We know what miraculous tasks are executed by usage of material energies like fire, electricity, ether, nuclear energy waves, magnetism etc. Yet the stature of conscious nature is a lot higher. In reality, consciousness lords over inert matter. A ship maybe very gigantic yet without a conscious driver it achieves naught.
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Akin to Technology Research,THE BASIS OF MANTRA PRACTICES ALONG WITH THEIR MIRACLES Articles Mantra practice too is a pristine pure science. The basis of Technology Science is to showcase machinery principles, creation, management and reform. If this process is apt one can accrue all round benefits of machinery potential. Yet even if minor lapses are seen in them our time and wealth go down the drain. Similarly if all the applications and context of Mantra practices are optimal we certainly can benefit a lot. Else on imbibing a Mantra practice program that is directionless and shabby we can stare only at despair and loud guffaws from others.
Modern material science influences the external world and by rendering forces embedded in inert nature optimally usable, gives us beneficial results. Spiritual science influences the inner world and by illumining conscious nature, creates an all powerful personality with its aid. Material science generates means of joyous comforts. It creates basis that renders the body more capable. This then is its periphery. It can neither reach inner consciousness and cannot create capacity or potential of that stature.
This world is an admixture of inert matter and conscious principles. Within living beings dwells consciousness and externally is a body made from 5 elements. Due to the combination of both these various movements and activities are witnessed in the world of creatures. It is something totally different if you talk of totally inert objects like rivers and mountains but wherever consciousness resides there a requirement is noted wherein akin to materials and the body consciousness too should be rendered clean, healthy and highly developed. This functional activity is called spirituality.
A humungous amount of forces of inert nature have been showcased by material science which is easy for all to note. We all know what miraculous tasks are executed by usage of material energies like fire, electricity, ether, nuclear energy waves, magnetism and so on. But yet the stature of conscious nature is a lot higher. In reality, consciousness lords over inert matter. A ship maybe very gigantic yet without a conscious driver it achieves nothing. Unmanned rockets sent to space seem self directed yet it is scientists sitting on earth that guide their functioning. A rail maybe very expensive yet without a live driver it is but akin to a huge mass of useless rock. How can the body undergo any enjoyment without Prana Energy in it? Wealth without an enjoyer can be seen drowned under sea water and deep womb of earth. Something is given a title of importance only if a conscious user can use it. Akin to inert matter material science also can be useful only if it is directed and used by conscious creatures. The gist is that in comparison to inert, consciousness is of super great importance. Similarly the importance and utility value of spiritual science is manifold more than material science.
Apparatus used in rendering true material science is called technology or machines and mediums to benefit from spiritual sciences is called Mantras. Without technology benefits from scientific laws do not accrue. In the same way spirituality devoid of Mantras by getting relegated to theory only cannot be experienced tangibly.
Subtle science can be categorized into 2 parts viz. one pervades the microcosm or individual body and the other the macro or cosmos. One is introverted the other is extroverted. Just as external education system works on the method of theory and practice, similarly for spiritual progress 2 means called faith and spiritual practice are at work. Faith encompasses ethics, religion, philosophy, self realization, cosmic consciousness or God and description of the subtle world. Scriptures describe all this. Soul wisdom, world social behavior and purity of thinking can be included in the spiritual theism aspect. Self control, vows, discipline, austerities etc are included in spiritual practices. Both complement each other. One without the other remains unfulfilled. Various attainments are achieved due to a combined effort of wisdom and action. Wisdom without action and action without wisdom remain dead and corpse like. Austerities without spiritual wisdom and spiritual wisdom devoid of austerities cannot fulfill the all round goal of spirituality.
Man has a very intense and definite bond with cosmic consciousness. But obstacles of taints, veils and agitation have in a way created a situation of breakage of this bond. If wires connecting the electricity powerhouse and fans in one’s home face distortion then despite both the powerhouse and fan remaining in their own place no functioning of the fan is noted. The fan shall remain supine without working. Similarly the aim of Mantra practices is to uproot these obstacles. If some amount of dirt comes in the way of a small stream, water shall scatter in all wayward directions and the stream dries up. This is also witnessed in our life’s stream flow. No doubt the body sustaining life with food and water remains active on procuring optimal nourishment but since the inner consciousness fails to get nourishment it starts weakening so as to ultimately become corpse like. This then is the cause of the inner downfallen hapless state of all of us.
A newborn baby very much depends on milk from the mother’s breast. The individual soul too is nourished by Almighty God by maintaining an active bond with him. Clouds pour down only after they have attained enough water from the ocean. Ere the bond with the ocean gets disconnected forget clouds raining down, their very existence becomes naught. At such times only a bit of dust gathers as clouds. When our bond with God or divine cosmic consciousness gets broken, the individual soul loses its glory, no signs of soul power are seen and greatness disappears into oblivion. Thus merely the gross body akin to the cut off tail of a lizard jumps about scattered. Majority of us live merely as superficial physical bodies. No sign of soul glory thus is noted within us all. Know for sure that these are speed breaker obstacles between the individual soul and cosmic soul or God. Akin to a divorced wife one perforce remains dispassionate towards it.
Spiritual practice is a definitive method that re establishes these weakened bonds into stronger ones. Mantra chanting practices is its action aspect. By itself soul wisdom too is no less important because it has its own weight age. Yet it is not complete and totally fulfilling. Even if someone is a scholar, knowledgeable, philosopher, scriptural master, follower of Vedanta etc it does not necessarily mean they ooze with soul power. For this it is most required that they follow rituals that are spiritual practice oriented. This is the only way in which the individual soul (man) establishes a firm relationship with divine cosmic soul consciousness or Almighty God. Thus Mantra practices must be looked upon as such a royal path.
The tangible form of Mantras is sound. This sound must be stepwise, rhythmic and circular. If one word is uttered in one way ceaselessly a cyclic wheel of speed emerges. At that time sound waves instead of moving in a straight line start moving circularly. If after tying a stone to a rope we rotate it speedily in all directions, 2 results are seen. One is that it shall appear as a round dense aura. A local form of stone and rope by changing is witnessed as a moving wheel which is a miracle of sorts. The 2nd result shall be that due to this circular movement an extraordinary energy manifests. If someone is attacked with this circularly moving stone attached to a rope, that person could die. Similarly if the stone is thrown akin to an arrow it shall whiz away speedily to a long distance. This is exactly what happens with Mantra chanting or Japa. If certain words are repeated pause less in one tone and in one rhythm sound waves that emerge do not remain straight and become extraordinary. Since it is moved around rotationally it creates a wondrous energy flow in the inner psyche and in the external cosmos. Thus the results witnessed from this can justifiably termed miracles of Mantra chanting.
The choice of words in Mantras has been done by specialist divine seers who were adept Yoga masters. They did this on the basis of divine consciousness and profound experiences. No doubt in this word choosing some inspiring meaning and teaching is embedded but the Mantras’ importance is not limited to this only because the inter weaving of words is more important. From the standpoint of meaning of Mantras even more sensitively sentimental poetry exists and maybe more of it shall be created in future. Further in Mantras that are Sutra or small aphorism like cannot be filled up with detailed sentimental flow that is required to positively influence the mental arena. In actuality the importance of Mantras lie in their ‘explosion’. Over here explosion means an extraordinary influence via special sounds on divine principles. If a small stone is thrown in a lake, little and small waves emerge but is from a great height with intense force a very big rock is thrown in the lake, its sound and vibration shall be more humungous than expected and its reaction in the form of echo shall be seen along with gigantic waves. In Mantra Science this is called Sphota or explosion. It can be compared to sound emerging from explosion of dynamite/gun powder or the explosion of an atomic bomb. Mantra devotees must know how much measure of this explosion is desirable. Imbalanced explosion can shatter a rifle or cannon too. If Mantra practice is not done in a balanced optimal manner forget attaining the goal, one shall face very dire consequences.
The 3rd stream of Mantra is rhythm. Rhythm means in which tone and sound flow is it being chanted. Ordinarily rhythm is classified using 3 names viz. Mansik or mental chanting, Vachik or loud chanting and Upanshu or whisper chanting of Mantras. In Vedic parlance it is called Udatt, Anudatt and Swarit. In Sama Veda singing the 7 notes and its ascending-descending scale is kept in mind. This rhythmic nature is the foundation of music. It can be described as Shabda Brahman or Divine Sound. Wise people know very well that music endorsed by great scriptures influences positively not only our psyche and body but also external materials and circumstances. One cannot challenge stories of a doused flame lamp getting relit on singing the Deepak Raga or that rain clouds gathering in dry areas on singing Raga Megh Malhar. The influence of music on trees, herbs, crops and milk giving animals has been fully accepted by modern scientific research data. In the near future more proof of curing diseases via music healing shall be cited and it shall be given a prime spot for therapy purpose. All literature pertaining to Vedic and Tantrik Mantras hides in its womb the precept of rhythm. If we do mantra chanting in just about any method, in any musical tone maybe our sentimental aspiration shall get satiated yet its scientific benefits shall always elude us.
A magnet always attracts iron towards itself and not wood. The flow of electricity takes place due to wires made of metals. If you use rubber, wood etc no electrical flow can be noted. Similarly a Mantra devotee making efforts for rendering the mind and body clean and powerful must make his inner personality so capable that it can easily imbibe energy flows of interstellar space in his/her soul arena. In Raja Yoga practice related to Yama-Niyama is for mental purification and Asan-Pranayam is to render the body well managed. Ere these preliminary steps of Yoga are ignored, higher stages of Pratyahar, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi shall not succeed at all. Do’s and don’ts regarding eating-resting habits, fasts and self control are meant for sanctification of our inner personality. We can see our face clearly only in a clean mirror and in order to dye cloth it has to be very clean and well washed. Lest our daily lifestyle reeks of wickedness and vile activities then even if your Mantra chanting ritualistic aspect is very methodical, yet never shall desired results come our way.
Apart from this the 5th condition is a mental state oozing with sacred sensitive sentiments. In other words we can call this deep faith. Just as within the energies of the mundane world electricity leads so too in the spiritual world powerful attainments are totally dependent on greatness and high stature of profound faith. In a shrill voice psychologists and psychiatrists eulogize wholeheartedly capabilities of thoughts and Sankalpa Shakti or power of resolve. The importance of faith and theism is extraordinary rendering man uplifted, fallen or in his neo creation. The miracle of soul power and psychic force is capable of an ordinary lay personality into a great glorious one. The foundation of great episodes of the world is based not on innumerable means but terrific power of resolve or Sankalpa. The entire history of success is full of writings of steadfast resolve conjoined to terrific efforts. Minor sports of Yoga Sciences like mesmerism, hypnotism, clairvoyance, telepathy etc are mere sparks of will power. This fact can be called the very life force of spiritual practices.
If an atheistic and unmindful person carries out spiritual practices with lack of focused interest and disregard, then even if he spends a very long time span in executing very difficult worship ceremonies, no desired benefits accrue. Yet if with a sacredly sentimental psyche even if little spiritual practices are followed with steadfast faith, its results shall be seen virtually immediately. A doubt ridden and suspicious mental attitude renders the psyche very shallow and superficial. It cannot imbibe any great divine grace and boon. No doubt spiritual practice techniques have their own import yet it must be kept in mind that deep faith must be looked upon as the very life force of spiritual attainments. A corpse without life force is useless even if you spray perfume on it and deck it up with exotic clothes. A mind without sacred sentiments is akin to an arid dessert wherein very rarely the dream of harvesting green crops there fructifies. Hence those who yearn to succeed in their spiritual endeavor must conjoin deep faith to their inner personalities and all daily activities too.
The weight age of spiritual sciences is infinitely more potent than that of material sciences. Technology and machines could be of a lot of value yet it cannot be weighed against the deep import of Mantras. Worldly material wealth is very ordinary when compared with the wealth of spirituality. There is difference akin to heaven and earth if consciousness and inert matter are compared. If this is realized we have to conclude that we must just not madly pursue worldly material wealth but that we must also endeavor zealously to imbibe spiritual grandeur and prosperity. Taking steps forward to augment soul power in our inner personality is like facing the sun while marching towards it. As a result the shadow of wealth shall follow us yet if we start running in the direction of this shadow it cannot be grasped and the more you quicken your pace while running after this shadow called material wealth, the more it runs afar from you. Great visionary men very naturally accrue benefits of wealth whereas mundane rich people have to face a 2 fold loss of worldly strife and soul discontent.
For success in Mantra practices creating an apt personality of the devotee is such a task that the more one focuses greater are the results. Bodily activities must be such that sense organ power does not get tainted or distorted. Hence from this standpoint sense organ control, self discipline and good behavior must be greatly emphasized. Along with this greatness of sentiments imbues life force in Mantra Energy which must be duly adhered to. Regarding aim of Mantra practice and authenticity and success of its methodology, the psyche must be steadfast and devoid of doubts and suspicions. For this such patience is required wherein ceaseless efforts must be made and one must not be in a hurry to see fruits/results emerging immediately.
Apart from the above the way of daily personal lifestyle and in social behavior we must be serene, generous and possess a pious viewpoint. The more the psyche oozes with love, goodwill, gentlemanliness, compassion and magnanimity to that extent an optimal mental state shall develop for success in spiritual practices. This type of bodily and mental creation must be understood as the key to spiritual advancement. The credit for 3/4th success attained by a devotee is dependent on this fact. Modes and techniques of spiritual practices are given only 1/4th credit/importance. One of the biggest causes today with reference to devotees of spirituality facing failure and despair is the error of ignoring behavior and activities of day to day life and laying total emphasis on technique and methods of spiritual practices. Ere this error is corrected and all round preparations are made to walk the royal path of spiritual practices, its success is as definite as research activities done properly in the field of modern material science.
Certainly there are other mediums of spiritual practice techniques yet Mantra practices are a must. The reason being that with Mantra chanting Sankalpa Shakti or power of resolve awakens and becomes controlled. Along with this such a beautiful favorable atmosphere of Sound Science conjoins to it which by awakening the latent but mind boggling energies of the devotee renders him/her strong will powered. Further it creates mysterious movements that influence the external world.
What are Mantras? Regarding this in today’s circumstances from the universal and world public standpoint is difficult to say because in these days, communal bias and prejudices are ruling the roost. Every community/sect gives leadership to its tradition. They just cannot gulp or digest views of other communities. Even if they are made to understand they lack faith towards it. Under such conditions keeping in mind contemporary times according to the renowned text of Mantra Science called ‘Mantramharnav’ it would be correct to say that the tangible form of mantras is sound. This sound is stepwise, rhythmic and rotational. When one word is uttered in one manner ceaselessly a mobile wheel ensues. At such times sound waves instead of moving in a straight line start rotating circularly. When a stone tied to a rope is moved circularly, 2 results are noted. First is that it shall be seen as a round dense aura. This definitely is a miracle that a stone tied to a rope on moving circularly with speed becomes a round dense fog. The 2nd result noted shall be that due to this speedy circular movement an extraordinary force or power manifests. Similarly if it is thrown then akin to an arrow it whizzes past to a far off distance. The same happens with Mantra Japa or chanting. If a certain string of words are ceaselessly chanted in one tone, with uniformity and rhythmically sound waves that emerge as a result no longer remain straight or ordinary. The fact that it is moved in a circular manner results in an astounding energy flow appearing in the micro (individual soul) and macro (external cosmos). Thus the results noted can be termed as miracles of Mantra chanting.
As per Manhayogi Anirvan’s book ‘Antaryoga’ choice of words in Mantras was done by specialist spiritual seers on the basis of their divine consciousness and intense spiritual experiences. No doubt these chosen words do possess some inspiring meaning and teaching but its importance is less when compared to the mode of its inter weaving. From the standpoint of meaning there are hordes of poems that are very inspiring and sacredly sentimental. And then in small Mantras akin to Sutras or aphorisms such detailed sentiments cannot be fitted as is required. In reality the importance of Mantras lies in its ‘explosion’.
Over here ‘explosion’ means the extraordinary influence on divine elements via special sounds. If in a lake a small stone is thrown small and little waves are seen to appear. But if from a great height with lots of force a big rock is thrown then its sound and vibration shall be bigger than expected and its reaction that is a sound echo too shall be witnessed along with big waves. With reference to Mantra Science, this is called explosion. From this standpoint the creation of words in Super Mantra Gayatri is incomparable and wondrous. The entire India Spirituality of Agam and Nigam stands firm on this very foundation. The innumerable branches and sub branches of Mantra and Tantra are a gigantic family of this. The next stream of Mantra is rhythm. It means that in which tone and sound flow is the Mantra being uttered. Ordinarily Mantra chanting classified as Mansik (mental), Vachik (loud) and Upanshu (whisper) is partitioned on the basis of greater or lesser rhythm. In Veda Mantras they are called Udatt, Anudatt and Swarit. In Sama Veda singing the 7 musical notes and their ascending-descending scale is kept in mind. This rhythmic music not only positively influences the body and mind but also external materials and circumstances. All literature pertaining to Vedic and Tantra based Mantras hides in its womb this concept of rhythm. Maybe if you chant Mantras using just about any mode and in any sound your emotional aspirations may get satisfied yet its scientific benefits shall run miles away from you.
In order that a Mantra devotee attains the capacity to imbibe energy flows manifesting from interstellar space, it is a must that efforts be made assiduously to render the body and psyche pure and powerful. In Raja Yoga Yama-Niyama practices are for mental purification and Asan-Pranayam are for managing the body aptly. Ere these preliminary stages are ignored it is impossible to succeed in the remaining high stature steps of Pratyahar, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi or trance.
Apart from this the next condition is a sacredly sentimental psyche. In other words it means deep faith. Even if a person with no faith and unmindful attitude along with disregard and waywardness does spiritual practices for a fair length of time wherein he/she even does Anushthans that are very tedious yet no desired benefits accrue. Deep faith is the very life force of spiritual attainments. Even if a corpse is looked after properly yet it is dead and useless. For success in spiritual practices it is a must that the devotee’s inner nature and activities ooze with faith.
Regarding Mantra practices we have discussed a lot in previous paragraphs and the purpose of Japa or Mantra Sciences has been elucidated. In a mind full of faith and concentration, Mantra chanting done while keeping in mind the requirement of a clean body, psyche, clothes, surroundings and worship apparatus bestows energetic zest and just as by drinking invigorating drinks like tea etc one immediately attains verve same experiences are noted during times of spiritual practices and later too. It seems as though some extra and very important power is being got from somewhere and more than expected soul energy is being imbibed. In the form of zest, contentment and light the attainment of Mantra Energy can easily be gauged. It goes without saying that these benefits are not limited to individual devotees only. Its influence is also noted in the external world in a big way. Any person, object or situation can be influenced and transformed positively by such attainments.
Once, the great saint Swami Ramtirtha had said: We can become Almighty God but he cannot be seen or shown to others. The same holds true for subtle elements. The transmission of sound flow in ether element can be experienced by us via the radio yet ether in its original form cannot be seen. We all experience heat, cold, joy, sorrow etc yet they cannot be seen visibly like other gross materials. The string of words uttered in a Mantra is not the root energy of the Mantra but is a medium of awakening this latent power. If someone is fast asleep we use our hands to shake him/her for waking them up. Yet this hand is not the actual awakening. At the most we can give credit to the hand for becoming a medium/instrument of waking those who are asleep. So too Mantra chanting is but a medium of awakening certain conscious forces existing infinitely within our soul and in interstellar space externally.
Via which Mantra which energy on which basis must be awakened? This direction is given in Viniyog (aim of Mantra chanting) conjoined to every Mantra. Both Vedic and Tantrik Mantras have Viniyog. In Agam and Nigam scriptures along with method of Mantra chanting, Viniyog is detailed. It is the root Mantra that is chanted but while commencing chanting it is most required that Viniyog (aim or purpose) must be read or remembered. As a result one remains alert towards the Mantra’s nature and aim