RULES FOR MANTRA-JAPA

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

RULES FOR MANTRA-JAPA
An aspirant should have implicit faith and belief in his Mantra and should surrender himself
fully to the Ishta Devata. He should, without fail, follow all the instructions given by his preceptor at
the time of initiation. But if his preceptor has not given any special instruction, he should follow the
general rules given below:
1. He should have complete belief that he can attain God-realisation through Mantra-Japa,
in this Kaliyuga.
2. Mantra-Diksha (initiation) being a most sacred ritual, should not be taken lightly. The
aspirant should not get himself initiated just to imitate others. He should approach his Guru with
unwavering mind and firm determination and complete faith in the efficacy of Mantra-Japa.
3. Mantra should be taken as Divinity Itself and the aspirant should see his Guru as God
Himself.
4. Mantra-Diksha should be taken as a means for God-realisation alone and not for worldly
ends.
5. To discard Mantra-Japa after receiving the Diksha, is an insult to the Mantra. Therefore it
should be avoided at all cost.
6. An aspirant should give up his evil tendencies, such as passion, anger, greed, envy,
jealousy, etc., and cultivate divine qualities like selfless service, renunciation, charity, love,
forgiveness, humility and the like.
7. A householder should consider his duties as necessary for his spiritual growth and
discharge them creditably. But they should be taken as secondary objective of life, the primary one
being the realisation of God. He should try to spiritualise the life of all the members of his family.
He should observe truth, non-violence and Brahmacharya in thought, word and deed as far as
possible.
8. He should see the Lord in both His aspects—the formless, attributeless aspect and His
aspect with form and attributes. Realising the One Lord present in these innumerable forms, he
should feel no distinction among the various deities such as Sri Rama, Sri Krishna, Lord Siva, Lord
Ganesha, Lord Vishnu, Goddess Durga, Goddess Lakshmi, etc. These Ishta Devatas are the
manifestations of the one omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent Being who is the inner ruler of all.
He should not, therefore, disregard any of the deities. He may, of course, have more devotion and
love for his own Ishta Devata, but it should not result in belittling and hating others’ Ishta Devatas.
Lord Krishna has said in the Gita: “Yo mam pasyati sarvatra sarvam cha mayi pasyati, Tasyaham
na pranasyami sa cha me na pranasyati—He who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me,
he never becomes separated from Me, nor do I become separated from him” (VI-30). Goswamiji
also writes thus: Siya ramamaya saba jaga jani, Karahun pranam jori juga pani—Knowing that
the entire world is permeated by Lord Rama and His power, I salute (everything) with both hands
folded together”!
9. Every week on the particular day of the week on which he took Mantra-Diksha he should
live on fruits alone and that also one time only and on the anniversary day he should observe
complete fast.
10. He should not disclose his Ishta Mantra to any one.
11. It is advisable that husband and wife should both get themselves initiated by the same
Guru. However, it is not indispensable, in case it is not possible due to any reason.
12. He should do Likhita Japa also. The Mantra notebooks should be kept safely in a holy
place. This keeps the atmosphere pure and surcharged with the Mantra vibrations.
13. Have, if possible, a separate room or place for Mantra-Japa and do not allow it to be
defiled.
14. Feel always the presence of your Guru and your Ishta Devata.
15. Every initiated married couple should observe the vow of chastity and fidelity.
16. He should take his Ishta Devata as the real owner of the house and do the household
work as God’s servant.
17. He should have faith in the potency of the Mantra which removes all obstacles.
18. He should do Japa daily at least eleven Malas and he should be regular in his daily Japa.
19. He should not use the index and little fingers while rolling the beads, nor should he allow
the Mala to hang below his navel. He should cover the Mala with a piece of cloth. While rolling the
beads, the Meru of the Mala should not be crossed. He should turn back when he comes upto it.
20. He should reach a state in which the Japa would go on uninterruptedly in the mind even
while he is sitting or standing, eating or drinking, walking or working, waking or sleeping.
May you all be blessed with the Grace of Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj! May you
be successful in obtaining the Supreme objective of your life through Mantra Japa! May the Lord
grant you peace, bliss, prosperity and spiritual advancement! May you ever progress and attain
God-realisation in this very birth! Hari Om Tat Sat.