Jap - Chant

10. Jap - Chant

Regularly, constantly, repeat in the mind this Knowledge which is encapsulated in the mool-mantra given by the Teacher.

Ik Onkaar Sat-Naam Kartaa-Purakh Nirbhau Nirvair Akaal-Moorat Ajuni Saibangh Gurparsaad... It should not be a parrot-like, mechanical, hasty repetition of the mantra, the way most people chant it. rather, it must be a slow, gentle and loving repetition, the way a lover calls out the name of his beloved again and again.

The mere repetition of the mantras over a sustained period brings about concentration and single-mindedness, which is absolutely essential for meditation. When done with devotion, this jap serves to purify the mind. But the Truth is revealed only when we contemplate on and understand the meaning of the mantra while repeating it in the mind again and again.

Let the mind repeat the mantra and become quite while the intellect rides on the meaning of these"secret indicators"of the Reality, and lifts itself to dissolve into the Truth in the state of samaadhi or 'meditation'. Repeat the names of the Lord, not with mere words but with all the feelings in your heart. When you call out to your beloved, or when you call out the name of your child or friend, do not all your feelings of love, your knowledge of your loved one, the memories and the relationship, all come to mind at once? In the same way, understanding its meaning, one should repeat the mantra with love.

As you repeat in your mind, Ik Onkaar.... Bring in all the knowledge understood earlier: that He is one without a second; that He pervades the entire universe of names and forms; that He is the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer; the entire universe arises in Him, is sustained in Him and gets dissolved in Him; He is the Consciousness that is the one witness of all the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep.

You may take the entire mool-mantra and repeat it. or take any one word from it and repeat it again and again. For those who tend to see the world as full of divisions and differences, without unity or harmony, it would be helpful to place more emphasis on the word Ik Onkaar.

Those whose mind and intellect are not integrated and who find that they cannot live up to their convictions, are insecure and afraid of change, should particularly concentrate on Sat Naam.

Those who have a strong ego with a great sense of vanity and pride should absorb their mind in Kartaa Purakh. Those who suffer from constant fear and anxiety should stress on Nirbhau. Those who harbor enmity and hatred, on Nirvair.

Those who are afraid of dying and are full of attachments should contemplate on Akkal Moorat. Those who wish to end all suffering, on Ajuni. Those who seek knowledge and wisdom, on Saibangh, and for devotion and surrender one should constantly meditate on Gurparsaad.

All these words indicate the one same Truth and each divine quality cultivated invariably leads to the other divine qualities.

Start, start the jap today. The grace of the lord and the Guru is ever with us. Listen carefully to the meaning, reflect on it, understand, contemplate, meditate and realize.

Shri Guru Nanakji completes the"Japji"With a message in the 38th pauree (set of verses);"JAT PAHAARAA DHEERAJ SUNIAAR, AHARAN MAT VED HATHIAAR. BHAU KAHALAA AGAN TAP TAAO, BHAANDAA BHAAO AMRIT TIT DHAAL. GHAREEAI SHABAD SACHEE TAKSAAL, JIN KAU NADAR KARAM TIN KAAR. NANAK NADREE NADAR NIHAAL. Let forbearance be the furnace and patience the goldsmith, let understanding be the anvil and Veda, spiritual knowledge, the hammer. Let fear be the bellows and austerity, the fire, and let love be the crucible in which pour down thou the ambrosia. Thus in the true mint wilt thou coin the Shabad, the Name divine. Such alone who have His grace and kindness adopt this way. On them, O Nanak rain showers of grace divine. Absorbed are they forever and ever. Theirs is the eternal bliss.”

About the Author

This explanation of the mool mantras has been made possible only by the Grace of the Guru. These reflections are humble offerings at the lotus feet of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda and dear Guruji Swami Tejomayananda, and a Shradhaanjali at the lotus feet of Shri Guru Nanak Dev.

May the blessings of the Guru be ever upon us.

"Ik Onkaar, Meditations on the One Indivisible Truth"Is also available in audio cassette form in the author's own voice.

Few men are called to serve humanity the way Swami Swaroopananda does. Fewer actually achieve the unique impact and response that Swamiji has.

In just slightly over a decade, Swamiji has crissed-crossed the globe several times over and touched the lives of thousands of eager listeners in cities as diverse as London, Sydhey, Singapore, New Delhi, Gibraltar and Jakarta. So fantastic has the feedback to his discourses been, that every audio or videocassette he produces is an instant sellout.

A disciple of the world-renowned Master of Vedanta (The Science of Right Living) and champion of India's spiritual wisdom, Swami Chinmayananda, Swami Swaroopananda left his family's thriving business in Hong Kong at a rather early age to seek what he now calls"real answers to real problems.”

"I was convinced that beyond our everyday, superficial joys and sorrows, there was something higher.”he says.”A greater, deeper and more compelling Truth that provides the solutions to all our problems.... enabling man to live a truly happy and positive life in both the inner and outer worlds.”

After undergoing intensive monastic training and an exhaustive study of the Scriptures at the Chinmaya Mission headquarters in Bombay, Swamiji returned to Hong Kong in 1986 to spread the timeless message of Vedanta, first as Brahmachari Susheelji, and later, under his present name as the acharya-in-charge of the Chinmaya Seva Ashram. Throughout his preaching career in Hong Kong, Swamiji held his audiences - children, youths and adults alike - completely spellbound with his amazingly practical and extremely user-friendly approach to spirituality.

Since 1994, Swamiji has been based at the Chinmaya Dham in Melbourne, where he continues to reach out to spiritual seekers by translating Vedanta into a most effective and relevant way of life for the modern man and woman.

Long Live Sanatan Dharam

February 2003

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