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JAPA AND CHANTING
Preparing To Meet The Master

The saints of every great spiritual path affirm over and over again that God alone exists. The Siddhas of the Spanda Yoga Meditation path, the Acharyas of this lineage, all state that, what we call "world," is merely the appearance of a world and that, in fact, it is none other than God himself. Therefore, we affirm, over and over again, that God exists in everyone, in everything, everywhere. "Na Shivam Vidyate Qua Chit." Nothing exists anywhere that is not Shiva and His scintillating, glamorous Spanda Shakti. This is the Truth, this is the Truth and this is the Truth.

When this is the case, why wait to experience God Within? Why put it off? Why wait until you're old and dying to turn to God? Don't you know that if you wait until then, it will be too late? The poet Saint Kabir addresses this very attitude. He says that when a child is young the mother says, "Wait a while, grow up a bit and then go seeking God." Then when the child grows up he is encouraged to get married and does so. Then his wife stops him saying, "Wait. Let's have a baby first. When our child is born, then you can go seeking God." Then after the child is born, it has to be raised. Once the child is grown and leaves to make a life, then the man and his wife say, "Now we are too old to go in search of the Self."

So, don't wait for something to happen as a precondition for seeking God. There are those who will say that their lives are too difficult and chaotic to seek a spiritual path. The truth is, if you begin the journey in your most difficult hour, rather than putting it off for another day, you can make great strides in a short period of time. Swami Muktananda Paramahamsa used to say, "Don't waste time. Death is constantly at your back and soon, your life will be over. So, do it now." For those earnestly seeking to know God and to become one with God, the attitude should be "Now or never." This sense of urgency is very important.

When The Student Is Ready, The Guru Appears.

People often ask, "How do I go about finding an Acharya?" The answer is by preparing yourself to receive what the Acharya has to offer. A vessel that is full cannot hold anything else. Similarly, a person who is full of ego and is only interested in sense pleasures and worldly pleasures, is too full of notions, concepts and desires to follow instruction. The Guru cannot fill such a person with God's Grace. Such a person has no room inside to receive anything.

When you have surrendered enough to understand that your arms are too short to box with God, when you have cultivated the desire to want to keep the company of Saints, then God leads you to your Guru, just as a bee is easily led to honey without needing a set of directions. All you have to do is to prepare yourself to meet the master by taking actions that will increase your spiritual merit. On the path to God, spiritual merit is extremely important. It is what earns you the right to receive God's Grace. Without it, no lasting spiritual transformation can occur. Spiritual merit is gained by increased awareness of God and selfless service to others. It is destroyed through haughty, selfish, destructive and uncompassionate behavior, and through attachment to the limitation of the ego and sense pleasures.

One of the ways in which you can begin to gain this spiritual merit is through Japa. Japa is the repetition of a Mantra given by a Siddha. This Mantra can be repeated inwardly or aloud. Mantras can also be sung. This is known as chanting or Namasankirtan. A Mantra or set of Mantras is none other than the Divine name of God in one or more of her aspects.

Bhagawan Nityananda had a devotee named Vidydhar Patil (associate of Bapu Rao Khade of Sion). One day Vidydhar sang the following bhajan (hymn/poem) of Saint Tukaram Maharaj:

Govinda, Govinda.

My mind is obsessed by the name Govinda.

My whole body has become Govinda.

There is no difference now between me and Govinda.

My mind is so full of Joy

That my eyes are filled with tears of Love.

Tuka says "In pain, the insect

Has transformed itself."

When Vidydhar Patil finished singing this abhanga, Baba, who was in a trance state, said,

"Tuka says this and Tuka says that. What do you say? When you constantly chant God’s name you finally merge into Him. There remains no difference between you and God. The individual self transforms into the Self. There is a small insect which builds a cocoon of mud around itself. A bee pierces its sting through the mud walls in order to eat the insect. The sting is very painful and the whole body of the insect burns. In that pain the insect calls out to God. Again and again the bee pierces the mud wall and, out of the fear of death, the insect calls out to God constantly. As the insect chants the name of God in this way, the insect is transformed into a Butterfly and it flies out to safety. And so it is for the individual bound soul. You build a cocoon of mud (this body) and trap yourself in it's sense pleasures. Then you are bounced back and forth between pleasure and pain. When you get tired of one or the other (or both) then you begin to seek out ways to remember God. In the beginning, fear makes you chant God's name. Later you do it out of Love. This chanting of God's name transforms the Jiva (individual bound soul) into Shiva."

Bhagawan Nityananda thus explained the importance of Chanting.

We go to temples and to churches as a mechanical ritual. How many of us are really present to ourselves? In India before entering a temple one has to remove one's shoes. This is done as a reminder to surrender your ego. When you enter the temple, you ring a bell. This is to make you aware that you, God and the temple are one. Once you enter the inner Garbhagriha (sanctum) of the temple, you are now ready to be present to God.

Visiting shrines and holy places, Chanting and doing Japa, keeping company of Saints and their disciples and reading scripture all prepare you to meet your Guru. These preparations make that auspicious meeting with the Master easier. When chanting is done in the presence of the Guru, it is even more powerful. If you have accrued sufficient spiritual merit, the Acharya then gives you a Mantra. You should only take a Mantra from a Siddha (perfected being). A Mantra received from a Siddha must be practiced regularly.

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The Power of Chanting

Namasmaran and Ulgas mean the same in the context of spiritual practice. Constant repetition of God’s name is Namasmaran. Namsankirtan is the chanting of God’s name. In years past, Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada Swami of Iskon spread this form of Bhakti in chanting. Through him, the chanting of Hare Rama, Hare Krishna has spread all over the world. This devotion to chanting is also exemplified in the life of Bhramachaitanya Gondhvalekar Maharaj. This can be read about in the autobiography of Bhramachaitanya Gondhvalekar Maharaj, written by Mr. K. V. Belasare. Gondhvalekar Maharaj was a householder saint living in the village of Gondhvale, Satara, in Maharashtra. All his life he practiced this namsadhana; so much so that when one of his disciples placed his ears on Maharaj's legs, he could hear "Shree Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram" resounding from inside Gondhvalekar's being. Repeatedly he placed his hears on Gondhvalekar's legs and repeatedly he heard this chant.

It is said that when Maharaj was a baby in his cradle, his mother could hear this chant coming from his closed room. Maharaj is considered to be an Avatar of Hanuman, who was a disciple of Lord Rama. According to Gondhvalekar, when Namsadhana reaches its peak, every cell of your body absorbs the chanting and you merge in God.

One day, Maharaj decided to make a pilgrimage to Kashi, in Northern India. He went with all his family members. The trip required that they close and secure their large family house while they were gone. Just before they locked the front door his mother said, "Oh my dear. We are leaving our house behind. I wonder whether it is safe." No sooner had she said this Maharaj stood in the village square and publicly proclaimed, "Hear you all. I dedicate all that is in this house to all my fellow villagers." Within 30 minutes the entire house was looted and everything was taken, including the roof. Then Gondhvalekar turned to his mother and said, "Now you don't have to worry about things being stolen." As Baba Nityananda said ‘Fakhir hai to Phikhir nahi. Phikhir hai to Fakhir nahi." If he is a monk (a Siddha or perfected being), he is free from worries. If he is full of worries, he is not a monk.

Gondhvalekar Maharaj was from a family who were Kulkarnis for the local ruler. In other words they were administrators for the government in that village. As such, they owned a large plot of land. Since Maharaj was a monk, his brothers tried to cheat him out of his share of the property. When Maharaj learned of this, he flew into a rage and admonished his brothers. He did not mince his words. When his disciples asked, "Maharaj. We know that you have everything but possess nothing. So, why did you get angry at your brothers' attempt to steal your share of the land?" He replied, "Yes, I want nothing. Everything belongs to my Lord Rama. But one should also be vigilant and never allow another to abuse you or make you out to be a fool. For certain, I am not interested in my family's property. But I shall not allow anyone to trespass my rights." This was a clear message from Maharaj. Yogis do not allow others to take them for granted. God is not a fool.

One day thousands of people had gathered to hear Gondhvalekar Maharaj speak. It is traditional that after such a program, a Bhandara is served. The disciples were worried. There was not a single morsel of food in the ashram. And there was no money in the treasury to buy the food either. Maharaj said "My Lord Rama shall take charge of the situation. If he cares for my people he shall provide. Until that happens, I will lead a nonstop chant. Maharaj stood at the center of the ashram and started chanting. The chanting went on into the late afternoon. Still there was no sign of Lord Rama providing for the Bhandara.

Soon it was night fall and now all the children and elders were restless and very hungry. Maharaj raised his hands calling out to Lord Rama. "Oh My Rama. People are hungry and there is not even a single morsel of food to cook. Will you not care for my people? What will the children eat?" He pleaded to God in this way. Suddenly, several of bullock carts rolled into the courtyard. A rich man climbed down off one of the carts and entered the ashram. "Is this Maharaj’s Ashram?" he said. "I have come to offer grains and vegetables. I made a hefty profit in my business and I have been meaning to make my offerings to Maharaj. I have not found the time to do so. Somehow today, I just forced myself to make this journey."

Everybody went outside to see the carts. They were full of grains, vegetables and all that was needed to give a wholesome Bhandara. Gondhvalekar Maharaj hailed Lord Rama. "Jai, Jai Raghuvir Samartha." Maharaj said, "If you trust God and dedicate yourself to Him unconditionally, He will never let you down. You become His responsibility."

This is the power of chanting God's name.
God Does Not Have To Be Attained

The goal of all spiritual practice is the same. It is not to acquire or achieve God. It is to remove the ignorance that keeps God concealed from you. To be clear, the ignorance that we speak of is the veil known as the ego-idea or the limitation of the ego. It is this ego which has you believing that you are a mere individual, rather than God. It is this ego that causes you to place all your faith in sense pleasures and worldly pleasures, causing you to falsely believe that objects bring you happiness. It is this ignorance that causes you to feel that you are a sinner, that you are impure, that you are separate from God and separate from others also. The ego is the mechanism by which you perceive duality where there is none. It is this ego that has to be purified in order for you to experience the constant state of uninterrupted rapture that is your Natural, Free State of Being. Sadhana (spiritual practice) is done to eradicate the limitation of the ego from your being.

There is no such thing as "Siddhahood." Attaining the state of Liberation or God-realization is not like getting a black belt in Karate. On the spiritual path, spiritual practice is its own reward. There are no certificates of achievement of any kind, as these only serve to expand the limitation of the ego. The uninterrupted state of rapture that is Purnaham Vimarsha (the state of Liberation) is a state that dawns on its own by Parashaktipata, the final descent of Grace that is bestowed when God or Lord Shiva comes looking for you. So, Liberation is not a goal that can be measured in the way mundane knowledge is measured, by passing grades. It is a state that dawns quite unexpectedly while you are busy simply loving the experience of loving God.

Now. The challenge is this; The ego is very, very subtle. It mixes with your thoughts and feelings in such a way that you may even perceive that it is your heart speaking when, in fact, it is your ego playing tricks on you. (This is why the Siddhas of our tradition say purify your heart first, and then follow it. This is also why, on the spiritual path, you need a Guru.) One of the ways in which the ego masquerades as the truth is to convince a disciple that he/she has "arrived at Siddhahood," just because some inner lights and sounds have been experienced.

A young boy went to a Siddhacharya and said, "Master. Hearing about you and your teachings, I have come a long way, climbing mountains and crossing dangerous rivers and jungles. I want to be a Siddha (perfected being) like you." The Acharya just smiled and said, "You are welcome." He made that small boy do all sorts of work like cooking, cleaning, managing herds, etc. This was the boy's Seva (selfless service to the Master). Years passed by but the boy did not have a single inner experience. The boy approached the Master and said, "Master, it is over two years and I am still not a Siddha. When shall I become one?" The Acharya told him to sit on a rock and to do nothing. Days passed and still nothing happened.

However, the boy did not lose hope. Every morning after doing his Seva to the Master, he went and sat on the rock and did nothing. This became the boy's daily meditation. Soon he reached a state where there were no thoughts in his mind. Of course, the thought-free state is the most profound of meditation experiences but the boy did not understand this. So, one night the boy saw blue light emerging from his head. He believed this to be the first concrete inner experience he had. Now, what the boy did not understand is that he had this experience in meditation due to his selfless service to the Master. Seva is a spiritual practice that is its own reward. Engaging in Seva does deepen one's meditation over time and provides one with a variety of inner experiences.

So, the boy ran to his Acharya’s room and excitedly said "Master! I am now a Siddha. A blue light is emerging from my head." The Master said, "You fool. Go to bed. You are far from it." So the boy did so. The next day he continued with his daily spiritual practice of doing Seva and sitting on the rock afterwards for meditation. This went on for months. A year later, the boy heard musical sounds in his meditation. Again, this was the fruit of his Seva. Again he ran to the Acharya to claim that he had become a Siddha. Again the Master called him a fool. Many years passed in this way, with the boy having various inner experiences that he allowed to feed his ego.

One night there was knocking at the boy's door. He opened it to find his Master standing in the doorway. The Siddha said, "My child you are a Siddha." The boy cried out, "Are you joking? All these years I came running to you when I experienced so many strange and wonderful things in meditation. Today when I meditated nothing happened. And now here you are proclaiming me to be a Siddha!?" The Master smiled and said "Child, when the mind is perfectly still like a flame where there is no wind, when you are absorbed in this thought-free state as a constant and all other experiences have subsided, that is when the state of a Siddha dawns on you."

Padiyar Swami, a Siddha now called Sadanand Swami of Kanhangad says, "You do not have to do anything except do your duty first. Strive for excellence. The key word is Ulgas." In Konkani this means constant remembrance, constant chanting, being present and being aware by allowing your mind to become completely absorbed within. This can be accomplished easily through Japa and Chanting. This is an excellent means to attract the Grace of the Acharya, the Guru, to you. It is the means of "stealing" the Guru's Shakti and absorbing it into yourself. The Siddha then guides you at the pace that your capacity and personality will allow, and in a very safe manner, so that you reach the other shore permanently.

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The Temple at Guruvana

A Personal Sharing From Gopalkrishna Shenoy

Mr. Padiyar had come to Mumbai from Karnataka. Since he was from the community called Gowda Saraswati Bhramins (G.S.B.) and knew Sitaram Shenoy (my family), he checked in at Sitaram’s hotel in Mumbai. All youth from the G.S.B. community who came to Mumbai in search of work were welcomed at Sitaram’s place. They slept in his gymnasium at night and went searching for jobs during the day. They were fed all their meals in the hotel until they found a job.

Padiyar was one such youth whom Sitaram took a liking. It was obvious to Sitaram that Padiyar had to be introduced to Baba Nityananda. Mr. Padiyar made repeated visits to Bhagawan Nityananda during Baba’s stay in Mumbai (early 1930s) and later at Baba's Ganeshpuri ashram. These visits slowly transformed Padiyar into a devoted disciple. He soon gave up his search for a career and started spending more time in Ganeshpuri with Baba. Bhagawan Nityananda did not give formal public programs nor did he demonstrate any particular set of spiritual practices like other Acharyas who conduct classes. In those days, people received Shaktipat from Baba just by being in His presence and remaining open to His Grace. Often he laid down on his side facing a wall with his back turned to the congregation. Thousands of people experienced God's Grace through him in this way. He was like the ocean. The ocean doesn't come looking for you. You have to go to the ocean and, depending on the size of the vessel you are carrying, that's the amount of water you're able to take away with you.


"Padiyar" Swami Sadananda

This is the way it was with Baba. He was always available to everyone without any disparity. Those who came looking for their mundane desires to be fulfilled were often disappointed. In Baba's presence all you needed to do was to be aware and remain open to receive His Grace. The rest just happened automatically. All Bhagawan Nityananda wanted was your love and devotion. In exchange for this He took you to the height of ecstasy, completely absorbed in Shiva Consciousness.

One day Padiyar had become very frustrated with his lack of spiritual progress. He felt nothing was happening for him. So, in a state of frustration he told Baba, "I am leaving for good." Baba just asked, "Where to and for what?" This simple question resounded in Padiyar's being like a mantra. Where to? Yes, where will you go? If you want God and you cannot attain his state here at the very seat of Grace, where else can you find it? What will you accomplish by going elsewhere? Why put it off for later? Your time is here and now so why postpone it by leaving? If in the company of a Maha Siddha you cannot attain peace, where else will you find it? These were the questions that reverberated inside Padiyar's being. So, he decided to stay. Later, he was renamed Sadanand Swami by Swami Janananda Baba of Kanhangad, one of Bhagawan Nityananda's closest disciples. Today, Sadanand Swami lives at Kushal Nagar, very close to Bhagawan Nityananda's Kanhangad Ashram.

There was a monk who was a relative of Sitaram Shenoy. His original family name was Mr. Bhat. He settled at Trimakeshwar under the direct order of Bhagawan Nityananda. He used to have a long white beard. He looked like a Rishi of yore, with his flowing white beard and hair. This monk had some great advice for people beginning the journey on the spiritual path. He used to say, "After performing your days work, keep a photo of Bhagawan Nityananda on a table with a small lamp in front of it. Initially, just observe the photo as long as you can while sitting in front of it. You don't need to do anything in the beginning. Just be present to Him and the Self. Slowly it will happen. But do it without any expectation. Just look."

Baba Nityananda gave a mantra to very few. One of the devotees who received a mantra from Baba was Sitaram Shenoy’s wife Shusheela. After the death of her husband she had become restless. She went to Baba and said, "My mind is very disturbed. Help me to still my mind." Baba gave her the following mantra, counting it out on his fingers:

Om Namo Shivaya
Namaha Shivaya,
Namaha Shivaya,
Namaha Shivaya,
Namaha Shivaya,
Namaha Shivaya.

All her life she chanted this mantra. Today she is more than 90 years old and has lost control of her senses. In this state she is often found counting this mantra on her fingers.

I was not aware of this Mantra. One day in a dream, I, Gopalkrishna, was given this same Mantra by Baba. I discovered this while discussing Baba with my aunt Susheela and realized that we had the same experience of Baba and the Mantra. Even many years after taking Mahasamadhi, Bhagawan Nityananda's Grace still fills our lives.

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Photo Credit: M.D. Suvarna.

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