Jaap Meditation: Attuning to Your Transcendental Energy

The root of all human plight is Avidya (Ignorance). It is in 'dwait darshan' (perception of duality) that the lover and the beloved, grudge and antipathy, day and night, acceptance and abdication, karma and its manifesting fruit (karmaphala), and all tenses of time exist. It's the karma and the karmaphala that sets churning the wheel of Samsara (Samasarchakra) caging the Jiva to take endless forms, and abide by his 'doings' negating slightest possibility to establish in the unification and merge with the Universal Consciousness. Whatever path one chooses, whether of meditation or Japa, 'tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam,' i.e., to re-establish oneself in its own form, i.e. Pure consciousness is the ultimate goal.

1. Vaikhari: The Japa in this vani is done with a loud voice. Beginners must first practise the japa in this vani, which will make it easier; Sahajta enables them to transgress into higher vanis without inducing fatigue or any other negative emotion.

2. Upanshu: The japa in this vani is done in a soft and humming voice. After practicing the Name of the Lord or the Divine, one must gradually start doing the japa in Upanshu vani.

3. Manas: When the japa or the recitation is done inwardly, deep down, it is called Manas japa. When the vibrations are not let out through the lips to the exterior, then the roaring vibrations circulate within, giving rise to an altogether different healing, effect, feel, and presence of the chosen Lord, or the AradhyaDeva or the IshtaDeva. But manas Japa should only be initiated once the sadhaka masters the Vaikhari and the Upanshu vanis.

Each vani manifests its own effects and aftermath on its practitioner. There are various ways of doing japa and innumerable mantras. Some invoke peace, while some invoke vigorous energy. Patanjali, in his Yoga Sutras, mentions that Pran ava, or OM, is the highest symbol, or the verbal expression of Ishwara. The repeated chanting or japa of OM leads to its realisation by the one practising it.

1. One common factor, irrespective of the choice of mantra, is 'Akhanda Anusandhana', which translates to a state of unbroken or constant inner awareness. This awareness must first begin with the chosen name and its meaning itself. For instance, the Name RAM (=R+A+M) where R is the Agni beej or the seed of fire, A is the Bhanu beej or the seed of the Sun, and M is the Chandra beej or the seed of the Moon. Understanding the name and its meaning could be categorized as preparatory practice, which is essential to invoke the right kind of bhava or devotion towards one's Lord. If only OM is chosen, which is an equivalent of 'SOHAM', it is chanted 10 or 21 times.

2. At times, enthusiasm may lead to fatigue while chanting and meditating. This overflowing energy should be siphoned and given the right constructive channels so that the right kinds of effects unfurl without damage caused due to hard and overstretched concentration.

3. Japa should be done in a peaceful and loving manner. Mastery of recitation bestows supreme tranquillity. The way the pollen lies at the centre of the lotus flower, hidden and out of sight, appearing only when the petals uncurl, the whorls of consciousness uncurl with the mastery of the japa, revealing the unconditioned blissful consciousness-the Self.

Japa can bring surrender or 'samarpan' in the practitioner. It does not necessarily lead to Bhakti Yoga, but in time can gradually transform into 'Laya Yoga'. Japa can be done irrespective of the state of body and mind. Without really requiring a crisp posture with a traditional stretched spine, japa can be done while engaging in any activity. Hamsa, Soham, Shri Krishna Sharnam Mama, Om Namo Narayane Namah, Om Namah Shivay, Shri Ram Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram, Mahamrutyunjaya mantra or simply OM are just a few invocations among so many that Vedas, Upanishads and various other scriptures provide us with a path to tread on and transgress all dimensional limitations. The effects of each mantra are wide and have numerous implications.

1. What is essential is that we understand the inclination and the purpose behind the recitation of each mantra.

2. Whether through meditation or japa, one must never force the mind to concentrate. One must be completely relaxed and stress-free while engaged in the practise to herald the maximum benefits, and most importantly, trust the 'Guru' within. Allow your inner powers to guide you.

The limitations imposed by mind and matter are humongous and endless. A sadhaka in meditation and japa must free himself from these limitations, thereby overcoming the delimiting individuality and experiencing the state of perfect liberation or Universal Consciousness, which is the substratum of all the mushrooming dimensions. Three such delimiting parameters that come up in relation to meditation are objects, space, and time.

1. Object: It represents the clinging of the mind to the material realities to which it displays an affinity.

2. Time: It represents the subtle dimension where the mind, like a ravaged bird, flies and perches either in the past or future and does not remain in the present.

3. Space: Space is the last parameter representing imagination where the mind loses contact with the present or actual awareness and starts weaving illusions.

These factors represent the mind of a ferocious animal, making it extremely difficult to tame. Illusions called 'Bhranti Darshan' by Patanjali can happen in higher forms of meditation and Japa. The conjunction of two time periods, where the morning changes into noon, noon changes into the evening, the evening transpires into the night and the night transpires into the morning (Brahma Muhurat which usually begins at 4 in the morning), is considered the most fertile and suitable to engage in the divine practises of Japa and meditation.

As and when the Japa proceeds and the sadhaka attains mastery over it, gradually it transforms into meditation. Dropping all the limitations, one attains the ultimate perfection established in the nascent self. Various numbers for the recitation are assigned to each mantra. Usually, a mala or rosary is taken while doing the Japa. With 108 beads, a mala signifies many dimensions. The spiritual number connotes 108 worldly desires, 108 lies that a human mind is capable of weaving, 108 delusions, 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra, the Shiva and Shakti aspects of the 54 Sanskrit alphabets (54x2=108), 108 feelings: each of the 36 are relating to the past, present, and future, 108 Gopis of Krishna, and 12 constellations multiplied with the 9 planets. A mala is a spiritual tool, and Japa yoga is believed to wash away the impurities of Kaliyuga, which has a duration of 4,32,000 years.

Like the camel held to its noose, Manas is the binding factor, the controller that is responsible for both liberation (Moksha) and confinement '(Bandhan),' mentions Vivekchudamani. It's Manas, or the mind, that sees the duality and induces fear. Tulsidas mentions in his Ramcharitamanas that 'there are two forms of the Absolute; the impersonal or Nirguna Brahma and the personal or Saguna Brahma. They are like the two forms of fire, the one within the wood and the other visible. Both are hard to understand, but both are made known by the name, and therefore, I declare that the name is greater than either the Absolute or Ram. Brahma is all-pervading, one, indestructible, the very essence of Truth, Consciousness, and Bliss'. When coupled with meditation, Japa can lead to the stages that may not be individually reached by doing either Japa or meditation alone.

Destroyer of diseases and bestower of well-being, peace, and tranquility, any Mantra is the food for the soul. But one must keep a check on the bhava and the concentration that willfully convert this food into medicine and nourish the entire existence of not just the practitioner but also the cosmos. Burning the thickest of the jungles of karma, only knowledge of the self can free the caged soul and drop the 'Aham', which manifests all the visible and subtle duality. The journey from Brahm (illusion) to Brahma (Pure Bliss or Consciousness), though not easy, can begin in the beads of the mala and lead us to the highest manifestation of the ultimate Bhava, to which the Divine Himself bows down.