What is Tratak Sadhana? Part 2: The Benefits
Tratak is an advanced technique. Seek the help of a Guru before starting its practise.
This post continues from the prior article on Tratak – click here to read.
The benefits are many
The point of tratak is to ultimately still the mind and use the resulting concentration to access soul power within.
Aside from improved focus, mental acuity and memory, other notable benefits are:
- Precognition. One may experience such heightened levels of perception that your observation skills border on precognition. IE – you can almost read someone’s thoughts or know what they are about to say before they say it. This occurs because the mind is usually attempting to process more information from your 5 senses continuously than is usually possible. Most of the time it must ‘delete’ the majority of this information flowing in and just focus on the relevant details. With the practice of tratak, one starts to delete less and absorb more.
- Influence. Your powers of influence improve as you can no only ‘read’ people better, your added awareness and mental acuity give rise to greater levels of confidence. In combination these two factors allow you to improve your oration abilities, stick to the strength of your convictions and therefore much more easily influence others.
- Siddhis. The advanced practitioner of tratak can reach the stage where their cognitive abilities can access the subtle realms of existence and channel divine power to manifest siddhis (when used in conjunction with mantras); the easiest being clairvoyance, remote vision, psychic communication, etc.
Navaratri 2011: Victory is upon us; don’t stop now!
Celebrate Victory over Internal Evils at the end of Navaratri!
Navaratri day 9/10
Depending on your calendar, you will either be preparing for the final night of Navaratri or celebrating Dasami – the day good triumphs over a lingering evil.
For those who maintained an intense sadhana (spiritual practices) over Navaratri as a whole, the experience should have been cathartic.
It is not uncommon for one to see a vision of the Goddess in a dream or experience some good gesture or news at the end of the period in acknowledgement that the powers that be have listened and blessed you!
But what next?
Do not feel that mantra yoga sadhana ends with the final day of Navaratri; in fact it only begins!
The process of purification is over, one would have achieved the blessings of the Devi and moreover developed a clear idea of what the practices and methods are. It is an ideal time to set yourself the 40 day challenge – click here for details.
So don’t delay and make a committment today to undergo a lifechanging transformation through mantra yoga!
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Navaratri 2011: Make your Life Shine! Worship Surya through Gayatri
Illuminate your Life - pray to the Sun
Sun worship is not primitive
Sun worship is as old as time. From the very origins of mankind, people realised that the Sun is the controlling and sustaining principal on planet Earth.
Worshipping the Sun is by no means a primitive technology. The Sun emits a multitude of rays; some seen, but the majority of which lie well beyond the visual spectrum of humans – beyond infrared and ultraviolet.
More than light
Beyond these still are the spiritual rays of illumination emitted by the being powering the sun itself. Although this is a crude metaphor, the point is the Sun embodies the very spirit of the Paramatma (The Supreme Soul).
How so? To understand this, we must ask – what is Godliness? Giving and never taking back, unconditionally nourishing and lighting the path for all of us perhaps? Is that not exactly what the Sun does daily for us?
Let us give thanks
The deity behind the Solar disc has many levels of interaction with humans. We have already covered the physical attributes (warms our bodies and the earth plane, lights our path during the day, illuminates our night by reflection off the moon etc) and the highest level (Paramatma) , but there are many gradients in between.
In puranic lore, and indeed the Mahabharata, the Sun appears as one of the Devas. In the Ramayana interestingly, He is worshipped as so much more! One can search the term ‘Aditya Hrudayam’ to read about, hear and understand the prayer that Rishi Agastya initiated Rama into to help him bring the battle with Ravana to a gripping finalé. I would recommend this site: http://www.agasthiar.org/a/ah.htm (click here to access).
Drink in the attributes of the Sun!
The Gayatri Maha Mantra is the supreme salutation of the Sun. It is said that one who fully understands the 24 syllables of the Gayatri mantra is on par with the Brahmarishis (The highest classification of Rishi, or holy person, in Hindu cosmology).
One such attribute is the ability to shine. Not just in physical terms (although this is also possible as one of the siddhis of the Gayatri Maha Mantra is to control prana and cause a physical glow or tejas to appear around oneself), but also in terms of your speech, actions and thought.
Navaratri is the ideal time to start chanting the Gayatri
The essence, embodiment and energy or shakti (power) behind the Gayatri Maha Mantra is the Goddess Gayatri. Worshipping the Divine Feminine over Navaratri is conducive to multiples of mantra japa over any other part of the year.
Give yourself this gift and start chanting today!
Navaratri 2011: Ward off Black Magic with Three Mantras!
Under attack from Black Magic? Put on the Armour of Mantra!
The Left Hand of God
Many believe that the use of mantra can be for evil and unholy purposes. There is some truth to this. Just like the mind and your life is malleable under the pressure of karma burn and mantra recitation to yield positive effects, others may seek to exert a negative influence. There are many influences in the Ramayana and the Mahabharat of the forces of evil employing such tactics.
But let’s not get paranoid!
There is no need to turn paranoid and assume that minor negative developments at work, college, events etc are the influence of Black Magic! For the ordinary person, it is highly unlikely you will ever encounter forces so sinister – particularly if living abroad. It is more than likely this is simply the effect of (1) bad karma catching up with you! (2) plain bad luck (3) malefic effects of planetary junctures. All of these have simple cures and specific mantras.
Peace, spiritual development and protection possible with mantras
However, for one’s peace of mind (and incidentally significant spiritual development), three powerful and well documented mantras are presented in this article to counter-act and provide excellent protection.
1. Under attack? Wear Armour!
Since medieval times, mankind has known that the soft and fallible body can be protected by something harder and stronger. Historically, this has evolved from hides and leathers to iron to bronze to kevlar and the latest lightweight bullet-proof vests.
But what about for attacks of the subtle body? One uses a spiritual armour: a kavach! Kavach literally translates to armour. There are stotras (hymns) to every deity under (and including!) the Sun for the purposes of kavach. Just put a deity’s name and the word kavach into a search engine and see what comes up!
I personally prescribe the Kanda Sashti Kavach – a stotra to Lord Skanda – click here for more details on Skanda. It is composed in Tamil; a language as Ancient as Sanskrit. If one does not understand, you can always search for a google translation.
I am told there is a wonderful rendition on YouTube. I will post this to my Online Mantra collection shortly – click here to access it – on my blog.
This stotra has terrific mantra-shakti (ie equivalent power to that of a mantra). It is recommended to recite this 36x in one day to become untouchable. I prefer to listen to it as I am not versed in Tamil. You can too!
2. Pray to Hanuman
Since Ancient times, Hanuman has been known as a powerful deity to ward away evil and black magic. See my prior post by clicking here for mantras to Hanuman. I would also recommend the Hanuman Chalisa. I have posted a link to an excellent rendition on my blog – click here to access it.
3. Pray to Durga at this ideal time of Navaratri!
Durga is the original destroyer of evil. She is a deity invoked by the Gods for the very destruction of all demonic forces which rampaged over heaven and earth in Ancient Times.
Navaratri is the absolute IDEAL time to invoke her to do the same for you.
Do not forget that she is not by any means limited to something so trivial – she will bless you with every positive development in your life hence forth. Indeed, spiritual, physical, mental, psychological, intellectual and social transformations all can happen over night by the praise of Durga over Navaratri.
She will defeat both the demons in the outside world and importantly, those within.
Don’t delay! Click here to find out how to start chanting to a better life.
Other key Navaratri articles:
<< Click here to read the Navaratri Sadhana guide. >>
<< Click here to see my collection of audio files if you feel you cannot recite the mantras accurately. >>
<< Click here to see the 3 Key Mantras for Devis over Navaratri.>>
Navaratri 2011: Take the Mantra Challenge!
Don't miss the Golden Opportunity that is Navaratri to chant mantras!
Night 5/6 of Navaratri
Navaratri is quickly progressing! Use this golden time to gain the grace of the Divine Feminine or Devi!
Laghu Anusthan is the preferable method
A popular sadhana (undertaking of religious practices for a fixed period) is to chant a number of malas (rosaries’) of a given mantra over the 9 days of Navaratri. 27 malas (or 108×27) over 9 days is considered a short form of sadhana (called a laghu anusthan – find out more by clicking here).
Whilst the time for the full 9 day sadhana has passed, the period of Navaratri is so powerful that the Devi will give you the partial benefit without observing such a strict regime.
The 40 day challenge awaits YOU!
Let’s go one step further – I challenge everyone reading this post who are interested to take part in a small challenge. This is particularly useful for those people that either felt that they have no time to embark on such a journey, those that feel that the conditions of sadhana are too strict, and those that just dont know how!
Step 1: Choose a mantra
Step 2: Estimate how much time/how many times you can chant this mantra DAILY – not once a week or a month. The routine must be daily and without break.
Step 3: HALVE the number that you decided above. Why? Let’s be realistic and avoid excuses!
Step 4: Begin IMMEDIATELY!
Fine print: OK, so there’s no such thing as a free lunch! Forgive me for inserting this clause into the ‘contract’ above, but please add this one thing to your sadhana: Pray for those that are struggling to even start, to find a way!
Act now!
Start chanting NOW to see dramatic and miraculous positive changes in your life! Life does not wait, does not inform you of what’s around the corner and does not consult you before changes are made. Neither should you.
What to chant?
Three key mantras were given in my prior post (click here to see it) – but again, lets not use this as an excuse to not start. Chant ANY mantra you choose, any number of times for significant and immediate benefits! Just be regular, sincere and focused in your prayer and the Devi will take care of the rest!
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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!
Navaratri 2011: How to Super-Charge your Prayers!
The Gayatri Mantra is a potent method of raising your Yogi Power before Sadhanas
Navaratri: A Golden Opportunity: Part 4
Depending on your calendar, we are now in the second or third day of Navaratri. As part of my ongoing series, this post highlights how and why a mantra chanted in combination with the Gayatri Maha Mantra has a very potent effect.
See the prior parts here:
Why do this?
In essence, the Gayatri mantra is like the energy and stamina you must build before running a race – be it a marathon or a sprint. Once a Gayatri Maha mantra sadhana is complete, one may then commence other mantra sadhanas to Super-Charge you toward your original goal!
How does it work?
It is obvious that prayer to any form of the Divine Feminine over Navaratri is extremely beneficial but the point to make is the Gayatri Maha mantra is fundamentally a prayer to the sun in its supreme form. The sun is the source of all our energy in one form or another, and sustains all life on our planet. Gayatri is known as Vedamata, the essence of all the Vedas, and the embodiment of the Supreme Paramatma. Prayer to such a deity allows you to easily draw upon the power of the divine.
In addition, there are no restrictions on chanting the Gayatri Maha mantra, be it gender, caste or race, or even time. All sadhanas based on the Gayatri Mantra will always provide benefits; even if incomplete.
Finally, one may take the Gayatri Mantra itself as your Guru. The mantra is based on the light of the sun; Guru translates to dispeller of darkness – the Gayatri Mantra itself will show you the way toward your enlightenment. Whilst a vague statement, the realities are that:
- the right people will come to instruct you
- you will find yourself at the right place at the right time for all major events of your life
- doors will open toward opportunity
- mental focus, concentration and one-pointedness will all improve
Ideally, one starts their sadhana once empowered by the energy of the Gayatri Maha mantra for maximum effects.
However, although we are now in the third day of Navaratri, even the partial benefits of mantra chanting, devotional offerings like pooja, signing hymns, fasting and visiting the temple (in any combination) for the remaining days and nights will all have a profound and significant impact on the course of events in your life.
So act now!
Navaratri 2011: A Golden Opportunity: Ishta Devatas
This article is part of an ongoing series on Navaratri 2011.
Navaratri is not just to praise the Devi
Navaratri is held exclusive to the worship of the Divine Mother; there are no restrictions on continuing to worship or newly choosing an Ishta Devata (Favoured Deity) to begin a mantra sadhana.
Indeed, it is not uncommon to complement the worship of each Devi (Durga, Saraswathi and Lakshmi) with their consorts, or corresponding male principal (Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu).
There are powerful benefits in such a combined sadhana in seeking such a balance.
Please feel free to add your own experiences, comments and personal sadhanas below.
Navaratri 2011: A Golden Opportunity: Three Key mantras for Sadhana
The Divine Feminine Trinity: Lakshmi, Durga, Saraswathi
Great benefits are available! Act fast!
As mentioned in my previous post (click here), Navaratri is a time of great spiritual significance in the Hindu Calendar. The power of the Devi’s divine blessings are easily available to help anyone who asks for Her grace!
3 key Gayatri mantras
Here are some key mantras for sadhana over the 9 nights. They are all Gayatri mantras of the deities in question; such mantras can be recited by anyone, even without specific Guru initiation. However, I would caution that pronunciation and intonation are key for the full effect.
The first 3 nights of Navaratri involve prayer to Durga. Click here for the Durga Gayatri.
The second 3 nights of Navaratri are dedicated to Lakshmi. Click here for the Lakshmi Gayatri.
The third trio is focused on the worship of Saraswathi. Indeed, many Hindus perform a specific pooja to Saraswathi devi on the nineth night. Click here for he Saraswathi Gayatri mantra. There are also other prayers to Saraswathi here.
Attempt a mini-anusthan
It is typical over this period that a mini-anusthan is conducted (24,000 chants of a specific mantra) with a specific wish (sankalpa) in mind, although in general, you should target what is manageable and realistic with the goal of completing your sadhana in full by the end of Navaratri to see the full benefits of your mantras.
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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
The Original Mantra: the Pranava - OM
Swami Mantra Yogi 