Name, Faith and Love by Swami Sivananda GLORY OF RAMA NAM What is that thing which is superior to Rama even? It is RAM NAM. How? Sri Hanuman told Sri Rama: “O My Lord, there is something superior to Thee. ” Sri Rama was quite astonished. He asked Hanuman: “What is that thing, O Hanuman, which is superior to Me?” Hanuman replied: “Hey Prabho, Thou hadst crossed the river with the help of a boat. But I crossed the ocean with the help of (and the power and strength of) Thy Name only. Name is indeed superior to Thee. “ Mahatma Gandhi says: “You must learn to take the name of Rama with full devotion and faith. When you study the Ramayana, you will learn from Tulsidas the divine power of that blessed Name. “You might ask me why I tell you to use the word RAMA and not one of the many other names of the Creator. True, His Names are as many as and more than the leaves on the yonder tree and I might for instance ask you to use the word God. But what meaning, what associations would it have for you here? In order to enable you to feel anything when repeating the word God, I should have to teach you some English. I should have to explain to you the foreign people’s thoughts and associations. “But in telling you to repeat the name of RAMA, I am giving you a name worshipped since the beginning of time by the people of this land, a name familiar to the very animals and birds, the very stones of Hindustan through so many thousands of years. You all know the story of Ahalya? No, I see you don’t. But you will soon learn it when you study the Ramayana. You will learn how a stone by the roadside sprang to life at the touch of Rama’s foot as he passed by. You must learn to repeat the blessed Name of Rama with sweetness and such devotion that the birds and beasts will pause for a moment to listen to you; the very trees will bend their leaves towards you, stirred by the divine melody of that Name. And when you are able to do this, I tell you, I will come all the way on foot from Bombay as on a pilgrimage to hear you. In His sweet Name lies a power which can cure all our ills. “ Kamal got a severe scolding from his father Kabir for prescribing RAMA NAM for a rich merchant to be repeated twice for curing leprosy. Kamal asked the merchant to repeat RAMA NAM twice and yet he was not cured of this dire disease. Kabir was very much annoyed and told Kamal: “You have brought disgrace on my family by asking the merchant to repeat Rama Nam twice. Repetition of Rama Nam only once is quite sufficient. Now beat the merchant severely with a stick on his head. Ask him to stand in the Ganga and repeat RAMA NAM once from the very bottom of his heart. ” Kamal followed the instructions of his father and gave a good thrashing on the head of the merchant who began to bleed profusely. He then repeated Rama Nam once only with Bhava from the very core of his being and was completely cured of his disease. Kabir sent Kamal to Tulasi Das. Tulasi Das wrote Rama Nam on a Tulasi leaf and sprinkled the juice over five hundred lepers. All were cured. Kamal was quite astonished. Then Kabir sent Kamal to Surdas. Surdas asked Kamal to bring the corpse that was floating in the river. Surdas repeated ‘Ra’ only once (not the full name Rama) in one ear of the corpse and it was brought back to life. Kamal’s heart was filled with awe and wonder. Such is the power of God’s Name. My dear friends, my educated college youths, my dear barristers, professors, doctors and judges, don’t be puffed up with false, worthless college learning. Repeat the Name of the Lord with Bhava and Prem from the very bottom of your hearts with all your beings and realise the supreme bliss, knowledge, peace and immortality right now, this very second. Kabir says: “If any one utters RAMA NAM even in dream, I would like to make a pair of shoes out of my skin for his daily use. “ Who can describe the glory of God’s Name? Who can really comprehend the greatness and splendour of the holy Names of the Lord? Even Lord Siva’s consort, Parvati failed to describe in adequate terms the very true significance and grandeur of God’s Name. When one sings His Name or hears It sung, he is unconsciously raised to sublime spiritual heights. He loses his body-consciousness. He is immersed in joy and drinks deep the divine nectar of immortality. He gets divine intoxication. Repetition of God’s Name enables the devotee to feel the Divine Presence, the Divine Glory and the Divine consciousness within himself and also everywhere. How sweet is Hari’s Name! How powerful is God’s Name! What an amount of joy and peace and strength it brings to one who repeats His Name! Blessed indeed are those who repeat God’s Name for they will be freed from the wheel of birth and death and attain Parama Ananda and immortality.

Glory of Lord Shiva by Swami Sivananda Om. I bow with folded hands to Lord Siva, Who is the Lord of the universe (Jagat-Pati), world’s teacher (Jagad-Guru), Who is the destroyer of Tripuras (3 cities, egoism, lust and anger), Who is the Lord of Uma (Uma Sankar), Gauri (Gauri Sankar), Ganga (Ganga Sankar), who is full of light (Jyotirmaya), knowledge and bliss (Chidananda Maya), Who is the Lord of Yogins (Yogeesvara), Who is the storehouse of knowledge and Who is known by the various names as Mahadeva, Sankara, Hara, Sambhu, Sadasiva, Rudra, Soolapani, Bhairava, Uma- Mahesvara, Neelakantha, Trilochana or Tryambaka (the three-eyed), Visvanatha, Chandrasekhara, Ardhanareesvara, Mahesvara, Neelalohita, Parama Siva, Digambara, Dakshinamurti, etc. How merciful He is! How loving and kind He is! He even wears the skulls of His devotees as a garland around His neck. He is an embodiment of renunciation, mercy, love and wisdom. It is a mistake to say that He is the destroyer. Lord Siva in reality is the regenerator. Whenever one’s physical body becomes unfit for further evolution in this birth either by disease, old age or other causes, He at once removes this rotten physical sheath and gives a new, healthy, vigorous body for further quick evolution. He wants to take all His children to His Lotus Feet quickly. He desires to give them His glorious “Siva-Pada”. It is easier to please Siva than Hari. A little Prem and devotion, a little chanting of His Panchakshara is quite sufficient to infuse delight in Siva. He gives boons to His devotees quite readily. How large is His heart! He gave Pasupatastra to Arjuna without any difficulty for his little penance. He gave a precious boon to Bhasmasura. In Kalahasti near Tirupati He gave Darshan for Kannappa Nayanar, the devoted hunter who plucked his two eyes to replace the weeping eyes in the Murti. In Chidambaram even the untouchable saint Nandanar had Darshan of Lord Siva. He ran with tremendous speed to make the boy Markandeya immortal when he was in the clutches of the God of Death-Yama. Ravana of Lanka pleased Siva with his Sama chantings. He initiated the four virgin youths Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Sanatkumara into the mysteries of Jnana in the form of Guru Dakshinamoorthy. In Madurai in Tamil Nadu, Sundaresvara (Lord Siva) assumed the form of a boy and carried earth on his head for a devoted lady for the sake of Puttu (a kind of sweetmeat) as wages when an anicut was erected in the Vaigai river. Look at the unbounded mercy for His devotees! When Brahma and Lord Vishnu went to find out the head and feet of Lord Siva, He assumed an infinite, expansive blaze of light (Jyotirmaya). They were baffled in their attempts. How magnanimous and self-effulgent He is! He lived in the house of Pattinattu Swami in Southern India for several years as his adopted son and disappeared after giving him the small note: “Even the broken needles will not follow you after your death. ” The reading of this note was the starting point for attainment of Jnana for Pattinattu Swami. Why not you all attempt this very second with sincerity to realise God (Lord Siva)? Hatha Yogins awaken the Kundalini Sakti that is lying dormant in the Muladhara Chakra by Asana, Pranayama, Kumbhaka, Mudra and Bandha, take it above through different Chakras (centres of spiritual energy) Svadhishthna, Manipura, Anahata, Visuddha and Ajna and join it with Lord Siva at the Sahasrara, the thousand-petalled lotus at the crown of the head. They drink the nectar of Immortality (Siva-Jnana-Amritam). This is termed Amrita-srava. When the Sakti is united with Siva, full illumination comes for the Yogi. Lord Siva represents the destructive aspect of Brahman. That portion of Brahman that is enveloped by Tamo-Guna-Pradhana-Maya is Lord Siva who is the all-pervading Isvara and who also dwells in Mount Kailas. He is the Bhandar or store-house for wisdom. Siva minus Parvati or Kaali or Durga is pure Nirguna Brahman. With Maya (Parvati) He becomes the Saguna Brahman for the purpose of pious devotion of His devotees. Devotees of Rama must worship Lord Siva also. Rama Himself worshipped Lord Siva at the famous Ramesvaram. Lord Siva is the Lord of ascetics and Lord of Yogins robed in space (Digambara). His Trishul (trident) that is held in His right hand represents the three Gunas-Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. That is the emblem of sovereignty. He wields the world through these three Gunas. The Damaru in His left hand represents the Sabda Brahman. It represents OM from which all languages are formed. It is He who formed the Sanskrit language out of the Damaru sound. The wearing of the crescent moon on His head indicates that He has controlled the mind perfectly. The flow of the Ganga represents the nectar of immortality. Elephant represents symbolically the Vritti, pride. Wearing the skin of the elephant denotes that He has controlled pride. Tiger represents lust. His sitting on the tiger’s skin indicates that he has conquered lust. His holding a deer in one hand indicates that He has removed the Chanchalata (tossing) of the mind. Deer jumps from one place to another swiftly. The mind also jumps from one object to another. His wearing of serpents on the neck denotes wisdom and eternity. Serpents live for a large number of years. He is Trilochana, the three-eyed One, in the centre of whose forehead is the third eye, the eye of wisdom. Nandi, the bull that sits in front of Sivalingam represents Pranava (Omkara). The Lingam represents Advaita. It points out “I am one without a second. Ekam eva Advaiteeyam” just as a man raises his right hand above his head pointing out his right index finger only. Kailas hills in Tibet are a huge range with a central, beautiful, naturally carved and decorated shining peak, eternally clad with silvery snow 22, 980 feet above sea-level. Some take the height to be 22, 028 feet. This particular peak is in the form of a

Science of Worship by Swami Sivananda Man does not get full satisfaction from sensual pleasures. He always feels that he is in want of something. He is restless and discontented. Then he longs to come into conscious communion with the Lord of the Universe and to attain immortality and everlasting peace. This ultimate craving of a man finds its satisfaction in worship. The individual soul desires to unite himself with his father, the Supreme Soul. This is done through worship. Love and devotion naturally rise in his heart when he hears the glory and greatness of the Lord. An object of worship is therefore necessary for man to pour forth his love and devotion. Worship helps spiritual evolution and eventually brings the devotee face to face with God. As the Absolute or Infinite cannot be comprehended by the limited and finite mind, the conception of the impersonal God in His lower, limited form came into existence. The Nirguna Brahman assumes forms for the pious worship of the devotees. Worship is the expression of love and devotion by the devotee to the Lord, of extreme reverence towards Him, of keen longing to be in conscious communion with Him, of eager aspiration to be always at His feet, of intense craving to be united with Him. The devotee feels the pangs of his separation from the Lord, sheds profuse tears, and sings His praise, glory, splendour and greatness. Worship may take the form of prayer, of praise, of meditation or of Kirtan. Worship differs according to the growth and evolution of the individual. There is nature worship. Parsees worship the element fire. Hindus worship the Ganga, cows, asvatta tree, etc. In the Vedas there are hymns to Indra, Varuna, Agni, Vayu. This is nature worship. There is hero-worship. Great heroes like Sivaji, Napoleon are worshipped even now. In hero-worship the individual imbibes the virtues of the person whom he worships. Birthday celebrations of great persons, anniversary celebrations are forms of worship. Then there is relic worship. Hairs and bones of departed souls are also worshipped. Then there is Pitru-worship, or worship of forefathers. There is worship of Gurus or Rishis or Devatas. As man evolves, he passes from one stage of worship to another. The lower stages drop down by themselves. A man of higher stage should not condemn his brother who is in a lower stage. One should not forget the underlying, indwelling, interpenetrating, one Essence or Intelligence when he does the worship of any kind. The fundamental object in worship is union with the Lord, who pervades or permeates all these names and forms, by developing intense love. Isvara has different aspects or forms such as Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, Rama, Krishna, Ganapathy, Karttikeya, Durga, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Indra, Agni, but in whatever name and form, it is Isvara who is adored. The Lord in the form is worshipped. The devotion goes to the Lord. All are worshipping the one basic Reality, Isvara. The differences are only differences in names and forms on account of differences in the worshipers. Worship of Lord Jesus or Lord Mohammed or Sri Guru Nanak or Lord Buddha or Lord Mahavira is really worship of Isvara only. These are all His forms. “However men approach Me, even so do I welcome them, for the paths men take from every side is Mine, O Partha. ” (Gita: IV-11. ) “Whatsoever form any devotee desires to worship with faith-that (same) faith of his I make firm and unflinching. ” (Gita: VII-21). Ignorant, petty-minded people fight unnecessarily amongst themselves and disturb the peace of the country. The essentials of all religions are the same. Non-essentials must differ. There is quarrel on these non-essentials only. All religions agree: “One should attain salvation by right living, by speaking truth, by celibacy, by loving all, by developing virtuous qualities, by meditation, by devotion. “ The term “Sadhana” comes from the root “Sadh”, which means “to exert”, “to endeavour to get a particular result or Siddhi. ” He who does the attempt is called Sadhaka. If he achieves the desired result, Siddhi, he is called Siddha. A fully developed Siddha is one who has attained full knowledge of Brahman. Self-realisation or Darshan of God is not possible without Sadhana. Any spiritual practice is called Sadhana. Sadhana, Abhyasa are synonymous terms. That which is obtained through Sadhana is Sadhya (God or Brahman). Upasana means worship. It means to sit near God. One who does Upasana is an Upasaka. The object of worship is Upasya. Upasana is a broad term which includes many forms of worship. It includes meditation, Japa, daily Sandhya, prayer, Stotra etc. It is of two kinds, viz. , Ahamgraha Upasana or meditation on Nirguna, Nirakara Brahman and Saguna Upasana or meditation on Isvara (with form and attributes). The former is called Avyakta Upasana, and the latter Vyakta Upasana. Upasana is again either gross (Sthula) or subtle (Sukshma) according to the nature of the Adhikari, his degree of competency or advancement in the path. He who worships a Murthy, rings bells and offers sandal-paste, flowers, etc. , does gross form of worship. Whereas he who visualises the image of his Ishtam, meditates on it and offers mental offerings, does subtle form of worship. Manasic Pooja is Sukshma Upasana. Pooja comes from the Sanskrit root “Pooj” which means to worship. Pooja is a simple form of worship. A picture or image is used for worship. Mantras are recited. Water is poured over the image. Flowers are offered. Sandal-paste is applied. Naivedya and Arghya are offered, camphor and incense are burnt. The devotee pours forth his love and devotion to the Isvara who is hidden in the picture or image. One important point is that he who does Pooja must abandon the idea of ownership of the articles of worship etc. , and must think that all the articles and wealth belong to Isvara and he is only the caretaker. Then only his worship will bring the desired result. Prostrations, offering, etc. , are

Japa Anushthana by Swami Sivananda An Ishta-Mantra is selected first. The object of Anushthana should be within the limits of the Mantra chosen, viz., one should not do Japa of Hanuman in order to get a son. Foolish desires should not be cherished when performing Anushthana. One should not do Anushthana for destroying or harming other beings. This is a great blunder. This will lead to the destruction of the performer himself, in case the other party is more powerful than the performer. Generally a sublime spiritual desire should be kept in view when any Anushthana is practised. The Japa-Sadhaka should start his Anushthana in the early morning at Brahmamuhurta on an auspicious day. He should take a bath in a river or even in the water of a well if other water is not available. He should observe Mouna all along until the break of the day’s Anushthana. The major portion of the day should be utilised for Japa. The Sadhaka should offer prayers to the Sun and his Ishta-Devata of the Mantra he is going to take up in Anushthana. He should offer his daily prayers and perform Sandhya. Then he should sit on a clean place facing the east or the north with a Mala in his hand. His mind should be concentrated on the deity of the Mantra. The purpose of the Anushthana should be borne in mind all along. Complete Mouna should be observed. The eyes should be shut. The senses should be withdrawn. There should be no other thought except that of the Ideal before him. The Sadhaka should not approach his wife at any time until the whole of the Anushthana is over for the prescribed period. There should not be any thought of wife, children and property during the performance of the Anushthana or even at period of rest at night. These are all hindrances in the attainment of the object desired out of the Anushthana. It is better to feed at least one person daily until the end of the Anushthana. On the last day a Havan should be performed with Ahutis equal to one-tenth of the total number of Japa done. On the last day also a poor-feeding may be conducted for the satisfaction of one’s self. Water-libations may be given equal to the number done in Havana or else (if it is found to be inconvenient) the number of Japa may be increased by that number. To put it in a nutshell, Japa-Anushthana is performance of Japa for a protracted period with concentration of mind and without any thought of the external world. This leads to the achievement of the object of desire. Generally as many Lakhs of Japa as there are letters in the Mantra are done. But it is better to do more than this prescribed number if the actual fruit of the Japa is to be acquired. The mind of man is generally very impure and it requires much labour to purify it in order to make it fit to concentrate on the Mantra and its Deity. Generally many Purascharanas are required to get the ideal in mind. One Purascharana does not bring the desired object, because human mind is ever distracted and is filled with Rajas and Tamas. Swadhyaya Anushthana The Sadhaka takes up the study of the Vedas, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, or the Bhagavata for reading. In the case of the Bhagavata it is called Saptaha. In the case of the Vedas it is called Adhyayana. In case of the other two it is called Parayana. The Anushthatri should observe the same disciplines as enumerated above. Arghya (libation), Havan, etc., should be performed as in Japa-Anushthana. Other Anushthanas All Anushthanas can be performed on the same lines with slight changes according to the necessity of the occasion. A woman-Anushthatri will have slight changes in the rules regarding performance. She should not start the Anushthana during the time of her menses. Nor should the menses occur in the middle of the Anushthana. Generally it is better for them to take up Anushthana only for a period of less than a month. They should not suckle their children during the time of Anushthana. Even women should observe Brahmacharya during the performance of Anushthana. They also should take daily bath as in the case of men. All other rules are just like those of men. Women should not take to Anushthana of Gayatri-Japa or Veda-Adhyayana. Generally by Anushthana the Sastras mean only Japa and Svadhyaya. Meditation is not considered as an Anushthana. It is a higher step where the word Anushthana loses its meaning. Worship also can be considered as an Anushthana, though it is not included in the orthodox conception. The rules for all Anushthanas constitute the central idea that there should be exclusive occupation in the performance of Anushthana to the total detachment from all family engagements or worldly activities. Even worldly thoughts should not enter the mind of the Anushthatri. Anushthana is great Tapas or austerity and should be performed with great reverence, faith and carefulness.

Time Limit for Anushthana by Swami Sivananda There is no time-limit for Anushthana. It all depends upon the liking of the individual. It can be done even for a single day. It has its own effect. But better it is to practise for long periods, since the mind is well disciplined in such practices. The longer the Anushthana, the greater the power the Sadhaka gets. He becomes like a Yogi, possessed of health, wealth, prosperity, knowledge and power. Whatever he wishes he gets. Anushthana can be performed even in night time. On the other hand, the practice at night is more powerful and brings quicker results than the Anushthana done during day time. The mind is calm and is free from the world at night. So it is that all practices at night have got a greater force or Samskara. CONCLUSION Anushthana is a precursor to the practice of Yoga. It disciplines the mind and prepares the mind for Yogic meditation. It is a severe Tapasya which, if not performed with any worldly desire, will lead the Sadhaka to the height of spiritual illumination.

Advice on Anushthana by Swami Sivananda When you get holidays, plunge yourself in doing Anushthana either at home or some holy place preferably at Rishikesh or Prayag on the banks of the Ganga or the Yamuna. Do some lakhs or crores of Japa vigorously living on milk and fruits and observing Mauna. You will realise wonderful results, tremendous purity of heart and actual Darshan of God. If you can do it for six months, it is all the better. Intense Sadhana in solitude is very, very necessary if you want to reap a good spiritual harvest.

Anushthana by Swami Sivananda INTRODUCTORY Anushthana is practice of religious austerity. It is observance of certain disciplines for the sake of obtaining some object of desire. The desire or the object may even be the final emancipation. Even that is a desire though it is generally not included as such. One who performs Anushthana has to be free from worldly engagements until the end of Anushthana. He should be completely engrossed in one thought and that is the thought concerned with the austere performance of the observances prescribed by the Sastras or scriptures. Such disciplines mould the man and make him fit to realise higher objects of his desires and ambitions. Generally the highest form of Anushthana is unselfish worship of God for the sake of self-purification and final emancipation. There is no Anushthana better than this. Other Anushthanas done for the sake of petty material ends are the outcome of ignorance and are not spiritual. Spiritual Anushthana is based on discrimination and has for its ideal the liberation of the soul from the round of birth and death. Anushthanas can be practised for a day, a week, a fortnight, a month, fortyeight days, ninety-six days, three months, six months or one year. The duration of time depends upon the ability and the liking of the performer. He can choose any kind of Anushthana according to his circumstances. Even the rigour of the Sadhana is dependent on the constitution and health of the individual. A sick man is not required to take cold bath thrice daily. An unhealthy man with very weak body is not required to observe absolute fast. A person suffering from an acute disease is not required to forego taking medicine. Commonsense is the fundamental factor in all Sadhana. No rule is an eternal rule. Rules change from place to place, time to time and from one condition to another condition. A Sadhaka of Madras may live only with a Langotee even in the dead winter. But a Sadhaka living in the icy Gangotri cannot be expected to practise the same method even in summer. The Himalayan climate is not like that of Trivandrum or Madras. To hold an umbrella when it is heavily raining is not against the practice of Anushthana. Anushthana is rigorous mental discipline and not mere physical mortification. A pair of shoes used when walking over the glaciers of Kailasa or Manasarovar will not prove detrimental to Anushthana. Absolute necessities of the body are not hindrances. Abnormal cravings are against Anushthana, not the normal requirements. Strict Brahmacharya is an absolute necessity for all Anushthanas. Truth speaking and non-injury are absolute necessities, for these are mental disciplines. Any action done against the feeling of the mind is not conducive to the rigour of the Anushthana. The actions of the mind alone are actions, not of the body. One who feels one thing and does another thing is a Mithyachari. To him the fruit of Sadhana will not accrue. The mind is the author of all actions. The body is only an instrument. Suppressing the effect when the cause is vigorously working will not add to the annihilation of the cause. The mind has to be calmed, and for that all Sadhanas are done in one way or other.

Gayatri Japa by Swami Sivananda MEDITATION ON GAYATRI “Om bhur bhuvah svah tat savitur varenyam;Bhargo devasya dheemahi dhiyo yo nah prachodayat. “ SHABDA-ARTHA Om – Para Brahman; Bhur – Bhuloka (Physical Plane); Bhuvah – Antariksha Svah; Svarga Loka Tat – Paramatma Savitur; Isvara (Surya); Varenyam; Fit to be worshipped; Bhargo – Remover of sins and ignorance; Devasya – Glory (Jnana Svaroopa); Dheemahi – We meditate; Dhiyo – Buddhi (Intellect); Yo – Which; Nah – Our; Prachodayat – Enlighten. BHAVA-ARTHA “Let us meditate on Isvara and His Glory who has created the Universe, who is fit to be worshipped, who is the remover of all sins and ignorance. May he enlighten our intellect. “ The aspirant prays to Mother Gayatri, “O Beloved Mother! At the present moment I have taken my body as the self owing to Avidya or ignorance, through my impure intellect. Give me a pure intellect which will enable me to know my real nature. Give me light and knowledge. “ This is the Brahma-Gayatri Mantra. Gayatri is the ‘Blessed Mother’ of Vedas. There is no milk superior to cow’s milk. Even so there is no Mantra superior to Gayatri. As Omkara or Pranava is for Sannyasins, so is Gayatri for Brahmacharis and householders. The fruits that are attained by meditation on Omkara can be attained by meditation on Gayatri. The same goal that is reached by a Paramahamsa Sannyasin can be reached by a Brahmachari or a householder by meditating on Gayatri. Get up at 4 a. m. in Brahmamuhurta and start Japa and meditation on Gayatri (Panchmukhi or five-faced Devi seated in lotus flower), sitting on Padmasana, Siddhasana or Virasana, facing North or East. Burn incense in the room. In summer you can take a bath. In winter you can simply wash your face, hands and feet and do achamana only. Continue the Japa for two hours or more. Have another sitting at night between 7 and 8 p. m. Constantly feel that you are receiving light, purity and wisdom from Gayatri. This is important. Keep the image of the Gayatri at the Trikuti, the space between the eye-brows by closing the eyes and concentrate there, or keep the image in the lotus of the heart and concentrate there. You will have Darshan of Gayatri. It is better if you do Japa of Gayatri 3000 to 4000 times daily. Your heart will be purified rapidly. If you are not able to do this number, you can do 1008 times daily. If you find it difficult to do this number also, do at least 108 times daily, 36 times at sunrise, 36 times at noon, 36 times at sunset. There is special, mysterious spiritual force or wonderful magnetic power at Sandhi or junction of the time, sunrise and sunset. The mind will be elevated quickly. It will be filled with Sattva. Concentration will come by itself without any effort at this time. If you find it difficult to get up at Brahmamuhurta, get up before sunrise. That man who fails to do Gayatri at the Sandhis fails in the discharge of his daily duties. He becomes a Bhrashta or fallen man. He loses vigour, vitality and Brahma-tejas. In the Gayatri Mantra there are 9 names, viz. , 1. Om, 2. Bhur, 3. Bhuvah, 4. Svah, 5. Tat, 6. Savitur, 7. Varenyam, 8. Bhargo and 9. Devasya. Through these nine names the Lord is praised. Dheemahi is worship of the Lord. Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat is prayer. Herein there are five halts or stops viz. , ‘Om’ is the first stop; ‘Bhur Bhuvah Svah’ the second; ‘Tat Savitur Varenyam’ the third; ‘Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi’ the fourth; and ‘Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat’ the fifth. While chanting or doing Japa of the Mantra, we should stop a little at every stop or halt. Savita is the presiding deity of the Gayatri Mantra, Fire (Agni) is the mouth, Vishwamitra is the Rishi and Gayatri is the metre. It is recited in the investiture of sacred thread, practice of Pranayama and Japa. What Gayatri is, the same is Sandhya, and what Sandhya is, the same is Gayatri. Sandhya and Gayatri are identical. He who meditates on Gayatri, meditates on Lord Vishnu. A man can repeat Gayatri mentally in all states while lying, sitting, walking etc. There is no sin of commission and omission of any sort in its repetition. One should thus perform Sandhya three times with this Gayatri Mantra every day, in the morning, noon and evening. It is the Gayatri Mantra alone that can be commonly prescribed for all the Hindus. The Lord commands in the Vedas “Let one Mantra be common to all” “Samano Mantrah. ” Hence the Gayatri should be the one Mantra for all the Hindus. “The secret lore of the Upanishads is the essence of four Vedas, while Gayatri with the three Vyahritis is the essence of the Upanishads. ” He is the real Brahmin who knows and understands thus, the Gayatri. Without its knowledge he is a Sudra, though well versed in the four Vedas. GLORY OF GAYATRI (MANU SMRITI, CHAPTER II) 76. Brahma milked out, as it were, from the three Vedas, the letter A, the letter U, and the letter M; these form by their coalition the three trilateral monosyllable, together with three mysterious words, Bhur, Bhuvah, Svah, or earth, sky, heaven. 77. From the three Vedas also, the Lord of creatures incomprehensibly exalted, successfully milked out the three measures of that ineffable text, beginning with the word Tat, and entitled Savitri or Gayatri. 79. And a twice-born man, who shall 1000 times repeat those three (Om, the Vyahritis and the Gayatri) apart from the multitude (EKANTA) shall be released in a month even from a great offence, as a snake from his slough. 81. The three great immutable words, preceded by the triliteral syllable and followed by the Gayatri which consists of three measures, must be considered as the mouth or principal part of the Veda. 82. Whoever shall repeat day

Japa of Mahamantra by Swami Sivananda Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare;Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. At the end of Dvapara-Yuga, Narada went to Brahma and addressed him thus: “O Lord, how shall I, roaming over the earth, be able to cross Kali?” To which Brahma thus replied: “Well asked. Hearken to that which all Srutis (the Vedas) keep secret and hidden, through which one may cross the Samsara (mundane existence) of Kali. He shakes off (the evil effects of) Kali through the mere uttering of the Name of the Lord Narayana, who is the Primeval Purusha. ” Again Narada asked Brahma: “What is the Name?” To which Hiranyagarbha (Brahma) replied thus: (the words are) “1. Hare, 2. Rama, 3. Hare, 4. Rama, 5. Rama, 6. Rama, 7. Hare, 8. Hare, 9. Hare, 10. Krishna, 11. Hare, 12. Krishna, 13. Krishna, 14. Krishna, 15. Hare, 16. Hare. These sixteen Names (words) are destructive of the evil effects of Kali. No better means than this is to be seen in all the Vedas. These (sixteen Names) destroy the Avarana (or the veil which produces the sense of individuality) of Jiva surrounded by the sixteen Kalas (rays). Then like the sphere of the sun which shines fully after the clouds (screening it) disperse, Parabrahman alone shines. “ Narada asked: “O Lord! what are the rules to be observed with reference to it?” To which Brahma replied that there are no rules for it. Whosoever in a pure or an impure state, utters these always, attains the same world of, or proximity with, or the same form of, or absorption into Brahman. Whosoever utters three and a half crores – This number can be reached by uttering the Mantra completely within one year if uttered at the rate of a lakh per day; and within ten years if uttered at the rate of 10, 000 per day. -Kalisantarana Upanishad (or thirty-five million) times this Mantra composed of sixteen Names (of words) crosses the sin of the murder of a Brahmin. He becomes purified from the sin of the theft of gold. He becomes purified from the sin of cohabitation with women of low caste. He is purified from the sins of wrong done to Pitris, Devas and men. Having given up all Dharmas, he becomes freed at once from all sins. He is at once released from all bondage. That he is at once released from all bondage is the Upanishad.