Prashnottara Vahini
Original in Telugu
Q. Is there any mantrajapam (constant recitation of mantra) that will give us this state that you spoke about, just now? If there are any, which is the most important one, tell me?
A. Mantrajapam is essential for everyone. What is a mantra? The syllable "Ma" means manana (rumination) and the syllable "tra" means save; so, mantra means, that which can save you if you meditate on it. A mantra will save you from being caught up in the coils of this ocean of samsara (worldly life), which is infested with birth and death, grief and pain. Of all mantras, the pranava is the highest and the best. It is the very head and crown of all of the mantras.
Q. Suppose each one does the japam of the name of the ishta daivam (one’s chosen God), according to his own samskaras (tendencies or inclinations); I believe, it is not wrong. Or, is it?
A. Reciting the name of the chosen God is totally acceptable, even the foolish ones will not deny that fact! But, it is bound to be beneficial to the devotees if that name of the chosen God is remembered, recited and revered, with the pranava prefixed. Just as the waters of the ocean are raised into the sky by the rays of the sun and then, falling as rain, they form rills and rivers, flow across different regions and rush towards the ocean to become once again the waters of the ocean, all this world—along with the multifarious names and forms contained in it, has emerged from pranava and ultimately merges in pranava through the journey of various kinds of dharmakarma margas (pious and religious deeds and observances).
Q. Swami! Some elders have said that the more beejaksharas (the sacred syllables in which the energy is associated with the sound) in a mantra, the more effective it is. So, which mantras are to be preferred? One with more or few beejaksharas?
A. Many mantraveettas (exponents of mantras) are of the opinion that when the number of beejaksharas diminishes in mantra chanting, there is more chance for concentration in dhyana. But, I don’t agree with that view. Sadhakas would be benefited more in the early stages of their sadhana, if they repeat the panchakshari along with pranava or ashtakshari (ashtakshari includes pranava) mantras and meditate upon the concerned Form of Deity of the mantra. After prolonged practice of the mantra, they can give up even the vachyartha (the directly expressed meaning of the mantra which directs towards the Form of the chosen Deity) and concentrate on the implied meaning of it (i.e., Formless Brahman) and become one with That. That is why the shruti says, "Nishabdo Brahma Uchyate." Meaning, the state of Silence, the absence of Sound is Brahman.
Q. So, how are we to attain that state of sabda shunya (Absence of Sound)? How can that state be Brahman?
A. The shrutis declare that this Creation, this prakriti, is maya (Illusion). They also say that He who has all this maya under His control is Ishwara (Supreme Being, God). So, try to have all this prakriti under control and become Ishwara yourself. Until that is set at nought, you cannot attain Brahman; that is certain. Like the snake that discards its old skin, the sadhaka eventually discards the repetition of the mantra like old skin and becomes one with the Form he meditated upon and ultimately realizes the implied meaning (Brahman) of the mantra that he meditated upon so far as his "Self", i.e., from Form to Formless.
Q. Pardon me, Swami! I cannot understand all this. Make it clearer through some more examples.
A. You must have seen an egg, isn’t it? When the bird sits on the egg for some time, the chick grows inside it to its full stature and then, when the shell of the egg is broken, it emerges and assumes its real form. So too, the sadhaka attains shuddha antahkarana (Inner Purity) by engaging in mantrajapam (constant recitation of mantra) and he gradually progresses by constantly ruminating on the meaning of the mantra. When he attains full maturity, the shell of ajnana (Ignorance) breaks and he realizes his True Form as of the Divinity that he has been meditating upon.
Q. Swami, You mentioned that all things originate from pranava and all things finally merge in pranava and that everything is permeated by pranava. Then, why is it that some elders declare that only some can recite and contemplate on pranava and some cannot? Is there any truth in what they say or is it just due to their self-interests?
A. What is prakriti? It is nothing but the commingling of the Five Elements. And, the pranava is the prana (very life) of all the elements. So, naturally, the entire prakriti is permeated by pranava. Isn’t it? The roar of waters falling down a cliff is pranava, the beating of waves on a promontory of the shore is pranava. Why? Even the sound of inhaling and exhaling breath is itself the pranava. Whether they know it or not, the heigh-ho of the men who carry along a palanquin on their shoulders, the heave of those who lift weights, the heehoy of those who beat clothes on slabs by the riverside, all resound with the pranava. Repeat it with a full knowledge of its inner significance and you will soon be relieved of the burden of this bhava (worldliness, cycle of birth and death). This pranava, which is the embodiment of Brahman and which is the cause of this creation, is present in man as his vasa (breath or breathing process). It is therefore meaningless to argue that some have the right to utter the pranava and some have not. Only those who do not breathe cannot utter it. But, all who breathe must consider pranava as their prana (very life). When Arjuna asked how man should remember the Lord at the point of death, don’t you know the reply that Lord Krishna gave? He said that he should recall to his mind the pranava which is undifferentiated from Him. Such a bhakta will, He said, attain paramagati (the Highest Goal). So, everyone has the right to recite this great mantra, the pranava.
Q. How can the goal be reached through the pranavopasana (worship of pranava or meditation upon pranava)? How can the person who meditates become transformed into the thing meditated upon? Please make this unequaled mantra, and the way it helps us, clearer to me, by means of easy illustrations.
A. My dear fellow, pranava is the bow. The pratyagatma (Inner presiding Self, atma) is the arrow. Parabrahman is the target. So, the sadhaka must, like an archer, be vigilant and unaffected by things that agitate the mind or distract from aiming the target. He should focus one-pointed attention on the target, the parabrahman; then, the bowman, the sadhaka, merges with the parabrahman; he becomes the thing meditated upon. In the kaivalyopanishat, the mundakopanishat and in other parts of the shruti, the pranava is extolled in various ways. Therefore, this mantra which liberates man can be recited and meditated upon by all. All can practice the pranavopasana; You need have no doubts on this point.
Index
Preface
The Human Body and the Indriyas
The Fourteen Lokas
The Four Ashramas
Moksham and Karma
Vidya and Bhakti
Obstacles to Moksham
The Pancha Kosas
Yogam and Moksham
Jnanam and Yogam
Brahmavidya and Women
Ashramas and Varnas
The Shastras and Sannyasa
Mantra and Japa
Tapas
Astanga Yoga (The Eightfold Path of Yoga)
Mantra and Japa
Original in Telugu
Q. Is there any mantrajapam (constant recitation of mantra) that will give us this state that you spoke about, just now? If there are any, which is the most important one, tell me?
A. Mantrajapam is essential for everyone. What is a mantra? The syllable "Ma" means manana (rumination) and the syllable "tra" means save; so, mantra means, that which can save you if you meditate on it. A mantra will save you from being caught up in the coils of this ocean of samsara (worldly life), which is infested with birth and death, grief and pain. Of all mantras, the pranava is the highest and the best. It is the very head and crown of all of the mantras.
Q. Suppose each one does the japam of the name of the ishta daivam (one’s chosen God), according to his own samskaras (tendencies or inclinations); I believe, it is not wrong. Or, is it?
A. Reciting the name of the chosen God is totally acceptable, even the foolish ones will not deny that fact! But, it is bound to be beneficial to the devotees if that name of the chosen God is remembered, recited and revered, with the pranava prefixed. Just as the waters of the ocean are raised into the sky by the rays of the sun and then, falling as rain, they form rills and rivers, flow across different regions and rush towards the ocean to become once again the waters of the ocean, all this world—along with the multifarious names and forms contained in it, has emerged from pranava and ultimately merges in pranava through the journey of various kinds of dharmakarma margas (pious and religious deeds and observances).
Q. Swami! Some elders have said that the more beejaksharas (the sacred syllables in which the energy is associated with the sound) in a mantra, the more effective it is. So, which mantras are to be preferred? One with more or few beejaksharas?
A. Many mantraveettas (exponents of mantras) are of the opinion that when the number of beejaksharas diminishes in mantra chanting, there is more chance for concentration in dhyana. But, I don’t agree with that view. Sadhakas would be benefited more in the early stages of their sadhana, if they repeat the panchakshari along with pranava or ashtakshari (ashtakshari includes pranava) mantras and meditate upon the concerned Form of Deity of the mantra. After prolonged practice of the mantra, they can give up even the vachyartha (the directly expressed meaning of the mantra which directs towards the Form of the chosen Deity) and concentrate on the implied meaning of it (i.e., Formless Brahman) and become one with That. That is why the shruti says, "Nishabdo Brahma Uchyate." Meaning, the state of Silence, the absence of Sound is Brahman.
Q. So, how are we to attain that state of sabda shunya (Absence of Sound)? How can that state be Brahman?
A. The shrutis declare that this Creation, this prakriti, is maya (Illusion). They also say that He who has all this maya under His control is Ishwara (Supreme Being, God). So, try to have all this prakriti under control and become Ishwara yourself. Until that is set at nought, you cannot attain Brahman; that is certain. Like the snake that discards its old skin, the sadhaka eventually discards the repetition of the mantra like old skin and becomes one with the Form he meditated upon and ultimately realizes the implied meaning (Brahman) of the mantra that he meditated upon so far as his "Self", i.e., from Form to Formless.
Q. Pardon me, Swami! I cannot understand all this. Make it clearer through some more examples.
A. You must have seen an egg, isn’t it? When the bird sits on the egg for some time, the chick grows inside it to its full stature and then, when the shell of the egg is broken, it emerges and assumes its real form. So too, the sadhaka attains shuddha antahkarana (Inner Purity) by engaging in mantrajapam (constant recitation of mantra) and he gradually progresses by constantly ruminating on the meaning of the mantra. When he attains full maturity, the shell of ajnana (Ignorance) breaks and he realizes his True Form as of the Divinity that he has been meditating upon.
Q. Swami, You mentioned that all things originate from pranava and all things finally merge in pranava and that everything is permeated by pranava. Then, why is it that some elders declare that only some can recite and contemplate on pranava and some cannot? Is there any truth in what they say or is it just due to their self-interests?
A. What is prakriti? It is nothing but the commingling of the Five Elements. And, the pranava is the prana (very life) of all the elements. So, naturally, the entire prakriti is permeated by pranava. Isn’t it? The roar of waters falling down a cliff is pranava, the beating of waves on a promontory of the shore is pranava. Why? Even the sound of inhaling and exhaling breath is itself the pranava. Whether they know it or not, the heigh-ho of the men who carry along a palanquin on their shoulders, the heave of those who lift weights, the heehoy of those who beat clothes on slabs by the riverside, all resound with the pranava. Repeat it with a full knowledge of its inner significance and you will soon be relieved of the burden of this bhava (worldliness, cycle of birth and death). This pranava, which is the embodiment of Brahman and which is the cause of this creation, is present in man as his vasa (breath or breathing process). It is therefore meaningless to argue that some have the right to utter the pranava and some have not. Only those who do not breathe cannot utter it. But, all who breathe must consider pranava as their prana (very life). When Arjuna asked how man should remember the Lord at the point of death, don’t you know the reply that Lord Krishna gave? He said that he should recall to his mind the pranava which is undifferentiated from Him. Such a bhakta will, He said, attain paramagati (the Highest Goal). So, everyone has the right to recite this great mantra, the pranava.
Q. How can the goal be reached through the pranavopasana (worship of pranava or meditation upon pranava)? How can the person who meditates become transformed into the thing meditated upon? Please make this unequaled mantra, and the way it helps us, clearer to me, by means of easy illustrations.
A. My dear fellow, pranava is the bow. The pratyagatma (Inner presiding Self, atma) is the arrow. Parabrahman is the target. So, the sadhaka must, like an archer, be vigilant and unaffected by things that agitate the mind or distract from aiming the target. He should focus one-pointed attention on the target, the parabrahman; then, the bowman, the sadhaka, merges with the parabrahman; he becomes the thing meditated upon. In the kaivalyopanishat, the mundakopanishat and in other parts of the shruti, the pranava is extolled in various ways. Therefore, this mantra which liberates man can be recited and meditated upon by all. All can practice the pranavopasana; You need have no doubts on this point.