How to Bend Destiny with the Navagraha Mantras – 9 – Saturn
Get on the good side of Saturn by praying to Hanuman to enhance your spirituality and character
This post continues the ongoing series on How to Bend Destiny.
Shani – Planet of Challenges and Character
Saturn is the most feared planet of all in the Eastern astrological construct. It is famed for causing long periods of difficulties where people are tested to the limit. Why? I believe it is because God is not interested in where you start or how but how you run the race. The evolution you undergo and the character you build in times of tragedy and difficulty is a key part of life and the true measure of a man or woman.
Saturn has the effect of detachment, spirituality, longevity, foreign travel and also of thieves and robbers. It is the overlord of all spiritual personalities and behaviour.
Effects of Saturn
Shani is the son of the Sun (Surya), mothered by Chaya. Shani is known to be lame (due t0 a prior quarrel with Yama, the God of Death and Afterlife) and the root cause of testing periods in one’s life.
Shani in a positive position within the horoscope gives the aspirant powerful leadership potential,honesty and sense of justice. It also causes spiritual detachment from materiality and wordily behaviours if the aspirant is so inclined.
Boost your spirituality and character!
The Vedic prayer to Saturn is below, followed by the Shani Gayatri.
Vedic prayer to Saturn
Transliteration
“Neelaamjana Samaabhaasam Raviputram Yamagrajam
Chchaaya maarthanda samboothm tham namaami Shanishwaram“
Meaning
“I bow down to Saturn, the one of a dark-blue complexion like ointment, the slow moving one, the son of Chaya and the brother of Yama.”
Shukra Gayatri
Transliteration
“Om Sanischaraya vidmahe
Suryaputraya dhimahi
tanno manda prachodayaat“
Meaning
“We know Shani,
We meditate on the son of the Sun,
May the slow one inspire us”
Mantras to Hanuman
The Ruling Deity of Shani is Lord Hanuman. We have already covered a number of Hanuman chants, including: the Hanuman Gayatri and the Hanuman Chalisa.
Coming soon: Part 10 – Rahu
Follow me on Twitter: @MantraYogi
Prior parts of the series
Click here for part 1 – Introduction
Click here for part 2 List of Mantras to Planets
Click here for part 3 The Sun + Shiva
Click here for part 4 The Moon + Parvati
Click here for part 5 Mars + Skanda/Hanuman
Click here for part 6 Mercury + Vishnu
Click here for part 7 Jupiter + Dakshinamurthy
Click here for part 8 Venus + Lakshmi
Get Ready, Rama’s Coming! Diwali Mantras
Let the lamps guide Rama to your home
Rama’s homecoming
Diwali occurs on Wednesday 26th October. It signifies Rama’s homecoming and popularly celebrated through the celebration of light and its ability to lead us through the darkness.
Whilst its now a hugely commercialised festival in India and worldwide, it is important to remember it as a powerful time for mantra sadhana.
The mantras for Diwali
The advised method of tapping into the power is to write Rama Nama. Click here for a prior article.
Alternatives include the Vishnu Sahasranama – a stotra (hymn) to Vishnu, extolling Him through his most popular 1,000 names. One may write a treatise on the Vishnu Sahasranama alone, but its power stems from its Divine origin (composed by Veda Vyasa). It was taught to Bhishma, the great Grandfather of the epic Mahabharata, who revealed it to the world in the presence of Sri Krishna, Avatar of Vishnu. Click here to hear it.
Kick off the Financial New Year with a flying start!
Finally, some Hindus also pray to Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. The reason is that in some calendars, Diwali also coincides with the financial new year. Hence, old accounts are closed and a new year of business begins post Diwali.
Click here for the details of the Shreem Mantra, and click here to read about the Kanagadhara chant of Adi Shankarcharya to Lakshmi.
Follow me on Twitter: @MantraYogi
How to Attract Women – Part 3: Write Rama Nama Mantra for Marriage!
Are you a worthy suitor for your ideal wife? No? Then Write Rama Nama!
The demands of Youth!
The idea that any boy of age would want the perfect bride is nothing new. It has persisted since the ancient times.
Whilst then, the fad was to pray for a girl like Sita (of the Ramayana Epic) or a boy like Rama, now the youth of today want the Shahrukhs and the Aishwaryas.
We were young once!
I can recall that a humourous retort from the elders in my community to the demands of such perfection is: “Remember who Sita married! Can you claim you are Rama?”. The answer was invariably a humble: “no!”. Who can compare themselves to the great Ramachandra of the epic? The perfect King?
The point of course is that one deserves that (or someone, in this case) which is fitting of one’s own character. One who is perfect, noble and valourous most times has the right to demand similar qualities in the one they marry.
We can but try
So let’s cut to the chase! How does one develop your character to match the demands and ideals of what you want your husband or wife to be? The solution lies in mantra!
Although fashions and indeed “IT girls” change over time, the concept is identical, and so is the solution – writing or chanting Rama Nama. The name of Rama is a powerful combination of the essence of Narayana and Shiva Themselves – click here to read my prior post on the subject.
Invoke a powerful transformation through your own Sankalpa!
The power of Rama is in his perfection – and it can be manifest in anyone! Just write or chant the name of Rama to slowly condition the mind with the ideals of Rama.
I would also suggest an accompanying English mantra that one can say (or think) over and over to help with this transformation:
“Rama, please help me become more like you and build my character;
Rama, please find me my Sita!”
You can use your own words – in whatever language you prefer – to focus your thoughts and sentiment. This, in effect, is what is known as the Sankalpa (intent of your prayer).
Please do feel free to comment and provide your own experiences and feedback below on writing and chanting Rama Nama.
Footnotes:
** This article was published on a Tuesday **
Tuesdays are the most auspicious time to worship Hanuman. The great Hanuman is of course Rama’s fearless, faithful and unbelievably powerful companion, who had mastered both himself and the power of the Ashta Siddhis.
There is nothing that Hanuman would not do (and cannot do) for Rama and his Bhaktas (devotees) ; I would also greatly encourage anyone writing Rama Nama to also listen to or recite the Hanuman Chalisa or any mantra to him as a perfect complement – click here for details.
Follow me on Twitter: @MantraYogi
Get Ahead: Mantras for Investment Banking Professionals
A difficult time
Bankers face a difficult time at the moment. The global economy is under pressure and world is against them!
Banking, in the public’s eyes, has grown into a culture of distrustful, deceitful behaviour based around a never-ending thirst for greed and power. Yet it has also been the backbone of global trade and attracted the best and brightest individuals to strive to better themselves and test their limits. In short we need bankers! But not the negative associations.
This post is not intended to be party to playing the blame game, but will attempt to be part of the solution: to encourage the simultaneous development of character along with ability.
So how can we derive the positive benefits without the negatives?
The solution is surprisingly simple! Pray to Maha Lakshmi!
But isnt Lakshmi the Goddess of Wealth? Surely, bankers are all already rich!
The downturn has undoubtedly highlighted that a culture of excess is prevalent in banking. But wealth should not be equated to just money and greed. The abundance one attracts through the Divine is much greater than just the material kind: Lakshmi is also the Goddess of Virtue and wealth of Character!
More than Money
There are 16 kinds of wealth one can attract through praising the Divine. They are enumerated in a prior post (click here to see it), but they include: Courage and Strength, Morality and Ethics and Higher thinking.
The mantras
The wisdom locked in ancient mantras is relevant even in today’s complex world. Here are a set of mantras that may prove helpful to banking professionals at a time of great uncertainty and difficulty:
- Ganesha Gayatri – click here. For foresight to aid us in understanding the longer term repercussions of our actions than the short term effects.
- Lakshmi Gayatri – click here, or simply Shreem. Invoke Lakshmi to grant you the character required to acquire and sustain wealth.
- Narayana Gayatri, or simply: Rama. Why praise Vishnu as Narayana or Rama too? In the opening verses of the Vishnu Sahasranama, Vishnu is extolled as the King of Dharma (righteous conduct and behaviour). Such valour and knowledge of what’s right and wrong is a natural complement and pre-requisite to wealth accumulation. In his incarnation as Rama, he established a powerful precedent of how the ideal King (or any person of significant responsibility) should behave – in virtually every test. Understanding this by meditating on the name of Rama is therefore also an excellent method of character development.
Vishnu Gayatri Mantra
Command respect and authority by worshipping Narayana!
Transliteration:
“Om NArayanAya Vidhmahe,
VasudEvaya DhImahi
TannO VishnU PrachOdayAth.“
(Semi-literal) Translation:
“We know the Abode of Man,
We meditate on the Son of Vasudeva,
May The All-Pervading One enlighten us”
Purpose:
- Gain respect and authority; leadership and management abilities
- Character and wealth
- A strong sense of right conduct (Dharma) and diplomacy
Worship Vishnu to develop Leadership
Vishnu is the grand Manager of the Universe – the CEO if you will! Worshipping Vishnu through the Gayatri above will help one ‘lead from the front’. First, it will establish a strong intuition of strategy, the correct way of doing things and more fundamentally, a clear cut understanding of what is right and wrong. Second, the improvement of one’s character in this regard will shine for others to see and they will automatically fall in line to your leadership.
One should also worship Vishnu to regain control of one’s life, develop a strong sense of inner direction and improve your diplomacy in dealing with others in a fair and just manner.
Follow me on Twitter: @MantraYogi
Narasimha Gayatri Mantra
Eliminate the evil of others with prayers to Narasimha!
Transliteration:
“Om VajranakhAya vidmahe
TIksnadamstrAya dhimahi
Tanno Narasimhah PracodhayAt“
(Semi-literal) Translation:
“We know the one with diamond nails,
We meditate on the sharp-toothed,
May Narasimha enlighten us”
Purpose:
- Defeat enemies
- Protection from attack – this is a powerful counter in times of grave personal danger
- Increases your courage and bravery in the face of adversity
- Nullifies the effect of evil deeds by your enemies
A powerful force against the evil deeds of others
There comes a time in everyone’s life where others wish you harm or misfortune. The worship of Narasimha and invoking his grace at times of distress – particularly during physical attack can have great power against such people.
In more practical and sattvik terms, you can consider the mantra to nullify the ill wills of others and steadily remove their feelings of enmity toward you.
Follow me on Twitter @ MantraYogi.
Today is Friday! T.D.I.F!!
Thank God its Friday! Or as I like to say - Thank Devi Its Friday! (TDIF!)
Today is Friday!! What does Friday mean to you?
The end of the week is finally here! What does Friday mean to you? No more work (for some of us!)? Time with the family? A weekend getaway?
I personally love Friday. It is a prime day for Devi Worship. Moreover, during Navaratri, our prayers are amplified by magnitudes we cannot comprehend – don’t miss out on this opportunity! – T.D.I.F. (Thank Devi It’s Friday!)
How to Pray:
Prior posts have covered a multitude of mantras and sadhanas for all but today’s focus is Lakshmi.
Fridays are incredibly auspicious for Lakshmi, the Goddess of Abundance and Wealth. I would greatly recommend the following courses of action – whether you need to fix something lacking in your life, out of pure devotion or as part of a larger Navaratri routine, these two technologies are incredibly effective at pushing you toward your goals:
See my associated posts by clicking on the links above. I would also highlight my articles on how to make your prayers heard even faster – click here to see my post on Super-charging your ability to attract abundance.
Don’t miss the incredible opportunity that is Navaratri!
Lakshmi Gayatri Mantra
Laksmi - the Goddess of Wealth and Abundance
“Om Mahadevyai cha vidmahe
Vishnu patni cha dhimahi
Tanno Lakshmi prachodayaat“
(Semi-literal) Translation:
We know the Supreme Goddess,
We meditate on the spouse of Vishnu.
May Lakshmi inspire us.
Purpose:
- Attraction of abundance
- Strengthening of ones character
- Attract auspiciousness
How to Detox with Mantra (3/3)
This is the third and final part of a multi-post article; click here for the first part. Click here for the second part.
Are you ready for Mantra Detox?
Mantra Detox! Part Trois.
In my prior posts on performing a spiritual detox with mantras, we established a theoretical framework as:
- Increase discipline and curb one’s desire for excess;
- Burn negative karma;
- Build character and Bhakti.
The first step was covered in the prior post as pursuing the blessings of Ganesha and Rama; the second was to pray to your chosen deity, or alternatively, use the Gayatri mantra to effect a karma burn.
Building character and Bhakti
What is Bhakti? Many have written excellent articles and deep theses on such a broad topic. For the purposes for simplicity, we can take it to mean spiritual devotion. How is this developed? One can say that Bhakti is the third step of spritual advancement; the prior two being intellectual introspection and study (Jnana), and physical preparation (the well known concept of Yoga).
One method I have previously highlighted is prayer to the ultimate Bhakta – Hanuman (click here). To flesh out the detail, however, a classical point of reference is the 11 point step-by-step method revealed by Sri Ramanuja, the well-known Rishi, outlined below:
- Abhyasa or practice of continuous thinking of God;
- Viveka or discrimination;
- Vimoka or freedom from everything else and longing for God;
- Satyam or truthfulness;
- Arjavam or straightforwardness;
- Kriya or doing good to others;
- Kalyana or wishing well-being to all;
- Daya or compassion;
- Ahimsa or non-injury;
- Dana or charity; and
- Anavasada or cheerfulness and optimism.
Each step is a vast ocean of explanation unto itself; for the purposes of brevity, I will leave the reader to pursue his/her own research.
Mantras for Effecting the Transformation of Character
Character is one again Hanuman’s strong point (click here for prior post). There are other options, however, for example through the grace of Lakshmi. Lakshmi is a goddess traditionally associated with material wealth. Yet wealth does not stop at materiality; it subtends far further into the wealth of knowledge, wisdom, ability and of course, wealth of character. For what is the worth of wealth without the wisdom to spend it?
In a prior post, the Shreem mantra was proposed as a powerful method of attracting abundance through the grace of Lakshmi. One further method is the Lakshmi Gayatri; see my post here for the details.
With these broad strokes one should be able to establish a firm foundation for development along the spiritual path once the poison of prior negative karmas and old useless thought patterns are shed.
Future posts will aim to elaborate on these points in more detail.
Comments and feedback are welcome. Follow me on Twitter @MantraYogi.
Durga Gayatri Mantra
Durga Devi - the key deity adored during Navaratri and one of the Divine Feminine trinity
Transliteration:
“Om Kaatyaayanaaya vidmahe
Kanyaakumaari dhiimahi
Tanno durgih pracodayaat“
(Semi-literal) Translation:
We know the daughter of Maharishi Kaataayana,
We meditate on the virgin girl.
May the unconquerable one inspire us.
Purpose:
- Removal of threats
- To reduce the malefic effects of Rahu
- To remove all defects of our character and our vices
The Original Mantra: the Pranava - OM
Swami Mantra Yogi 