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.
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