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A mantra can make the impossible possible

 

Published in Discover India Jan'2001 Issue

 

Dr. Gautam Chatterjee talks to

 

Dr. Viswamitter JI Maharaj,

 

Head of Sri Ram Sharnam, which has its headquarters in

Delhi

 

 

Q. The mantra is a mystic phenomenon. Can you explain

the essence of mantra? A. A mantra can be a word or a

sentence which, when uttered in a particular manner

and contemplated within, can make sorrows wither and

assure mukti (salvation). The aim of mantra is to

achieve dharma (religious righteousness and duty),

artha (philosophical interpretative value or meaning

and even the means), kama (procreative universal truth

and sensual satisfaction) and moksha (salvation from

birth and rebirth). Mantras have definitive importance

both at the materialistic and spiritual levels.

 

Q. What are the different types of mantras in vogue?

A. There are simple mantras which arc known to snake

charmers who, with the help of these mantras, take out

the poison from the mouth of a snake. However, there

arc mantras which are universal benefactors and take

out the ‘poison bag’ from the mouth of the

materialistic world and ensure emancipation. An

ex-ample is the Rama mantra.

 

Q. What are the dynamics of mantra? A. Everything in

the world is perish-able and we remain mortal. We

nurture materialistic cravings. We are all yantra.

There are two aspects: One is yantra and the other is

mantra. Yantra only activates materialism and remains

mortal. It does not provide peace and only feeds the

world called maya or illusion. But a mantra is bigger

than yantra and remains the embodiment of Paramatman,

the Supreme Being.

 

If you want to understand yantra then see for yourself

the impermanent aspect of yantra : Childhood, youth,.

old age, beauty, wealth etc which are never permanent

and dwell in the sphere of mortality.

 

On the other hand, mantra ensures peace. Peace can be

achieved through mantra and upasana (sitting near). If

a calf does not sit near a cow then how can it get

milk? If a baby does not cling to its mother than how

can it get milk? Not going near God how can one get

peace? How can the soul fill its hunger? So

worshipping or doing upasana with mantra ensures a

state of emancipation which scales beyond time and

space. Mantras are powerful and by the act of japa

(constant remembrance through counting beads) one is

progressively empowered.

 

Q. Can mantras enhance will power and mental strength?

A. Let me tell you a short story. Once Alexander the

Great, after conquering country after country, finally

went to the Himalayas. Near a snowy mountain he met a

sadhu (ascetic). Alexander told the sadku to ask for

anything. The saint asked, "Do you think you are the

most powerful person? Then bring the sun rays here and

if you can’t then go away and allow whatever rays to

come here." Alexander stood speechless. The saint

could dare to say all this and banish the ego of the

Emperor with his mantra sadhana! Thus a mantra

empowers and makes an ascetic fearless.

 

To understand the power of a mantra, let me cite

another story. Once Emperor Akbar told his Minister,

Mansingh, to find a solution as a fort being built at

Prayag was collapsing again and again for unknown

reasons. The Minister, while contemplating and

strolling along the banks of the Ganga, saw a saint

meditating. A python was about to attack the saint but

failed miserably. The saint, with his power of mantra

had defeated the python.

 

At the sight of this miracle, the Min-ister approached

the saint with the problem of Emperor Akbar. After

some contemplation, the saint said that the fort could

not be built as Goddess Devi Shakti was annoyed. Then

he gave a piece of paper with a mantra inscribed on it

and instructed the Minister to lay it on the

foundation of the fort and start building again.

Mansingh followed his advice and the fort was rebuilt

successfully.

 

A mantra can make the impossible possible. A simple

sadkak can become a great saint with the power of

mantra. A mantra can change an unfavourable situation

into a favourable one.

 

 

 

Q. How can a mantra make things favourable? Can you

cite an example? A. A mantra can create a favourable

at-osphere and the lshta (the God) of that particular

mantra can even save a per-son from evil designs of

his foes.

 

It so happened that Shivaji was fighting the Mughals

and repeatedly eluded the sword of the mighty Mughal

Empire.

 

Finally, the Mughals hatched a conspiracy and tried to

kill Shivaji in a clandestine manner. With the power

of Tantra and Mantra, a Mughal killer was able to

penetrate the security system of Shivaji. The Mughal

took out his sword and was about to attack a sleeping

Shivaji when, suddenly, an unseen invincible power

held his hand. The Mughal asked, "Who is stopping me?"

Immediately an answer was heard, "Your ishta (God)

could penetrate the security system and facilitate you

to come up to this point but Shivaji’a Ishta who is

satvik (pure) and all-powerful is already present here

to save Him". Thus an attempt to murder Shivaji was

foiled by a mystic power which was appeased with

Shivaji’s mantra sadhana.

 

 

 

Q. Can you highlight the types of mantras we have? A.

There are three types of mantras. One is Sabhri which

empowers one with siddhi or mystic powers. The second

is Tantra which gives ckamatkari (amazing

demonstrative powers) at the mystic level. The third

is Vedic mantra which goes towards achieving eternal

peace for the soul. Initiation with mantra from the

guru covers most aspects of sadhana (spiritual

cultivation). This mantra once given by a guru can

erase fear within and diminish demonic influences, if

any. Whosoever cultivates the Guru mantra is able to

travel to Puramdham, the land of the Supreme Soul.

 

Q. Will you elaborate the context of Guru mantra at

the power level? A. By uttering the seed mantra of

naam (name) one gets into a creative process

automatically. This is called Naam Yoga. A sadkak

(worshipper) is not to bother about its result as the

God or lshta Naam takes care of the disciple

automatically. In actuality, the God of any given name

resides within the naam (name) and so the Naam mantra

is referred to as Mantramay or embodiment of God

within the sacred sound of mantra. In the process of

japa, the sadkak gets closer to his/her Ishta or God

who in turn bestows love and care on the sadhak.

 

The utterance of the name of God in a repeated manner

is a japa and once it is chanted loudly it becomes

kirtan or devotional song. On the score of utterance

there are various stages or centres of activity. There

is an involuntary movement of the tongue which is

called annamay kosh. This is powered by the life force

called pranmay kosh. But there has to be a wish for

the movement of the tongue which is called manamay

kosh. Then there has to be a doer (karta) called

Vigyanmay kosh. The name of God has to be uttered with

deep love, respect and dedication and then it becomes

the harbinger of happiness or anandamay - anandamay

kosh.

 

While we utter the name of God and all centres of

activity work in cohesion and unison it empowers us

with mental and physical strength. The negative karma

of past lives gets effaced with the chanting.

 

Q. Will you narrate a story citing the impact of

mantras? A. Mantras have a tremendous impact at the

body and mental levels. In Jabalpur there lived a

saint, Mahamaleshwar, and if anybody touched any part

of his body one could hear Rama Naam ringing

automatically. And when he chanted naam kirtan even

dogs danced. Similarly, when Mahaprabhu Chaitanya

chanted naam kirtun trees began to sway as if in dance

to his sacred tune.

 

A mantra is physically a pure sound and its repeated

utterance creates a ring of sound within and outside.

If one ties a small stone at the end of a rope and

swings it to revolve then this small stone gets so

powerful that if released it can even kill. The mantra

if repeatedly chanted can create a dynamic sound

wavelength which can inspire one to aspire for

anything. The amalgamative power of a mantra at the

sound and bhava level can become so prominent that one

can even assume the qualities of the Divine.

 

Q. Finally, how does Rama, Rama, a simple mantra

become a Guru mantra? A. Rama, Rama uttered from

Gurumukh (mouth of the Guru) has special meaning as

the sound comes out of the cosmic touch of the Guru’s

atman (soul) and gets planted in the heart of a sadkak

(follower). Let me explain this idea: We all see the

gigantic Vata Vriksha but its seeds are very small. We

do not see these seeds sprouting in plenty. Actually

these small seeds are food for animals and birds who

digest them and out of their body heat the seeds

become soft and sprouting becomes easy. Similarly,

when Rama, Rama is processed by the tapa and siddhi of

a Guru, it becomes cosmic nada of Rama, Rama. Such is

the power of the Rama mantra which emits from the soul

of the Guru.

 

 

 

=====

Om Gam Ganapataye Namah

 

 

 

- Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup

http://fifaworldcup.

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