Mantra siddhi: the meaning and the means

Hari Aum.

Hope you all had an enjoyable Guru purnima yesterday and were able to make full use of the wonderful lunar eclipse that took place for the purpose of sadhana. It is rare for a lunar eclipse to last that long and it was a great blessing from God as eclipses are powerful times for sadhana. My Guru Sivananda and other Gurus say that an eclipse is a perfect opportunity to take steps towards attaining mantra siddhi.

I would like to discuss the meaning of mantra siddhi here based on the teaching of my Guru.

Let us first be clear on what mantra siddhi is not. Many people think that mantra siddhi involves doing a purascharana (or a few) and thus attaining power over the mantra. Attaining the ability to use the mantra to achieve whatever they want in life- be it wealth, job, relationship, children etc, the list goes on.

That is not mantra siddhi.

A mantra is the sound form of a deity. Mantras of God are one with God Himself/Herself. My Guru Sivananda uses the phrase 'mantra siddhi' as synonymous with God-realisation in his book 'Japa Yoga'. He says in this book: "You must have the bhava that Atman, Ishvara, Devata, Mantra are one. With this bhava, you will have to repeat your Guru mantra or Ishta mantra. Then alone you will have mantra siddhi or God-realisation quickly."

God-realisation requires surrender to the will of God. God has a will. He/She wants something for us, has a view on how we should live. Sages say to God "Thy will be done". Not "my will be done"!.

The wrong concept of mantra siddhi that many people have involves thinking of the mantra and God as a servant who should fulfil one's request for various things in life. God cannot forcibly be made anyone's servant. It is complete nonsense to see the mantra in this way. This way is the "my will be done" way. This cannot lead to any spiritual progress.

Some people also confuse mantra siddhi with attainment of the 8 siddhis (which involve being able to become very big/small/heavy/light etc). These 8 siddhis are not the same as mantra siddhi or God-realisation. In fact, they can be a big distraction from attaining God as they can fatten the ego and create a sense of pride which is very unhelpful in the spiritual path.

Real mantra siddhi gives realisation of one's own immortal nature, of eternal peace, bliss and wisdom. Other siddhis such as being able to read minds, fly, become heavy etc do not automatically give God-realisation. Death takes away all such siddhis. The only siddhi worth attaining is mantra siddhi i.e. God-realisation. One should not waste time running after other useless siddhis. As one Guru said, if you want to fly, take a plane- don't waste your precious human lifetime running after such foolish siddhis that death takes away.

Death takes away all wealth, relations and all lowly siddhis. The only thing it cannot take away are the mantra, the Guru and Ishta Devata. These stay with us life after life, until we attain God. Sivananda says that the japa and kirtan and spiritual practices we do follow us in to the next lifetime, no worldly thing does.

The right attitude to attain God-realisation or mantra siddhi is "Thy will be done". This means doing one's duty to the best of one's ability with regard to home life, work, health and everything. But then leaving the results in the hands of God. Not insisting that something has to happen a particular way. Accepting that whatever happens, whether it seems good or bad to us, is the will of God and is therefore good for us. This is very difficult to practice. But it becomes easier as the mind becomes purified through the practice of mantra, selfless service of humanity and so on.

Coming back to the subject of an eclipse, it is said that 1 recitation during this time is equal to 1000 recitations at other times. Mantra siddhi is said to be attained though many, many recitations of the mantra, and particularly purascharana (100,000 times japa for each syllable in the mantra).

To complete a purascharana of an 8-letter mantra, one will have to recite it 800,000 times (+ havan etc, or 10% extra japa). Now during an eclipse, some people are under the impression that this can be achieved by doing just 8 malas (of 108 beads) i.e. around 800 recitations. Because they think that 1 recitation during the eclipse = 1000 recitations at other times. And they hope that mantra siddhi will be attained  by doing some malas of japa during an eclipse.

However, it is not quite so simple to attain real mantra siddhi or God-realisation. My Guru Sivananda says, it can take many purascharanas to attain mantra siddhi or God-realisation.

He strongly encourages people to make full use of both regular, daily japa as well as japa done during eclipses to attain mantra siddhi. A sadhaka who has attained God will have merged their will with that of God. There will be no separate will. They will not ask God to come and provide wealth, job and other things for them therefore as there is no desire left for these things.

So let us remember that spirituality is a journey from "my will be done" to "Thy will be done". And mantra siddhi is God-realisation (not trying to control God through mantra recitation to achieve worldly goals).

Mantra siddhi is gradually achieved through purification of the mind through daily mantra japa and by doing japa during special times such as eclipses. As my Guru says, it took Swami Vidyaranya 18 purascharanas to attain darshan of Mother Gayatri. He also mentions that the famous Madhusudan Swami got darshan of Lord Krishna halfway through the 18th purascharana.

So we have to prepare ourselves to do many purascharanas to attain mantra siddhi and God. But no action can go without producing a result. We can be confident that every purascharana we complete, every day of japa that we do, takes us one one step closer to mantra siddhi and God-realisation.

May God and Guru bless us all with success in our sadhana and the attainment of mantra siddhi or God-realisation (which is our birthright according to my Guru) in this very lifetime.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Guru purnima and eclipse

Hari Aum.

Tomorrow, July 27, will be Guru purnima, the day dedicated to honouring the teaching aspect of God which has manifested in the form of many great spiritual teachers or Gurus over the centuries.

This is a good time for people to worship God as Guru, the Supreme Teacher. By an interesting coincidence, this date tomorrow will also see the longest lunar eclipse of the century taking place.

As described in the post last August, an eclipse is an amazing time to do spiritual practices. It is said that a mantra chanted once during an eclipse will have the effect of chanting it one-thousand times at other times. Sivananda was also strongly in favour of mantra chanting during eclipses as he said this is very powerful.

I would recommend doing some mantra chanting, kirtan and/or other sadhana of your choice during the eclipse tomorrow. This is also a very good time to do mantra chanting for world peace. Any mantra of God is fine for this- one can just chant one's usual mantra. However, if one does not already have a mantra, one can chant 'Om Namo Narayanaya' for world peace.

If everyone of us does even 1 mala of this mantra during the eclipse (takes 5 minutes), it will have a wonderful effect.

In honour of my Guru, Sivananda, and as a Guru purnima offering to him, I plan to make full use of tomorrow's eclipse to do mantra chanting for my own spiritual progress and for the peace and welfare of the world- in accordance with the advice in his books.

Note- It does not matter if the shadow of the eclipse does not fall on the area where you live. There will be good effects if you chant mantras no matter where you are.

Please see link below for details on the timings of the eclipse:

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2018-july-27

Also, just to mention, the two Kindle e-books on Lord Krishna that I have published recently will be available for FREE DOWNLOAD from the Amazon website from July 27 (Friday) to July 29 (Sunday) inclusive. Reading about Krishna helps develop devotion to Krishna, according to the sages. Hope you enjoy the books.

https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B07B95YQCV/ref=la_B07B95YQCV_rf_p_n_feature_browse-b_1?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_82%3AB07B95YQCV%2Cp_n_feature_browse-bin%3A618073011&bbn=283155&sort=author-pages-popularity-rank&ie=UTF8&qid=1532640220&rnid=618072011&redirectedFromKindleDbs=true

Happy Guru purnima to all.

Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya
Om Samastah Gurubhyo Namah.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Dharma and politics in India

Hari Aum.

I generally do not like discussing politics and getting into heated debates with people. To each their own I say. However, there are times when I feel compelled to share my political views and today is one of them (after watching the important events that took place in the Indian parliament yesterday).

I have a liberal and tolerant approach to life. I feel everyone should be able live freely in any way they please as long as they are not harming others. Those who harm others should be dealt with by the law of the land in my view. People should not take the law into their own hands.

India is a complex county. There are numerous layers of society, of varying levels of education, different experiences, those belonging to various faiths and those not belonging to any, and who speak a number of different languages.

India could be a force for good in the world, to promote peace and welfare in the world. From time immemorial, great men and women who have shaped the history of India and set an example to the world, have drawn upon the wonderful philosophy of India. They derived inner strength from their spiritual practice to perform their role in the world. Mahatma Gandhi is one famous example.

The indigenous people of India have suffered centuries of attack from other countries, not only physically but also culturally. As a result, many Indians have lost all respect for their own culture and seek to simply imitate others. The tragedy here is that the rest of the world is turning to India's culture to find that peace which cannot be found in material objects, but many Indians themselves cannot appreciate this.

Poverty needs to be eliminated for humanitarian values and spirituality to grow. A poor man is more likely to steal if he is hungry- one cannot judge him harshly for this. No doubt, the first priority of India is to provide food, shelter, healthcare and education for all the people. And the large number of young and brainy people living in India are its strength.

I would like to request people to vote in elections. Many countries in the world do not have a democracy. They are ruled by dictators. India is fortunate enough to have a functioning democracy and everybody can vote, regardless of their background.

In the upcoming election in India, I would like to request readers living in India to please vote. And vote for whoever you feel will bring positive change in India, who will uplift the nation and make India into a modern nation of the 21st century. Do not vote based on old habit, on caste, religion, language or any other factor. Please vote for those who will do good to the nation, whoever you feel that may be.

Choices in politics are often about choosing the least bad option. No political party is perfect. All have serious flaws. However, there is no doubt that some perform better than others. And the nature of political parties change with time, depending on who is presently leading the party and setting an example.

I admit I am a fan of the present Prime Minister Mr Modi. There are practical reasons for this. I have seen some of the positive effects of his work. When my husband (who is European) needed a visa to travel to India last year, he got it electronically within 24 hours as a result of the Prime Minister's new policy. India is famous for endless red-tape and bureaucracy. However, for the first time, he got a visa within 24 hours, without having to go to the Indian embassy and stand in a long queue for hours. I was amazed by this.

Secondly, when I went to Rishikesh last year, I took the train from New Delhi to Haridwar. And then a taxi from Haridwar to Rishikesh. For the first time, the New Delhi railway station platform was clean. There were a crazy number of shiny steel dustbins (literally one every few metres) and there were no bits of paper, bottles and other rubbish littering the platform as was the case before. Also the train itself was clean- there was a man sweeping the floor, never seen that before.

The journey from Haridwar to Rishikesh had always been a very bumpy ride on a bad road with multiple stones and pebbles. This time there was a proper road and the journey was pleasant.

Based on these experiences, I feel there is some serious positive change happening in India. And in the West, there is a perception that India is not the same today as it was before. Many people recognise that India is a growing economic power with ever-increasing influence in the world.

Spirituality has to be put into practice. We are living in the world, it is our responsibility to take care of it- this is part of spirituality. There is a karmic consequence for every action. Vote for a foolish leader, and the country will suffer. Vote for a wise and forward-thinking leader and the country will prosper, materially and spiritually.

May the will of Narayana be done when it comes to the outcome of the next election in India. May goodness/dharma prevail, may justice prevail. May God give strength to Indians to choose wisely in accordance with His plan for India.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Inner Guru

Hari Aum.

God alone is the true Guru. And God resides in each of our hearts according to the Gita. Therefore, the Guru, our spiritual guide resides within us.

An external Guru points the way to tune into the inner Guru. An external Guru is one who has discovered the inner Guru within him/herself and shows the way to others.

An external Guru may share with others what he/she did to discover the inner Guru. However, it is up to others to take the necessary steps to experience the same result.

Many of us endlessly run here and there looking for external Gurus. However, we neglect the inner Guru, who is with us here and now. Our true Guru. Our well-wisher and guide who is ever with us.

Those who have discovered their inner Guru, the God within them, tell us that we can do it too. For this, we need to take up some spiritual practice to cleanse the mind. The darkness of the mind in the form of pride, anger, craving, greed, jealousy and delusion obscures our experience of the Guru within, stops us from receiving guidance from the Guru within.

The Guru outside gives us a tool to clean the mind and experience the Guru within. Such spiritual tools include mantras and other spiritual practices. Through these, we clean our minds and experience the Guru within. The Sanskrit word "Guru", means the spiritual light ('Ru') who removes ignorance/darkness ('Gu').

The spiritual path is made up of many experiences. There are many mini-experiences on the path that give encouragement to the seeker to keep walking until the experience of the final experience of liberation.

People mistakenly think that spiritual life is like a long dry spell until the final rain of liberation arrives. There are many mini-showers on the way until one experiences the final experience of liberation.

If one has been doing a spiritual practice regularly for some years, one becomes aware that there is an Intelligence in the universe that is in charge of everything including oneself. One has mini-experiences where this Intelligence reveals itself, for example, an earnest prayer is immediately answered, an encouraging spiritual dream takes place, circumstances become conducive to spiritual practice.
And most importantly, one begins to feel the presence of God within oneself and others. This becomes a deep, unshakeable feeling that is nurtured by daily practice of the mantra. One talks to God, one walks with God, one thinks of God, one longs for God. Sivananda and other Gurus say that these mini-experiences help us to stay motivated on the spiritual path.

Many people worry, "What if I spend my whole life doing spiritual practices and attain nothing?". I will have given up material life and not achieved anything in the spiritual field either, will be neither here nor there!

This is a false worry created by the mind to stop one from starting out on the spiritual path. Every action produces a reaction- Newton's third law does not only apply to the physical world, but to the mental and spiritual world too. No recitation of mantra or other sadhana can go without producing a result.

And the sadhana of chanting the names and mantras of God are very powerful and particularly suitable for Kali yuga. As one chants these names, one soon begins to feel the reassuring, protective presence of God, which helps one face the many worries and anxieties of life. Eventually this practice grants one the highest spiritual bliss, so say the Gurus.

Anyone who has done regular spiritual practice for even a year will be able to feel something positive in their lives.

I was reflecting that my Guru, Sivananda, woke up day after day and did endless amounts of japa of the "Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya" mantra while standing hip-deep in the very cold water of the Ganga at Rishikesh. He did this daily for 12 years. What faith he must have had- in the mantra, in himself, in God. He had faith that God would come, and He did. After 12 years of daily practice, Sivananda got the darshan of Lord Krishna. His efforts bore fruit.

We lament that we have many sins, but forget that the name or mantra of God is more powerful than these. A single recitation of "Narayana" by Ajamila wiped out the sins of a lifetime, according to the Puranic story. As Ramakrishna Paramhamsa said, we should say, "I have chanted the name of God, how can I be a sinner? How can I be bound?".

The intellect cannot fathom the power of the name of God. And it does not need to be able to for us to enjoy the benefits of reciting the name of God. The eye cannot convince the ear of the existence of sight, of vision. Because the ear is designed only to hear, not to see. Equally, the ear cannot make the eye understand what sound is, because the eye is not designed to perceive sound, only light.

Similarly, the intellect is not designed to understand the effects of the name of God. Our inner being is designed to experience this however. The human being is said to be the only species that can experience God, hence this birth is regarded as very precious.

There are said to be four goals of human life: 'dharma' (goodness, the basis for the other three), 'artha' (wealth), kama (sensual enjoyment) and moksha (spiritual liberation). The whole Earth is filled with beings motivated by kama and artha. Every animal, every bird, every insect, every creature wants somewhere to live and to have a mate. The majority of human beings are the same. We build a home and find a partner and have children.

The Earth is filled with people driven by desire for 'artha' and 'kama'. The numbers interested in 'dharma' and 'moksha' are relatively few. If you are reading this article, chances are that you are one of the few interested in dharma-moksha, not just artha-kama. This interest in dharma-moksha is a blessing from God, according to the Gurus. We should be extremely grateful for this.

So, let us keep up our spiritual practice. We may have been walking on the path for 1 year, 5 years or 10 years, it does not matter. Let us keep walking until we reach the goal. And let us cleanse the mirror of the mind, so that we can see the face of the inner Guru who guides us on the way.

Prostrations to the outer and inner Gurus everywhere (who are all manifestations of the one God of the universe).

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Darshan do Ghanshyam song

Hari Aum.

This is a devotional song (in an old form of Hindi) composed by Gopal Singh Nepali for the Bollywood movie 'Narsi Bhagat'. The movie tells the story of the saint, Narsinh Mehta, who was a great devotee of Krishna from the 15th century.

Someone recently sang this song at a satsang and I really liked it. I am therefore sharing it here (with English translation).

A link to the song is at the end of the page.

Darshan do Ghanshyam Nath,        (Grant me your vision, Krishna/one like a dark cloud)
mori ankhiya pyasi re.                     (My eyes are thirsty)
Man-mandir ki jyothi jagado,        (Light the lamp in the temple of the mind)
ghat ghat basi re.                           (O Indweller of all beings)

Mandir mandir moorat teri,            (I see your statue in temple after temple)
phir bhi na dikhe soorat teri.           (Yet I do not see Your face)
Yug bite na aayi milan ki,               (An age has passed but)
puran masi re.                                (the full-moon night of our meeting has not yet arrived)

Dvar daya ka jab tu khole,              (When You open the door of Your compassion)
pancham sur me goonga bole.        (the mute speaks in a melodious voice)
Andha dekhe, langda pahunche       (the blind one sees, and the lame one is able to)
Kashi re.                                            (reach the holy city of Kashi)

Pani pikar pyas bhujau,                 (I can quench my thirst with water)
naino ko kaise samjhau?                (But how can I make my eyes understand?)
Aankh mi choli chodo ab,               (Come now, stop this game of hide-and-seek)
man ke basi re.                               (O Indweller of the mind)

Nirbal ke bal, dhan nirdhan ke,      (Strength of the weak, wealth of the poor)
tum rakhvale bhakt jano ke.         (You take care of Your devotees)
Tere bhajan me sab sukh pau,         (Singing about you, I get all happiness)
mite udasi re.                                  (and all sadness is wiped away)

Nam jape par tujhe na jane,          (Those who recite Your names but do not yet know You)
unko bhi tu apna mane.               (You accept them too as Your own)
Teri daya ka anta nahi hai,            (There is no end to Your compassion)
he dukh nashi re.                          (O destroyer of misery)

Aaj phaisala tere dvar par,           (Today the decision is Yours to make)
meri jeet hai teri haar par.           (My victory lies in Your defeat)
Haar jeet hai teri, mai to              (Victory and defeat are both Yours)
charan upasi re.                            (I simply worship Your feet)

Dvar khada jab se matvala,         (I am standing at Your door in desperation)
maange tum se haar tumhari.      (Asking You for Your defeat)
Narsi ki ye binti sun lo,               (Please listen to Narsi's request)
bhakt vilasi re.                              (O lover of Your devotees)

Laaj na lut jaye Prabhu teri,        (O Lord, may Your honour not be lost)
Nath na karo daya me deri.         (Please do not delay in showing your compassion)
Teeno lok chod kar aao,              (Leave the three worlds and come)
Ganga nivasi re.                          (You who reside in the Ganga)


Link to the song is below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqkolcLouJg


Hari Aum Tat Sat

Hatha yoga for a healthy body

Hari Aum.

Hatha yoga is a branch of yoga that involves working with the body to attain God. It involves certain postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), hand movements (mudras) and certain muscle contractions/body locks (bandhas).

According to yoga philosophy, each human being has three bodies. The outer body that is made of food - called 'sthula sharira' in Sanskrit (meaning 'gross body').

Then there is the subtle body made of the mind, emotions and intellect- this is called 'sukshma sharira'.

Finally, there is the causal body which contains the storehouse of past karmas- this is called the 'karana sharira'.

Hatha yoga works upon the physical body and the subtle body. Prana or life energy (known as 'chi' in Chinese medicine) flows through thousands of prana-channels called 'nadis' in the subtle body (similar to blood flowing in blood vessels in the physical body).

Through asanas, pranayama, mudras and bandhas, the practitioner of hatha yoga causes the kundalini to rise and experiences samadhi.

Asana and pranayama cleanse the nadis and ensure the proper flow of prana in these. They are not merely a form of physical exercise.

Today, there are many good yoga schools all over the world that teach hatha yoga. Hatha yoga is meant to be done with a calm, meditative attitude (not as a form of aerobic exercise as some schools teach it).

I studied hatha yoga at the local Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre set up by Swami Vishnudevananda, a disciple of Sivananda. 

The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres worldwide teach a 'teachers training course'. Here, they teach the 12 basic asanas along with surya namaskar and pranayamas (anuloma-viloma and kapalabhati). They also teach the Bhagavad Gita and sadhanas such as japa, kirtan and meditation.

This is an excellent course that I would highly recommend. I did the course in the summer of 2006 mainly for my own understanding. I was a medical student at the time and did this during my summer holidays after the yearly examination. I do not teach hatha yoga though I do have the Sivananda Yoga teacher qualification- might take up teaching some day (currently too busy with medical work, sadhana and other activities).

I find that even a short period of just 15 minutes of some basic asanas and pranayama makes the body feel much better. One feels less stiffness in the spine and muscles and there is a pleasant, refreshed feeling afterwards.

'Surya namaskar' in particular is excellent. If one does not have much time, even 10 minutes of this, warms up the entire body and stretches the back, arms and legs wonderfully. One can have a meditative attitude while doing this (it involves 'namaskar' or bowing down to a deity).

Instead of Surya namaskar, when I do these exercises, I like to call it 'Vishnu namaskar' as I imagine that I am bowing down to Vishnu - this makes it a devotional practice rather than just a physical exercise. A devotee of Shiva or Devi may like to call it 'Shiva namaskar' or 'Devi namaskar'.

Simple pranayamas such as anuloma-viloma (alternate nostril breathing) and kapalabhati are also good to do daily or at least a few times a week.

I strongly recommend practitioners of all forms of yoga, whether bhakti yogis, jnana yogis or  karma yogis, to also perform a little hatha yoga exercises even just a few times a week.

It is essential to maintain a healthy body with supple spine to be able to do sadhana to attain God. Yoga asanas and pranayama are very helpful in this.

Physical aerobic exercises are also good to do (but not immediately after yogic exercises) but these consume energy/prana, while yogic exercises increase prana in the body. Both are needed for a healthy body.

Here is a link on Hatha Yoga by Swami Sivananda:

http://www.sivanandaonline.org/public_html/?cmd=displaysection&section_id=440&format=html

These are the 12 basic asanas taught by the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres:

https://www.sivananda.org/teachings/asana/12-basic-asanas.html


Hari Aum Tat Sat