Blessed be the Name of the Lord

Question: “Experience shows me that the practice of mantra japa is a central aspect of sadhana, at one time or another, for the majority of those following Sanatana Dharma. Further understanding of Bhagavan affirms that his teaching accentuated the foundations of this eternal religion. However, I have been lead to believe that the teachings of Bhagavan regarding japa state that this practice was prescribed only for those of weak (lacking maturity) minds. Is this assumption true?”

    A common misunderstanding regarding the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi is the belief that he never advised his disciples to take up a practice that involved mantra japa (continuous repetition of one of many sound formulas representing a Name of God). The truth is that such advice was given, though rarely, and even given to some of those in the innermost circle. In the memoirs of one of Bhagavan’s close disciples such an occurrence is recorded:

          “Though Bhagavan rarely gave out mantras, when he did, he generally recommended “Siva, Siva’. Muruganar himself was given this mantra by Bhagavan, as were several other devotees including Annamalai Swami, the brother of Rangan (who was one of Bhagavan’s childhood friends), and an unknown harijan.” [1]

    Muruganar continues, making special note of Bhagavan’s teachings regarding the use of mantras:

          “Through grace, Padam (Muruganar’s epithet for Bhagavan) ensures that there is never any danger to those who remain in their heart, meditating ‘Sivaya Nama’.”

           “The mantra ‘Sivaya Nama” on which you meditate will reveal itself within your heart to be your father and mother.”

           (In this verse the father implies Siva, who is Sat [being], while the mother denotes Sakti, who is Chit [consciousness].)

            “The mind that does japa, ‘Siva, Siva,’ will later automatically lose itself in ajapa (samadhi).” [2]

The Joy of Perseverance

“When it is said that this practice of meditation (with or without the use of japa) and samadhi is persistent, it is of two types, disciplinary and pervasive. Disciplinary means that you have chosen a time in the morning or evening to do the practice. The morning hours are considered best because you are rested from sleep, and the world around you is also at rest. In meditation we are leading ourselves to a state of quietude by conscious movement. In sleep we are being led by the unconscious. Sleep can give a feeling of refreshment, but it cannot give our thought vitality. Philosophically, the stages toward enlightenment are the progressive movement toward the stage where the ego is not dominating you. The final enlightenment is the burning down of the ego entirely.

 “The pervasive type of practice is the most important. The revelations of yoga that are achieved while practicing privately in the recesses of your heart must be applied in your daily life. The strength, beauty and rapture of focused attention that one experiences in meditation becomes even more wondrous when applied to everything one does.

“A sense of joy will pervade the life of one who applies this yogic concentration in the actions of everyday life. Others will not only perceive this joy, it will uplift them. This uplifting of humanity is the prime characteristic of one whose life is one of service to God. Maintaining this mental focus within during outward activities also produces a stream of unimaginable peace. This profound peace is undreamt of for it is the peace wherein the ego is transcended, even though one remains active in daily life.

“How will you know it? Even when you are insulted, you will not feel at a loss, because you are not dominated by the ego personality. You are never shaken when put into difficult circumstances. You have experienced dhyana and samadhi at a deeper level of your personality. The goal is that by practicing meditative absorption in a disciplinary way you direct that experience to permeate your life.” [3]

    According to Patanjali, the lowest stages of samadhi rest upon the support of the control of the senses. One must remember that the definition of samadhi comes from the root ‘dha’ which is prefixed by ‘sam’ and ‘a’. The meaning is to gather together and keep in one place, in a very skillful, controlled and thorough way. This deep level of absorption suggests that a transformation is occurring in which there is unfolding within the mind complete unification. This transformation is progressive, as our concentration and ‘experience of unity’ becomes prolonged and more natural. Internally, we are accomplishing the “purification through softening and melting within” which Bhagavan maintains as essential. It is the ego that is melting, and due to its strength, it’s powers wane slowly. Our perseverance in the sadhana of steady meditation will ensure the final attainment.

    This final achievement is the burning down of the externalized mind that has become impure (egotistic) through lifetimes of identification with a world founded upon and maintained by multiplicity.

    When concentration is directed, focused and absorbed in one place, and remains there for a prolonged period of time, the simplest state of samadhi is said to occur. Although this is of the lowest type of samadhi, it is a significant achievement. At this stage the disturbances within the physical body, though active, are being overcome even though body-consciousness has not been transcended. It is like the state of molecules of water that are passing between the stages of liquid into gaseous form. The freedom of the gaseous stage is being experienced while still within the presence of the liquid state. The key is that the mental focus is directed to the gaseous presence, and only that.

“The distinctive feature of samadhi is that it is a movement of higher consciousness centered in one or another mental state beginning with the lower mental realm, where there are active disturbances present, from both within and without, and ending with the Atma (essence of Being or soul). This is a permanent state of purity free from all disturbance or thought. In every case the mind is cut off from the physical world and thus consciousness is free from the burden and interference of the physical brain. In the lower stages of samadhi the mind, though cut off from the world, is completely concentrated and still under the control of the will.” [4]