I do the chanting of Rama Nama Japa when ever possible.. Some people say we can say rama nama any time, anywhere..is this true...
****************
Ofcourse... without any doubt... Rama Naama is Tharaka naama and there is no constraint for it...
It is said that the "Ra" in the name comes from the "Ra" in "Na Ra yana".
The "Ma" comes from "Na Ma Shivaya".
So that single name combines the power of both Shiva and Vishnu, who in turn are responsible of everything in the Universe.
In Vishnu Sahasranama, Parvathi Asks Shiva for a easy mean of reaching God then chanting a 1000 names. The Lord answers in a single word " Rama ".
Rama Nama is considered the greatest manthra. U need not do anything else, only that name is a great Pooja, said Sadguru bagva Nama Bhodendral, the 59th Acharya in Kanchi kamakoti Peetam. In fact in his Samadhi(holy grave), if u keep ur ears close, u can still hear the chant of the name Rama from inside.
This happens till date in the place of his Samadhi - Govindapuram, a village in Tanjore dist of Tamilnadu, near Kumbakonam.
Mantras require achara, shareera shuddi etc. But Bagawan Naamas are different from Mantras.. Chanting of the Taraka Nama has no restrictions. You can chant them always, anywhere, anytime, whenever you want or whatever else you are doing.
Kalau Sankeeerthya Keshavam...
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Gayathri japam during Sandhya vandhana
Question :
During sandhyavandhanam.. how many times we need to chant the gayathri mantra...how much is the minimum number..
************************
Answer:
Gayathri is called Vedha Matha- the mother of Vedhas. And Gayathri Japa is a duty of every Dwija. (Dwija is not only a Brahmin but includes even Kshatriyas and Vaishyas - who are initiated with Brahmopadesha and given Upanayanam.
It is one of the foremost duty given to you... Consider the case of your employment... You are given the promised salary for the work you do and do not get any additional or special pay for doing your job.. but you are questioned or even punished when you fail to do it.. The same is the case with Sandhyavandhanam.. By doing it you dont gain any special punya. But by leaving it you incur papa.
Gayathri Japam is a part of Sandhya vandhanam. The significant feature of Sandhyavandanam is the self contemplation or meditation through the Gayatri Mantra.
This is done first and foremost for one's personal Shreyas as well as Lokakshemam.
Simply chanting this Japa is of no use. One's mind should be completely focused towards Gayathri Devi. Minimum of 1008 times, is what our Shastras suggest. And if its not possible, it is suggested for a minimum of 108 times.
And now people need to reduce it even. Not only gayatri, any mantra - the more is the number the more you are benefited.
-------- An interesting episode is to be seen in an Islamic book "Akbar nama", the biography of Emperor Akbar
when Akbar was ruling India . Birbal was his minister .Akbar and Birbal would often travel incognito to collect first hand information about the various happenings within the country.
On one occasion , they noticed a brahmin going begging from house to house. Akbar pointed this out to Birbal. Birbal noticed the beggar and kept quiet. After reaching home he sent word for the brahmin to meet him.
When the brahmin called on Birbal , Birbal said ,
"Oh ! Brahmin - You collect your daily earnings through begging from me every day . In lieu of begging please chant Gayatri Japam during the three sandhya periods 108 times everyday. I shall pay you daily for chanting the mantra"
The brahmin agreed and after collecting the money from Birbal, started chanting Gayatri Mantra. This continued daily. After a few days , he thought , why not increase the chanting to 1008 times, since he had a lot of time. Birbal paid him more for increasing the count. This continued for some days but after few days the brahmin stopped going to Birbal's house for begging .
After a few days, Birbal suddenly remembered this Brahim and thought of inquiring about him. He visited the brahmin and asked him as to why he had stopped coming to his house. He was really surprised to see more and more people visiting the brahmin for his blessings and he had become a well known personality. The brahmin welcomed Birbal and profusely thanked him for putting him on the right path by guiding him at the right time. His daily meditation earnt him the power to acquire knowledge , acquire an attractive personality and soon he transformed into a good expounder of knowledge.
One day Birbal mentioned to Akbar that a saintly person had come to town and Akbar promptly invited the person and honoured him. Birbal then asked Akbar whether he remembered this saintly person but akbar could not recollect. Birbal then reminded Akbar about the brahmin beggar episode . Akbar after hearing this exclaimed "Oh! what a change".
This episode appears in the Akbar Nama and brings out the virtue and greatness of the Gayatri Mantra.
-------------
Coming to your question, the minimum in 108.. But Shastras say during Aapath-kaalam(when one is in danger or extraordinary situation) one can chant a minimum of 10 gayathri. If you chant Gayatri for 10 times in a fully involved manner, she will definitely going to bless you. But you have to decide whether are you always in Aapath Kalam? By doing Gayathri Japa, a dwija will grow and glow in social and spiritual life and reach the final destiny.
During sandhyavandhanam.. how many times we need to chant the gayathri mantra...how much is the minimum number..
************************
Answer:
Gayathri is called Vedha Matha- the mother of Vedhas. And Gayathri Japa is a duty of every Dwija. (Dwija is not only a Brahmin but includes even Kshatriyas and Vaishyas - who are initiated with Brahmopadesha and given Upanayanam.
It is one of the foremost duty given to you... Consider the case of your employment... You are given the promised salary for the work you do and do not get any additional or special pay for doing your job.. but you are questioned or even punished when you fail to do it.. The same is the case with Sandhyavandhanam.. By doing it you dont gain any special punya. But by leaving it you incur papa.
Gayathri Japam is a part of Sandhya vandhanam. The significant feature of Sandhyavandanam is the self contemplation or meditation through the Gayatri Mantra.
This is done first and foremost for one's personal Shreyas as well as Lokakshemam.
Simply chanting this Japa is of no use. One's mind should be completely focused towards Gayathri Devi. Minimum of 1008 times, is what our Shastras suggest. And if its not possible, it is suggested for a minimum of 108 times.
And now people need to reduce it even. Not only gayatri, any mantra - the more is the number the more you are benefited.
-------- An interesting episode is to be seen in an Islamic book "Akbar nama", the biography of Emperor Akbar
when Akbar was ruling India . Birbal was his minister .Akbar and Birbal would often travel incognito to collect first hand information about the various happenings within the country.
On one occasion , they noticed a brahmin going begging from house to house. Akbar pointed this out to Birbal. Birbal noticed the beggar and kept quiet. After reaching home he sent word for the brahmin to meet him.
When the brahmin called on Birbal , Birbal said ,
"Oh ! Brahmin - You collect your daily earnings through begging from me every day . In lieu of begging please chant Gayatri Japam during the three sandhya periods 108 times everyday. I shall pay you daily for chanting the mantra"
The brahmin agreed and after collecting the money from Birbal, started chanting Gayatri Mantra. This continued daily. After a few days , he thought , why not increase the chanting to 1008 times, since he had a lot of time. Birbal paid him more for increasing the count. This continued for some days but after few days the brahmin stopped going to Birbal's house for begging .
After a few days, Birbal suddenly remembered this Brahim and thought of inquiring about him. He visited the brahmin and asked him as to why he had stopped coming to his house. He was really surprised to see more and more people visiting the brahmin for his blessings and he had become a well known personality. The brahmin welcomed Birbal and profusely thanked him for putting him on the right path by guiding him at the right time. His daily meditation earnt him the power to acquire knowledge , acquire an attractive personality and soon he transformed into a good expounder of knowledge.
One day Birbal mentioned to Akbar that a saintly person had come to town and Akbar promptly invited the person and honoured him. Birbal then asked Akbar whether he remembered this saintly person but akbar could not recollect. Birbal then reminded Akbar about the brahmin beggar episode . Akbar after hearing this exclaimed "Oh! what a change".
This episode appears in the Akbar Nama and brings out the virtue and greatness of the Gayatri Mantra.
-------------
Coming to your question, the minimum in 108.. But Shastras say during Aapath-kaalam(when one is in danger or extraordinary situation) one can chant a minimum of 10 gayathri. If you chant Gayatri for 10 times in a fully involved manner, she will definitely going to bless you. But you have to decide whether are you always in Aapath Kalam? By doing Gayathri Japa, a dwija will grow and glow in social and spiritual life and reach the final destiny.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Q & A-7 Bhagawan
VUTPATTIM CHA VINASHAM CHA, BHOOTHANAM AAGATHIM GATHIM,
VETTHI VIDYAM AVIDYAM CHA, SA VACHYO BHAGAVANITHI.
arthath:
he who knows:
1. the birth and deathof pancha bhoothas,
2. the place from where pancha bhoothas come and go to at the end,
3. vidhya and avidhya
is called "bhagwan".
so, if "bhagwan" is just the person who has the knowledge of things, what is "everything"?
--------------
Again to square one..
I'l put your question in a different term:
The one who is
1.omnipotent..
2,Omnipresent
3.omniscient is God...
Just think...
This is not Just a person's capacity...
Again every soul is the none other than the Omnipresent Brahmam and is everything.
But the biggest question is do we know that?
If you mean Bhagwan as a separate person -May be Saguna Brhman.. He is always in unification with Nirguna Brahmam and projects himself as an entity with form and action just fo our sake.
Now.. approach the question from another view point... The person who has the knowledge of things is Bhawagan...
means...
By knowing the self, a person attain a state of oneness with the divine-brahmam and becomes Bhawagwan.
VETTHI VIDYAM AVIDYAM CHA, SA VACHYO BHAGAVANITHI.
arthath:
he who knows:
1. the birth and deathof pancha bhoothas,
2. the place from where pancha bhoothas come and go to at the end,
3. vidhya and avidhya
is called "bhagwan".
so, if "bhagwan" is just the person who has the knowledge of things, what is "everything"?
--------------
Again to square one..
I'l put your question in a different term:
The one who is
1.omnipotent..
2,Omnipresent
3.omniscient is God...
Just think...
This is not Just a person's capacity...
Again every soul is the none other than the Omnipresent Brahmam and is everything.
But the biggest question is do we know that?
If you mean Bhagwan as a separate person -May be Saguna Brhman.. He is always in unification with Nirguna Brahmam and projects himself as an entity with form and action just fo our sake.
Now.. approach the question from another view point... The person who has the knowledge of things is Bhawagan...
means...
By knowing the self, a person attain a state of oneness with the divine-brahmam and becomes Bhawagwan.
Q & A 6 Bhagawath Githa
In Bhagawat Gita, Sri Krishna says that he is "gayatri among mantras" , "Garuda among birds", and so on.....
that means, he is saying he is "the best part of things".... but not "everything". then, what is "everything" in which he is a part???
--------------
Regarding Bhagawath Gita-
Plz dont get carried away with only the famous quotes of the Githa.. If you can read it fully.. You will get the meaning...
The slokas you mention is from the tenth Chapter if I remember right..
In Geetha each chapter deals with One path to Mukthi.
The first chapter in the Gita is designated as system of yoga. It is called Arjuna Vishada Yogam - Yoga of Arjuna's Dejection.
Krishna explains the paths like 1.Bhakthi 2.Karma 3.Gnana etc
And they may or may not be complementary to each other.
This chapter is called Vibhuti Yoga...
This chapter dwells on the manifested attributes of the Lord.
to put in simple terms... Krishna declares that everything that is best and admirable is God...
that means, he is saying he is "the best part of things".... but not "everything". then, what is "everything" in which he is a part???
--------------
Regarding Bhagawath Gita-
Plz dont get carried away with only the famous quotes of the Githa.. If you can read it fully.. You will get the meaning...
The slokas you mention is from the tenth Chapter if I remember right..
In Geetha each chapter deals with One path to Mukthi.
The first chapter in the Gita is designated as system of yoga. It is called Arjuna Vishada Yogam - Yoga of Arjuna's Dejection.
Krishna explains the paths like 1.Bhakthi 2.Karma 3.Gnana etc
And they may or may not be complementary to each other.
This chapter is called Vibhuti Yoga...
This chapter dwells on the manifested attributes of the Lord.
to put in simple terms... Krishna declares that everything that is best and admirable is God...
Q & A 5 - Moksha
another topic i always wanted to ask you:
" YATHPADHAM PREPSAVO DHEENAH SAKRADHYAH SARVADEVATHAH,
AHO THATHRA STHITHO YOGI NA HARSHAM UPAGACHATHI"
...... Astavakra Gita
arthath:
All gods like indra are so desparate to reach a place (place here refers to moksha / aathmanubhava)
but the yogi who reaches that place is not expressing any joy.
isn't it unusual?
if Bhagwan can grant us MOKSHA / BANDHA VIMUKTHI, why is he - himself bound to this world?
--------------
Moksha doesn't exist anywhere(to reach).. Its right here-within you..
Once you know the self-it is moksha. When you are in that Supreme state, how to express the joy?
The happiness or pleasure of Gods like Indra are temporary but Moksha is eternal and permanent.
The formless Brahman assumes various forms and Divine entities..
You are a part of the everything(all pervading Prabrahmam) but totally unware of it. Realizing this state is Moksha.
This brahma vastu assumes various divine forms voluntarily in order to raise us from the lower level towards this self realization.
This happens only by his own will and just because of this he projects as if bound to this world...
But He is not..
" YATHPADHAM PREPSAVO DHEENAH SAKRADHYAH SARVADEVATHAH,
AHO THATHRA STHITHO YOGI NA HARSHAM UPAGACHATHI"
...... Astavakra Gita
arthath:
All gods like indra are so desparate to reach a place (place here refers to moksha / aathmanubhava)
but the yogi who reaches that place is not expressing any joy.
isn't it unusual?
if Bhagwan can grant us MOKSHA / BANDHA VIMUKTHI, why is he - himself bound to this world?
--------------
Moksha doesn't exist anywhere(to reach).. Its right here-within you..
Once you know the self-it is moksha. When you are in that Supreme state, how to express the joy?
The happiness or pleasure of Gods like Indra are temporary but Moksha is eternal and permanent.
The formless Brahman assumes various forms and Divine entities..
You are a part of the everything(all pervading Prabrahmam) but totally unware of it. Realizing this state is Moksha.
This brahma vastu assumes various divine forms voluntarily in order to raise us from the lower level towards this self realization.
This happens only by his own will and just because of this he projects as if bound to this world...
But He is not..
Q & A 4- Guru
dear sir,
what is the importance of guru?
they say, "a tantra / mantra / yoga / jaap / upasan / etc... will not succeed without a guru who got 'siddhi' in that."
if a learner wants to learn more than one vidhya, do he has to make more than one person his guru?
we don't know each other. still, i get perfect answers from you. i don't know how to express my gratitude.
Please also kindly explain me the importance of GURU. I don't want to know who is guru. I want to know WHAT GURU IS.
please explain.
-------------------------------------
GU, means Darkness,and RU means Eradication. GURU is the one who removes this Darkness(of ignorance).
Once a devotee asked Ramana Maharshi- Whom should one take for one’s Guru?
Sri Ramana said: Choose that one where you find you get shanti (peace)
So the person who gives the eternal bliss and peace(to the soul) is the Guru.
You have asked about Guru's importance: According to me Guru is more than God.
God accepts a person, only after removing his impurities or bad qualities.
In other words, God accepts what is Best.
But the ever compassionate Guru accepts us as we are(with all our plus and minus)... that is His greatness.
Coming down to other Areas as you have questioned, any spiritual practice will not succeed without a guru "who got 'siddhi' in that."
Simple Logic- Only fully charged battery can make the light glow. Only a Guru with the Siddhi(mastery) can bestow it to a sishya.
In general it is always better to accept Eka Guru (single guru). Just like one father and one mother -the Guru too should should be one. This is mostly advised for Athma Guru.(the one who is going to liberate you)
if a learner wants to learn more than one vidhya, do he has to make more than one person his guru?
Yes. In such a case it is allowed. But with the consent of the (original) Guru. Note.. you may have more than one Guru but you cant change your Guru.
All Gurus should be treated with equal importance. Nothing should be concealed between them. Devotion, service, treatment and behavior everything should be alike.
In other words, you must serve all the Gurus with a Bhava that they are nothing but different forms of the Same entity.
**************************************************************
dear sir, I'm grateful to your kind self in many ways. I express my apologies to you as I was gathering answers to the same questions from various persons. I wanted to get various views on the same matter. one of them wrote to me as follows:
"One needs a guru.. esp for spiritual purpose becos they have to be learnt under able guidance - not in the sense of commercialisation. There are vidyas, which are passed on in parampara - so a teacher + student relationship is very cohesive that way. Being a teacher it becomes an obligation to choose the right student, and for the student its a gr8 chance to learn good things. Thats the reason why, a spiritual guru is supposed to come to you by himself .. when you are good enuff.... "
Please advise me wether I am not good enough to be a shishya or is it that a guru approached me and i didn't recognise him???
-----------
The answer for this question... is the divine secret.
The Guru -Sishya relationship cannot be determined in One janma..
You may have come across 1000s of janmas and at some point you step into the path of realisation.. At that time your Guru comes...
He is the one who is going to liberate you and take care of you..
This is the reason for many people..the Guru come to you by himself.
This doesnt mean that you should keep quiet..
But how to estimate or evaluate your spiritual caliber?
It is not practically possible....
Dont underestimate yourself or over estimate yourself.
(one small advise.. never try to estimate your Guru)
You be sincere.. and Amba will send you Your Guru..
This will happen automatically and involuntarily...
what is the importance of guru?
they say, "a tantra / mantra / yoga / jaap / upasan / etc... will not succeed without a guru who got 'siddhi' in that."
if a learner wants to learn more than one vidhya, do he has to make more than one person his guru?
we don't know each other. still, i get perfect answers from you. i don't know how to express my gratitude.
Please also kindly explain me the importance of GURU. I don't want to know who is guru. I want to know WHAT GURU IS.
please explain.
-------------------------------------
GU, means Darkness,and RU means Eradication. GURU is the one who removes this Darkness(of ignorance).
Once a devotee asked Ramana Maharshi- Whom should one take for one’s Guru?
Sri Ramana said: Choose that one where you find you get shanti (peace)
So the person who gives the eternal bliss and peace(to the soul) is the Guru.
You have asked about Guru's importance: According to me Guru is more than God.
God accepts a person, only after removing his impurities or bad qualities.
In other words, God accepts what is Best.
But the ever compassionate Guru accepts us as we are(with all our plus and minus)... that is His greatness.
Coming down to other Areas as you have questioned, any spiritual practice will not succeed without a guru "who got 'siddhi' in that."
Simple Logic- Only fully charged battery can make the light glow. Only a Guru with the Siddhi(mastery) can bestow it to a sishya.
In general it is always better to accept Eka Guru (single guru). Just like one father and one mother -the Guru too should should be one. This is mostly advised for Athma Guru.(the one who is going to liberate you)
if a learner wants to learn more than one vidhya, do he has to make more than one person his guru?
Yes. In such a case it is allowed. But with the consent of the (original) Guru. Note.. you may have more than one Guru but you cant change your Guru.
All Gurus should be treated with equal importance. Nothing should be concealed between them. Devotion, service, treatment and behavior everything should be alike.
In other words, you must serve all the Gurus with a Bhava that they are nothing but different forms of the Same entity.
**************************************************************
dear sir, I'm grateful to your kind self in many ways. I express my apologies to you as I was gathering answers to the same questions from various persons. I wanted to get various views on the same matter. one of them wrote to me as follows:
"One needs a guru.. esp for spiritual purpose becos they have to be learnt under able guidance - not in the sense of commercialisation. There are vidyas, which are passed on in parampara - so a teacher + student relationship is very cohesive that way. Being a teacher it becomes an obligation to choose the right student, and for the student its a gr8 chance to learn good things. Thats the reason why, a spiritual guru is supposed to come to you by himself .. when you are good enuff.... "
Please advise me wether I am not good enough to be a shishya or is it that a guru approached me and i didn't recognise him???
-----------
The answer for this question... is the divine secret.
The Guru -Sishya relationship cannot be determined in One janma..
You may have come across 1000s of janmas and at some point you step into the path of realisation.. At that time your Guru comes...
He is the one who is going to liberate you and take care of you..
This is the reason for many people..the Guru come to you by himself.
This doesnt mean that you should keep quiet..
But how to estimate or evaluate your spiritual caliber?
It is not practically possible....
Dont underestimate yourself or over estimate yourself.
(one small advise.. never try to estimate your Guru)
You be sincere.. and Amba will send you Your Guru..
This will happen automatically and involuntarily...
Q & A3- Satwa Rajas and Thamas
dear sir,
what satwa, raja, thamo gunas? where do they come from?
what i've heard:
satwa guna is to be a sadhu. to accept and excuse all the sins done against us.
thamo guna is to be voilent. to punish the person who harms us.
rajo guna is to be in between these two.
now the question arises that if god is above all these, why did he act as guru datta, buddha, rama, krishna, narasimha, kali, durga, mahishasura mardhini, rudra, dakshinamurthy, etc... who are role models of the gunas
---------------------------------------
Satwa, characterised by lightness, consciousness, pleasure and clarity, is pure, free from disease and cannot be disturbed in any way.
Rajas, the most active of the gunas, has motion and stimulation as its characteristics.
While Tamas is characterised by heaviness and resistance. It produces disturbances in the process of perception and activities of the mind.
Satwa activates the senses and is responsible for the perception of knowledge.
All desires, wishes, ambitions and fickle-mindedness are a result of Rajas.
Delusion, false knowledge, laziness, apathy, sleep and drowsiness are due to Tamas.
God is called Gunatheetha.. -the one above the Gunas. But that is in the supreme pure state.. Nirguna Brahma state.
Once He assumes forms..in order to suit the mind of different variety of people in the world. Here, He voluntarily accepts these gunas (or rather exhibits that he has this guna)(though he remains untouched by these gunas) in order to reach the devotees..
what satwa, raja, thamo gunas? where do they come from?
what i've heard:
satwa guna is to be a sadhu. to accept and excuse all the sins done against us.
thamo guna is to be voilent. to punish the person who harms us.
rajo guna is to be in between these two.
now the question arises that if god is above all these, why did he act as guru datta, buddha, rama, krishna, narasimha, kali, durga, mahishasura mardhini, rudra, dakshinamurthy, etc... who are role models of the gunas
---------------------------------------
Satwa, characterised by lightness, consciousness, pleasure and clarity, is pure, free from disease and cannot be disturbed in any way.
Rajas, the most active of the gunas, has motion and stimulation as its characteristics.
While Tamas is characterised by heaviness and resistance. It produces disturbances in the process of perception and activities of the mind.
Satwa activates the senses and is responsible for the perception of knowledge.
All desires, wishes, ambitions and fickle-mindedness are a result of Rajas.
Delusion, false knowledge, laziness, apathy, sleep and drowsiness are due to Tamas.
God is called Gunatheetha.. -the one above the Gunas. But that is in the supreme pure state.. Nirguna Brahma state.
Once He assumes forms..in order to suit the mind of different variety of people in the world. Here, He voluntarily accepts these gunas (or rather exhibits that he has this guna)(though he remains untouched by these gunas) in order to reach the devotees..
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