heart. Lay bare your heart to Her with frankness and humility. Be as simple as a child. Kill ruthlessly the enemies of egoism, cunningness, selfishness and crookedness. Make a total, unreserved, and ungrudging self-surrender to Her. Sing Her praise. Repeat Her Name. Worship Her with faith and unflinching devotion."

"Perform special worship on the Navaratri days. Navaratri is the most suitable occasion for doing intense spiritual practices. These nine days are very sacred to the Divine Mother. Plunge yourself in Her worship. Practice intense repetition of the Divine Name, having a regular “quota” of repetitions per day, and the number of hours spent on it."

https://www.divyajivan.org/navaratri/durga%20puja.htm

He also says:

"Offer to Goddess Durga the animal nature, the Pashu, of your inner evil traits of passion, anger and greed.  Do not kill animals of the external world in the name of Balidana to the Goddess.  She wants your animal-man within. No Himsa (violence) should be committed on the excuse that it is for the Devi. You have no right or justification to hurt any living creature for whatever reason."

"Ahimsa (non-violence) should be free from all exemptions whether pertaining to class, place, time or circumstance.  Ahimsa is universal vow to be practiced absolutely.  No worship, no prayer, no act whatsoever in life can justify injury.  Even self-protection cannot justify murder.  You have to stick to the rule of universal love to the best of your ability, to the utmost extent possible.  The offering of the self, the surrender of the ego to the Divinity is the supreme sacrifice.  Nothing is superior to it.  Nothing can be equal to it.  This is the most exalted form of Divine worship."

https://www.divyajivan.org/articles/siva/devi_worship.htm 

My Guru, though himself a practitioner of Vedantic sadhana, also had great respect for another tradition of worshipping the Goddess- the way of Tantra. Both ways are said to be equally effective. I am sharing his article on 'Tantra yoga' below- this dispels a number of myths and misunderstandings surrounding the practice of Tantra that are prevalent today. Please note that he emphasises the absolute need for a Guru before embarking on this path.

He says: "The Tantra is, in some of its aspects, a secret doctrine. It is a Gupta Vidya. You cannot learn it from the study of books. You will have to get the knowledge and practice from the practical Tantrikas, the Tantric Acharyas and Gurus who hold the key to it."

"Yoga should be learnt from a Guru (spiritual preceptor). And this is true all the more in the case of Tantra Yoga. It is the Guru who will recognise the class to which the aspirant belongs and prescribe suitable Sadhana."

"The Tantric student must be endowed with purity, faith, devotion, dedication to Guru, dispassion, humility, courage, cosmic love, truthfulness, non-covetousness, and contentment. Absence of these qualities in the practitioner means a gross abuse of Saktism."

"Tantra Yoga is the saving wisdom. It is the marvellous boat which takes man safely to the other shore of fearlessness, immortality, freedom, and perfection, when practised with understanding under personal guidance of well-established Tantric Guru."

http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/tantrayoga.htm

Om Sri Durgayai Namah.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

How to choose a mantra to attain God

Hari Aum.

According to yogis, the great purpose of life is God realisation. Various traditions describe this state as a state of ineffable peace, bliss, wisdom, devotion to God and so on.

One of the great methods to attain God is though the practice of mantra recitation or japa. The first step is the selection of a suitable mantra. I will discuss this topic here. My views are based on that of my Guru Swami Sivananda.

The first thing to say is that a mantra itself is the deity. Mantra is devata. Therefore a mantra should be treated with the same respect as the deity it signifies. One should not casually start a little mantra practice, then discard the mantra and take up another, and keep changing mantras.  This shows an unstable mind and a disrespectful attitude to sadhana. One needs to approach the mantra with appropriate respect, understanding of its greatness and devotion. This is the key to success.

When it comes to attaining God through mantra japa, the Gurus say one should stick to one mantra alone. One should therefore ensure that one chooses the right mantra for oneself.

I have outlined some ways of selecting the right mantra for oneself below based on the Sivananda tradition.

Spiritual tradition:

The first question is whether or not one's spiritual tradition allows one to select one's mantra.

In some spiritual traditions, the Guru selects the mantra for the disciple. The disciple is not allowed to choose his/her mantra here. For example, this is the case in the Ramakrishna tradition.

In other traditions, such as that of my Guru Sivananda, the disciple can choose their mantra if they wish. But if they do not want to choose their own mantra, they can request the Guru to choose this for them.
Generally however, in the Sivananda tradition, the disciple chooses the mantra and then requests initiation into this.

So, if one does not yet have a Guru, or one belongs to a tradition where one can choose one's mantra, the following steps can be followed to choose a suitable mantra:

Two types of moksha mantras:

There are two broad types of moksha mantras. Those to God without form (nirguna) or with form (saguna). Both are equally effective and lead to the same goal.

A full list of nirguna and saguna mantras suitable for attainment of moksha is given at the end of this page (this list is as per my Guru Sivananda).

The first step to choose a mantra for attainment of moksha or God-realisation is to ask yourself which of these two aspects of God you prefer- nirguna or saguna.

Nirguna mantras:

If you prefer to worship the formless God, then suitable nirguna mantras for meditation include:

1. Om Soham (Soham means I am He)
2.  Om Tat Tvam Asi (Tat Tvam Asi means That Thou Art- is from the Upanisads)
3. Om Aham Brahma Asmi (Aham Brahma Asmi means I am Brahman)

Om is the Universal mantra. Its meaning cannot be described. It represents everything the mind can imagine and beyond. It is the essence of Brahman.

Saguna mantras:

 If you prefer saguna mantras, then before you can choose your mantra, you need to choose the deity. To identify the deity, follow the following steps:

1. The easiest way is to ask yourself who your favourite deity is. Is there a form of God that you like the most? If yes, choose a mantra of this form. See below on how to select a specific mantra.

2. If you do not have a favourite form, consider which form of God you appeal to when in distress. My Guru says this gives a clue as to which form of the Divine you worshipped in past lifetimes.  For example, when you are in pain and distress, if you say "Shiva" , this tells you that you probably worshipped Him in past lifetimes and His mantra will be suitable for you.

3. If neither of the above two options apply to you, then there are two further options:

i) Consult an astrologer who can tell you your 'ishta devata' from your birth chart. The ishta devata, is the form of God whose worship can take one to moksha. It is possible to see this from the birth chart.

ii) If you have a Guru in whom you have absolute faith and trust, you can consult them and ask them to select your mantra for you.

The sound of the mantra:

Now that you have chosen whether you want to worship the nirguna or saguna God, the next step is simple.

Basically, you have to find a mantra of the aspect of God you have chosen whose sound you really like.

You need a mantra whose sound you could be happy repeating all day every day. Because the key to success in mantra sadhana is regularity. Mantra japa is a direct path to God, especially for kali yuga, but it still takes time (not a day or two). It can take years of regular practice to attain God. And you will be spending a lot of time with your mantra to attain God through it.

Therefore you need a mantra that you can fall in love with, whose sound makes you joyful, whose sound evokes certain spiritual feelings in you, whose sound you will never get tired of hearing.

So this is the key: you should really like the sound of the mantra you choose.

Every deity has many mantras. E.g. For Krishna there is 'Om Sri Krishnaya Namah', 'Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya', or 'Om Sri Krishna Sharanam Mamah', and the famous maha mantra- Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare.

So for example, if you have decided you want a Krishna mantra, you should find some suitable mantras of His such as those described above, and then say each one aloud a few times. See which one feels the best for you to say.

If one mantra does not immediately stand out as your favourite, then take a few weeks or even months, to identify your favourite mantra.
Spend time doing a few malas of japa of some mantras and work out which one feels most natural, makes you most happy when repeating it. Then go for that mantra.


Mantra initiation or mantra diksha:

Once you decide you love a particular mantra, you should consider taking mantra initiation from a Guru. Guru is a very important requirement on the spiritual path. A true Guru is one who has attained God and will be your guide on your journey to God. He/She is a manifestation of God.

Mantra initiation is a very important step. My Guru says that an indescribable change happens deep inside the person who is initiated, whether or not they are aware of it.

But you should only take mantra initiation once you are absolutely sure about your commitment to the Guru and the mantra. Because initiation creates a deep and eternal link between you, your Guru, the mantra and the deity of the mantra.

At the time of initiation, your Guru sows the mantra in you, transmits a part of his/her shakti to you.

After initiation, it is said you are holding a chain which is the mantra- at one end is you, at the other end is God. This 'chain' of mantra, will lead you to God. It is to be revered. This link between you and the mantra and Guru is for lifetimes until you attain God. It is not for one lifetime only.

Once you choose your Guru and your mantra, and take initiation in the mantra from the Guru, you should never abandon the Guru or the mantra. This is the secret of success in spiritual life.

Abandoning recitation of a mantra after initiation is tantamount to insulting the mantra and the deity- this should not be done. If you are not sure about the mantra, do not get initiated, but just repeat it for a while without initiation and see how things go. Later if you feel sure about the mantra, you can take initiation.

So take your time in selecting the deity, the mantra and the Guru. All these three play a vital role in your attainment of moksha or God-realisation. It is therefore essential that you make the right choice for yourself.

If you have not yet found a Guru you have absolute faith in, you can simply start repeating the mantra without initiation. This also has a tremendous effect. When the time is right, the Guru will appear in your life and you will be able to get initiation in your chosen mantra.

Mantra purascharana:

Once you have chosen a mantra, and obtained initiation or diksha, traditionally the Guru asks that you perform a purascharana to 'activate' or establish the mantra in your being.

In practical terms, a purascharana is an extended mantra practice, so by doing this, you learn to integrate the mantra into your daily life.

You develop a habit of repeating the mantra daily. A certain amount of purification of character and spiritual development also takes place with the completion of purascharana.

More important than reaching a certain number of recitations, is the devotional feeling and concentration of mind with which it is done.

See the article on 'How to do mantra purascharana ' for further details on this practice.


Some final points:

My Guru Sivananda says that:
-Bija mantras should not be repeated unless one is advised to by a Guru.
-Sri Vidya mantras such as panchadashakshara and shodashakshara should be learned from a Guru and recited under their guidance only. One should never start reciting these on one's own without a Guru.

Most deity mantras will not cause harm even if mispronounced (see below). However bija and Sri Vidya mantras can cause harm if mispronounced. Furthermore, these mantras can rapidly awaken energies in one's being that one is not ready to handle, before one has reached the necessary purity of character. This can cause significant mental and physical health issues.

-Mantras such as Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namo Narayanaya, Om Sri Durgayai Namah etc can be chanted safely with or without a Guru. These mantras cause no harm even if mispronounced. Although devotional feeling is more important than perfect pronunciation, one should learn to pronounce the mantra correctly as far as possible as this maximises the benefits of chanting.

A complete list of moksha mantras advised by my Guru Sivananda: 

These mantras are moksha mantras that lead to God realisation. (They can also be chanted for material gain if that is what one wishes). As per my Guru, these are perfectly safe to chant even if one has not yet found one's Guru. Mispronunciation of these mantras will do no harm. Recitation of these mantras creates spiritual merit, cleanses body and mind, destroys negative karma, develops devotion and takes one to God:

• Lord Krishna:
  • Maha-Mantra :
    Hare Rama Hare Rama
    Rama Rama Hare Hare
    Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
    Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
  • Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
  • Om Sri Krishnaya Govindaya Gopijana Vallabhaya Namah
  • Om Sri Krishnaya Namah 

• Sri Devi:
  • Om Sri Durgayai Namah 
   
• Lord Ganapati:
  • Om Sri Ganapataye Namah 
   
• Sri Hanuman:
  • Om Sri Hanumate Namah 
   
• Lord Hari:
  • Om Namo Narayanaya (Ashtakshara)
  • Hari Om
  • Hari Om Tat Sat 
   
• Jugal (Combined) Mantra:
  • Sita Ram
  • Radhe Shyam
  • Radhe Krishna
   
• Sri Kalika:
  • Om Sri Kalikayai Namah
   
• Sri Lakshmi:
  • Om Sri Maha-Lakshmyai Namah
   
• Lord Shiva:
  • Maha-Mrityunjaya Mantra:
    Om tryambakam yajamahe
    sugandhim pushtivardhanam
    uurvarukamiva bandhanaan
    mrityor mukshiya maamritaat. 
  • Om Namah Shivaya (Panchakshara)
   

• Lord Rama:
  • Om Sri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram
  • Om Sri Ramaya Namah
  • Sri Rama Rama Rameti,
    Rame Rame Manorame
    Sahasranama Tattulyam Rama Nama Varanane
  • Om Sri Sita-Ramachandradhyam Namah
  • Sri Ram
   
• Sri Saraswathi:
  • Om Sri Sarasvatyai Namah
   
• Lord Subramanya, Kartikeya:
  • Om Sri Saravanabhavaya Namah
   
• Sharangati Mantra (for surrender):
  • Om Sri Ramah Sharanam Mama
  • Om Sri Krishnah Sharanam Mama
  • Om Sri Sita-Ramah Sharanam Mama
   
• Sharada:
  • Om Sri Bala-Parameshvaryai Namah
   
• Tripurasundari:
  • Om Sri Tripura-Sundaryai Namah
   
• Vedantic Formulae:
  • Om Soham
  • Om Tat Tvam Asi
  • Om Aham Brahma Asmi

See below for a link to my Guru Sivananda's book called 'Japa yoga'. It has every detail needed for mantra japa practice. It has an even more detailed list of mantras for moksha than that provided above (see pages 54-55 for mantras in Sanskrit, and pages 59-60 for the same mantras written in English).

http://gurudevsivananda.org/japa.pdf

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Choosing an auspicious day to start sadhana: Vedic astrology advice

Hari Aum.

In this post I will share my understanding on how to select an auspicious day as per vedic astrology for starting any sadhana including purascharana.

Why use vedic astrology to select an auspicious day? Well, as per the rishis of ancient times, some days naturally have divine energies that support the starting of divine practices. Whereas other days have inauspicious energies that create obstacles in one's work. Starting a sadhana on an auspicious day gives one a good start and increases one's chances of completing it successfully. Starting on an inauspicious day may result in more obstacles and perhaps even being unable to complete the sadhana.

It's like a fisherman going fishing. If he is wise, he will check the weather forecast and select a pleasant sunny day with favourable winds and no rain. That maximises his chances of success. If he is foolish, he may go out fishing in gale-force winds after ignoring the weather forecast that there will be bad weather and end up in serious trouble.

Vedic astrology provides a 'weather forecast' of auspicious and inauspicous energies for different tasks including starting sadhana.

I will share with you some tips to help you start your sadhana on an auspicious day. This will help maximise success in completing it and in achieving the desired goal, while reducing the chance of obstacles as far as possible.

I will divide this advice into two parts:

1) For those with no knowledge of vedic astrology
2) For those who have some knowledge of vedic astrology

1) Let us start with those who have no knowledge of vedic astrology.

Basically, I would advice checking the link below and selecting a day with an 'auspicious yoga' (or combination of astrological factors) such as

i) Sarvartha siddhi yoga
ii) Amrita yoga
iii) Guru pushya yoga
iv) Ravi pushya yoga
v) Dwipushkar yoga
vi) Tripushkar yoga
vii) Ravi yoga
viii) Ravi pushya yoga

http://www.drikpanchang.com/yoga/yoga.html

Check the location on the website is set to the place where you are starting your sadhana. And that is simply it- you have a suitable day to start your sadhana. If you use this or a similar website to find a day with one of the above auspicious yogas, this will be adequate in giving you a good start to your sadhana. Then of course it is up to you to keep it up. For extra reassurance, you may also wish to consult an astrologer.

2) Now I will add some additional advice for those with some knowledge of vedic astrology to help fine-tune the muhurtha for commencing sadhana.

Firstly, check out this book by the famous vedic astrologer BV Raman on 'Muhurtha'- see link below. I find this book very helpful in selecting muhurthas generally.

astrologerjolly.tripod.com/muhurtha.htm

Read some key sections in this book carefully regarding the general principles of a good muhurtha including the requirements of lagna, position of the moon, chandra bala, tarabala,  auspicious yogas and factors that nullify adverse yogas.

I cannot summarise the whole book here obviously, but I will point out some key features for the muhurtha as per this book:

-Lagna and lagna lord should be strong and favourable for sadhana
-Moon should be strong and auspicious
-Benefic planets should be in kendras as far as possible
-Malefic planets should occupy houses 3, 6, 10, 11 if possible
-No planet should occupy the 8th house if possible
-Ensure a good tithi/lunar day and weekday
-Ensure a suitable nakshatra which is good for sadhana and favourable to your birth nakshatra
-Select a day which has one of the auspicious yogas mentioned above such as sarvartha siddhi yoga. This is described in chapter six of this book.
-Remember a completely perfect muhurtha cannot be had, so look for protective factors that nullify any imperfections in the muhurtha chart- these are described in chapter five of this book.
-The presence of a benefic Jupiter or other benefic planet in lagna would be excellent and will greatly strengthen the chart and nullify adverse combinations
-When choosing a muhurtha for mantra sadhana in particular, I like to ensure that 5th house of mantra and 9th house of spirituality are strong
-Check the above for both rasi and navamsa charts. You may also want to check this for the vimsamsa chart of spirituality.

To check if a particular day's nakshatra is favourable to your birth nakshatra, check the 'Tara bala' table below:

http://www.mypanchang.com/tarabalamchakra.php

Finally, I would like to mention that each day of the week is associated with a particular deity. Along with choosing a day with an auspicious yoga of planets as described above, it would be good to start the sadhana on the day of the week of the deity (but I feel this is less essential than the auspicious yoga).

 I have posted some information on deities ruling each weekday in this previous post: http://mantrayoga.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/days-for-worship-and-maha-lakshmi.html

I would also like to mention that some lunar days are sacred to certain deities:
E.g. Ekadasi (11th day of lunar fortnight) is sacred to Vishnu
Trayodashi (13th day) is sacred to Shiva
Ashtami (8th day) is sacred to Durga

So, for example, when starting a sadhana for Durga, it would be nice to choose a day with an auspicious yoga such as sarvartha siddhi yoga, which falls on Ashtami and on Friday (weekday ruled by the Goddess). On such a day, one would find a good muhurtha as described above.

If nothing else, I suggest finding a day with an auspicious yoga and that should suffice.

If the above points are followed, there is good chance of finding a good day to start sadhana which will be a great support in ensuring its successful completion. I hope this is helpful to those readers who would like to select an auspicious day to commence their sadhana.


Om Shri Gurave Namah

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Eclipse: enhancing the power of japa

Hari Aum.

There are two eclipses coming up in the next two weeks. On August 7 or 8 (depending on where you live), tomorrow, there will be a lunar eclipse. On August 21, there will be a solar eclipse.

Here is a link which gives the timings and other details regarding the eclipse:

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2017-august-7

Significance of an eclipse - a spiritual and jyotish perspective

Eclipses are given great significance in spirituality and vedic astrology. In general this period is very good for spiritual activity, and very negative for material matters.

Sivananda writes in his book 'Japa yoga': "It should be borne in mind that japa done during the time of solar or lunar eclipse will produce a tremendous effect and hence this rare opportunity should not be missed by anybody, whenever it offers itself."

Elsewhere he writes: "Those who do Japa at the time of the eclipse derive great benefits. The effect of Japa and Sankirtan during the eclipse contributes towards relieving the suffering of humanity and also of the planets. These people receive the blessings of the gods. They attain perfection quickly."

Vedic astrology states that this period is highly inauspicious for material projects such as starting a new job, signing a contract, setting off on a journey, getting married, or any other 'worldly activity'.

This is because, during an eclipse, either the sun (soul) or the moon (mind) are afflicted by one of the shadowy planets 'Rahu' or 'Ketu'. This can cause lack of clarity in thinking, decision-making, and cause emotional disturbances.

Furthermore, the eclipses take place in a particular astrological sign. While an eclipse affects everyone to some extent or another, those people are maximally affected in whose lagna/ascendant or rasi/moon sign the eclipse takes place. On a personal level, these effects may not always be negative- it depends on the nature of the individual chart- but in general, some form of change or new event can be expected relating to the house in which the eclipse takes place.

The origin of the eclipse: A puranic legend

There is an interesting ancient Puranic legend related to how the eclipse originated. The story relates to Vishnu's second avatar as a tortoise (kurma). The devas (demi-gods such as the gods of fire, sun, wind, water, etc) were weakened and afflicted by the the asuras (demonic beings). They go to Vishnu and plead for help. Vishnu advises them to seek 'amrita' or divine nectar (this makes the body strong and invincible, but does not grant immortality in the form of spiritual liberation) by churning the milky ocean. He advises them to team up with the asuras who are also keen on acquiring the amrita, as considerable effort is required for the churning.

The devas and asuras then team up and churn the ocean, using mount Meru as the churning rod, the king of serpents Vasuki as the rope, and Vishnu Himself in the form of the tortoise as the support of the churning rod. They churn for a long while, and then to their alarm, a terrible poison emerges from the ocean. The poison threatens to engulf the whole of creation and destroy everything.

At this critical moment, hearing the distressed prayers of living beings, the compassionate Lord Shiva appears. He takes up the poison and swallows it, thus preventing it from harming anyone else. His divine consort, Parvati, is determined that the poison should not enter the body of Shiva, and so stays awake all-night pressing His throat with Her hands to stop the poison descending down. She is successful and the poison remains in Shiva's throat, staining His fair skin, blue. Thus Shiva came to be known as 'Neela-kantha', the blue-throated One. (This event is also said to have lead to the annual tradition of Maha-Shivaratri, when devotees stay awake all-night worshipping Lord Shiva in a variety of ways).

The relieved devas and asuras continue churning the ocean, and now, many wonders and treasures begin to emerge one by one. A divine wish-fulfilling cow, jewels, and even the Goddess Lakshmi. On seeing Lakshmi (appear this way in this Lila, or play of God), the devas and asuras eagerly try to win Her as their wife. However, Lakshmi (symbolising auspiciousness) is the eternal wife of Vishnu (symbolising Dharma, goodness), and She chooses Him alone as Her husband. (This also symbolises the eternal truth that good fortune and happiness follows those who adhere to goodness/dharma. Good fortune and goodness are wedded together. Where there is no goodness, there ultimately will be no fortune).

The intense churning continues, and finally, at long last, there appears the God of healing and ayurveda, Dhanwantari, holding in His hand a pot with the divine nectar amrita. Seeing this, the asuras grab the pot and run off with it in haste to have it all for themselves. The gods are dismayed but Vishnu tells them not to fight the asuras but to relax and watch the play. Vishnu then assumes the form of the enchanting Goddess 'Mohini', She who deludes.

Mohini walks up to the asuras (who are squabbling among themselves as to who should get to taste the nectar first), and seeing Her wondrous beauty, the asuras are stunned and lose their ability think clearly. Mohini then sweetly offers to distribute the amrita fairly between them, and the asuras eagerly agree, thinking it would be very nice to receive the nectar from the hands of this charming lady. She also manages to persuade them to agree to the devas being given a share of the amrita.

Mohini then requests the asuras and devas to stand in two rows facing each other. She then walks between the two rows, supposedly to give the divine nectar to both the demi-gods and the demons. However, She only gives the amrita to the demi-gods and not the demons. Most of the demons are too enchanted by Her appearance to notice what She is actually doing. However one demon, realises what is happening and quietly enters the row of the demi-gods, and stands between Surya (Sun god) and Chandra (Moon god) to receive the nectar.

This demon receives the nectar and has just drunk it, when the Sun and moon gods notice his presence and raise the alarm. They inform Lord Vishnu, who promptly releases His famous discus, the Sudarshan Chakra. The whirring Chakra cuts off the head of the demon, but as he had already drunk the nectar by then, his body is now 'immortal'.

The de-capitated head becomes a living being called 'Rahu'. And the headless body, becomes a living being, called 'Ketu'. These two parts of the demon, furious with the Sun and Moon gods for informing Vishnu and leading to the de-capitation, declare their enemity to these gods.

They swear that they will cause suffering to the Sun and Moon gods, and all living beings, periodically by the phenomenon known as the 'eclipse'. During an eclipse, either Rahu or Ketu, causes suffering to the Sun or the Moon god, according to this legend. Furthemore, as the human being is a microcosm of the macrocosm, the 'eclipse' of the Sun/Moon causes corresponding disturbance and upheaval within human beings (and also other living beings).

Thus ends the story of the eclipse.

This story is said to have an esoteric meaning. The devas and asuras are two forces within us, the forces of good and evil in our minds, which are ever doing battle. During an eclipse, the forces of evil try to overcome those of good, and therefore this time is especially conducive to spiritual practices which call upon the Supreme Being for protection and deliverance.

The churning of the ocean is also said by some to be a metaphor for meditation. When one 'churns' the mind or meditates, often the first thoughts that arise may be negative (anger, fear, and other suppressed emotions)- this represents the 'poison' in the story. But if one patiently continues one's efforts, later 'treasures' emerge from the ocean of the mind, such as peace, bliss, wisdom, virtue and feeling the presence of the divine. And finally, realisation of the immortal nature of one's being, 'amrita' is obtained.

World peace and the eclipse

As per the advice of my Guru Sivananda, I plan to take the opportunity of the eclipse tomorrow to do some extra sadhana. This will be for my own spiritual progress and also for the reduction of suffering on this planet and for world peace.

Eclipses are regarded as having a negative impact on global events generally. While the eclipse affects the entire Earth, those areas where the shadow of an eclipse falls are believed to be more affected. As always, it is important to remember that vedic astrology does not say that planets and their shadows are the cause of human problems. Astrology states that the planets merely indicate the good and bad karma that is to come. An eclipse is generally an indication of upcoming negative karma to be experienced.

With various people predicting a third world war in the near future (and the alarming negative attitudes of some world leaders and violent religious groups), it is vital that we all pray to God for peace. The saints say that prayers and mantras work, and frankly, I feel we don't exactly have any other better alternatives than to believe them and give it a try.

To accept that war and nuclear destruction is inevitable, and feel hopeless, is giving in to asuric negative thinking. A war may happen if God wills it, and then we will have to accept it. But until then, we must do our duty as per the saints, and pray, do japa, kirtan etc to our utmost ability to reduce the possibility of such a war.

There is already much suffering, particularly in some countries, on this planet. We already have a serious duty to pray for the relief of suffering of these people. Let us do this daily, and also take the opportunity of the upcoming eclipses to do some intense prayers for the welfare of all.

Om Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
May all beings be happy.

Hari Aum Tat Sat