STEP NINE
AND THEN WE DO WE CALL, SWASTI VACHANA. SWASTI MEANS KALYAN, AUSPICIOUSNESS, GOODNESS, AND VACHANA MEANS TALKING OR CHANTING. IT WOULD TAKE YOU AT LEAST 10 TO 15 MINUTES TO CHANT A WHOLE SWASTI VACHANA. BUT, I HAVE TAKEN THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF SWASTI VACHANA AND SHORTENED IT FOR YOU. (THE MEANING AND TRANSLITERATION IS GIVEN IN THE APPENDIX).
HARIHI OM BHADRAM KARNEBHIH SHRNUYAMA DEVAH
BHADRAM PASYEMAKSABHIYAJATRAH
STHIRAIRANGAISTUSTUVAGAMSTANUBHIH
VYASEMA DEVAHITAM YADAYUH
SVASTI NA INDRO VRDDHASRAVAH
SVASTI NATAKSARYO ARISTANEMIH
SVASTI NASTAKSARYO ARISTANEMIH
SVASTI NO BRUHASPATIRDADHATU
OM SHANTIH SHANTIH SHANTIH
IF YOU CAN'T CHANT THIS, JUST READ THE TRANSLATION. BUT EVEN IF YOU PRACTICE THESE MANTRAS A LITTLE, YOU'LL FIND THE VEDIC SOUND HAS A POTENT ENERGY, BECAUSE SANSKRIT MAKES EXTENSIVE USE OF TWO PARTICULAR SOUNDS, ONE IS THE "M" SOUND, THE OTHER IS THE "N" NASAL SOUND. YOU CAN DRAG THESE SOUNDS ON FOR HOWEVER LONG YOU WISH. IT'S JUST "HMM". YOU CAN SING ANYTHING IN SANSKRIT.
YOU CAN SING ALL SANSKRIT SCRIPTURES, BARRING PERHAPS COUPLE OF UPANISHADS THAT WERE WRITTEN PROSAICALLY UNLIKE ALL THE REST THAT READ POETICALLY.
STEP TEN
NOW, IT'S TIME TO MEDITATE ON YOUR GURU- TO PERFORM GURU DHYANA, OR GURU MEDITATION. USUALLY, YOU MEDITATE ON YOUR GURU ON YOUR CROWN CHAKRA, AT THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD. MY GURU, NAGA BABA, TOLD ME THAT WHEN YOU MEDITATE IN THE MORNING, YOU SHOULD IMAGINE A VERY PLEASING, SMILING FACE OF YOUR GURU. I HAD TROUBLE DOING THAT, BECAUSE I RARELY SAW BABA SMILING. IN THE IMAGES THAT I HAD IN THE PHOTO ALBUM OF MY MIND, BABA WAS MOSTLY STERN OR ANGRY, WHICH ONE SHOULD I PICK? WHICH ONE WOULD DO JUSTICE TO HIM? I SMILED A LITTLE TO MYSELF WHEN BABA TOLD ME THIS, BUT I FOUND SOME WAYS OF MEDITATING ON HIS SMILING FORM.
THE GURU MEDITATION IS USUALLY THE FIRST THING A GOOD DISCIPLE DOES IN THE MORNING, EVEN BEFORE HE JUMPS OUT OF BED AND CHECKS HIS PHONE MESSAGES. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A GURU IN HUMAN FORM, YOU CAN JUST VISUALIZE LIGHT OR THE DEITY OF YOUR MANTRA IN THE CROWN CHAKRA, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DO THAT EITHER BECAUSE YOU HAVE AN AFFINITY FOR A PARTICULAR FORM OR GOD, JUST VISUALIZE THAT GOD THERE- IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH RELIGION. THE IDEA IS TO START DAY WITH SOMETHING GOOD, TO START YOUR DAY WITH A SOFT, WARM FEELING IN YOUR HEART.
STEP ELEVEN
NOW CHANT YOUR GURU MANTRA. THE GURU MANTRA IS USUALLY DIFFERENT FROM YOUR SADHANA MANTRA. SOMETIMES IT CAN BE THE SAME IF YOU ARE DOING A SADHANA OF THE GURU MANTRA ITSELF. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A GURU AND YOU DON'T HAVE A GURU MANTRA, YOU CAN SIMPLY CHANT THE GAYATRI MANTRA.
I URGE YOU NOT TO THINK THAT THE ABSENCE OF A GURU MANTRA MEANS YOU WILL NOT SUCCEED. GURUS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT NOT INDISPENSABLE. IT'S ENTIRELY IN YOUR HANDS. PLEASE DON'T GO LOOKING FOR GURUS- YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED. AND PLEASE DON'T THINK FOR EXAMPLE, THAT IF YOU ARE FASCINATED WITH DEVI WORSHIP AND YOU GET INITIATED IN SRI VIDYA, YOUR PROGRESS WILL BE ASSURED. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO WOULD INTIATE YOU FOR 50 RUPEES. YOU MAY GO TO THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND SAY, "INITIATE ME", AND THEY MIGHT SAY, ALL RIGHT TAKE A SEAT.
THOSE INITIATIONS HAVE NOTHING TO OFFER. YOU ARE THE MAKER OF YOUR DESTINY, YOU KNOW THE PATH, YOU KNOW THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT. JUST STICK TO YOUR ROUTINE, DO YOUR PRACTICE AND YOU WILL GET THERE.
STEP TWELVE
IN THIS STEP, WE PAY OBEISANCE TO ALL THE SIDDHAS. YOUR LINEAGE MAY HAVE DIFFERENT ADEPTS THAT YOUR GURU MAY TELL YOU TO PAY OBEISANCE TO, BUT IF YOU DON'T BELONG TO A LINEAGE, IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN INITIATED INTO GAYATRI SADHANA, YOU CAN SIMPLY SAY OM DIVYOG NAMAH, OM SIDHYOG NAMAH, OM MANAVOG NAMAH. I OFFER MY OBEISANCE TO ALL SIDDHAS WHO ARE IN DIVINE, ETHEREAL AND HUMAN BODIES.
THE IDEA IS TO DO EACH OF THESE STEPS WITH HUMILITY IN YOUR HEART.
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