0Mantra Japa.
Mantra Japa, also known as Mantra meditation or Naam Japa, is the process of chanting a God's name in mind with the help of a rosary ( mala). You can choose any God's name to chant. Adi Shankaracharya, the eighth-century philosopher and saint, had prescribed five Gods for spiritual worship. These Gods are referred to as Ishtadev, meaning chosen deity or chosen God. These Gods are Ganesh, Surya ( Sun), Durga maa, Shiva and his incarnations, and Vishnu and his incarnations like Shri Ram and Shri Krishna. It is said that he who has a chosen deity and worships him regularly does not have to face situations in his life that he does not choose to be in.
Mantra Japa helps you to cleanse your negative karma and accumulate blessings. It removes your doshas, I.e. negative habits which you have developed over several births, including the current birth. It gives you the strength to tolerate and withstand the pain in your life, and finally, it guides your intellect in the right direction. Mantra chanting cleanses your mind and intellect of negativity and makes them pure and receptive to divine guidance. It gives you mental peace and stability and increases your focus and concentration.
Mantra Japa starts with the selection of an Ishtadev from among the ones mentioned above. If you currently have an inclination towards any one of the Ishtadevs, you can choose him or her as your Ishtadev. Thereafter you are given a mantra of the Ishtadev by your teacher. You are taught how to chant the mantra using a rosary and the precautions that you must take while practising mantra chanting. It is a good practice to chant eleven rounds of your rosary every day. One round consists of a hundred and eight repetitions. You are expected to practice this every day for the rest of your life. There are some rituals which you need to follow before and after the mantra chanting, such as pranayama and your Ishta stotra. The whole process requires you to dedicate forty-five minutes daily, either in the morning or evening.
If you practice this process dedicatedly for a couple of months, you will start experiencing positivity in your life, and you will gradually get addicted to chanting your Ishtadev's name. The rest of the benefits will follow as your practice intensifies. It is said that the more calm your mind is, the more potential it will have. Mantra chanting will make your mind very, very calm. It will give you the strength to face the worst of situations and look at the future with optimism. With regular practice, you will look forward to the time of the day when you practice your Japa, just like you look forward to doing your favourite things.
Mantra Japa can help you get rid of all the problems in your life or help you develop the strength to face them. It will help you heal mental and emotional trauma and anything negative you have experienced in your life. Faith, regularity and persistence are of paramount importance. Even if you find yourself being irregular, don't give up. Persist. Sooner or later, you will find your goal.
