LETTERS AND COMMENTS from THE MAHARSHI

[Guest guest]

THE MAHARSHI

 

Letters and Comments

 

 

Chanting the Names of God

I recently bought a book on Ramana Maharshi's teachings and found the

website with your e-mail address.

I read that he stated that japa meditation can be useful. I heard,

many years ago, that chanting can be harmful unless the mantra is

given by a guru. I also read somewhere, written by another guru, that

some mantras can be used freely by all seekers.

Can I chant the names of God on my japa beads without fear of harmful

results? Could you recommend any mantras? In the past I have

meditated/chanted 'I Am' and found it to have beneficial results.

I have been seeking, searching, reading, and practising countless

'systems' for many years; everything from mainstream religions to

Western occultism to Eastern mysticism, but I have not found that

which brings me to the permanent stillness which Sri Ramana Maharshi

mentions, in the little I have recently read (I first started

studying his ideas only a week ago!).

Any advice? Any devotees in Chicago? Any help you can offer would be

appreciated. Thank you for your time.

If you chant the name of God with sincerity and devotion no harm can

come to you. On the contrary, only good - spiritual good - will come

to you.

Sri Ramana Maharshi said, "'I Am' is the greatest of all mantras, the

first name of God." It is an excellent mantra.

Help is always there for the sincere seeker. Just like a man who

chooses only one woman to marry and stays with her for his entire

life, one should choose one guru and one path and stay with that.

There is no harm in seeking what suits you, but at some point one

should make a decision and stick to one practice and one guru. —

Editor

 

First let me say how valuable the Letters and Comments section of the

newsletter is. I hope you will keep this section and maybe even

expand it. The questions are to the point and the answers are

extremely helpful clarifications.

My questions:

What is the exact translation of Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya?

And is it appropriate for use as a mantra?

— California, USA

Is it appropriate for use as a mantra? Yes, of course. The repetition

of a mantra is an established, traditional method of realizing the

eternal japa that is always repeating within us. The Maharshi never

denied its efficacy. In fact, he had recommended to a number of

devotees to repeat mantras, and we know of one instance wherein he

even recommended "Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya." It means "I bow to

Lord Sri Ramana".

For those who have taken to the path of Self-enquiry and look to Sri

Ramana Maharshi as their Guru, it is very appropriate to repeat this

mantra. Bhagavan has taught that all practices ultimately lead to the

Vichara, Self-enquiry of 'Who am I?'. But we may not be able to

practice this at all times, in which case the repetition of the

mantra with prayerful humility will keep us attune to Him and open to

His ever-present Grace.

Please read "How the Mantra Came to me" in At the Feet of Bhagavan, by

T. K. Sundaresa Iyer. — Editor

 

 

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