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A prayer or a mantra can repeat itself automatically once we are determined that it should. It is as simple as that though the actual success depends on the intensity and sincerity of our determination. In Hindu philosophy, this is called a sankalpa.
The word sankalpa comes from the Sanskrit root kirp meaning ‘to come into existence’ and sam, meaning ‘completely’.
A conscious, continuous mantra or prayer is like the arms of a clock. Once the mechanism is activated, the arms go round and round until they run out of energy. In the same way, the instrument of prayer depends on how much energy we are prepared to give it. The miracle of prayer or a mantra is that if there is sufficient resolve, it will soon independently repeat itself, till it becomes natural like breathing. At the time when I practised a mantra, I was astonished by a mantra’s capacity to repeat itself independently of my will.
The mind is a machine and how we program it depends on our awareness. Think of a boat sailing on the ocean. The horizon is vast and the landmarks are almost nil. The future days of our life are the same; they are aspects of a journey about which we have little or no cognizance. How do we navigate this challenge? All we have to direct our boat impelled by the winds of change is a rudder. This is our facility of awareness.
Letter #16 - How to Pray (Continued)
A mantra is a string of sounds that are meant deliberately to affect the mind and create a certain condition that aids the person saying the mantra. There are mantras for all occasions. For a person who follows the predominant south Saivite tradition, that is, worship of Lord Siva, a normal mantra that is given would be Om Namo Sivaya. One does not need a guru to check on the internet for the right pronunciation. It may not contain the imprimatur of a gurus blessing but it is a start.
Sri Ramana was also a Saivite as was known to give a phrase if persistently requested and considered that it would be of help to the supplicant. It is not just the word or phrase or prayer which is important, the grace of the guru who gives it is crucial. It is recorded that he gave the expression ‘Siva, Siva’. Sri Ramana also gave a single word such as iru (be) or summa iru (just be; at peace; quiet). There is a whole literature in Tamil spirituality connected to this latter phrase which signifies the highest state of consciousness which one can attain.
For those who follow the teachings of Sri Ramana the most important general prayer he gave us was Sri Arunachala Akshara Mana Malai (The Marital Garland of Letters). It is an appeal in 108 verses imploring the sacred hill Arunachala to grant not just solace but liberation from samsara.
It is a hymn of love demonstrating the travails and union of the soul with God in the form of Arunachala. It was written spontaneously by Sri Ramana one day as he circumambulated the sacred hill. The verses poured out of him in a stream of ecstasy. There are several translations of the Tamil hymn which give some idea of its beauty and profundity. 4
Prayer acts as an anodyne and by its use of repetitiveness neutralises the static of capricious thoughts which beset us. It consequently releases hidden energies within us which encourage our ability to discriminate between the real and the unreal.
When we arrive at that calm state, the flow of thoughts diminishes. Since every thought is understood by an appropriate word or words, any exercise in stilling the mind implies the withdrawal from thoughts and words and their capacity to influence our equanimity.
This allows our consciousness to settle into its natural state. We normally fail to see it because we are busy being fascinated by the mind’s relentless and automatic activities. Instead of being bombarded with erratic impulses, an emptiness is created, and out of the depths of ever-present, so-called nothingness comes illumination.
Prayer is a fulcrum that allows us to see.
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4 See Arunachala Aksharamanamalai, A Detailed Commentary by Muhavai Kanna Muruganar, translated by Robert Butler. Published by Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai.
5 Upadesa Saram (The Essence of Spiritual Instruction) (in Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu and Malayalam) with Transliteration, Word-for-Word Meaning, Paraphrase and Commentary. Published by Sri Ramanasramam.
