I, 27-29 ?a Devotional Practice (isvara Pranidanah) ? Japa Meditation

lavina · March 10, 2017, 7:44pm

[B]I, 27-29 ?A DEVOTIONAL PRACTICE (ISVARA PRANIDANAH) ? JAPA MEDITATION

I, 27 tasya vacakah pranavah
I, 28 tat japah tad artha bhavanam
I, 29 tatah pratyak cetana adhigamah api antaraya abhava ca

The sound denoting
that Self is
the eternal vibration Aum,
which manifests
the grace of the
divine presence.

By constantly repeating
that sacred sound
with great respect and love
and reflecting
upon its meaning,
one attains spiritual wealth.

From that practice arises
the attainment of
inward-directed consciousness,
and also
the obstacles
to success
disappear.[/B]

M. Stiles

Swami Satchidananda explains that Patanjali wanted to name Purusha with name that ?can give an unlimited idea and vibration and which can include all vibrations, all sounds and syllables, because God is like that ? infinite.? (p. 42) There are many names of God, ?all denote one aspect, but not his fullness. God is, was and always will be ? with out beginning or end, infinite and omnipresent.? (p. 43). The sound ?A? represents the beginning of sound. ?U? represents the continuation of sound. ?M? represents the end of sound but there is a vibration that follows the end of ?M? which Sw. Satchidananda explains is never ending.

The repetition of AUM or mantra or prayer is the practice of japa meditation. This practice develops and strengthens the link with the divine. Sw. Satchidananda explains that the power of repetition is that it makes the action a habit, and it goes from the conscious to the subconscious and becomes our second nature. He quotes from Gandhi:
?Your beliefs become your thoughts.
Your thoughts become your words.
Your words become your actions.
Your actions become your habits.
Your habits become your values.
Your values become your destiny.?
With repetition and time, the mantra becomes a way of staying connected with the divine as we go about our daily routine. It evolves into our values and finally becomes our destiny. If done with devotion and surrender, all obstacles are removed and we can attain union or Yoga or nirbija samadhi.

Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Buckingham, VA: Integral Yoga Publications. 2004

Stiles, M., Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Boston, MA: Red Wheel/Weiser LLC. 2002.

momoyoga · March 10, 2017, 7:57pm

I would like to add something about the AUM mantra, as I learned and feel it.

The universal AUM consists of 3 syllables, representing the procces we know as the circle: creation/birth- sustaining/life and destruction-transformation/death

Pronouncing the AUM in the throat connects us to the universe/macrocosmos. The cavity of the troat could be seen as microcosmos in relation to the macrocosmos that surrounds us and that we are part of.

The A ( Brahma) is vibrating mostly in front of the mouth, the U backwards in the throat, and the M towards the thoracic cavity/heart. The M vibrating sound is connected to 4th chakra/the heart and in many languages we see that the the word Mother often begins with an M ( Dutch: Moeder, German: Mutter, French: Mere Spanish Madre)
The Devine Mother is connected to the heart, and so by singing the AUM mantra it feels to me like inhaling the universe and that it connects me to the Motherly Devine Love vibrating from the heart

Monique

Willem · March 10, 2017, 7:57pm

Yet another way to look at the sacred word AUM is given by the Mandukya Upanishad. The Mandukya Upanishad distinguises four states of consciousness, each related to a syllable of the word AUM: the waking state (A), the dream state (U), dreamless sleep (M), and the fourth state of pure consciousness (the silence following the vibration of M).

Madelaine_heinemann · March 10, 2017, 7:57pm

There are 5 positions in the mouth to make sound, these correspond and directly relate to the five elements. Sanskrit is one of the sacred languges, its sounds directly evoke corresponding spiritual experience. In English when we say book it remains an object described by the word, in Sanskrit the word is the objects/subject. As we repeat the Mantra AUM we are in the presence of the Infinate, Aum and the Hasta mudras are also the same.
“Just as the various deities are aspects of the One supreme, so the various bija,or seed mantras are aspects of the Supreme mantra AUM.” pg 79 from ‘Meditation and mantras’ by Swami Vishnu-Devananda.

A is Vaishvanara. It is forms on the physical plane and conciousness in the waking state. It corrisponds to Chin mudra, diaphragmatic breathing if you place the hands in this mudra the A sound will resonate from the naval to the upper nostrils. It is also the upper curve in the AUM symbol.

U is Taijasa. Energy in the mental and astral planes, also the dream state. It corresponds to Chin maya mudra, thoracic breathing. During this mudra the sound will roll from the root of the tongue vibrating to the end of the mouth. U is the lower curve of the symbol.

M is Prajna. Conciousness in meditation and the deep dreamless sleepstate. It corresponds to Adhi mudra, clavicular breathing. Using this mudra the sound will vibrate allong the lips allowing the subtle vibrations to move into silence (AUM). the wave shape moving out of the centre of the symbol is deep sleep.

Together they are silence, the dot at the centre of the symbol, Brahma Mudra and the full Yogic breath, AUM.

I find practicing the mudras as I chant the AUM deepens my experience.
“AUM is Supreme Reality.
It is what was, what is and what shall be. AUM lies beyond past, present and future.” V1
"Though indivisable it has three sounds" V8 Edited from Mandukya Upanishad translated by Eknath Easweran, see also V1.9.

“Among grat seers I am Bhrigu; and of words I am OM, the Word od eternity. Of prayers I am the prayer of silence; and of things that move not I am the Himalayas” Gita CH10, v 25 Jaun Mascaro.

“These three sounds when they are seperated cannot lead one beyond moretality; but when the whole mantram. AUM
Indivisable ,interdependant,
Goes on reverberating in the mind,
One is freed from fear, awake or asleep.” V 5.6 Prashna upanishad translated by Eknath Easweran.

See also the Chandogya Upanishad 1.2+ 1.4

Namaste Madelaine

Madelaine_heinemann · March 10, 2017, 7:57pm

[quote=Madelaine heinemann;4676]There are 5 positions in the mouth to make sound, these correspond and directly relate to the five elements. Sanskrit is one of the sacred languges, its sounds directly evoke corresponding spiritual experience. In English when we say book it remains an object described by the word, in Sanskrit the word is the objects/subject. As we repeat the Mantra AUM we are in the presence of the Infinate, Aum and the Hasta mudras are also the same.
“Just as the various deities are aspects of the One supreme, so the various bija,or seed mantras are aspects of the Supreme mantra AUM.” pg 79 from ‘Meditation and mantras’ by Swami Vishnu-Devananda.