To Surya re. Om Namah Shivaya (Was Teachings of Babaji: Mantra Bomb

[Guest guest]

Dear Surya and all,

 

please, allow me to add something.

 

> > I was curious to ask you ... "Om namah shivaya" donset

> > need initiation?

 

om namaha sivaya is a mahamantra, and can be chanted by anyone, as

any other mahamantra too. Sreelatha described this very nicely!

 

But initiation is not only given to give ful power to the chanting

of a mantra, there is much more behind it.

What is the purpose of the chating of om namah sivaya? Is it about

improving the bad karma and lead a more auspicous life, by living

pious, etc? Or does the one who chants the mantra want to practise

spiritual life, self-realization, trying to achieve the spiritual

abode, like brahmajyoti or siva-loka, beyond karma and guna?

 

If things are about self-realization, one indeed needs initiation of

a sadhu, because one can only make as much spiritual advancement, as

the guru, one received initiation from. In siva-purana, and vedanta

and siddhanta that one cannot achieve transcendence without the

guidance of a sadhu. Only one who has seen the truth can guide us to

the same.

 

And for spiritual life it takes more than merely chanting the

mahamantra, om namaha sivaya. One should also develop the qualities,

Krishna teaches us about in the bhagavat geeta, sattva guna. Once

one has transcended sattva-guna, spiritual life actually starts.

 

No matter what one wants to achieve - the chanting of the holy name

is the most auspicious one can do in any case in ones life.

 

So, please don't fear to chant the mahamantra, no matter if

initiated or not.

 

Below I copy a really beautiful bhajan, which is very auspicious

for the devotee who chants it, and inspiring in the same.

 

SHIVA SHAMBO

 

SHIVA SHAMBO SHIVA SHAMBO (2x)

KALYANA MURATI

NAMO NAMAH NAMO NAMAH NAMO NAMAH (2x)

GIRIJAPATI GANGA DHARE HARA HARA (2x)

HARA HARA HARA HARA NAMO NAMAH (2x)

KALYANA MURATI

NAMO NAMAH NAMO NAMAH NAMO NAMAH (2x)

SHIVA SHAMBO...

SHIVA SHAMBO

 

O benevolent Lord, benevolent Lord,

You who are the personification of all that is good.

I bow down to you again and again.

Husband of Girija, daughter of the mountain,

Carrying Ganga in your locks.

Shiva Hara Hara, you take away all the miseries of life.

I bow down to you again and again.

 

Kindest regards,

Shad

 

 

, "Manoshi Chatterjee"

<khallopapa> wrote:

>

> Very beautiful posting Lata...in simple words but very effective.

>

> --Manoshi

>

> , "V. Sreelatha"

> <venkatarama_sastry> wrote:

> >

> > > I was curious to ask you ... "Om namah shivaya" donset

> > > need initiation? I am a huge fan of lord shiva ... but

> > > I stop repeating this mantra because I dont know the

> > > rules that go with it .. are you aware of any?

> >

> > Dear Surya,

> >

> > I hope you don't mind me responding to this question.

> >

> > First of all, yes, Om Namah Shivaya is a Siddha mantram, which

> means

> > that anyone can obtain the full benefit of it with or without

> > initiation.

> >

> > Secondly, I believe that if a mantra is chanted with sincerity

and

> > devotion, it will never do any harm. Suppose your toddler is

> trying

> > to say "Daddy", but he only manages "Da-Da". Will you be angry

> with

> > him about the mispronunciation? Or will you ignore him until he

> > masters saying it the right way? Or will you come to him, and

help

> > him anyway, since you know his intentions? If we believe that

the

> > Lord is more compassionate than any human, why would we ever

think

> > that He/She would not be at least as kind as a human parent?

> >

> > Sanjay Rath Ji has written a wonderful book called Vedic

Remedies

> in

> > Astrology where he discusses Mantra Shastra in detail. After

> > elaborate discussions, he too concedes that there is no

substitute

> > for sincere devotion, and that *any* mantra chanted with

devotion

> > will give results. BTW, he also has a list of mantras that are

> > exempt from rules re. initiation, and Om Namah Shivaya is one of

> > them, as are other popular mantras. This is the traditional view

> too.

> >

> > Om Namah Shivaya takes energy from the 3rd house of the

horoscope

> > and gives it to the 6th. The third house is the parakrama house,

> > where all desires, passions etc. originate. The sixth house is

the

> > house of enemies. The greatest enemeies of man are inside

oneself,

> > these are the shadripu, the Six Enemies, Kaama (lust), Krodha

> > (anger), Lobha (greed), Moha (illusion), Mada (arrogance) and

> > Maschara (avarice). Hence,this great mantra provides two

benefits

> at

> > one time. Our desires and passions are the root cause of all our

> > suffering, and these are lessened. Simultaneouly, we have more

> > strength to defeat the internal enemies that cause unnecessary

> > grief.

> >

> > There is another variation on this mantra, Namah Shivaya. This

> > mantra takes the energy from the 2nd house and gives to the 5th.

> > This is the popular Panchaakshari, and is considered an ideal

> mantra

> > for a householder, since the spiritual blessings from the family

> and

> > lineage (2nd) are passed on to the offspring (5th). Om is called

> the

> > Guru Beeja or the Moksha beeja, and the addition of OM to this

> > mantra leads one to ultimate salvation. (previous para)

> >

> > Yes, there are some mantras that you are supposed to chant to

> > certain meters, at certain times etc etc. My experience has been

> > that if you start chanting with devotion, the meter (chandassu)

> etc

> > will come by themselves ... sooner or later I fell into a rythem

> > without knowing it, and later came to learn that this was indeed

> the

> > correct rhythem! Guidance will come....

> >

> > All of this is ONLY for mantras that are chanted for positive

> > outcomes - mantras to cause evil to others are another story

> > altogether, and yes, those can terribly harm the chanter at some

> > point because of the bad karma generated by trying to hurt

others.

> I

> > know this is not what you are talking about, Surya, but just

> wanted

> > to make the point that intentions are the key.

> >

> > I heard a charming story once. A hunter once came to a Rishi,

> > requesting a mantra. The rishi tried to teach him the Rama

mantra,

> > but the poor hunter was so illiterate that he could not even

> > pronounce that simple word, rama. The rishi though for a while,

> and

> > advised the hunter to chant the word "mara" with devotion. Mara

> > means to kill, and this was very familiar to the hunter, since

> that

> > was what he did, he killed animals in the forest. The hunter

> > sincerely meditated on this word, and as he chanted it, the

> > syllables merged into each other and "Mara... Ma... Ra..

Ma..Ra.."

> > became "Ra..Ma.. Ra..Ma.." and sounded the name of Lord Shree

> Rama!!

> > The hunter obtained moksha for his sincere devotion - note that

> the

> > word he started meditating on was to kill, which is a terrible

> sin,

> > but his devotion, and his faith in the rishi's words led him to

> the

> > Lord himself.

> >

> > As always, ,y humble opinion,

> > Sreelatha