ॐॐॐ
The 28th sutra of the Samadhipada is also very important, very famous, well known, mostly, very much closely, highly connected with the sadhana dimension of the yoga practices. And the sutra is, 28th one, the sutra is,
तज्ज॒पस्तदर्थ॑भाव॒नम् ॥ १.२८॥
tat-japas tad-artha-bhāvanam || 1.28 ||
Tat-japas tad-artha-bhāvanam - Tat means its, belonging to, its - means praṇava, not īśvara - praṇava, īśvarasya vācakaḥ, praṇavaḥ. Tat, tat means its, japa, continuous and repeated recitation, japaḥ, continuous, repeated recitation. So tat japaḥ, its continuous and repeated recitation. Very important, praṇavas - continuous and repeated recitation. Then tat artha bhāvanam. Its artha is meaning. For bhāvanam is contemplation. So two methods, two techniques, two tools, Patañjali prescribes, for the citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ - īśvara tattva pratiṣṭhā, and that is, tat japa, tat artha bhāvanam, tat japaḥ tad artha bhāvanam. Japa of the oṁkāra, and bhāvanam of the oṁkāra. Very important sutra it is. Japa dimension is brought in the yoga sūtras, it is a continuous repetition. And by continuous repetition of the praṇava, which is the vācaka of the īśvara, what is happening? When we continuously keep on repeating, same thought is continuously repeated, repeated means, the same thought gets strengthened, the same thought gets stabilized, the same thought occupies the space in our mind, the same thought expanse, and that is the importance of japa. That's why in all the yoga and spiritual sādhanās, japa is prescribed and preferred. And whenever we say japa, it has normally known as, three dimensions of japa. One is the vaikharī japa, vaikharī means audible, audible to the person and to the others. Then upāṁśu, inaudible to others, but audible to oneself, just something like lip movements. Then the third is the mānasika, mānasika japa, upāṁśu japa, vaikharī japa. But every sound has its own levels of manifestation, and that's very interesting to know that, it will be very useful when we practice any japa, and especially praṇava japa, apart from vaikharī and upāṁśu, in that mānasika, there are two depths, one is parā and paśyantī. Parā is, you are aware of the ॐ, quietly somewhere inside, you feel that you are doing the japa. It's deeper, more subtler than upāṁśu. Paśyantī is just you are aware of the ॐ, no effort to perform japa, but by giving up or by not having the effort to perform the japa, you have not lost the awareness of Oṁkāra, that is the state of paśyantī. Paśyantī, parā, upāṁśu, vaikharī, this is the japa portion.
Then bhāvanam, artha bhāvanam, artha is the meaning, the meaning of oṁkāra is īśvara itself, there can be a lot of interpretations, explanations, descriptions, lot of discussions may be there. But Patañjali clarified, that the meaning of praṇava, ॐ, is īśvaratva. Citta vṛtti nirodha sthiti, this is the tool, performing the japa. And bhāvanam, generally we understand and translate into english, bhāvanam, means contemplate, meditate, so perform oṁkāra japa, and meditate on the meaning of the ॐ, this is what generally sutra is translated, but if the Oṁkāra itself has no meaning, no guṇa, no quality, saying that meditating on the quality of oṁkāra has no meaning, because it has no quality. But then why the word bhāvanam is used, we have to go little deeper in the word bhāvanam. Bhāva, the root is bhū, bhū is to become, you become ॐ, you get the sthiti of ॐ, you become the ॐ state, you are established and stabilized in the state of ॐ, a paśyantī level, and that level to the īśvara level, because ॐ is the vācakaḥ, and you are established, bhū, bhāvanam, in ॐ praṇava, sound, at the paśyantī level, you are nearest to īśvara, you are just closed, merged, that is bhāvanam. So though normally it is understood that perform Oṁkāra japa, and meditate on its meaning, but it is actually, by performing Oṁkāra japa, or by performing the japa of ॐ, you become ॐ. This is very very important. That is why, though people may say many times, you can perform the japa of anything, now, it cannot be. Because every sound is an expression of a thought, an idea, and as you are repeating constantly, continuously, reciting a particular sound, the idea of that sound gets established. So one has to be very choosy, very careful, in the practice of japa.
Traditionally, normally, a guru gives a mantra japa, a mantra for japa. What mantra a person should be given, that is the relationship between guru and śiṣya decides. So a śiṣya has to be completely exposed himself, totally uncovered, in front of the guru. He opens up completely his mind. Guru understands what is needed for the śiṣya, for the disciple, and a particular mantra will be given. And by reciting that particular mantra, continuous recitation, japa, that thought which is necessary, will be stabilized and established in him. And all other thoughts will be removed, all other thoughts will be made to disappear, and this thought of the vācaka, of the mantra gets stabilized. There cannot be better japa than the Oṁkāra japa, so let us take it, ॐ as the japa. Ror the citta vṛtti nirodha, a wonderful tool, Maharṣi Patañjali hands over to all of us, the oṁkāra japa, and that is an important dimension. Normally, there may be various ways of chanting ॐ, various methods of chanting ॐ, but generally, it is said that the ममम… sound should be the dīrgha manda recaka, it should be, dīrgha manda recaka, means it should be long, deep, and slow recaka. That is the mātrās also are there. Generally, अ, उ, म, which are the further mātrās of the ॐ. But mātrā is a measurement of time, but generally, ओ is longer than the म, then the second syllable, म is longer than the ओ, so the first syllable ओ is longer than the म, the last one, and the second syllable is longer than the first one, so that is how chanting goes on. And finally the Oṁkāra chanting soothes the mind, relaxes the mind, calms down the mind, because it is the īśvara's only name. Let us see further descriptions of effects of the Oṁkāra japa.
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः||
To Be Continued.. ----------------------------------------
These are transcription of session delivered by Vice-President of Vivekananda Rock Memorial & Vivekananda Kendra, Sri M. Hanumantha Rao Ji.
Audio Link - https://youtu.be/R0zwgE_CwmA?si=WxZUF3GMC02XsM-4
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मुक्तसंग्ङोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वित:।
सिद्धयसिद्धयोर्निर्विकार: कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते ॥१८.२६॥
Freed from attachment, non-egoistic, endowed with courage and enthusiasm and unperturbed by success or failure, the worker is known as a pure (Sattvika) one. Four outstanding and essential qualities of a worker. - Bhagwad Gita : XVIII-26
