Kavachas of Planets / NarsimhaJi -Intonation and Mental Chanting

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Dear Hari and others,

 

> Hope Narasimha Rao ji will upload and give better explanation.Shri

> Neeraj had also expressed his views.

 

Unfortunately, I cannot upload my pronunciation. In our tradition, we belive that saying a mantra in vaikhari (with audible sound) robs it of some power. So we do not chant the mantras in which we have/want some level of siddhi loud.

 

I have no problem chanting ANY OTHER mantra - Vedic or not - for others. But I cannot upload Gayatri mantra in my voice. Sorry.

 

> From the following link you can listen to Bhagawan SaiBaba, reciting

> gayatri mantra with proper intonation.There is also another audio with

> longer invocation.

>

> http://wahiduddin.net/mantra/gayatri.htm

 

Unfortunately, none of them is correct as per Rigvedic swara. The one closest is Satya Sai Baba's rendering. He changed the swara quite a lot in "Tatsaviturvarenyam". His intonation in the rest of the mantra is almost perfect. Other renderings given on the website do not come close.

 

A couple of humble suggestions:

 

(1) Pronunciation of visarga: In "dhiyo yo na<visarga>", the visarga is pronounced by most south Indians as "ha". They pronounce it as "dhiyo yo naha". Visarga literally means "discharging" or "letting go". The correct pronunciation of visarga is to let the air go. It is closer to "dhiyo yo nah" than "dhiyo yo naha". If you pronounce visarga as "ha", you are adding one extra akshara (syllable) and changing the chhandas.

 

We are living in Kali yuga and corruptions are everywhere, even in the highest mantras. No matter how many learned Veda panditas say "dhiyo yo naha", I am absolutely confident that it is wrong.

 

(2) At the end of the mantra, "prachodayaat" comes. This is pronounced by many south Indian priests as "prachodayaattu" or "prachodayaatti". Instead of ending with the consonant "t", they artificially add an vowel to it. If you do it, you are adding an akshara and changing chhandas. Probably the practice was to add a vowel to the last consonant when teaching, so that students can hear the consonant well (if you just end with the consonant, it is not clearly audible). But, when you do sadhana of a mantra, pronounce a consosnant as just that and don't add non-existent vowels.

 

* * *

 

Regarding mental chanting:

 

Just start practicing low voice chanting first. As days pass, slowly keep reducing the volume further. You will finally achieve mental chanting.

 

Before you sit for chanting, do pranayama if you can and calm down.

 

Then cross your legs (padmasana or half-lotus with right leg up). Keep your back as straight as possible, without making it too tense. Keep the head also straight. Close your eyes.

 

Then think something like this: "I am not this body. This body is transient, but I am not. I am Atman, that is never born and never dies. I am the Atman that fills the entire universe. I am the Atman that takes the form of Sri Maha Lakshmi (or your ishta devata) and fills the entire universe. I just want to be Atman and nothing else."

 

After thinking of such things for a while, start chanting mentally (or in low voice to start with) with the mind focussed on the sound of the mantra or on the breathing or on a mentally imagined form of your ishta devata. Still, your mind will wander here and there (that is its nature). Don't worry about it and, whenever you see your mind somewhere else, just calmly bring it back to the focus point (without any regret or panic or worry, but with calmness).

 

If you feel any physical uneasiness or any impatient thought (e.g. "how many more beads are remaining probably? Am I close to being done?"), try to ignore the uneasiness and those thoughts. Tell yourself something like "I am not this body. I do not have anything to do. There is no time for me. I am Atman and the only thing that I exist to do is to do this mantra. Let me just get lost in this mantra" and focus on the mantra.

 

Like anything in life, practice makes one perfect. Keep practicing. If your intonation is imperfect, don't worry. Keep practicing and try to make it more perfect as times goes on.

 

* * *

 

A couple of words of caution:

 

(1) If you are not used to sitting cross-legged, don't strain yourself and sit comfortably in the beginning. While you are not the body, body is an instrument you use in sadhana. There is no need to hurt it carelessly.

 

(2) If a few malas of Gayatri mantra are done everyday intensively, with the correct intonation, you can expect your Pingala nadi to be opened like anything and a lot of heat generated. You may feel heat in various parts of the body. It is normal and don't worry. The fire generated by the mantra can burn toxins and weaknesses that accumulated in the sookshma sareera due to years of corrupt lifestyle.

 

(3) Eventually, even Sushumna nadi can open, Kundalini can awaken and various nadis of the sookshma sareera can be cleaned up. Gayatri mantra does have that power. At that stage, you may need a sadguru to guide you. If a sadguru is destined to guide you, he/she may come and find you! Otherwise, resort to the path of complete submission to your ishta devata and leave everything to Him/Her. The deity can do the work of a sadguru then.

 

Just note that you may be guided by a guru even without ever meeting one. A true sadguru does not need to meet you or communicate with you verbally to guide you! If you submit fully to your ishta devata, have respect for maharshis and do sadhana of Gayatri mantra perfectly, I am sure you will be guided by a sadguru even if it may not seem so.

 

In old days, Gayatri mantra was the first mantra taught to a young disciple and one was expected to read a few lakhs (preferably 2.4 million times). It does nadi sodhana and cleans up all nadis and gives self-realization. No wonder so many people were so spiritually advanced in old times. We are living in a deepening Kali yuga and even those who are taught this important mantra are ignoring it or doing it only a handful of times a day.

 

* * *

 

> Dear PVR,

>

> From your quote below, 1st/9th lords are protectors of health while 6/8th lords are spoilers. What if 6th/9th lords are same ( jupiter for cancer lagna?, mercury for capricon lagna?) or 1st/8th lords are same ( Mars for Aries lagna?) 1st/6th lord ( venus for taurus lagna?)? 8/9th lord (saturn for gemini lagna?)

>

> Does the effect become neutral? or the malefic nature dominates?

>

> thanks in advance,

> SK

 

In general, reading the kavacha of any planet only protects the native and never harms. How fast and how much protection is given depends on the agenda of the planet in the chart. To decide the nature of a planet, you can use the standard rules. Yes, if a planet owns 6th and 9th, it is neutral. But one indication may dominate and it depends on so many factors and I cannot give a thumbrule.

 

Sarvam SreeKrishnaarpanamastu,

Narasimha

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