Purgatory Mantras

[Guest guest]

In one of my earlier messages I was talking about Mantras, which are

intensively purgatory in nature. These mantras purge you of your past

karmas, attachments and whatever stands in the way of your achieving

salvation. But to the ordinary person who is still attached to

material things, the process of purging will come as a shock. Many

people after practicing these Mantras complain that bad things are

happening in their life like loss of a job, estrangement with close

relatives, friends, loss of material things etc. etc. What they fail

to understand is that this is a way of paying your karmic debts and

getting rid of attachments.

 

In the case of all Mantras this sort of things happen. I know a

person who received initiation from the Swamiji in Ramakrishna math.

But he had so many problems that he approached the Math for giving up

his Mantra. I do not know what happened there. But what I do know is

that he went all the way to Varanasi from Kerala to give up his

Mantra. The changes brought about by Mantra japa or meditation may

not be always acceptable to the family and friends. I find parents

complaining about the effect of mantra on their children and

colleagues complain about the effect on their co-workers. In Mantra

Sasthra, which is Tantrik, there are no Suguna or Nirguna Mantras.

This division is Vedantic. Even the division of Spiritual and non-

spiritual mantras is artificial.

 

The path to the ultimate is not an easy one.

 

In the words of Swami Yatiswarananda (Meditation and Spiritual Life -

Ramakrishna math. Bangalore)

 

"Spiritual evolution at first brings great suffering to the aspirant,

not happiness. In the intermediate stages his life becomes very

difficult. Then he has no longer any real interest in what he has in

the world, and cannot yet obtain self-realisation, which is still

beyond his reach. It is just like hanging in mid-air without being

able to go up or down. "

 

Again in Swamiji's words

 

" We should look upon it as a great fortune that, for some reason or

the other, our mind possesses an attraction for the higher and

eternal things, and should see that we steadily and gradually proceed

along the higher path, never flagging till we reach the goal. Our

spiritual fervour is to be maintained, but we very often run the risk

of becoming slack. Thus spiritual striving stops in most people after

they have taken to the spiritual life for a certain time. Their minds

are too restless and too outgoing to keep up this spiritual fervour

and intensity for a long time, and to go on steadily and doggedly

with their spiritual practice, reading, and studies. So we should be

on our guard. Dogged tenacity is the one thing needed for spiritual

life. All progress can only be had through great steadiness and

tenacity, never allowing ourselves to flag or to become lukewarm. "

 

In India where we are very fond of our mad monks, such people who do

not seem normal are accepted. I know of many seekers in all margas

who cannot be called normal by the strict definition of normalcy. We

call them God Crazy. But tolerance and acceptance is part of the

Indian psyche. I have known many Sanskrit scholars, mathematicians,

and religious people who would have been committed to an institution

in other countries. I do not understand why there are more crazy

professors in Sanskrit and mathematics whereas we rarely find one in

Economics.

 

But then in a crazy world everyone is crazy. Power crazy, money

crazy, fame crazy or God crazy.

 

 

Sankar