What to expect in Mantra Sadhana

What to expect in Mantra Sadhana

Many people chant various mantras with the intention of mantra siddhi and acquiring supernatural power. We should remember that mantra siddhi or the powers mentioned in scriptures are very difficult to achieve and there is no guarantee that it would happen. To make it more clear Mantra siddhi/powers are very rare events that can happen.

We see people chanting 10 lakhs, 20 lakhs count of the mantra and still there is no marked change in them. The repetition in these cases are usually mechanical and without any concentration on the mantra. The point is not the count of mantra but the quality of it. We can see people who have recited Shodashi mantra for few thousand times the mantra has gone Ajapa for them (Ajapaa is the state where the mantra is absorbed into your manas chakra and chanting becomes continuous throughout life). Here for these people the intensity of the practice for these few thousand times was far superior than people who have completed lakhs are chants.

Then what is use of mantra chanting is the question. Mantra happens to provide two major benefits for a person who chants it correctly. Firstly if one chants mantra correctly all his focus would be on the mantra and other thoughts vanishes, by this way a person becomes thought free, because of this the mind is purified and only in the purified mind the realization of the greatest truth happens (realization of the Self), second benefit of chanting a mantra is more for material life where it acts as a powerful affirmation making suitable modifications in the mind to get the desired results.

So how does the mantra work, each and every letters in mantras activates or creates vibrations at certain energy points and parts of the body. So when a Guru (Self realized person) gives a mantra to a person he would give that in such a way that the mantra is conducive for that person. Now when one chants the mantra the various parts of the body gets vibrated and energized giving rise to psychophysical changes. This starts getting absorbed within the body over a period of time and brings about changes in the mind. The mind gets purified in this way and makes it thought free. It is at this time the intuitive ability of person shines, meaning when the mind is purified the intellect shines in the light of the Self and it is at this time that some get some clairvoyant abilities (sort of siddhis). At this time it is very important that these gifts are shunned away as this will become an impediment for the ultimate goal. People who get absorbed into such abilities lose their purity of mind and again fall back into life problems. Purity of the mind is not the ultimate as it a state which helps us to find the ultimate truth. So this state is ever oscillating and not permanent. Only when the person realizes the truth he is firmly fixed in it and does not fall down, up to that stage is always a struggle.

Now how does one know that the mantra is working for him or not would be the question? This simple to answer because when a person chants a particular mantra usually he experiences happiness, the happiness that is being referred here is more to do with internal happiness that one experiences when or after he chants it. Otherwise he can experience small changes around him which is either good or bad. If the effects are bad then there is a need to change the mantra, if he feels unhappy/uneasy etc then it needs to be stopped. Usually when a person completes around 10,000 chants he starts experiencing the effect of the mantra and these changes are more subtle in nature which usually brings about a shift in the mindset.     

To continue further it becomes important that how one should chant the mantra, how many times does one should chant and how to make the chanting process more effective. So it is always preferable that the chanting should be done loudly for few days after initiation to become familiar with the mantra and its pronunciation. Once he/she is comfortable with the mantra he should proceed with mental chanting. Mental chanting is the best way to chant the mantra and benefit of this method is that one can chant it anytime and anywhere without any restrictions. The count for mantra japa is not important but quality of chant is more important even if a person chants 30 times in 20 minutes the focus on those 30 times should be absolute (as much possible). It is usually preferred that a person chants for minimum 20 mins a day to make it more effective. Fixing a schedule is very useful as chanting in same time everyday adjusts the body and mind to respond to the chanting better and changes can be seen much faster. Also aligning the breath with mantra is an advantage as this brings about better absorption of the mantra into the mind.

So ideally a person should sit erect, perform pranayama (nadi shodana) for 10 mins and chant the mantra by focusing on the Ajna chakra (third eye chakra) for 20 - 30 mins. When this done correctly the mind becomes still without thoughts and getting into Turya state becomes easier.

Usually the mantra of Ista devata/ Kula devata is conducive of a person; if the person is genuinely attracted to a particular deity or mantra that mantra will usually be beneficial for him/her. It is always better to search for a Guru and get initiated into a mantra than chanting by ourselves, as pronunciation and intricacies of the mantra can be explained by the Guru proper to reap benefit. The reason why Guru is important is that wrong initiation, chanting bija mantras incorrectly or chanting incompatible mantras will affect the person adversely.

If you do not find any Guru at all you can Self initiate which should be last resort.

To explain in nut shell, Mantra siddhi is very difficult to achieve, mantra is meant to protect and purify the mind which forms the basis for realization.