Most Spiritual Practices Are Done Thrice a Day

Our Puranas, say Shiva Purana, is not just about Lord Shiva. They have so many other things also. For example, Shiva Purana talks about the procedure for mantra sadhana—so many important things.

Here it is not about Panchakshara mantra. It is about Pranava, Gayatri, and Ajapa Japa and Soham.

The place where you are doing mantra sadhana is important. Nama japa you can do wherever you are; there is no restriction. But for mantra sadhana to be effective, you should sit and do it. Every day you should sit at the same place, then it is very effective—be it the bank of a river, a temple, or your own home. Don't keep on changing the place and position.

Always use an asana, ideally made of kusha, darbha, or even cotton or silk. Kusha is better, universal. Never do chanting without the asana.

Every mantra has certain visualization associated with it. When you visualize and chant, mantra gives results much faster. For mantras of specific devatas, dhyana swaroopa is there. You should understand the particular form of the devata associated with the mantra—like colour, number of hands, the weapons, ornaments—then keep your mind fixed on that form while chanting.

Don't allow your mind to go here and there. It will go, but be watchful of your mind and bring it back every time it drifts into something else.

Now we will be seeing the visualization associated with three mantras—Pranava, Gayatri, and Soham.

Shiva Purana prescribes that you should chant 1008 in the morning, 108 at noon time, and 28 in the evening.

We are aware in Islam they are very particular about the five times namaz. Whatever they are doing, they will stop everything and do namaz when the call comes.

In Sanatana Dharma, all practices are three times a day—morning, mid-noon, and evening. The three Sandhyas they are called. If you see the stotras, it will be mentioned—'trisandhyam'...

Every spiritual practice is three times a day—Sandhya Vandanam, Pratah Sandhya, Madhyahnikam, and Sayam Sandhya. This should come back into our spiritual life.

There are several families who still maintain morning and evening prayers. We should bring back the noon time prayer also.

Don't make the chanting a mechanical routine. Put your emotions into it, passion into it.

सर्वान्देवान् नमस्कृत्य स्थिरबुद्धिः स्थिरासनः

That's how you should do chanting. After offering pranama to all the devatas—all the devatas that you know of—without the mind thinking about anything else, and sitting on asana.

Why is Pranava Japa done? For Jeeva-Brahma aikya. To expand yourself. From your limited existence as an individual to the omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient Paramatma. That is your final target.

But as you do Pranava chanting, you will realize that day by day your powers are increasing. Your intelligence increases. You can understand things easier and faster. When you say something, people agree with you. Your command increases. People come on their own to help you.

This transformation from Jeevatma to Paramatma is not like an on-off switch. It is a gradual process. And at every stage, you will feel your power increasing. You becoming stronger and stronger.

You should feel the presence of the Creator, the Sustainer, and the Eliminator—Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva—all three within yourself. You having creative powers, power to protect, and power to eliminate—all three. And these three powers, energies inside you, the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva should make you to use them to achieve whatever you want and also to free yourself from all kinds of limitations.

This should be the reason you should be doing Pranava Sadhana, and every time you chant Pranava, you should tell yourself that this is what I am doing it for—to expand, to become more powerful, to become stronger.

In the same way, do Gayatri Sadhana also. Gayatri has its own dhyana. If you are initiated, then you would know the shloka. Try to understand the meaning of the shloka and visualize that.

When you chant Soham, in the six chakras of your body, starting from Muladhara, you have to visualize—Vidyasha, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Jeevatma, and Parameshwara.

The same above you also, starting from Brahmarandhra upwards. Every time you chant Soham, join Jeevatma with Paramatma, Parameshwara.

And also joining these six divinities inside your body with the same six divinities outside, above you.

If you chant Soham thousand times like this, then you are stopping 1000 births that you are going to take in the future—today itself, like this, every day.

What is the use of stopping future births? Why are you taking births? To grow. That growth you are achieving today itself. Then why should you keep on taking births and get bored?

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi