A must have book - Mandukya Upanishad commented upon by Swami Viditatmanandaji

Swami Viditatmanandaji taught 11 classes  on Mandukya Upanishad during a retreat held on June 27-30, 2008 under the auspices of Arsha Vidya Center, San Francisco Bay Area. The 12 mantras of this Upanishad are the subject matter of this book.

Even though this book is a commentary only on the mantras of the Upsnishad, everything that is there in the Bhashyam and Karika are to be found in it.

To avail of the book in India, write to tattvatirtha@gmail.com. In the US, you may write to avpbooks@epix.net.

Incidentally, the cover does not contain this picture of either Swami. Since both Swamis are my Gurus, I stuck the picture there.

Om Tat Sat

The ego is just a bunch of thoughts one holds onto

ॐ गं ॐ

Vedanta points out that what is apparently shining here as self-evident, immediate, 'I', is in reality, absolute consciousness - changeless, formless, limitless in time, space and object....meaning totally free, whole, complete...purna. What is immediate, is limitless. What is  limitless is immediate.

Then what is this 'I' that I think is myself? It is the ego, the mistaken sense of self-identity, which is just of bunch of thoughts that I, absolute consciousness, am holding onto tight, in the mistaken belief that it is myself.

What is interesting is that thoughts by themselves are harmless - they come to go. However when we believe them to be real, and hold onto them, repeating the same thought over and over again, they seem to acquire a structure, and create a core identity, which appears solid and real. And our entire psychology, indeed all our behaviour stems from this sense of core identity.

This whole sense of core identity is based on error. And this is indeed a very costly error...It is only when we realize what a price we are paying, that we desire to be free of this error. 

The core identity maybe healthy, it maybe unhealthy....both ways, it is still based on the basic error of taking 'I' to be restricted to the body-mind-sense complex.

First step is to gain an insight into the existence of the real self. To gain that insight itself requires so much of grace. To gain that grace, a life of dharma is the first step. Sometimes one may wonder, what great life of dharma one lead, to gain the insight .. it could be countless previous lives of dharma, leading to satsang in previous lives, which leads to an initial insight in this life. Therefore always lead a life of dharma. What is a life of dharma, is not the topic here...so for the time being, I leave it alone. 

Once the insight is gained, one cannot but strive to do whatever it takes, to strengthen that insight into firm assimilated knowledge. There is no choice anymore. Once you understand how costly is the error, you will do whatever it takes to correct the error.

Then starts the process of letting go .... dropping whatever is not true. It is choiceless. There is no interest in holding on to thoughts based on error, believing them to be real. And as you drop notions one by one -  you discover yourself as you are - full, whole, complete, purna. 

Om Tat Sat

Reverence and The Guru-Shishya Relationship

A very beutiful Satsang by Swamini Brahmaprajnanada

Namaskara Yajna- Swami Govind Dev Giriji

He

Through the infinite grace of the Lord, I get the opportunity to study many different scriptural texts. At one time while reading the Shiva Mahapuran. I was surprised and wonderstruck when I read about out how doing namaskar  (bowing down) with humility is one type of yajna. The Shiva Purana says 

 नमस्कारात्मयज्ञेन तुष्टाः स्युः सर्वदेवताः।

यथायोग्यं स्वात्मयज्ञं नमस्कारं प्रकल्पयेत्।।

This is such a simple and beautiful thing. Our Rishi's have showered their blessings upon us, by teaching way  an easy way to gain punya (subtle form of merit) and increase prestige, and thus expanding the path of our progress.

In many different places in our scriptures, we find the greatness of namaskara or pranam being extolled.  Lord Manu has said :-

अभिवादनशीलस्य नित्यं वृद्धोपसेविनः।

चत्वारि तस्य वर्धन्ते आयुर्विद्या-यशोबलं।।

These four, namely the life-span, knowledge, fame and power,  of those who do pranam to their elders and serve them always, keeps on increasing. In the Bhagavad Gita also, amongst the disciplines required for gaining knowledge from the Guru, pranam is pointed out as a necessity - तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया।

When we do our daily pujas or our naimittika karma ( rituals to be done occasionally), then the scriptural injunction is that we should remember all revered beings, and only then begin. At the end of the puja also, it is only after a full pranam (shashtanga namaskara) to the Lord that the puja is considered complete. When we do pranam on seeing father, mother, Guru, devatas, holy places, etc our humility and feeling of reverence and respect is expressed. 

Since no external material is required for this namaskar yajna it is very simple. However it's result is very big. In this context, I remember the the behaviour of of King Yudhisthira, who was always committed to dharma. At the commencement of the Mahabharata war after the teaching of the Gita, when Arjuna became ready to fight the war, Yudhisthira came there and stepped down from his chariot. He kept his armour and weapons in the chariot and walked alone, by foot towards the enemy army. Everybody was shocked. Nobody could understand what was the reason behind his action. The four brothers ran after him. Lord Krishna could understand what was happening. Dharmraja first went up to Bhisma pitamaha, and with folded hands said, 'Grandfather, I, your grandson have come here to take your permission to fight  this war with you. I seek your blessings for victory' and bending down, holding the feet of Bhismaacharya, he did pranam. Bhishma was overwhelmed with love. He lifted his hand in a gesture of blessing for victory. After that Dharmaraja also went to Dronacharya, his Guru for warfare, and to his uncle Shalya, and did pranam to them and asked for their blessings for victory. 

The scripture commands us to give blessings to those who do pranam. It is surprising that Yuddhishtira obtained the blessings for victory from three generals of the Kaurava army. Because of his ego, Duryodhana was denied of these blessings. If Duryodhana had offered pranam to his elder brother Dharmaraja, then Dharmaraja would also have had to give blessings for victory to Duryodhana. Then perhaps the course of the war would have been different. 

Namaskar yajna is very simple yet our ego does not allow us to bend down before others and because of this we are denied of a great benefit. In the Bhagavata  Prahlada talks about the ninefold bhakti. In that 6 types of of praise of bhakti is there. Everyday the minimum that we can do, is to do pranam to the Lord. Pranam is also called as the ekopachara puja ( worship with just one item). At the end of the Bhagavata, Shri Shukadeva ji asks everybody to do pranam.

प्रणमेत् दण्डवत् भूमौ आश्वचाण्डाल-गो-खरम्।

Seeing the presence of the Lord in all,  lying flat on the earth  bow down to even a horse, a lovely being, cow, and donkey. (Meaning have reverence for all forms of life, seeing the divinity in them)

Beause of one's limitations, everybody may find it difficult to do pranam bowing their head. Then one can do pranam in one's mind. Sant Tukaram says जो नम्र झाला भूतां तणे कोंडिले अनन्ता।। The Lord is humbled/ controlled (Bhagavan ko vash kar leta hai) by the one who is humble in front of every being. In truth, praise brings everyone under one's control.

Doing pranam to the Lord, one gets practice in doing pranam to mother, father, Guru, and other elders.When the habit of doing pranam to elders in the house is there, automatically humility comes. Disagreements will not be fierce. The elders love for the young ones also keeps ncreasing. Everybody's speech begins to to become sweet and soft. Fights in the house do not become serious and an atmosphere pleasantness and peace is created. Life becomes happier. The atmosphere at home becomes like that of heaven. It would be so good, if in keeping with our culture, we would accept this namaskar yajna in our life and make efforts to progress.

Om Tat Sat

The immediate is limitless, the limitless is immediate

ॐ गं ॐ

Ayam Atma Brahma - this Atma is Brahman

This is the mahavakya from Mandukya Upanishad. Let us analyse this extraordinary statement made by the Upanishad.

Brahman, by it's very word meaning means that which is limitless. However in our understanding, when we say Brahman, we look upon it in third person, as something remote, something away from me.

'ayam' in Sanskrit means 'this'. Atma refers to the self. ayam atma means 'this Self' - The teacher must be pointing towards the heart and saying 'this Self' - referring to the self-evident immediate (aparoksha) presence of consciousness which shines as 'I' in the antahkarna.

We use the words pratyaksha, paroksha, sakshi-pratyaksha and aparoksha in Vedanta. These words indicate the type of knowledge and by what means knowledge takes place. Pratyaksha jnanam refers to sense-perception and it gives us direct knowledge of objects that we perceive. Paroksha jnanam refers to the indirect knowledge of things which are remote. We would gain this knowledge through inference,  presumption, comparison, knowledge of absence all of which are methods of reasoning based on pratyaksha jnanam.
Sakshi-pratyaksha refers to the direct knowledge we receive of our own thoughts, feelings, memories, ego in which sense perception plays no part.
Aparoksha jnanam refers to the immediate self-evident presence of consciousness, referred to as 'I'.

The Shastra points out aparoksha atma is Brahman. That the self is immediate we have no doubt about. However, usually we have a lot of conclusions about the nature of I - that it is limited. So we conclude that I am mortal, I am such and such, based on the condition of the body or mind, which is always limited.

So now when Shastra says 'ayam atma brahman' what it is saying is 'that which is immediate is limitless' or 'that which is limitless is immediate'.

There is only one thing which is immediate - that is the self-evident, self-revealing conscious presence that one is, that reveals itself constantly in the antahkarna as 'I'. This immediate I is limitless. To understand this, we have to let go our sense of limitation. How? By letting go our sense of reality in the ego, the sense of individuality. How? By understanding it is mithya.

 Aparoksha atma is free of limitation in time - meaning the immediate, self-evident consciousness that one is, is timeless, changeless, indestructible, immortal.
 Aparoksha atma is free of the limitation of space, meaning the immediate, self-evident consciousness that one is, is all-pervading.
Aparoksha atma is free of the limitation of object, meaning the immediate, self-evident consciousness that one is, is formless, attributeless.

We also need to understand intimately that Brahman, the limitless is not remote.

The limitless is immediate.

How profound and subtle is this knowledge of the self!

The immediate is limitless.
The limitless is immediate.

To understand the full implications of this grand statement 'ayam atma brahman', I will usually also dwell on Bhagavad-Gita Chapter 9 statements where Lord Krishna reveals Himself totally to His beloved Arjuna,  by saying  'matsthani sarva bhutani, na ca'ham teshu avasthitah' (all this is in me, but I am not in them) followed by 'na ca matsthani bhutani' (all this is not there in me) in the very next verse.

In the statement 'matsthani sarva bhutani, na ca aham teshu avasthitah', the Lord is pointing out the entire universe exists in Him who is consciousness, dependent on consciousness ( to exist, as well as reveal itself) whereas He, consciousness is not dependent on this universe. You may still imagine that there are two things, Consciousness and the universe. To dispel this notion, Lord Krishna declares that 'na ca matsthani bhutani' there is no universe in Me, meaning He, consciousness alone is - limitless, whole, purnam, ekam eva advitiyam - one alone, without a second. Limitless Consciousness-existence by its own creative power appears as this changing universe, even as one you alone appear as all the different objects in a dream.

To understand this lets us look at the example of ocean and wave. Both are nothing but water. Wave does not have an independent reality from the ocean. The wave does not have an independent reality from water. Wave is water. When water looks, all it sees, is itself. It does not see wave as an independent reality limiting it! It does not see wave ...sees only itself water.

We need to dwell on this again and again and really see the implications.

Our shashtanga namaskarams to our Shastras and  Sadgurus who  make us understand this profound truth.

Om Tat Sat

Japa Yajna continued - 2 Swami Govinddev Giri Maharaj

Continuing from previous Japa Yoga 1...

The Sweetness of Joy in Chanting The Name 

This one more thing we should pay attention to, that is, our tongue is unique in that it is both an organ of action and it is also a sense organ of perception/knowledge. Another name for the tongue is रसना - which has the meaning of 'relishing', 'joy', 'tongue'. Therefore when you take the  name, then remember the Lord (who is the object the name) with love. 'तत् जप तत् अर्थ भावनम्' - I take the name of Shri Rama, then it's meaning is that, I invoke the attitude connected to the meaning of Shri Rama. Along with the attitude associated with the meaning of Shri Ram, joy  arises, love  arises.

Whenever one peacefully chants the name, with each chant of the name, love for Lord Rama arises. And I think about the name or the one who is named. As I think about any one divine quality associated with the name, and there arises great love in me, then in time, the experience will be that as you chant the name more and more, you will relish the chanting and with joy you will chant (do bhajan). A meaning for भजन is भजनं नाम रसनम्. As long as this joy does not arise, this love does not arise, till then devotion is absent. Therefore let every chant of the name be along with emotion.

When I chant the name with love for a period time, it is possible that, today my mind may not be fully attentive. May be tomorrow my mind may be more attentive.  Tomorrow, there may less distraction than today. In this way, when I start to sit down on a mat and continue to do japa daily, it will be greatly beneficial, if I sit for japa, at the same time daily. If the place where I sit for japa and the time at which I sit for japa, remain the same daily, then you will find that a time will come when your thoughts will automatically go towards your japa at that time.

Choose any one place for your japa. Choose a time. For example everyday in the morning at 8 o'clock I will sit down on my mat and from 8 to 9 I will not get up from the mat. Even if this much we maintain as a rule for the body, then in a few days, our thoughts will automatically go towards remembrance of the Lord at 8 o'clock. The scriptures have revealed that the best time for namajapa and along with it for the joy to arise is pre-dawn - when the sun has not yet risen, but night is over. Even if bathing is not done, do not forgo this time. Sit during this time.

 Chanting of Name is Yoga

In this manner, sitting straight on a mat, we can continue a little practice of chanting the name loudly, and after some time mentally chanting  with love with image or statue of the Lord in front of us. As our eyes open, our attention is drawn to the Lord's form. At that time, hear no other sound, and at that time do not busy yourself with any other work.

Doing a little sadhana,like this, the mind turns extremely inward and thus with the use of a repeated word or words (Lord's name) I can become free of the verbal chattering in the mind. If verbal chatter (many words) are to be dissolved from my mind, then I can use one word, and eventually that one word also merges in the emotion it invokes. When that word merges into it's emotion, then one enters the state of mind called 'pashyanti' and the inner journey begins ...the mind imbued with Lord's form,  the mind imbued with Lord's symbol, and finally the mind imbued with the sound vibration of the Lord. In this way, there is an inner journey which culminates in a profound silence, after which the chanting of the name emerges from there. When name moves from different states of speech called as vaikhari, madhyama, pashyanti and finally para, and then again returns in reverse order and emerges, then it carries with it such great power, that it can influence anybody.

The day before yesterday, I talked about Swami Samarth Ramdas. What did all the siddhis do? Through the process of God rememberence, they reached the state of para, and then emerged from the state of speech called Para and when it reached vaikhari ( the physical aspect of speech), then that name of the Lord was not just a name. At the time of going within in the inner journey, it was just ordinary name. However having reached Para, when it returned and emerged out of the mouth, it was imbued with great power, it became extrordinary.

In this context, you will see that the child devotee Dhruv, reached a  profound state while doing japa, in which his speech was completely silent. His speech had merged inside. After that his speech was awakened by the Lord. The power of speech that was awakened by the Lord, was unique. It was divine. This is like being reborn in the same body. Christ had also said 'Ye  must be reborn again'. When this kind of rebirth from inside takes place, that is the real success.

Therefore an inner transformation is required, which is what Sri Krishnamurty calls as a mutation. An inner change, a total change. Our saints stand a witness to this.  मीच मज व्यालो पोटा आपु लीया आलो। Sant Tukaram Maharaj says ' oh! I have been reborn! A new birth has happened. Now I am not that. I have undergone a total change'. After that his whole life was a divine one. Beginning with the process of yajna, how our body, vital energy, mind is purified is also important. महायज्ञैश्च यज्ञैश्च ब्राह्मीयं क्रियते तनुः। Japa yoga can be used for purification and stability at the level of body, vital energy, mind, intellect, ego. This is a simple yet unique process for divinizing one's life. Therefore, while performing any other kind of yajna, we must always practice japa yajna. Through all these yajnas, may our life become divinized, may our life belong to the Lord, and be given to service and through that, may there be constant rememberance of God. May we be totally fulfilled and help others to be fulfilled. This is success in life.  May our feet progress in that direction through the grace of Sant Jnaneshwar.
श्रीकृष्णार्पणमस्तु

Translated from Yajnamaya Jivan

The translation does not do full justice to the original. Please pardon.

To know more about Swami Govinddev Giri, a great Vedic scholar, nationalist, kathakaar, founder of the Gita Parivar which teaches value based living to over 5,00,000 children, founder of 34 Vedic pathashalas where 900 children learn the Vedas..... Go to www.dharamshree.com

Japa Yajna - 1 Swami Govinddev Giri Maharaj

We saw different types of yajna. Even though all of these are excellent, still for an ordinary person who may not be able to do all this, or who is not able to take recourse to any of these processes, what kind of yajna can that person do in their life? Which is the yajna which can be done, by which anyone who participates in it, can make their life fruitful. Lord Krishna has said the most excellent yajna is यज्ञानां जप यज्ञोस्मि -  amongst all the yajnas, the most excellent is japa yajna.

Look, earlier the Lord had talked about such great yajnas, such excellent yajnas, and the best among them was told by the Lord as
 'My glory, O Arjuna, is japa yajna'. The Lord has given lot of importance to japa. In just half a sloka the Lord has placed japa in an exalted position. Why? Why has the Lord given such importance to Japa amongst all the yajnas? Bhagavan Shankaracharya has given the reason as सर्वसुलभत्वात् - being the easiest. Because it is easy for everybody. Anybody can do japa and very quickly japa purifies the mind. The Lord did not use just the word japa, he used the word japa yajna. We all do japa. We sit down and use our japa beads and while turning the japa beads we look to to managing the house. While turning the japamala we are alert to ask if the milkman came or not!  The japamala is going on and at the same time we ask did you give yes to the guests!

Keep taking the Lord's name even while moving around. It will bless you. Remembrance of the Lord's name is exalted and the Lord continues to bestow auspiciousness on all jivas. Taking the Lord's name in anyway, is always useful - it destroys papa and begets punya. All this is absolutely true. Even though this is all true,  I personally feel that we have oversimplified this sadhana.

In Japa Yajna rules are applicable

It is fine, that whenever you can you should take the Lord's name. While cooking  you take the Lord's name and if you forget it is not remembered and you continue with your work. When Lord's name is taken in this way, it is japa alright but it is not japa yajna. This cannot be called as japa yajna.

I had said that wherever yajna is there,  there bhavana (emotion)  is necessary and together with that certain discipline is also necessary. There is discipline in yajna. Therefore when we sit down to perform a yajna then how many ahutis (offering in a fire ritual) are to be offered, with what materials are these offerings to be done, which mantra is to be used for making the offering - all these matters are pre-decided and one cannot make any changes in them. In the same way when we want to to give japa the nature of a japa yajna, then our performance of the japa should necessarily follow certain rules. We will have to bring in certain discipline and when we begin our japa, with certain discipline then our japa yajna will certainly prove to be the most exalted yajna in our life.

Japa is a unique sadhana. Since all our saints, our acharyas, and even the Lord, have given so much importance to japa, we will definitely have to seriously analyse the process of japa. All all other sadhanas, other yajnas are mostly externally oriented sadhanas. They are performed using external materials, external instruments. They require special performance, special situations. Whereas japa is a sadhana, for which no external material is required. We do use a mala (prayer beads) however the mala is not essential. The Lord has declared this most simple japa yajna as his vibhuti, his glory. A serious analysis of this will be very useful.

What is japa? Bhagavan Patanjali has also described japa amongst the sadhanas he has discussed. While talking about the Lord he said :-
तस्य वावकः प्रणवः।
तज्जपस्तदर्थभावनम्। 

Om is the name of the Lord and one should do japa of that. How to do japa? He says do it with understanding of the meaning. This is applicable to japa of Lord's name as well as to japa of any mantra. You can take up japa of mantras, or japa of the Lord's name.However, japa of the Lord's name is given greater importance. Our scriptures have described very beautifully, what happens, when we consistently and regularly sit down and begin japa. They have described the processes that take place, and what are their uses.

Our main issue is antahkarana shuddhi (purity of mind)  and antahkarana ekagrata ( capacity to focus the mind). If really one purifies one's mind, and with focussed mind one is to reach the absolute truth, then how japa alone, is the very important sadhana, can be understood by you.

The Nature Of The Mind

What is the nature of the mind, that one desires to purify and develop focus. What is the mind? Because of the limitation of language, we entertain an errorenous idea that mind is some kind of a physical structure or bag  in which thoughts come in or go out. We say things like, ' such and such thought came in my mind', and 'such and such thought went from my mind'. When we think in this manner, then we think that the mind is some kind of physical structure/ bag and thoughts come and go from that structure. In reality the mind's nature is not like that.

What is the nature of the mind? When we say that thought came in the mind or a thought went from the mind then we think  thought and the mind are two different things. We appear to differentiate between them.

In reality our mind is of the nature of thoughts. Thought is the very svarupa of the mind.  The nature of the mind is waves of thought. This constant flow of thoughts is the very nature of the mind. We should understand this.

There was the mother-in-law who once told her daughter-in-law that I will send you some cabbage from the market. Please make vegetable out of it today. So the mother mother-in-law, went to the market bought a cabbage and got it sent to the daughter-in-law. She went away to do some other work. When the mother-in-law came back she was thinking to herself that I will have really good good vegetable made of cabbage today. Now the daughter-in-law had never worked in her mother's house. And she had to cook this cabbage vegetable. When the mother-in-law came back and asked her that 'is the cabbage ready?' The daughter-in-law answered 'how to make it? You didn't see and send me a good cabbage'. The mother-in-law said 'I had definitely looked and chose a good cabbage and sent it to you'. The daughter-in-law said 'I kept removing the leaves of that cabbage. I removed one leaf, then I removed the other leaf and I kept removing the leaves and I could not find any anything inside with which to cook! There was nothing inside to cook. What kind of cabbage did you send me?' The mother-in -law put her hand on her head and thought to herself that these educated daughters-in-law, they don't know that it is the leaves which are the cabbage,  you don't have to find the cabbage!' The leaves of the cabbage are what is called as cabbage. In the same way you don't find the mind by removing all the thoughts. Thoughts are the mind. संकल्प विकल्पत्मकं मनः - these thoughts of the nature of sankalpa and vikalpa are verily the nature of the mind. And the basis for those thoughts as they arise, are words.

The Sadhana of Japa

Bhagavan Patanjali says that use one word to remove the chaos of words (occurring in the mind). तत् प्रतिषेधार्थम् एकतत्त्वाभ्यासः। If you want to to remove many words then take the support of one word. With the support of that one word all the other words which are there in the antahkarana will be able to subside.

Therefore what is that one word whose support we can take? Naturally, it is the auspicious name of the Lord -whichever name of the Lord which is pleasing to you, or better still the name of the Lord given to you by your sadguru. When we sit down to chant the Lord's name received from our Guru or any name of the Lord which is pleasing to us,  we find that numerous thoughts come into our mind. Sometimes we experience that we get more thoughts when we sit for japa, than at any other time. However this is not the reality. Thoughts flow continuously. However it is only when we sit for japa that we notice how many thoughts are coming in the mind. It is because of this that we think that only at time of iapa so many thoughts seem to come in the mind.

It is not so. Thoughts always flow continuously and it is only when we sit for japa that our attention goes specially towards the flowing thoughts.

Thoughts will keep coming in the mind. Let them come. But when if we sit down for japa everyday and do a certain number of japa daily, and other thoughts keep coming, and we are not able to to stop them, it is okay -  it does not matter. One thing you will certainly notice is that the thoughts which were coming were all different but my japa mantra is only one. So understand this that when I  sat for half an hour to do japa, and in that half an hour many different thoughts were there,  but my mantra japa was only one. In half an hour you would have repeated your mantra a thousand times and in those thousand repetitions your attention would have been on your mantra japa say around hundred times. The rest of the time your attention was distracted - it was all over the place even though your tongue kept repeating the mantra japa. Even then it's a very big thing that it at least a hundred times one thought alone took place in your mind. The thoughts which are coming are different different thoughts, however one thought was only the thought of the Lord's name.

If we follow this process with a little care then today a hundred times we paid attention to the name, yet it is possible that tomorrow or after a week or after a month it will become a hundred and fifty times or two hundred times. It is definite that this number will keep increasing. However for that to happen it is necessary that we sit down and do japa.

People who complain that our mind does not take to japa are people who don't sit quietly taking the prayer beads in their hand. If they don't take the prayer beads in the hand it is ok. But how many times did they sit quietly and repeat their mantra loudly? It is important to repeat the name loudly at first. This is called as vaikhari.

The meaning of repeating the name by vaikhari, is that one repeats using one's tongue. Our speech can be  classified into 4 types. Vaikhari, madhyama, pashyanti and paraa. If we want to start our inner journey, then first of all it is important that the Lord's name should remain on our tongue always and we should take care of this. There should be a practice of taking the name by the tongue. When through the tongue the practice of taking Lord's name is there for a period of time, then though the mind will not be focused totally,  still most of the time it would remain with the Lord's name. Now slowly the name should move from loud chanting, in which the tongue is used,  to a state in which the lips are closed but the tongue is still being used to utter the Lord's name.  In the third stage of japa, more subtle than the previous, when both the lips are closed and tongue is not being used, and the name is being uttered only in the mind. These are called as vachika, upamshu and manasika japa respectively. In this way, taking the support of the Lord's name, we can start our inner journey.
To be continued ....

Translated from Hindi Booklet 'Yajnamaya Jivan'

Puja is also a yajna- Pujya Swami Govind Dev Giri

Press Link for original in Hindi
देव पूजन् भी यज्ञ है। Pujya Swami Govind Dev Giri

Translation ( pardon any mistakes)
When these five objects (sound, sensation/touch, form, taste, smell) are not enjoyed by myself, but are offered to the Lord, then automatically it becomes a yajna. Looked at from this vision, we find that out daily puja is also a yajna.

In our worship to Lord, we use words. We praise the Lord.The beutiful deity is in front of us. I sing a beutiful stotra. The beutiful stotra that is sung, certainly gives my mind joy. However, I do not sing for the purpose of making my mind happy. I sings so as to please the Lord. I light the best incense sticks. It is true that the fragrance from the incense reaches me. I am also pleased by that fragrance. However, that incense stick was not lighted for me.

If the incense stick was lighted for the sake of the Lord, if I bought the best fragrant materials, and used it for abhishek of the Lord, if I cooked tasty sweets, but they were not cooked for me, but were cooked for the Lord, then all those actions were nothing but yajna.

In this manner, here we have excellence in taste also, words also, touch also. All these, sound, touch, colour and form, taste, smell are meant for the Lord.

I bought beutiful clothes, but I bought them for the Lord. I bought beutiful ornaments, but I bought it for the Lord. Supposing I go somewhere outstation, and I buy things for myself, but I also buy something for the Lord.  In this case my daily worship also becomes a yajna.  I use the best of everything, of words, touch, form, taste, fragrance - however before I use them, I first use them for my Lord, my Thakurji - then my worship of Lord also becomes a yajna. In this case, all objects are used, but I am not primary here.

Wonderful sweets are made even in parties. The sweets being offered to the Lord are the same as those made for the parties. Yet there is a difference in the attitude behind their use. Two or three points are relevant here. The first is that, since I intend to offer it to the Lord, I take care of the cleanliness and purity of the items and the during process of making them. So the attitude of sanctity will be there. The other attitude is that these are not for me, they are for the Lord. This is not for me, this is for someone else - this is  the main attitude in a yajna.

In the yajna of a fire ritual,when an offering is made into the fire, after that the priest says ' इन्द्राय इदं न मम, अग्नये इदं न मम'. 'This is for Agni, not for me. This is for Surya, not for me. This is for Indra, not for me.

 'It is not mine, it is not for me' - when any offering is made with this attitude of sacrifice keeping the Lord in mind, when this attitude is awakened, then all the actions done by us, become of the nature of yajna. That is why, our daily worship is called as a yajna.

Our daily puja is also a yajna, as long as we follow certain rules pertaining to yajna. They are purity in conduct, purity of items used, purity in my own life, purity of the body, and reverential faith while offering all puja items to the Lord. And understanding that after offering to the Lord, those items do not belong to me.

I can partake of the food and other items offered to the Lord, in a limited measure. Partaking of prasada in a limited measure is permitted by the shastras. However I have no right over anything left over after that.

The attitude इदं न मम - 'this is not mine' needs to come into our daily life. All the objects of the five organs of perception, when they are used for the Lord, for the worship of the Lord, that puja is also a yajna. Therefore the word 'yajna', can also have the meaning of our daily puja.

'यजेत पुरुषं परम्' - by this injunction, the meaning of yajna is not restricted only to a fire ritual. The puja done by me is also a yajna. The word yajna is used to indicate puja also.  Lord Krishna says 'शब्दादीन् विषयान् अन्ये इन्द्रियाग्निषु जुह्वति' - these five sense object reach upto our senses. May my sense-organs be of the nature of fire. Whatever is put in fire, is destroyed. Within  is the mind, outer to the mind are the sense organs. And outer to the sense organs are their objects. The sense organs no doubt experienced the objects, however if the mind did not take them in with the  thought of enjoyment in them, then this process becomes a yajna.

I use my art for the sake of achieving something excellent.  I may have earned some wealth by displaying my art, this becomes my profession. However, through the medium of my art, I am able to achieve something big, for society, then that is also a yajna. I don't want anything from that for myself personally, but I make the effort to contribute something stable at a societal, cultural, ethical, humanitarian level, that also is a yajna.

Om That Sat