Thursday 10 September 2015

KARMA & MANTRAS PART 2

As the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad states, our prayer should be for Erai to lead us from the unreal to the Real; from darkness to the Light; and from the temporary to the Eternal.
Asatoma Sat Gamaya
Tamasoma Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityorma Anritam Gamaya

Lead me from the unreal to the Real
Lead me from the darkness to the Light
Lead me from the temporary to the Eternal
As determination or vairagyam is required to attain success in one's spiritual endeavor, reciting a mantra diligently, is also thought to be a form of determination. 

When I had stopped all forms of devotion for 14 years, after I realized I was more confused than enlightened by reading and putting into practice the teachings and practices from the numerous books, Agathiyar sends my nephew over to my home on 6 October 2001 to pass me a mantra, although at that moment I did not even have the tiniest inkling that it was from Agathiyar and neither had I heard about Agathiyar then.

My nephew asked me to sit opposite him at my altar and reminded me not to question the source of whatever he was to transmit to me. Sitting in the Padmasana pose, he closed his eyes. Suddenly his body shook. He asked that I repeat a mantra. He said it thrice as I repeated after him. When he came out of that trance like state, he asked that I get a rosary and chant the mantra daily. He told me not to reveal what had taken place then. Neither did he reveal anything about the transmission of the mantra.

As it was the period of Navarathtri celebrations, he called me to guide me further on the hymns that I was to sing and the diet I was to follow during the rest of Navarathtri. Later he came by again and passed me a painting of Lord Dhakshanamurthy to be kept at my altar and worshiped. He told me I shall meet my guru in a years time. 

I had already left behind all forms of devotion and piety then. But surprisingly when he guided me that day, I consented and was determined to carry out his dictates. Unquestioningly, I followed every thing he said.

After a couple of years, on 24 December 2005, my nephew revealed the source of the mantra. The mantra he gave me was AUM NAMO BHAGAVATHEY VASU DEVAAYA NAMA. He said it was from Agathiyar. 

This mantra is mentioned in an extract from the English translation of the book KRIYA YOGA VIJNAN - THE SCIENCE OF KRIYA YOGA, the original by Saint Lahari Mahasaya. 
Lahari Mahasaya has named this sadhana omkar kriya. This is essentially a pranayama and the basis is the Vasudeva mantra. The sastras have propounded that the Vasudeva mantra is an omniscient mantra. When a sadhaka starts comprehending his awareness as one with the mantra then he becomes omniscient himself. Then his attainment shall be - I am this omniscient Vasudeva. In the Gita it is stated in the very last of all births, the man of wisdom worships me, realizing that all is Vasudeva. Rare indeed is the soul. Then do namaskar to theself.
In THE HIDDEN MYSTERIES OF KUNDALINI written by R Venu Gopalan, the author explains that this mantra is recited for balancing the Vishnu Granti. 
This is the maha mantra of Lord Krishna. Its benefits are as follows: The nadis of the heartchakra is cleansed. It balances the heart chakra. Continuous practice of this meditation on this mantra helps in purification of the thinking process. It also helps in dissolving all the past karmic deeds for a better future. The Vishnu Granti adds obstructions for the sadhaka keeping one under the wraps of attachment, bondage, leading to the process of selfishness and supra ego.
In a book on Saint Dhruva, it is mentioned that this mantra was given to Dhruva by Saint Naradar who initiated Dhruva into the mysteries of yoga and meditation leading to samadhi. 
Naradar taught Dhruva the practice of pranayama by inhaling, exhaling, and holding the breath. He taught Dhruva to overcome thought fluctuations with the help of breath control. Naradar also taught Dhruva to meditate on Vishnu in the sanctuary of his heart repeating the Lord’s name mentally and offer prayers and worship. He advised Dhruva to go to Madhuvana for tapas because it was a sacred place where vibrations prevailed, which would help him in his sadhana and Samadhi.
When I did meet my guru in 2003 as mentioned through my nephew, Supramania Swami delivered a mantra to me as a parting gift. It was HARA HARA SIVA SIVA SIVASIVAAYA NAMASIVAYA SIVAYA NAMA AUM. He told me to chant it 100,000 times. I started chanting the mantra diligently and with determination although I am not certain if I had achieved that number. 

When I mentioned to Dr Krishnan that I was asked to worship Agathiyar and the Siddhas, the renowned astrologer and Siddha medicine practitioner, passed me a yantra to worship and later a mantra. The yantra and matra was that of Agathiyar, AUM SING VANG ANG UNG MANG MAHATHUVAM PORUNTHIYA AGATHIYAR THIRUVADIGAL POTRI. I was told this mantra would link me to Agathiyar, who would immediately turn his attention on anyone who chants his name. I continued chanting the mantra daily and worshiping the yantra during full moon and new moon.

When I met Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal in Malaysia in 2005, and told him that Agathiyar wanted me to come into the fold of the Siddhas, Tavayogi arranged to give me and my wife, besides 8 others, a mantra, the same evening. He told all those present not to reveal the mantra. It was AUM SIM VAM AM UM MUM AGATHEESAYA NAMA. My wife and I started chanting the mantra.

When I revisited Supramania Swami in 2005, he initiated me on his Guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar's mantra. It was nightfall and Swami led me into a prayer, chanting his Guru's name, that went YOGI RAMSURATKUMARA, YOGI RAMSURATKUMARA, YOGI RAMSURATKUMARA, JAYAGURURAAYA. After about 20 minutes into the recitation, I heard a third voice singing along. After returning from visiting Tavayogi at Kallar, Supramania Swami reminded me of the incident. I had wanted to ask him immediately after the chanting had ended but forgot entirely. I asked Swami who it was and he laughed aloud, replying that the Yogi was with us too, chanting his mantra!

Subsequently when I arrived at Kallar on Tavayogi's invitation, he passed me another mantra just before I returned to Malaysia. It was a mantra to be repeated silently as I inhaled and exhaled my breath. He told me to put it into practice and slowly increase the duration of inhalation and exhalation.

Agathiyar when he came to my home in the form of a bronze statue asked that we chant his mantra 100,000 times. As it was Agathiyar's Jayanthi and Guru Puja too, relatives, friends, and devotees got together and chanted AUM AGATHEESAYA NAMA. I timed the duration of our chant. We only managed 45,000 before we lost our voices. But the most compassionate Agathiyar in the next Nadi reading said that he had accepted our prayers.

Agathiyar in his Nadappu Aasi Nigandu Nadi.Nadi reading on 19.4.2011, surprises me further by revealing yet another mantra, his Moola mantra, to be chanted and also to be shared with all. Agathiyar explains the benefits derived by chanting this mantra. Here is the translation of the portion of the Nadi related to this revelation.
For the purpose of gaining joy in the family and mankind on the whole,
I reveal a magnificent moola mantra of mine, to be chanted daily,
Mankind will gain if chanted, All shall gain good health and all other gains,
Victory without hurdles shall one meet, Miracles and Joy will come your way,
Thus I reveal,
AUM SRIM AUM SARGURU PATHAMAY,
SAABA PAABA VIMOCHANAM,
ROWGA AHUNGAARA THUR VIMOCHANAM,
SARVA DEVA SAGALA SIDDHA OLI RUPAM,
SARGURUWAY AUM AGASTHIYA KIRANTHA KARTHAAYA NAMA
ஓம் ஸ்ரீம் ஓம்
சற்குரு பதமே
சாப பாவ விமோசனம்
ரோக அகங்கார துர்விமோசனம்
சர்வ தேவ சகல சித்த
ஓளி ரூபம்
சற்குருவே ஓம் அகஸ்திய
கிரந்த கர்தாய நம
By chanting thus and conducting prayers, All shall gain Bliss (Yegantha Nilai),
By chanting this mantra, Joy (Anandha Jyothi) shall rise in all and
Grace (Arul Jhothi) shall be seen and felt.
Here is the video of the above said mantra at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjnC0DyqSsw

Later Agathiyar explained the efficacy of chanting Lord Muruga’s name, and asked that I continue chanting MURUGA, MURUGA.

Some time later Agathiyar encouraged me to recite Ramalinga Adigal’s Arutperunjyoti mantra too, mentioning that it was the Maha mantra. The family began to recite ARUTPERUNJYOTHI ARUTPERUNJYOTHI TANI PERUNG KARUNAI ARUTPERUNJYOTHI

Agathiyar reveals the reason for asking to put in a particular number of chants of these mantras. Aknowledging that the mind is difficult to subdue, Agathiyar says that it is with the hope, that along the way, at any one moment, man's mind might become still and engage and merge with Erai. 

Agathiyar says man's prayers will materialize when and if: he has been chanting a mantra, any mantra of a deity for years; has attained a certain level or stage on the spiritual path; when his soul or Atma has gain Sakti; if he performs the recitation of the mantra without self interests; and when his mind is concentrated on the mantra. The duration it takes for a mantra to release its potent power, is again dependent on the individual.