~~OM~~

We are very happy to share this blog with devotees. Shree Maa suggested daily chanting of 3 malas of the Devi Prapannarti Hare mantra from the Chandi Path. May Mother fill our hearts with peace as we fulfill Her wish.

Swamiji writes on Ajapa Japa

Consciously we are making an effort to remain aware of japa by counting how many times we say the mantra, by moving our beads to keep the count, and by making a religious practice of cultivating the habit of listening to the mantra. After some time the mantra will remain with us. It is called ajapa japa when the mantra is making japa of us, instead of our making japa of the mantra, as when you listen to a tape of a mantra and the mantra is just there, even though we may be aware of other things.

The mantra is there like a stage or screen of consciousness, upon which all this material world is reflected. The mantra is the sound upon which all of the other sounds are heard.

- From Kashyapa Sutras, Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

Mantra Count

With the blessings of our Gurus, we continued to make japa of the Devi Prapannarti Hare Mantra and have offered 790,068 mantras by August 15, 2010. Thank You!

~~OM~~

We are very happy to share this blog with devotees. Shree Maa suggested daily chanting of 3 malas of the Devi Prapannarti Hare mantra from the Chandi Path. May Mother fill our hearts with peace as we fulfill Her wish.

How does one describe the sounds of the Divine Mother

The written word cannot describe the tone of sound. Some things can only be learned from watching and listening to a qualified guru. We need to hear and to see, and only then can we inculcate into our own lives the tones of the Divine Mother. How can we describe Her being? After generations of reflection, the Vedic Rsis could only say, "Neti Neti, na iti, na iti; She is not this and She is not that." How does one describe the sounds of the eternal Divine Mother?

Call upon the Divine Mother, sing Her names, narrate the tales of Her saints, and become inspired to greater achievement. She is our Beautiful, Playful Beloved Mother. She grants the fruit of all karma. Worship Her with all your heart.

- From Swamiji's Introduction to the Lalita Trishati in Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

Mantra Count

With the blessings of our Gurus, we continued to make japa of the Devi Prapannarti Hare Mantra and have offered 744,924 mantras by July 31, 2010. Thank You!

~~OM~~

We are very happy to share this blog with devotees. Shree Maa suggested daily chanting of 3 malas of the Devi Prapannarti Hare mantra from the Chandi Path. May Mother fill our hearts with peace as we fulfill Her wish.

Shree Maa's Prayer to Divine Mother

"Oh dearest Divine Mother, we offer our prayer unto you. We are your children; please accept our plea. Divine Mother you are the bestower of excellence. You are the well-wisher of the Universe, the intrinsic nature of the wisdom of existence. You are the form of the creator. Please always illuminate the Universe for us. May we become eternally pure and may the spirit of purity reside within us. Please be a protector to all. Please cause all behavior to be true. Illuminate this universe with truth. Please destroy all sin and protect us from all evil. Please emanate light in the form of Gods and Goddesses. Please illuminate all souls with wisdom. This is my prayer.

- Shree Maa

- From Shree Maa: The Guru and the Goddess

To watch Swamiji's video class of Devi Atharvashirsham, please click here: Devi Atharvashirsham Class


Mantra Count

With the blessings of our Gurus, we continued to make japa of the Devi Prapannarti Hare Mantra and have offered 674,076 mantras by July 15, 2010. Thank You!

~~OM~~

We are very happy to share this blog with devotees. Shree Maa suggested daily chanting of 3 malas of the Devi Prapannarti Hare mantra from the Chandi Path. May Mother fill our hearts with peace as we fulfill Her wish.

Who is the Divine Mother?

She is the eight forms of wealth; She is the Eleven Relievers from Sufferings; She is the twelve Sons of Enlightenment. She is All Gods who drink the nectar of Devotion and She is those who do not; She is the lowest concerns of the mind, thoughts, confusions, conflicts, good spirits and attainment of perfection.

She is Truth and Light, Activity and Rest. She is the form of Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra. She is the Lord of Beings, the Rule of the Pure, the manifestation of Reason. She is the planets and the Light of the stars. She is the form of time and its divisions. We continually bow down to Her.

- From Swamiji's translation of the Devi Atharvashirsham in the Chandi Path

To watch Swamiji's video class of Devi Atharvashirsham, please click here: Devi Atharvashirsham Class


Mantra Count

With the blessings of our Gurus, we continued to make japa of the Devi Prapannarti Hare Mantra and have offered 654,132 mantras by June 30, 2010. Thank You!

~~OM~~

We are very happy to share this blog with devotees. Shree Maa suggested daily chanting of 3 malas of the Devi Prapannarti Hare mantra from the Chandi Path. May Mother fill our hearts with peace as we fulfill Her wish.

Swamiji on How to realize the Divine Mother

To realize the real Chandi, we must strive to make the Goddess the sum and substance of our entire life. This may accomplished by sitting in an asana and pronouncing the mantras of this work (Chandi Path), and by striving to make the asana and the recitation longer. Do not worry about not understanding. Do not worry about pronouncing the Sanskrit perfectly when you first begin your practice. Do not worry about anything. If you study this and other translations or commentaries and devotedly recite, Chandi will become known to you. The one who understands it completely is Lord Siva, and to the extent we are capable, we become Him.

- From Swamiji's introduction to the Chandi Path

Mantra Count

With the blessings of our Gurus, we continued to make japa of the Devi Prapannarti Hare Mantra and have offered 566,352 mantras by June 15, 2010. Thank You!

~~OM~~

We are very happy to share this blog with devotees. Shree Maa suggested daily chanting of 3 malas of the Devi Prapannarti Hare mantra from the Chandi Path. May Mother fill our hearts with peace as we fulfill Her wish.

Swamiji on the Objective of Puja

The objective of Puja is to dedicate as much time as you can to the exclusive concentration on the Divine Mother and Her divine family. Through Puja we cultivate the habit to offer the best we possibly can to God and to give as prasad all that is appropriate to anyone who may ask.

Puja is a way of life more than a practice. Just as with any desired trait, we begin by practice until the behavior becomes instinctual. We practice worship until our lives becomes instinctually an offering of respect in which the most important criteria for success is the quality of peace that we are aware of at any moment.

- From Swamiji's introduction to the Cosmic Puja

Mantra Count

With the blessings of our Gurus, we continued to make japa of the Devi Prapannarti Hare Mantra and have offered 517,644 mantras by May 31, 2010. Thank You!

~~OM~~

We are very happy to share this blog with devotees. Shree Maa suggested daily chanting of 3 malas of the Devi Prapannarti Hare mantra from the Chandi Path. May Mother fill our hearts with peace as we fulfill Her wish.

What is our goal?

Peace in the heavens, Peace on the earth, Peace upwards and permeating the atmosphere; Peace upwards, over, on all sides and further; Peace to us, Peace to all vegetation;

Peace to all that has form. Peace to all causes and effect; Peace to all existence, and to all intensities of reality, including all and everything; Peace be to us.

Let the earth be at Peace, the atmosphere be at Peace, the heavens be filled with Peace. Even further may Peace extend, Peace be to waters, Peace to all vegetation, Peace to All Gods of the Universe, Peace to All Gods within us, Peace to Creative Consciousness, Peace to Brilliant Light, Peace to All, Peace to Everything, Peace, Peace, altogether Peace, equally Peace, by means of Peace.

That is our prayer. That is our sankalpa.

- From Swamiji's translation of the prefatory mantras in the Cosmic Puja

Mantra Count

With the blessings of our Gurus, we continued to make japa of the Devi Prapannarti Hare Mantra and have offered 437,292 mantras by May 15, 2010. Thank You!

~~OM~~

We are very happy to share this blog with devotees. Shree Maa suggested daily chanting of 3 malas of the Devi Prapannarti Hare mantra from the Chandi Path. May Mother fill our hearts with peace as we fulfill Her wish.

From the discourse between Sri Rama and the sages on Bhakti and Jnana

"Learned Sirs, please tell the difference between Bhakti - Devotion, and Jnana - Wisdom."

"Wisdom is like a light. Devotion is like a jewel. Both of them give forth light. When you understand either of them, darkness flees. In all four directions there is illumination. In order to make a light you need a container, some oil and a wick. But a gem or a jewel shines by it's own effulgence. From the winds of desire, anger, greed and ignorance the flame of the light can be extinguished. But greed, anger, desire or ignorance can never extinguish the light of the jewel of Devotion. That jewel shines by the power of its own Self-effulgence. In this way, in whoever's heart true devotion resides, no desire, no greed or other limitation can ever have an effect upon that heart.

Mantra Count

With the blessings of our Gurus, we continued to make japa of the Devi Prapannarti Hare Mantra and have offered 409,320 mantras by April 30, 2010. Thank You!

~~OM~~

We are very happy to share this blog with devotees. Shree Maa suggested daily chanting of 3 malas of the Devi Prapannarti Hare mantra from the Chandi Path. May Mother fill our hearts with peace as we fulfill Her wish.

Swamiji responds to questions on Japa

When can one do Japa?

Break in Japa

Chanting loudly or silently

Mantra and deity

Mantra Count

With the blessings of our Gurus, we continued to make japa of the Devi Prapannarti Hare Mantra and have offered 347,868 mantras by March 15, 2010. Thank You!

~~OM~~

We are very happy to share this blog with devotees. Shree Maa suggested daily chanting of 3 malas of the Devi Prapannarti Hare mantra from the Chandi Path. May Mother fill our hearts with peace as we fulfill Her wish.

Swamiji on Japa, from Shree Maa: the Guru and the Goddess

Japa is the conscious and constant repetition of a mantra. We perform japa until the mantra becomes such a part of our lives that the mantra continues automatically by itself; it continues without our practical awareness, without our forcing the japa to be part of us.

When the mantra continues like a tape recorder in the background, as a natural part of our lives, the japa becomes ajapa japa. The purpose of the japa is to cultivate the habit of listening to the mantra, until we become absorbed in mantra like Shree Maa.

Mantra Count

With the blessings of our Gurus, we continued to make japa of the Devi Prapannarti Hare Mantra and have offered 276,588 mantras by March 15, 2010. Thank You!