GAYATRI MANTRA STEP FROM THIRTY-THREE

 

                                                   STEP THIRTY-THREE

                                                                            👀👀

                   AT THIS POINT COMES MARJANAM OR ABISHEKAM, WHICH IS LIKE A CORONATION. THE IDEA IS THAT NOW THAT YOU HAVE PERFORMED THE MANTRA AND THE ASSOCIATED CEREMONIES, WHEN YOU WALK OUT INOT THE REAL WORLD, YOU DON'T WANT TO OPERATE LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN BEING - YOU WANT TO BE DIVINE, YOU WANT TO BE LIKE YOUR OBJECT OF WORSHIP. CORONATION OR MARJANAM IS DONE IN THE BELIEF THAT YOU ARE A DEVOTA NOW. YOU HAVE DONE NYASA EARLIER, YOU HAVE PLACED THE LETTERS, YOU HAVE DONE NYASA EARLIER, YOU HAVE PLACED THE LETTERS, YOU HAVE DONE THE MUDRAS, YOU HAVE DONE THE CHANTING, YOU HAVE INVOKED THE ENERGY, YOU ARE IN DEVI BHAVA - YOU HAVE REQUESTED THE ENERGY, YOU ARE IN DEVI BHAVA - YOU HAVE REQUESTED THE ENERGY TO STAY INSIDE YOU, AND NOW YOU ARE THAT ENERGY.

                 WITH THAT FEELING, YOU DO MARJANAM, WHICH IS USUALLY ONE-TENTH OF LIBERATIONS. SO IF YOU HAVE DONE 1000 JAPA, YOU WOULD DO 100 FIRE OFFERINGS, TARPAN WOULD BE DONE 10 TIMES, AND MARJANAM ONLY ONCE. ALTERNATIVELY, YOU COULD BASE YOUR SADHANA ON TIME, AS I DID. I WOULD SIT DOWN FOR TEN HOURS FOR JAPA, I WOULD DO YAJNA FOR ONE HOUR, TARPAN FOR SIX MINUTES - AND THEN ANOTHER THREE MINUTES OR SO OF MARJANAM, RATHER THAN ONE-TENTH OF SIX MINUTES, WHICH WOULD RUN INTO MERE SECONDS. NOTE THAT THE JAPA HAS TO BE THE SAME FACTOR EVERY DAY, BUT THE LAST COUNT, FOR MARJANAM, CAN BE IN ROUND FIGURES.

               BE MINDFUL THAT THE WATER FOR TARPAN CANNOT BE USED FOR MARJANAM. IT WOULD BE LIKE REUSING SOMEBODY'S OLD BATHWATER. THAT'S NOT A NICE IMAGE BUT IT'S SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

              TO DO MARJANAM, HAVE SOME WATER IN A LITTLE POT, JOIN YOUR RING FINGER WITH YOUR THUMB, DIP IT IN THE POT AND THEN SPRINKLE IT OVER YOUR HEAD WITH THE STILL-JOINED RING FINGER AND THUMB, ADD "OM MARJAYAMI" AT THE END. SO, IT BECOMES:

 

       

                      " OM BHURBHUVAH SVAHA TATSAVITURVARENAYAMA BHARGO

                         DEVASYA DHIMAHI DHIYO YO NAH PRACODAYATA, OM MARJAYAMI"

             YOU SPRINKLE THE WATER ON YOUR HEAD AFTER SAYING THE MANTRA ABOVE.

            NOW YOU HAVE CROWNED YOURSELF WITH THAT ENERGY, YOU ARE FREE TO ROAM AROUND FEARLESSLY LIKE A KING IN THE WORLD. AS IT SAYS IN DEVI APRADHA KSHAMA STOTRA:

                           SHVAPAKO JALPAKO BHAVTI MADHUPAKOMAGIRA

                           NIRATANKO RANKO VIHARATI CHIRAM KOTIKANAKAIH

                           TAVAPARNE KARNE VISHATI MANVARNE PHALAMIDAM

                           JANAH KO JANEETE JANANI JAPANEEYAM JAPAVIDHHAU

   

                OH MOTHER, THE ONE WHO POSSESSES NO ATTRACTION OF SPEECH, THE ONE WHO HAS NO WISDOM BECOMES ALL-ATTRACTIVE AND VERY WISE. EVEN A BEGGAR BECOMES KIND AND ROAMS FEARLESSLY. THIS IS THE RESULT, IF EVEN A TINY BIT OF THE DEVOTION, EVEN ONE LETTER OF YOUR MANTRA REACHES SOMEBODY'S EARS. IF SOMEONE WAS TO DO YOUR ENTIRE SADHANA PROPERLY, WHO KNOWS WHAT THAT PERSON WILL BE BLESSED WITH.

                 YOU HAVE DONE ABHISEKHAM, MARJANAM, AND YOU ARE WALKING AROUND WITH THAT ENERGY. IT WILL ELEVATE YOU. YOU WILL FEEL GREATER SELF-ESTEEM, YOU WILL FEEL STRONGER. YOU WILL FEEL, "I DON'T NEED SO MUCH EXTERNAL APPROVAL. I DON'T NEED OTHER PEOPLE. I CAN MAKE OWN WAY - I CAN BREEZE OVER HURDLES AND CUT THROUGH OBSTACLES," AND SO ON.   

 

                                                    STEP THIRTY- FOUR

                  THIS STEP IS ABOUT CHARITY, WHICH IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF A GOOD SADHANA, IT'S ALSO CALLED SADHAKA BHOJAN OR BRAHMIN BHOJAN. IN THIS, WE USUALLY GATHER SOME PEOPLE AND FEED THEM. IT IS A MOMENT OF CELEBRATION AS WELL AS EXPRESSING YOUR GRATITUDE.

               SADHAKA BHOJAN IS USUALLY ONE-TENTH OF THE CORONATION PROCESS. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAVE DONE A 1,00,000 JAPA, LET'S SAY IN 40 DAYS, THEN THE TOTAL FIRE OFFERINGS WOULD BE 10,000, TARPAN WOULD BE 1000, OVER THE COURSE OF 40 DAYS, THIS IS USUALLY DONE ON THE FINAL DAY. YOU COULD ALSO DO IT DAILY. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN I WAS IN THE WOODS DURING MY SADHANA, I USED TO SET ASIDE SOME MONEY EVERY DAY WITH THE INTENTION THAT I WOULD JUST GIVE IT TO SOMEBODY OR FEED SOME PEOPLE AT THE END OF MY PURUSHCHARANA.

                  UNTIL WE DO SADHAKA BHOJAN, EVERYTHING WE HAVE DONE IS FOR ABSTRACT ENERGY, FOR SOME DEITY. BUT WHEN WE FEED PEOPLE, WE ARE FEEDING THE LIVING GOD, WE ARE FEEDING THE ENERGY THAT IS LIVING IN OTHER PEOPLE - THEY TALK, BATHE, WALK, SLEEP, EAT AND SO ON - THAT GIVES THE PROOF THAT WE EXIST, THAT THE SOUL WHICH IS THERE IN LIVING ENTITY EXISTS.

               WHEN THE SOULD LEAVES THE BODY, YOU ARE DECLARED DEAD. YOU MAY BE A BILLIONAIRE OR A VERY LEARNED PERSON- WHATEVER YOU HAVE BEEN, WHEN YOU ARE DECEASED, WE SAY, "HE OR SHE IS DEAD NOW". NOTHING LIVES ON. YOUR LEGACY IS ONLY YOUR GOOD KARMA. EVERYTHING ELSE DIES, SO FEEDING OTHER PEOPLE EXPRESSES OUR GRATITUDE TO THOSE AROUND US.

                                                      STEP THIRTY - FIVE 

                   AFTER YOU HAVE FED PEOPLE, YOU NEED TO SEEK FORGIVENESS AGAIN. YOU CAN REPEAT THE SMALL PRAYER OUTLINED IN STEP NUMBER 30 OR JUST EXPRESS YOUR SENTIMENTS IN ANY LANGUAGE. EVEN SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS, "THANK YOU FOR COMING. I SEEK YOUR FORGIVENESS FOR ANY SHORTCOMINGS, AND SO ONE", WILL DO.

                THERE WAS A YOUNG BOY WHO WENT TO HIS FRIEND'S PLACE FOR DINNER. HIS FRIEND'S MOTHER COOKED THE FOOD AND BROUGHT IT TO THE TABLE. WHEN SHE SERVED IT, THE BOY STARTED EATING STRAIGHT WAY.

               "OH, DON'T YOU SAY GRACE BEFORE YOU EAT FOOD"? THE HOSTS SAID. " DON'T YOU PRAY TO GOD?".

                  "I DON'T HAVE TO," HE REPLIED, " MY MUM COOKS VERY GOOD FOOD".

                    THE DANGER IS THAT WHEN YOU ACCUMULATE ENERGY, YOU MOVE TOWARDS A SENSE OF INVINCIBILITY. AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, IT CAN GET TO ONE'S HEAD VERY QUICKLY. THAT IS THE BEGINNING OF THE DOWNFALL OF GOOD SADHAKA. THE IDEA BEHIND ALL THIS IS THAT WE SHOULD REMAIN HUMBLE, WE SHOULD REMAIN GROUNDED.

                                                     STEP THIRTY - SIX

                 IF THERE'S ANY WATER LEFT IN ANY OF THE POTS FROM YOUR SADHANA, YAJNA, TARPAN, ETC., YOU CAN NOW OFFER IT TO THE SUN- JUST FACE THE SUN AND POUR THE WATER IN FRONT OF YOU. THE NOTION HERE IS THAT IF YOU'RE FACING THE SUN, THE SUN'S RAYS ARE FALLING ON YOU, THERE IS SOME HEAT, WHICH MEANS IF YOU PUT SOME WATER ON THE GROUND, PART OF IT IS GOING TO EVAPORATE AND HELP DISTANT ENTITIES. PART OF IT IS GOING TO BE ABSORBED BY THE EARTH AND IS GOING TO HELP MANY OTHER ORGANISMS. IF YOU ARE LIVING IN A COUNTRY WHERE THERE IS SNOW OR INCLEMENT WEATHER OR YOU CAN'T OUT FOR ANY REASON,YOU CAN POUR THE WATER IN A FLOWER POT OR AT THE ROOT OF SOME PLANT OR TREE, SO THAT IT IS NOT WASTED.

                     

                   THIS CONCLUDE THE COMPREHENSIVE METHOD OF 36 STEPS.

                                                   THE BRIEF INVOCATION

                AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS CHAPTER, I SHARED WITH YOU THAT IF YOU ARE PRESSED FOR TIME, YOU CAN CHOOSE THE BRIEF METHOD OF INVOCATION. IF YOUR SENTIMENT IS TRUE AND YOUR INTENTIONS WELL-PLACED, YOU WILL SURELY BENEFIT AS MUCH FROM BRIEF INVOCATION, WHICH HAS 7 STEPS.

             THE ONLY THING TO BEAR IN MIND IS THAT IF YOU UNDERTAKE A PURUSHCHARANA USING THE BRIEF METHOD THEN THA'S THE METHOD YOU MUST CONTINUE WITH THROUGHOUT YOUR SADHANA. IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU VOW TO CHANT OVER 40 DAYS AND BEGIN IT WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE METHOD OF 36 STEPS, YOU CAN'T MOVE TO JUST THE BRIEF ONE ON DAY TWO.

                IN ADDITION TO THE THREE STEPS OF SANKALPA (STEP NUMBER 16, WHICH IS ADDITIONAL AND HAS TO BE DONE ONLY ON THE FIRST DAY) AND STEPS 1 AND 2 WHICH ARE BATHING AND PUTTING ON FRESH CLOTHES, 

                                HERE ARE THE 7 STEPS OF BRIEF INVOCATION:

                       1. PURIFICATION OF THE SURROUNDINGS (STEP 4). JUST SPRINKLE                                       WATER IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

                       2. SELF-PURIFICATION (STEP 5). DRINK WATER THREE TIMES.

                       3. LIGHTING THE LAMP (STEP 6). YOU CAN DO IT WITHOUT CHANTING                               ANY MANTRA.

                       4. GANESHA PRAYER (STEP 7). ONCE AGAIN, YOU CAN DO IT WITHOUT                                  MUDRA OR ANY SPECIFIC MANTRA.

                       5. MANTRA CHANTING (STEP 26). CHANT AS PER YOUR SANKALPA.

                      6. OFFERING JAPA TO THE DEITY (STEP 28). THIS IS JAPA SAMARPANA.

                      7. SEEKING FORGIVENESS (STEP 30). YOU CAN EITHER CHANT THE                                      STOTRA GIVEN IN STEP 30 EARLIER OR YOU CAN SIMPLY SEEK                                          FORGIVENSS FOR ANY MISTAKES OR ERRORS.

                        WITH THIS, WE HAVE COVERED ALL THE STEPS OF GAYATRI SADHANA. NOW YOU KNOW EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAYATRI MANTRA.

                    IN THE OLDEN DAYS, WHEN THERE WAS ONLY ORAL TRANSMISSION OF INFORMATION, AND EVEN WHEN THERE WAS THE WRITTEN WORD, THE KNOWLEDGE I HAVE GIVEN YOU WAS RESERVED FOR ASCETICS OR BRAHMINS. WE ARE DONE WITH THIS IGNORANCE, WE DON'T NEED THIS ANYMORE. AFTER THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF DIVISIVE POLICIES, WE NEED TO MOVE TOWARDS UNIFICATION. THIS HAS HURT OUR COUNTRY FOR FAR TOO LONG AND CERTAINLY IN SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES, IT IS NOT AT ALL NEEDED. EVERYBODY IS ENTITLED TO ALL THE WISDOM THAT IS THERE, AND IT'S UP TO PEOPLE HOW MUCH OF IT THEY USE IT FOR THEMSELVES.               

                I HAVE NOT HELD ANYTHING BACK AND HAS SHARED EVERYTHING WITHOUT ANY DISCRIMINATION WHATSOVER. IF KAUSHIKA CAN BECOME VISHWAMITRA, A BRAHMARISHI, THEN EACH OF US CAN RISE ABOVE THIS CONDITIONING.

                                                                              ❤❤❤

\