GAYATRI MANTRA STEPS

 

                                                      STEP TWENTY-EIGHT

                 THIS STEP IS CALLED JAPA SAMARPANA WHICH MEANS OFFERING YOUR CHANTING YOU JUST DID. WE HAVE TO OFFER THE JAPA BACK TO THE DEITY WE HAVE BEEN PRAYING TO, BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T DONE THIS JAPA FOR US FOR THE WALFARE OF ALL SENTIENT BEINGS. THIS HIGHER SENSE OF CONSCIOUSNESS IS REQUIRED SO YOU DON'T JUST FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE BECOME THE OBJECT OF YOUR WORSHIP BUT ALSO BEHAVE LIKE ONE IN THE TRUEST SENSE OF THE WORD.

                                    I DON'T DENY THAT WHENEVER MOST OF US DO SADHANA, WE DO IT BECAUSE SOMEHOW WE WANT TO BENEFIT FROM IT. YES, I AS A INDIVIDUAL WANT TO BENEFIT FROM MY CHANTING, BUT REMEMBER THAT AT A SOUL LEVEL, WE ARE ALL INTERCONNECTED. THE MORE YOU FLOURISH, THE MORE I WILL GAIN - THAT'S THE PRECEPT UNDER WHICH WE FUNCTION. THE MORE EVERYBODY IS ENJOYING THEMSELVES, THE MORE I WILL ENJOY MYSELF.

                                I DO THAT BECAUSE IT BENEFIT ME.

                                HOW CAN IT BENEFIT YOU?

                                YOU SEE, HE REPLIED, WHEN BIRDS, BEES AND OTHER INSECTS CARRY POLLEN, THEY WILL ALWAYS CARRY POLLEN FROM ADJOINING FIELDS. IF THE FIELDS AROUND ME HAVE HEALTHY CORN, THEN THE CORN IN THE FIELDS AROUND ME IS UNHEALTHY, IF IT IS INFESTED WITH PESTS AND SO ON, THEN I GIVE THEM GOOD SEEDS, IT HELPS ME DIRECTLY.

                           IN OTHER WORDS, WE ARE ALL AFFECTED BY KARMIC CROSS                                           POLLINATION.

                          MOST OF OUR ACTIONS ARE USUALLY PERFORMED FOR SELFISH REASONS, THAT EVERYTHING IS GEARED TOWARDS MY HAPPINESS, MY FULFILLMENT, MY DESIRES, MY GOALS AND MY AMBITIONS. THIS ONE KARMA OF CHANTING, OF CALLING OUT TO THE DIVINE, LET THIS NOT BE FOR ME. FOR ONCE, LET ME UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS FOR THE WELFARE OF ALL SENTIENT BEINGS, BECAUSE IF THEY ARE GOING TO BENEFIT FROM MY ACTIONS, THEN, CLEARLY, I WILL BENEFIT TOO.

                       WITH THAT IN MIND, WE VISUALIZE THE DEITY, VEDMATA GAYATRI, MENTALLY OFFER YOUR CHANTING IN THE LEFT HAND OF DEVI, VISUALIZE THAT DEVI, MOTHER GAYATRI, MOTHER DIVINE IS THERE, AND YOU HAVE OFFERED IT IN THE LEFT HAND OF DEVI. YOU CAN SIMPLY SAY, I HEREBY OFFE YOU ALL MY JAPA. IT'S AS IF YOU ARE A CHILD WHO HAS EARNED SOMETHING, AND ARE GIVING IT TO YOUR PARENTS FOR SAFEKEEPING- PLEASE, PUT IT IN A FIXED DEPOSIT, OR THE LIKE. NOW, CHANT.

                               ABHISHTA SIDDHIM ME DEHI

                               SHARANAGATA VATSALE BHAKTYA

                               SAMARPAYE TUBHYAM

                               JAPAMEVARCANAM

                           THAT, O DEVI, I HAVE DONE THIS JAPA WITH A PURE INTENTION, LET THAT INTENTION MANIFEST, I AM OFFERING YOU ALL MY JAPA, IN THIS WAY YOU VERY SMARTLY REINFORCE WHY YOU DID THE JAPA IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND YOU HAVE DEVOTED ALL YOUR JAPA TO YOUR DEITY. THIS IS A CRUCIAL STEP. I ALWAYS TELL THOSE WHOM I INITIATE THAT IF YOU MISS THIS STEP, I ALWAYS TELL THOSE WHOM I INITIATE THAT IF YOU MISS THIS STEP, YOUR PURUSHCHARANA IS KHANDIT - IT'S BROKEN.

                      ONE WAY TO ENSURE THAT YOU REMEMBER THIS STEP IS TO MAKE NOTES (ONE OF MY PERSONAL PRACTICES, I ALWAYS MAKE NOTES) I DON'T RELY ENTIRELY ON MY MEMORY. I HAVE A SMALL LIST WHERE I WRITE DOWN STEP ONE, STEP TWO, STEP THREE, ETCETERA. AND I ALWAYS HAVE THAT LIST SITTING BESIDE ME DURING MY SADHANA. IF YOU DO YOUR JAPA CORRECTLY, YOU MAY ENTER A DIFFERENT STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS, AND YOU MAY FORGET A STEP OR TWO. UNDER THOSE CIRCUSTANCES, IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE STEPS OF YOUR JAPA WRITTEN DOWN.

                    ONCE YOU HAVE DEVOTED YOUR JAPA TO YOUR DEITY, YOU CAN THEN PRAY FOR EVERYBODY'S WELFARE. THERE IS A LITTLE SHLOKA, A LITTLE MANTRA, WHICH IS, SARVE BHAVANTU SUKHINA, SARVE SANTU NIRAMAYA, SARVE BHADRANI PASCHYANTI, MAA KASCHIDA DUKHA BHAGA BHAVET. IN CASE YOU CAN'T REMEMBER THIS, JUST PRAY, WITH YOUR HANDS FOLDED. MAY EVERYBODY BE AT PEACE IN THIS BEAUTIFUL WORLD.

                                                   STEP TWENTY  -NINE

                                    NOW, IT'S TIME TO FREE ALL THE ENERGIES YOU MAY HAVE INVOKED DURING YOUR JAPA. I HAVE SIMPLIFIED THE GAYATRI SADHANA SO WE ARE NOT INVOKING SO MANY ENERGIES. IN ADVANCED MANTRA SADHANAS,  YOU INVITE MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF ENERGIESTO BE THERE WHILE YOU ARE DOING YOUR JAPA, BECAUSE YOU ARE INVITING DEVI, AND YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO INVITE HER ON HER OWN. FREEING ALL THE ENERGIES IS CALLED VISARJANA, SO WE GRATEFULLY AND GRACEFULLY SEE THEM OFF, AND THEY CAN GO WHERE THEY WISH. YOU CAN SIMPLY FOLD YOUR HANDS AND SAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, WHOEVER CAME HERE, PLEASE BE WITH ME NEXT TIME, OR YOU CAN CHANT THIS SIMPLE SHLOKA:

                        GACCHA GACCHA PARAM STHANAM SVASTHANAM PARAMESVARI,

                         PUJARADHANAKALE CA PUNARAGAMANAYA CA.

                       MAY YOU ALL RETURN TO YOUR ABODE, I HUMBLE REQUEST YOU TO PLEASE BE HERE WHEN I CALL UPON YOU ONCE AGAIN TO OFFER MY PRAYERS TO YOU.

                               TISTHA TISTHA PARASTHANE SVASTHANA PARAMESVARI,

                                YATRA BRAHMADAYA DEVAH SARVE TISTHANTI ME HRDI

                               LET EVERYBODY TO TO YOUR ABODE AND BE SETTLED THERE. MAY ALL THE POSITIVE ENERGIES, ALL THE GOODNESS, FOREVER REMAIN IN MY HEART. LET THOSE I NEED TO GROM HERE.

                             THERE ARE ENERGIES THAT SIMPLY HELP YOU FULFILL YOUR MATERIALS GOALS, BUT THEN THERE ARE ENERGIES THAT ARE PART OF YOUR PURIFICATION THAT SHOULD REMAIN WITH YOU TO HELP YOU PROGRESS ON THE SPIRITUAL PATH. LET THOSE POSITIVE ENERGIES STAY INSIDE ME, IN MY HEART - THAT'S WHAT THIS VERSE MEANS.

                                                                      ❤❤❤❤❤❤