SANCTIFYING THE PSYCHE VIA MANTRA CHANTING PART 1

There are many prevalent rites with reference to the worship of images. For e.g. they are pilgrimages, visiting temples, eulogy, regular reading of sacred texts, Shodashopchar, circumambulation, bathing God, religious processions, prayer meetings, keeping awake at night, singing God’s name etc. The next higher stage is where there is minimal use of worship articles and that the worship is more at the mental level akin to meditation. Of course at times it does utilize bodily activities, hard work and other modes of worship,

Under a high-levelled mode of spiritual practice, there are 2 aspects:

1) Mantra chanting or Japa

2) Meditation or Dhyan

Not only in Indian tradition but amongst all modes of worship in the entire world, one makes use of the above 2 aspects in one way or the other. The methods may vary but they are seen as a part and parcel of the above 2 aspects.

Via Mantra chanting it is spirituality that calls on God which in a certain way we all have forgotten. Just as a serpent without its jewel sits down weakly and tiredly, in the same way we all, after being separated from the Lord are full of fear like a orphaned child. We feel unprotected and experience a lot of hardships. It seems as though we have lost something that is most dear to us. Hence Mantra chanting helps us search for what we have lost.

No doubt Draupadi was rendered naked bodily, but today it is our soul that is losing purity and thus it is rendered shameful both externally and internally. Hence under such circumstances it is appropriate that the mind as the elephant and soul as Draupadi calls on God. One chants a Mantra so that God catches hold of our hand and pulls us out of the hole of spiritual ignorance. Remembrance of God is the chief leg of worship. It is on the basis of a name that we can come to know someone’s existence and thus remember him/her. In order to re-instate God in our psyche, we have to take the help of his name. After remembrance comes summons, from summons comes re-instation and from this comes attainment of God. All this is accepted by the Science of Psyche (Psychology).

In order to educate the soul, the Science of psyche gives us 4 levels and substratums. The first is education - it is also called the learning process. It is at this level that school children are educated. They are given a lot of information. It is not enough just to gain informative knowledge. School children keep repeating it by rote. School education is dependent on this repetition and memorizing various subjects. They have to remember the names of all the mountains. Sanskrit language studies is in fact called the Science of Rote. This memorizing by rote method has to be accepted by all students. There is no other way except to repeat all that one has heard and establish the same in the mind.

There are some things which are easily remembered after listening only once but there are other topics, which if not pursued regularly, is forgotten easily. After completing school studies, if the topics studied are of no use later, they are easily forgotten. The soldiers of any army have to regularly participate in parades. Wrestlers go to their gymnasium on an empty stomach and regularly perform sit-ups. It is most required that musicians continuously practise all that they have learnt. If they fail to do so, their fingers falter and cannot maintain correct beats and musical notes.

The second layer of education is retention i.e. labeling all that one has studied in one’s psyche. The third layer is recall i.e. to unearth forgotten events of the past and activate them. The fourth layer is recognition i.e. to accept things. That is it should be converted into steadfastness, faith and trust. In God worship, all these goals have to be attained. We have to go beyond all the above 4 layers. Image worship helps us experience the close proximity of God via retention. We stray in life because we have forgotten our soul’s ancient relationship with God. When the string of a kite slips from the hands of a kite flyer, the kite strays away here and there only to fall down ultimately. When the connecting string between a puppeteer and his puppets snaps then how can the puppet dolls dance to his tune? If the wire connection of an electrical item like a fan, fridge etc. snaps, the machines can no longer function. The relationship between a living being and God is eternal but because the living being is enmeshed in the material world, this relationship is as good as broken. Hence over here recall would mean to search for this broken cord and thus re-unite with God. Via Mantra chanting this goal can be achieved. When the living being reaches the fourth state called recognition, it realizes/ experiences that within him/ her is the divine light of God and as per the tenets of Vedant he/ she experiences that “this is God”, “that I am”, “I am that”, “I am blissful consciousness” and “I am God”. This is not merely superficial lip service but it is at the experential level. As a result of this the qualities, actions, nature, viewpoint and activity of man reaches a divine level. His/her state is equivalent to that of a saint, God etc.

For soul progress, the area of thought has to work hard and only then can we reap rich dividends. Only when a field is ploughed again and again, can it give a rich harvest. Chanting Mantras is akin to ploughing a field. The act of worship is akin to opening a school by the inner soul so as to educate the mind and ten senses. In this school one is asked to repeat the Lord’s name continuously so that its student can easily memorize alphabets, numbers etc. It is this primary education which is behind repeating the same thing again and again.

When you dip a cloth in coloured water for a long time, it takes up that colour. Those trees that grow in the vicinity of sandalwood trees, imbibe the fragrance of sandalwood. When rose petals fall on muddy ground, its mud too gets the fragrance of rose. The benefits of close proximity are well-known. One has to face the reactions of good/bad associates. The act of meditation is an example of getting close to God and hence its good results will definitely be experienced. The law of butterflies worm and buzzing bee is well-known.

For Mantra chanting the best and most well-known Mantra is Gayatri as per Indian scriptures. It is called the Guru-Mantra i.e. it is Supreme. Gayatri Mantra chanting is very helpful in purifying our psyche. It is called Vedmata (Vedic mother) because the entire seed of divine wisdom/ knowledge present in the Vedas, is found in this 24-lettered small Mantra.

The mouth is called a fireball. At the gross level it is correlated to the fire of our stomach. The description of slow fire and intense fire is made so as to give us an introduction to active/ non-active nature of the digestive glands which spread out from the mouth to the stomach area. When the mouth chews food, it is executing the first leg of the process of digestion. Later this food is further digested in various steps. The fireball of our mouth performs digestion at the gross level, uttering speech at the subtle level and at the causal level it creates a divine flow of consciousness. All these 3 functions excel one another. We all know the importance of digestion and talking. Only a few know what is this divine conscious flow. The total Science of Mantra Yoga revolves around this mysterious power.

When you utter various words, it not only gives us its meaning but that even many emotions, sensations, inspirations and energies are conjoined to it. If this was not the case, our speech would lack the power to harbour friendship or show enmity. It could never then be utilized for raising or demeaning people. When we hear bitter words, we get angry and we act and say things which should never be executed or uttered. When we get worrisome news, we do not eat anything and sleep runs miles away from us. When man hears about the demise of his near/ dear ones, he loses consciousness. A word flow of logic, enthusiasm and love can change the very thinking of the lay public and people, mesmerized by the utterances of the speaker, act exactly as he wishes. When we delve deep into these facts, it becomes clear that speech does not merely give us the meaning of the words uttered. Alongwith the word flow, the influential conscious principles too is conjoined to it. When they resound at a place after mixing with sound vibrations it induces consciousness oriented movements. When words are tested on the basis of material science, it can only be called a material wave vibration. Over here one cannot describe materially, its sensitive potential that influences consciousness. In its pristine purity it is spiritual.

In Mantra - Yoga after understanding this very spiritual influence of word energy, it is made use of variedly. After squeezing a lemon, its dry skin is set aside. When we get clarified butter from milk, the remaining butter-milk has hardly any value. The same holds true for Mantra-Yoga. As a result of it such a conscious energy manifests, that it induces strange movements in the mind and body of the one chanting the Mantra. This further results in influencing of infinite space, meeting special individuals and encountering special circumstances.