8. CHANTING
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HATHATATVAKAUMUDI 18. 6 EXPLAINING THE BENEFITS OF CHANTING:
यत्तस्य देवता माया विरूपकरणाश्रया |
स्वप्नेऽपि न भवेत्तस्य नित्यं द्वादशजाप्यतः ॥ ६ ॥
YATTASYA DEVATĀ MĀYĀ VIRŪPAKARAṆĀŚRAYĀ | SVAPNE'PI NA
BHAVETTASYA NITYAṂ DVĀDAŚAJĀPYATAḤ ॥ 6 |
AKASHIC REVELATION BY THE GRACE OF THE DEITY BEING ADORED, ONE WILL NOT FACE DISTRACTION EVEN IN DREAM STATE IF ONE CHANTS (MANTRA) 12 TIMES EVERY DAY.
MANTRA IS A SANSKRIT WORD THAT DESCRIBES A SACRED UTTERANCE, A SOUND, A SYLLABLE, A SINGLE WORD OR A GROUP OF WORDS. A MANTRA HAS SPIRITUAL POWERS WITH OR WITHOUT SYNTACTIC OR LITERAL MEANING. A DISCIPLE NEEDS TO BE INITIATED INTO A MANTRA BY HIS GURU, USING THE RIGHT PROCEDURES (MANTRA DEEKSHA) FOR THE MANTRA TO HAVE ITS MAXIMUM POTENCY FOR THAT INDIVIDUAL. IT IS GIVEN BY THE GURU AND RECEIVED WITH GRATITUDE AND RESPECT BY THE DISCIPLE. CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS ARE GIVEN ABOUT THE NUMBER OF REPETITIONS, THE RIGHT SPEED AND DURATION OF CHANTING, IN ORDER TO EXPERIENCE THE TRUTH OF THE MANTRA.
8. CHANTING
PARAMAŚIVA IS LIGHT (CONSCIOUSNESS) WHILE PARASHAKTI IS SOUND (CREATION). BY MANTRAS, A YOGI CAN UNCLUTCH FROM EXTERNAL THINGS AND BE ABSORBED IN THE SOUNDS OF THE MANTRA. THE GOAL IS TO FOCUS MORE AND MORE ON THE SUBTLE SOUND.
BY ABANDONING THE THOUGHTS, A YOGI LEARNS TO LISTEN TO THE NADA. NADA IS A SOUND WHICH IS BASED ON THE PREMISE THAT THE ENTIRE COSMOS CONSISTS OF SOUND VIBRATION. THE PRACTISE OF LISTENING TO NADA LEADS TO ONENESS WITH THE ULTIMATE, WITH MAHAPARAMAŚIVA. THEREFORE, MANTRAS LEAD A YOGI TO LIVE AND RADIATE THE STATE AND SPACE OF PARAMAŚIVA. WHEN THE BODY BENDS IN A SEQUENCE OF ASANAS, THE AURA (ENERGY SURROUNDING ANY PERSON) OPENS UP; THEREFORE, ONLY THE HIGHEST VIBRATIONAL SOUNDS SHOULD BE ENTERING THE SPACE. THAT IS WHY IN KAILASA'S NITHYANANDA YOGA, THE SANSKRIT PRAMANAS (SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES FROM SOURCE TEXTS) ARE CONTINUOUSLY CHANTED OUT LOUD THROUGHOUT THE VINYASA KRAMAS.
AS THE AURA, OR ENERGY BODY, IS VULNERABLE AND OPENED UP WHILE BENDING THE BODY IN YOGA, THE SOUNDS LISTENED TO MATTER DEEPLY. WHATEVER VERBALIZATIONS YOU HEAR DURING THAT TIME IMPACT YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS DIRECTLY. THE SANSKRIT WORDS OF MAHAPARAMAŚIVA ARE THE MOST POWERFUL VERBALIZATIONS THAT CAN HIT YOUR SYSTEM AT THIS TIME.