Jap Tattva and Sadhana:

WISHING EVERYBODY AN ECSTATIC FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS.

One is pleased to share something on the above mentioned topic with all the readers.

    Jap (repetition of mantra) is an essential part of tantra sadhana. Hence understanding of it is extremely important for all. Generally jap is divided into different categories as below:

Vachak, where we audibly chant the mantra.

Upanshu, where we do not move our lips while repeating the mantra.

Mansic, is a method in which mantra is repeated mentally, alone. This stage can also be divided into different levels. One is when there is no movement of any muscle in the whole of our body, thus mantra descends into our Mooladhar chakra. (when we stop moving our lips jap descends into our mouth, when we stop moving our tongue it descends into our throat. When we stop moving the vocal chords it descends into our chest region.......)From Mooladhar chakra it arises in our sushmana and ascends to Sahasrar with Kundalini. Further stage can be Pashyanti, where mantra is not chanted but only seen. The last stage of Japa is Ajapa, where mantra is heard like a sakshi (witness) or seer in one’s own breath. This is the highest state of mantra jap.

    Out of the above categories, the first one is the lowest placed or grossest, and the last one is the highest and subtlest.

    The higher state of manas jap is dhyan. As the name depicts, manas jap is up to the limits of mind. Dhyan is done with budhi (intellect). After it comes gyan (knowledge). By doing jap, tej (light) arises which is seen inbetween the eyebrows. Jap attracts power. To harness this power, sankalp is done at the start of the anushthan. Sankalp creates a circle, which is like a utensils in which shakti collects and does not get out of control. The circle, or boundary, thus generated is made up of satvagun. Hence without sankalp nothing can be  realized and sidhi (perfection) cannot be achieved.

    When the senses come inside this circle, they get focused. The moment they are neutralised, as on one side Gyandeh arises simultaneously and on the other hand the world is seen in the light of great knowledge. Here the play of life and death is annihilated! The question arises who is Gyandehi?  When Atma resides in the mind without senses and holds its ego, that state is called gyandehi.

    Mantra is received from one’s guru during Diksha, which is an extremely important milestone in the journey of one’s spiritual life. We do hear of Shaktipat as well as Diksha during this journey. Actually Shaktipat is ICCHA SHAKTI while Diksha is KRIYA SHHAKTI. Many times, it is seen that a guru gives a mantra to his/her disciple but that mantra does not work. For example, someone may be initiated in Vaishnav mantra while his attraction is towards shakti mantra. In such a case it is said that the mantra given to the disciple is not right. Generally, a guru looks into a disciple’s past three births to ascertain sadhna of this life. One who cannot see this far, may not be able to give the right mantra. By seeing the sanskaras of the past three lives of a sadhak, a correct path can be found for the disciple. The path which requires less work or in which abundant opportunities exist for the sadhak to achieve the desired result in the smallest possible time, is to be embraced. It is said, what to say of three births, even when seeing the past hundred births  sometimes it is very difficult to ascertain the sadhana path of a disciple.

    The three lives mentioned above are actually three different levels of this very birth. The acquisition of the Gross body itself points to the entry into this world at grosser level. The flow of swabhav is three fold. This actually represents three births of atma or soul. One who is not adept in observing them will not be able to locate the right path. To find the Param path for the disciple is the purpose of Diksha. By piercing above three levels only, one arrives at the param path i.e the great way. One has to see three levels of bodies of the sadhak, namely, Mayic deh¹ (mayic body), Mahamayic deh² and Chinmaya deh³.

    When at the start, Chinmaya shakti descends and enters a chidanu, it creates the first covering. This represents the first reflection of complete ego. This is the first deh (body) of atma but it is beyond the realm of Kaal (time). Then this vishudh chinmaya body enters the realm of mahamaya.  Mahamaya, the womb of shudh chinmaya, with the help of its supporting forces provides the second covering over the first one. After covering with vishudh chinmaya and shudh chinmaya, chidanu enters the womb of maya. When it enters the realm of maya, then power assisting maya also provides another covering over the first two. Thus a chidanu gets covered up with three covering by the time it falls into the realm of maya, three coverings, in fact, are considered to be the cause of three births of the atma.  After getting covered by the third covering of maya, one lands in the realm of Kaal Ratri. The gross body which we see is established in the realm of time.  Untill one goes back to the source, one cannot achieve the realm the Self.

    If this kaal deh is unable to achieve diksha in life, it will keep on moving in the circle of life and death for a very long time. To get free of this cycle, one has to find the return path. To find this return path, the above three births are to be deeply understood. To return, we have to transcend the kaal deh and enter into the womb of maya! For this transcending of maya one will have to enter into the realm of mahamaya before one can ever think of reaching the source.  Thus the forces which cause the building of each covering of the body must be pierced to move back to the source.  Thus the whole process is a continuous effort till one reaches the source i.e from where chit shakti arises. Only then one can acquire one’s own vishudh chit form.  Depending upon the covering, no karm realms are produced. In the coveringless chit there is no question of karma. So while descending one acquires these coverings one by one while going back removes them one by one. In the highest state a yogi transcends even the chinmaya shakti and attains it as a helping force. Thus by returning through the yogmarg, one becomes the controller of the above three shaktis and gets established into the central bindu of the Triangle.

    Through the nature of each realm a particular form is made. Thus by seeing the form, karmas are ascertained. During diksha, one is given deh (form) by the guru. The above three bodies exist in this body provided by the guru. Thus the discussion of the above three bodies on the gross level is helpful, but the subtlest discussion on it is far beyond!  In fact by knowing that one can know the Tattva.
          
                         Om!....Praise be to Guru tattva……Shaktanand.