Category: Naam Mantra

Nirupana 34
Thursday, June 8, 1978

The meaning of the mantra is your consciousness. You should make it known to you. While reciting the mantra, whatever you feel, let it be felt. It will go away. The import of the mantra is your beingness. In order to realize it, become more and more quiet. You are not dependent on the five elements, or sleep, or wakefulness. Until such time that this becomes clear, go on contemplating. In the end you will realize that you were never born, neither have you carried out any worldly action. When you are enlightened you will say, ‘It was not necessary for me to gain the world or worldly knowledge’. Renunciation means to detach from the five elements and consciousness.

Without air, fire has no soul. Without the light of Brahman (consciousness) there is no space and without space there is no air. In the five elements there is no static form as such. To know this thoroughly is called renunciation. We know that ‘we are’ because of the five elements and consciousness. They will not last. One who has recognized this cannot be seasonal. If there is no consciousness, what can be known? One who has not thought of his own nature, has to believe in things he hears in the world. A rare one, by the grace of the Guru, will pay attention to That through which the worldly phenomenon is sensed. He will not be attracted to the world. He will only pay attention to his consciousness.

This knowledge is about Him through whom the world is visible. The sense ‘I am’ is known through Him. This is the work of consciousness. As a result of the Guru-word, this knowledge will be created spontaneously. When the atomic consciousness in the body awakens, it pervades the universe. When asleep, it pervades the dream world. The universe is filled with consciousness and it continues its existence. The one who knows this is called a jnani. A person may get to be the king of the world but as long as he has not realized his consciousness, his achievements are like a mirage.

All religions are the religions of tradition. The true religion is to know the nature of the Self. Be in That.

One who is dead – does he get the experience that he is dead? Someone else says that he is dead. Such is tradition. The sight of the knower is consciousness. In view of that sight, all this performance is going on. After realization, there is no place for individuality. But there remains a memory, in some form or the other, of being an individual. Consciousness that has pervaded the universe does not pertain to someone in particular. It belongs to all. However, it is seasonal, temporary, time-bound. When its duration is over, it is gone.

People take to saffron robes just to take advantage of a tradition. Other people fold their hands and bow before them. Catch hold of consciousness so that your renunciation has a true meaning. Meditate on consciousness. It will show you its Source. The world is seen within consciousness, which itself has been created through ignorance.

What you have heard from other people is the source of fear, bondage, and liberation for you. Can the one who has understood time see death? Consciousness has no support. It does not depend on the five elements or the three gunas. One’s own nature is the true knowledge. It is not dependent on anyone or anything.

First you must see your own Self. Renunciation happens through Self-knowledge. One who has understood the ultimate meaning knows his Self. The rest are all selfish (who look after the well-being of their own individual self – ego). Call your consciousness as the Guru. Then it will show you the right way. It is consciousness that takes renunciation. A rare one out of millions can give initiation by saying, ‘you will not die’.

Meditations With Sri Nisargadatta

This inner “I Am” is the nature of the Self. It is called the “unbeaten sound” (anahat) that originates from within, as it is not produced externally. The “I Am” feeling itself is “Soham.” This unbeaten, internal chanting of “Soham” goes on all throughout one’s life in the form of the breath, over 20,000 times a day. Although the individual seems to be the body, it is the Self that truly identifies with the body. This is the power of Illusion.

Shri Sadguru Siddharameshwar Maharaj
Amrut Laya – The Stateless State

Soham-Hamsa and Hari Om are important mantras, by repeating which the Self can be realized. One who has full knowledge of the Self becomes cool like the moon. The most natural state, which is free of any action, is the true Self. That state is beyond the intellect and free of all concepts. One is naturally in that state after Self-realization. You can always see without seeing – with your eyes closed – the deep blue shade which is very natural. It is formless. The Self cannot be seen. It is our direct perception of our being. With closed eyes you see the dark blue canopy over the Self.

Self-Love, The Original Dream: Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj’s Direct Pointers To Reality

Soham-Haunsa (I am That) and Hari Om are mantras which help to realize the Self. The knower of Self is cool and peaceful like the moon. Our true nature is the most easy and natural state, which is experienced without doing anything. In it there is no intellect and there are no concepts. This state follows Self-realization. When you close your eyes, you see dark blue, which is easy, natural and formless. It is called as Ghanashyama. Self is invisible, which cannot be seen by deliberate effort. It gives us our sense of being.

Self-Love, The Original Dream: Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj’s Direct Pointers To Reality

20. The meaning behind the statements “Soham” (I am He), “Hansa” (He is I), and “Tatvamasi” (You are That) is that you are Brahman. With investigation and subtle thoughtfulness one easily arrives at That state.

Chapter: 13, Sub-Chapter: 2 Explanation of Essence and Non-Essence
Dasbodh

There is the term “I Am” (Soham). “I Am” is continuously being repeated day and night. Without speaking a word, it is a constant awareness. The word “japa” in Sanskrit has one meaning as “repetition,” but it has another meaning in Marathi, which is “to take care of,” or to protect, or nurture. This is all automatic. In all the bodies of all creatures the repetition of the soundless sound “Soham,” and “Hamsa,” is continuous with the breathing. By understanding this a man is free of all bondage. In all creatures, the awareness of “I Am” is constant.

Shri Sadguru Siddharameshwar Maharaj
Master of Self-Realization – An Ultimate Understanding

Manifested Brahma is the ‘I am’, whatever principle is prior to the utterance of sound, that principle proclaims by itself. What I insists is that you must stabilize in that state. The recitation of the mantra ‘So Hum’ must be for a very long time, it is prior to words. When that ‘So Hum’ principle, is pleased, that principle, represented by these words, expounds knowledge.

The ‘So Hum’ Japa is incessantly going on in your pulse, indicating ‘I am’ get in tune with it by recitation. That ‘So Hum’ energy without words is the raw material of incarnations and the incarnations are the hoardings of the primary principle. The primordial principle is ‘Parabrahman’; its advertisement is done by movement, the stirrings of ‘So Hum’. By its movement it is praising the primordial principle, that advertising material is the ‘Moolmaya’ (Primary Illusion). That incarnating principle – the ‘Moolmaya’– gives knowledge to the incarnated.

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Sri Ramakant Maharaj a recorded discussion from Ranjit Ashram in Nashik of Satsang with Sri Ramakant Maharaj January 30, 2016.

See, one thing is there. This is a human body, in the form of a man or woman. The Presence is in the form of a man or woman. And because of this body we don’t have happiness or peacefulness, even though we’re approaching the Masters, concentrating on ‘I Am’. Even though we know the Reality, there’s no peacefulness. It happens, because attachment with the body is not reducing.

We’re advising meditation, read books, concentrate with bhajans, and to some extent we’re getting happiness. But not totally, because strong attachment with the body is not reducing. That strong concept engraved inside is not erasing. That is the problem. It is not your fault—it happens. But, we need some full concentration, full conviction. Though we know this body is not our identity, we’re not accepting it spontaneously. Though we know ‘this body is not my identity, this body is not going to remain constant’, in spite of that, you’re not accepting the Reality. Because the body impact, the body impressions, are so deep, it is not easily possible to erase them. So, for which you have to undergo the meditation, concentrate, you have to hammer all the time. Though it is illusion, you have to hammer it. And thereafter, I’ll tell you, after having full Conviction, after erasing all memories, your happiness will have no limit. Your peacefulness will have no limit. You’ll remain unconcerned with the thoughts. It’s the thoughtless stage.

Many times, many devotees are asking, “How to concentrate on ‘I am’? I’m concentrating on ‘I am’” What do you mean by, “I’m concentrating on ‘I am’”? — “What is the nature of concentrating on ‘I am’?”—that is a normal question from all devotees. You need not concentrate on ‘I am’. Because, you’re considering, “I’m somebody else, and I’m concentrating on somebody else”. That’s duality, follow? People say, “How to concentrate on ‘I Am’?” Some people say, “I’m concentrating on ‘I Am’ all the time.” Here they’re discriminating, “I am somebody else, and the Concentrator is somebody else.”

That spontaneous feeling of ‘I am’ it itself Reality. There’s no shape, no mind, no ego, no intellects. But the impact of the body is not erasing, and therefore we feel uncomfortable. To be comfortable, we give the Naam Mantra. Why is the Naam Mantra there? So, at the time of reciting the Naam Mantra, that mind is diverted to concentrating on the Naam Mantra. Listen carefully. Why is the Naam Mantra there? Why ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ or Soham Sadhana? Because when you’re concentrating on the Soham Sadhana, at that time, the mind becomes thoughtless. Ego becomes egoless, intellects become intellect less. So, there is no disturbance of the mind, ego, intellects at the time of reciting the Mantra. And for which we are asking you to concentrate on the top of the nose, recite the Mantra, so that it will create a thoughtless atmosphere. Thoughtless atmosphere. There should not be any entry of the intellects. No entry of the mind. No entry of ego. To create this atmosphere, then only can you concentrate on the Concentrator. Therefore, we are asking you to concentrate on the top of the nose, recite the Mantra, so you’re keeping the mind busy.

I’ll give you a small example. There’s a mother who has two or three children. She wants to cook, but she has to take care of the children. She wants to cook something for them, but she can’t do all this together. So, what is she doing? She gives some toys to the children. Separate toys, “You do this thing, you do this thing, you do this thing”. She wants to make those children busy with the toys, and then she can concentrate on the food. So, she’s happy and the children are happy. Similarly, three children are there: mind, ego, intellect. In the presence of the mind, ego, intellect, you can’t concentrate. You can’t devote the time. So, in that case, through the Mantra, we’re giving some toys to them. They’re doing their own work. Likewise, you have to concentrate fully. Then there won’t be any disturbance, just like the children will be busy playing with the toys so they will not disturb you. Similarly, when you’re concentrating on Soham Sadhana or Aham Brahmasmi, at that time your mind remains busy. There won’t be any disturbance of the mind, ego, intellect.

So, in that case, you need not make a deliberate effort. You’re sitting like this (in the jnana mudra posture) and looking at this (at the top of the nose), so your mind will be busy, your ego will be busy, intellect will be busy, and you are also busy. Meditation is there. If you can do this successfully, then the force of mind, ego, and intellects will be reduced. This is exceptional, what I’m talking with you. And thereafter, the forces of mind, ego, intellect will be reduced. Only you alone remain, without any duality. That is the secret of this Mantra. Why is the Mantra there? To keep the mind, ego, intellect busy, to remain thoughtless, to erase all the memories, body-based memories, the Mantra is required.

Sri Ramakant Maharaj

Yes! Because when the Spirit touched with the body, the concept of “I am somebody” emerged. The consciousness accepted “I am somebody”. And, so, Nisargadatta Maharaj said that the Mantra acts in a way that will remedy this mistaken notion. The Mantra, “I am Brahman. Brahman I am”, is meant as the Final Truth. The Mantra is hammering you with your Reality spontaneously. You forgot about your Identity, therefore, the Invisible Meditator within you, reminds you: “I am Brahman”. Brahman is the Ultimate Truth, your Final Truth. All the saints say exactly the same thing: “Try to identify yourself”. You are identifying yourself in the body-form, and that is illusion! Therefore, concentrate on the Concentrator within you, until the Concentrator disappears!

Surrender the seen! You are not the body! Surrender your body-based-knowledge! Identify your Selfless Self. How were you prior to consciousness? How will you be after leaving consciousness? Through this consciousness, you are observing this world, watching this world. Is existence true or false? Identify that! Identify!

Ultimate Truth
Sri Ramakant Maharaj

The Guru liberates you. He initiates you by saying, ‘your true nature is like my own’. He gives you the mantra, not taking you as male or female, but as the consciousness that listens.

Chant your mantra. With faith in the one who has given you the mantra, your consciousness will become stronger. As a result, there will be no weakness in your actions. The greater the faith in the Guru, the earlier the success. If you take your Guru as a human being, your consciousness will harass you. One who follows this faithfully will enjoy liberation in this very body.

When consciousness realizes itself, it is called the grace of the Guru. One must be the proof of the Guru’s words. THE INITIATION WITH MANTRA ESTABLISHES A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE GURU. Hence, you must have faith in the Guru. One could die anytime. Then how can he neglect the Guru’s words?

Silently repeat your mantra. Meditation should be on one’s own nature. Slowly the mind will become pure. The formless consciousness will be uncovered and your true nature will be understood.

If you remember what you have heard now, there is nothing in the world that can harm you. Why? It is because you have understood the meaning of the Self. The birthless one is never born. Still, consciousness is created. The impression of the body goes very deep; it is difficult to make it lighter. The remedy for this is the mantra given by the Guru and faith in the Guru.

The meaning of the mantra is your consciousness. You should make it known to you. While reciting the mantra, whatever you feel, let it be felt. It will go away. The import of the mantra is your beingness. In order to realize it, become more and more quiet.

When the mind-connection is severed you will see the void. To purify the mind one must remember the mantra all through the waking hours. Then your mind will come under your control. When you pay attention to your true nature the mind will disappear, bringing in the whole.

THE MIND SURRENDERS TO YOU IF YOUR INCANTATION OF THE MANTRA IS CONTINUOUS. IT TELLS YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.

The mind gets modified and behavior changes with repetition of the mantra. The body serves as the food for this consciousness. The mind flows from prana, the vital force. When you realize all this, at the last moment you will clearly witness that you do not die but prana leaves the body. The enlightened person has no hopes, no desires and no passions.Therefore he has no death.

Chanting the mantra, meditation and bhajans (singing devotional songs) bring worthiness beyond imagination. If a great difficulty arises, worship the Guru with devotional songs and surely it will be warded off. Due to devotion to the Guru, one gets limitless power. The seed sown by the Sadguru has sprouted; it is the vital force, chaitanya incarnate. Remembering the mantra constantly is meditation.

When you ripen with the mantra that has been given to you, spiritual knowledge will start expressing itself. Such is its power. You will do nothing. The realization will talk through you. The power of the mantra will increase and it will be understood that the Guru-state is within you.

Your word is of the nature of God. Your speech will sprout with repetition of the mantra and your word will become God’s word. The Guru’s word is final. It does not change. This must be your conviction. It should be remembered constantly.

As your word becomes pure, knowledge will flow through it. The words flow out of your mind according to your worthiness. When you chant the mantra, the vital force takes shape according to the meaning of the mantra.

Your beliefs will give you relevant experiences. Keep reciting your mantra. It will enable you to understand your true identity. You will come to know that you are not the body. For Self-realization it is necessary that consciousness and the vital force be united. This happens by reciting the mantra. It has to be done with love and a sense of urgency. In fact it is the vital force that recites the mantra. A persistent commitment is needed. There is no part-time spiritual effort.

Continue repeating the mantra. Even without repeating, one must know that it is going on within. Ever since the body was born, this incantation has been going on.

You become attached with the known and, hence, you do not notice the knower. He is beyond consciousness. He is revealed by the recitation of the Guru-mantra.

People repeat God’s name in various ways, as they are taught. According to my experience if the mantra is recited with proper breathing, the mind becomes silent and samadhi ensues.

The Guru reveals to the disciple his own worthiness. He initiates the one who has surrendered. The meaning of the mantra is ‘I am Atman, I am not the body’. This is like the name giving ceremony for the newborn.

The name (mantra) given by the Guru is proof in itself of the Guru’s word. The name given by parents is a proof of death.

The more we seek Self-knowledge, the purer the mind will be. One should forget body-consciousness and keep the mind busy with the mantra. Focus attention on your true nature.

Remembering the mantra is necessary to destroy wrong thinking in the mind. After impurity drops off, consciousness will be clear like a jewel in the palm. After dismissing all words, the true nature, which is formless and nameless will become silent. When the mind is purified, consciousness is seen clearly. Consciousness means Sattva guna, which is self-sensing.

By virtue of meditation, the feeling ‘I am so-and-so is lost. To make meditation successful, be faithful to it. Concentrate on the Self with the energy of prana. When the energy is arrested, the consciousness becomes one with it and samadhi ensues. The knowledge received from the books has to be tested with one’s own experience.

To meditate on the Self is possible only with the grace of the Guru. Such meditation is unique, not commonly found in the world. The guru liberates you. He initiates you by saying: “Your true nature is like my own”. He gives you the mantra, not taking you as male or female, but as the consciousness that listens.

As it is difficult to meditate on your own consciousness, worship it as the Guru. You can think of the Guru as standing on your back, with light spreading all over. But you cannot imagine that you, yourself are standing behind you. The early stages of mediation require support of dualism. Your identity has no body-form. Everything will become clear when you realize that there exists nothing other than you.

Chanting the mantra, meditation and bhajans (singing devotional songs) bring worthiness beyond the imagination.

REMEMBERING THE MANTRA CONSTANTLY IS MEDITATION.

The world is vast, but you will realize through meditation that it dwells inside your atomic consciousness. It is love. If you want to go back to the Source, stop wandering, and go on meditating.

Meditate in such a way that you even forget that you are meditating. Truth will reveal itself when one forgets oneself. We are not what we know. We are prior to knowing. One who has understood this has no need to sit in meditation.

Meditation means holding onto consciousness. The consciousness that appears in the morning is the holy sight of God. Everything is known through consciousness. When the heart is pure, one says, ‘The Guru is the Self, He is everything’.

Meditate on how you were before the body-form. As long as what you see and feel affects you, you have not achieved knowledge of the Supreme Self.

Remembering our consciousness is meditation. It is the same as the feet of the Guru. It leads to Self-realization. That which realizes is the same as the holy feet of the Sadguru. Only through meditation will you realize how exactly you are. When consciousness becomes pure ignorance, it is called samadhi.

Excerpt from Meditations With Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

You get used to your body and you love it. Hence, while meditating, if you experience being in a formless state, out of the body, you get scared. The word is Veda and equated to God by the name Vedonarayan. The Vedas are forms of the mind. Some utter the name of a Goddess, without knowing where She is.

The sudden appearance of the astral body is responsible for your sense of being. That body is hidden in the physical body. Its quality is the memory ‘you are’. Slowly, five types of knowledge appear from it.  Just as a child grows, the consciousness develops and grows up to the level of an incarnation. If the flow from it is good, it will go in the right direction.

In order to attain our original worthiness, the right background and attitude is needed. That is the purpose of all spiritual practices, which are recommended. By doing your mantra chanting, you reach up to the astral body. The space contains everything and outside is the pure unstained Self. Your birth is merely the appearance of ‘I am’. The property of the astral body juices is pure consciousness or our own true being. It should be observed and remembered accordingly. You did not notice the space prior to your birth. The space appears from the astral body itself and all other scenes follow thereafter.

The religious services are to clear the unwanted things and to propitiate the pure Self. One must worship and take care to maintain its progress. Thereby, you lose your body-identity, which means meeting Ishwara. That is to act as if there is no body. Just as sugar is sweet and the ocean salty, there is love in the body. There is memory because of the astral body. It is full of various scenes.

The disciple who considers God as greater than the Guru, cannot progress. Visiting a Sage is far better than going to a temple. Do you consider yourself to be a Sadhu any time? One who is immersed in devotion and goes to sleep, full of love for Self, is a Sadhu. One who leaves the state of an individual soul and merges into the original soul is a Mahatma, which means ‘a great soul’. The word is our main instrument. When you utter the name of God, that word becomes God. When you mention the name of a holy place, that word becomes holy. By repeating the mantra, it manifests through your speech. In due course, your word will be God’s word. The Guru’s word doesn’t change and there is no further appeal on it. You must be sure about the truth of the Guru’s words and remember them constantly. When your behaviour is as per your words, they gather more importance. Thereafter, the word becomes Vedonarayana. Never utter any word which will hurt anyone. The words of the ignorant have sharpness, which can hurt, but Sadguru’s words have the sharpness of Self-knowledge. If you understand the Sadguru properly, your words will have great importance. But your body-identity and certainty about death come in your way. When your words become pure, true knowledge will manifest through them. The thoughts and words that come in the mind are as per your worthiness. Due to constant remembrance of mantra, you will see visions as desired. It is the function of prana, which manifests in those forms. Just as the river Ganges purifies those who bathe in her waters, your words will have the power of clearing listeners’ troubles.

To turn dust into gold means to tell a mortal individual soul that it is immortal. This is the main purpose of the various religious services. One has to be very careful to live as per the spiritual advice. Do your activities in such a way that bad habits are minimized. Never imagine a body for the inner Atman, but remember It as body-less and surrender everything to It. When God consumes food, He leaves the leftovers for you; with this attitude you should take your food. This remembrance will make you holy.  It means one doesn’t eat without first offering it to God. Without food there is no prana, and without prana there is no mind, intellect and individual soul. We are alive and active only because of the food juices. Without prana, how can there be Atman? The prana and Atman always co-exist in a body and when prana departs Atman is aware of it. One who remains as per the Guru’s advice has no death. The worshippers become one with Atman. Others have to face the illusion of death.

Prana comes and goes, but not the Atman. Atman is prior to space, which It contains and knows. This is known to only the rare one. Some people call prana as consciousness-God. When you accept someone as your Guru, you must follow Him fully. But how many really follow?

Atman has become everything on Its own. Then how can you desire fruit for any action? Even the worship is done by Hari himself, of Himself. The words acquire a sharp edge of their own. Hence, when your word becomes pure, do not use words which can harm others. Here, I am talking about the utterances of one who chants mantra round the clock. Don’t do anything forcefully, desiring anything. Be energetic in chanting the mantra, without any desires. The purpose of chanting should be to forget yourself and not to achieve anything. Then you will know that all happening is spontaneous. The creation of body, its education and training, all happen spontaneously. There is no reason to be proud of anything that is spontaneous.

Self-Love, The Original Dream: Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj’s Direct Pointers To Reality