The Gayatri Mantra vs the Saraswati Puja, etc.

[Guest guest]

I hate to annoy people here with questions about elementary issues,

but I need to know. (Besides there maybe other beginners here.)

 

I just read that repetition of the Gayatri mantra:

"Om bhurbhuvassuvah

tat savitur varenyam

bhargo devasya dhimahi

dhiyo yo nah pracodayat"

 

was ESSENTIAL before being able to study scripture/ or any sacred

science. This particular yogi was instructed to repeat this Gayatri

mantra for 2.5 million times. This he did day & night for several

months -- just very intense, exhausting work.

 

Which is more powerful then for beginning sacred studies? The Gayatri

mantra or the Saraswati puja?

 

Is repeating the Gayatri 125,000 times sufficient to begin with? 2.5

million repetitions would take most people forever!

 

Why does Devi Mandir not provide a training tape (for purchase) along

with their "Saraswati Puja for Children" book? I realize that Swamiji

& Shree Maa are very busy with more important things, but maybe one

of the DM devotees could record this tape? It would really help me.

I am willing to pay someone to do a home-made tape of this Devi

Mandir Saraswari Puja! Please contact me off-list if you want to do

this for me! The tape does not need to be perfect, as long as it

gives me an idea of the melody & rhythm of the chant & some of the

pronunciation. Thank you!

 

Astraea

[Guest guest]

I hate to annoy people here with questions about elementary issues,

but I need to know. (Besides there maybe other beginners here.)I just

read that repetition of the Gayatri mantra:"Om bhurbhuvassuvahtat

savitur varenyambhargo devasya dhimahidhiyo yo nah pracodayat"was

ESSENTIAL before being able to study scripture/ or any sacred

science. This particular yogi was instructed to repeat this Gayatri

mantra for 2.5 million times. This he did day & night for several

months -- just very intense, exhausting work.Which is more powerful

then for beginning sacred studies? The Gayatri mantra or the

Saraswati puja?Is repeating the Gayatri 125,000 times sufficient to

begin with? 2.5 million repetitions would take most people

forever!Why does Devi Mandir not provide a training tape (for

purchase) along with

their "Saraswati Puja for Children" book? I realize that Swamiji &

Shree Maa are very busy with more important things, but maybe one of

the DM devotees could record this tape? It would really help me.I am

willing to pay someone to do a home-made tape of this Devi Mandir

Saraswari Puja! Please contact me off-list if you want to do this for

me! The tape does not need to be perfect, as long as it gives me an

idea of the melody & rhythm of the chant & some of the pronunciation.

Thank you!AstraeaTo from this group, send an email

to:Your use of

is subject to the

 

Protect your identity with Mail AddressGuard

[Guest guest]

It just dawned on me about the repititions. I remember hearing

stories about Guru's turning away potential disciples telling them,

"Chant this 5 million times and come back." The potential disciple

did that and came back the Guru would say, "Chant this mantra 5

million times and come back for initation." The potential disciple

would go away and do that and come back and the Guru might initiate

him then. I have been told this was to test the disciple in his

sincerity and to see if he could follow the Guru. By the time

someone chants all those mantra's, they are already the disciple and

have most likely already recieved loads of grace. Then the formal

initation takes place after the disciple is truely initiated by doing

his prepertory sadhana.

 

This is just a guess and me repeating what my Guru has told me in

story. He used to send people away for a few years to test them.

Maybe Swami Satyananda or another person who has another insight can

tell us more.

 

Jai Maa.Kellyastraea2003 <astraea2003 > wrote:

I hate to annoy people here with questions about elementary issues,

but I need to know. (Besides there maybe other beginners here.)I just

read that repetition of the Gayatri mantra:"Om bhurbhuvassuvahtat

savitur varenyambhargo devasya dhimahidhiyo yo nah pracodayat"was

ESSENTIAL before being able to study scripture/ or any sacred

science. This particular yogi was instructed to repeat this Gayatri

mantra for 2.5 million times. This he did day & night for several

months -- just very intense, exhausting work.Which is more powerful

then for beginning sacred studies? The Gayatri mantra or the

Saraswati puja?Is repeating the Gayatri 125,000 times sufficient to

begin with? 2.5 million repetitions would take most people

forever!Why does Devi Mandir not provide a training tape (for

purchase) along with

their "Saraswati Puja for Children" book? I realize that Swamiji &

Shree Maa are very busy with more important things, but maybe one of

the DM devotees could record this tape? It would really help me.I am

willing to pay someone to do a home-made tape of this Devi Mandir

Saraswari Puja! Please contact me off-list if you want to do this for

me! The tape does not need to be perfect, as long as it gives me an

idea of the melody & rhythm of the chant & some of the pronunciation.

Thank you!AstraeaTo from this group, send an email

to:Your use of

is subject to the

 

Protect your identity with Mail AddressGuard

[Guest guest]

Kelly,

I'm sure that's true in certain cases.

 

In this specific instance,the disciple was Bhole Baba (later re-named

Swami Rama, founder of the Himalayan Institute). Bhole Baba had been

raised from childhood by the highest masters of the Sri Vidya path of

Tantra. He had been doing serious sadhana for many, many years before

he was instructed by his primary Guru to chant the Gayatri mantra for

2.5 million times.(If you were chanting 100 malas a day [about ten

hours a day], you could get this done in about seven months.)

 

So, yes, it was a test for Bhole Baba. But not in the usual sense, of

an ordinary seeker proving his sincerity. Of Bhole Baba's sincerity,

there was no question.

 

Astraea

 

, Kelly Leeper <blissnout>

wrote:

> Astraea,

>

> It just dawned on me about the repititions. I remember hearing

stories about Guru's turning away potential disciples telling

them, "Chant this 5 million times and come back." The potential

disciple did that and came back the Guru would say, "Chant this

mantra 5 million times and come back for initation." The potential

disciple would go away and do that and come back and the Guru might

initiate him then. I have been told this was to test the disciple in

his sincerity and to see if he could follow the Guru. By the time

someone chants all those mantra's, they are already the disciple and

have most likely already recieved loads of grace. Then the formal

initation takes place after the disciple is truely initiated by doing

his prepertory sadhana.

>

> This is just a guess and me repeating what my Guru has told me in

story. He used to send people away for a few years to test them.

Maybe Swami Satyananda or another person who has another insight can

tell us more.

>

> Jai Maa.

> Kelly

[Guest guest]

Ah, the history makes a big difference. I see. I support you doing

this sadhana and then you can teach us. I love to hear experience

from people who have done certain sadhanas, so are you inspired to

actually chant your mantra this many times? Are you really

contemplating this? It's a sadhana in itself to just keep track on

the repititions.

I have a hard time repeating my mantra all day long, much less count.

If you do this you will be enlightened if you aren't already.

Jai Maa!

Kellyastraea2003 <astraea2003 > wrote:

Kelly,I'm sure that's true in certain cases. In this specific

instance,the disciple was Bhole Baba (later re-named Swami Rama,

founder of the Himalayan Institute). Bhole Baba had been raised from

childhood by the highest masters of the Sri Vidya path of Tantra. He

had been doing serious sadhana for many, many years before he was

instructed by his primary Guru to chant the Gayatri mantra for 2.5

million times.(If you were chanting 100 malas a day [about ten hours

a day], you could get this done in about seven months.)So, yes, it

was a test for Bhole Baba. But not in the usual sense, of an ordinary

seeker proving his sincerity. Of Bhole Baba's sincerity, there was no

question. Astraea, Kelly Leeper

<blissnout> wrote:> Astraea,> > It just

dawned on me about the repititions. I remember hearing stories about

Guru's turning away potential disciples telling them, "Chant this 5

million times and come back." The potential disciple did that and

came back the Guru would say, "Chant this mantra 5 million times and

come back for initation." The potential disciple would go away and

do that and come back and the Guru might initiate him then. I have

been told this was to test the disciple in his sincerity and to see

if he could follow the Guru. By the time someone chants all those

mantra's, they are already the disciple and have most likely already

recieved loads of grace. Then the formal initation takes place after

the disciple is truely initiated by doing his prepertory sadhana. >

> This is just a guess and me repeating what my Guru has told me in

story. He used to send people away for a few years to test

them. Maybe Swami Satyananda or another person who has another

insight can tell us more.> > Jai Maa.> KellyTo from this

group, send an email to:Your

use of is subject to the

 

Protect your identity with Mail AddressGuard

[Guest guest]

Kelly,

Keeping track of the repetitions is not difficult with the right

tools. I have a couple of abacus. The large dark abacus is primary,

each bead represents one mala, this one can record 10,800 reps or 110

malas. Each bead on the small light abacus represents 110 malas, so

they can conceivably keep track of 972,000 reps.

 

However, I have never counted more than 125,000 reps. After the first

125,000 -- I just repeat the mantra without counting.

 

According to Henry Marshall, one uninterrupted mala (108 reps) per

day for 40 continuous days, will lock in the vibrations of the mantra

into the physical body (he does not mention the astral or causal

bodies).

 

Thomas Ashley-Farrand recommends doing 2 malas a day for 40 days as a

minimum. The traditional number of reps is 125,000 (one lak?) to gain

bare proficiency in that mantra.

 

Mantras definitely work, and you don't have to have faith or

understanding for them to work -- they just do. Mantras are such a

gift! And probably the easiest form of sadhana in Kaliyug.

 

Jai Maa!

Astraea

 

, Kelly Leeper <blissnout>

wrote:

> Astraea,

>

> Ah, the history makes a big difference. I see. I support you

doing this sadhana and then you can teach us. I love to hear

experience from people who have done certain sadhanas, so are you

inspired to actually chant your mantra this many times? Are you

really contemplating this? It's a sadhana in itself to just keep

track on the repititions.

> I have a hard time repeating my mantra all day long, much less

count. If you do this you will be enlightened if you aren't already.

>

> Jai Maa!

> Kelly

> astraea2003 <astraea2003> wrote:

> Kelly,

> I'm sure that's true in certain cases.

>

> In this specific instance,the disciple was Bhole Baba (later re-

named

> Swami Rama, founder of the Himalayan Institute). Bhole Baba had

been

> raised from childhood by the highest masters of the Sri Vidya path

of

> Tantra. He had been doing serious sadhana for many, many years

before

> he was instructed by his primary Guru to chant the Gayatri mantra

for

> 2.5 million times.(If you were chanting 100 malas a day [about ten

> hours a day], you could get this done in about seven months.)

>

> So, yes, it was a test for Bhole Baba. But not in the usual sense,

of

> an ordinary seeker proving his sincerity. Of Bhole Baba's

sincerity,

> there was no question.

>

> Astraea