Many Hindus adore the Divine by visiting temples or performing aarti, waving lamps, beating drums, and playing cymbals before a murti (idol). In this insightful article, Pujya Gurudev Anandmurti Gurumaa elucidates that for a yogi, God is not a mere statue. The Divine has no form or name; it is the unchanging, absolute existence. Yogis perform their worship differently—by stilling their mind in meditation and adoring the Atman, the pure and...
Modern life offers many comforts and technological advances, but often overlooks the most essential dimension—the human being. True joy doesn’t come from wealth or achievements but is naturally present in one who possesses clarity, peace of mind, and a healthy body. To acquire these qualities, uttering certain sacred sounds is a simple yet powerful method—the science of mantra yoga. In this article, revered Gurudev Anandmurti Gurumaa sheds light on the mind, mantra meditation, and the...
The practice of mantra japa has been one of the most enduring spiritual disciplines since ancient times. When done with faith and vigour, it quietens the mind and turns it inward. A point may come when japa ripens into effortless remembrance – or the mind may dissolve altogether into stillness and bliss. What follows are valuable pointers to deepen your sadhana and avail the true joy of mantra japa.
A common proverb says: “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” But meditative traditions teach the opposite – that emptying the mind of all content is essential. To reach this state of thoughtlessness, certain preparations must be made: cultivating a strong and healthy body, steady posture and the composure and resolve to face the mind’s ploys. With these in place, one can begin taking charge of the mind and experience the blissful stillness of dhyana.
The vagaries of the mind have been the same since time immemorial, as have its remedies. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna teaches us to still the mind and bring it inward. However, more than being just a mechanical practice, the path of meditation requires deep understanding and discriminative wisdom.
Today, the word meditation has become familiar to almost any common person, and various teachers offer a range of practices – sometimes for a costly reward. Yet, there are still many misconceptions about what meditation truly means. To embark on this wondrous journey of inner evolution, it is essential to understand the fundamentals: How do we define meditation, and why should we meditate?
A medical student whose goal is to become a fine doctor, he or she stays focussed on this target and puts in the required effort unceasingly for five to six years. He or she works hard, day and night as their eyes are set on the day they are awarded the coveted degree. The same is true for every worldly achievement-be it sports, arts, science, commerce, theatre and so on…success comes only with strong conviction and hard work.
A gyani (enlightened being) knows his true, ever-blissful ‘Self’. Thus, although he performs all actions, he is not dependent on the world for anything. He is blissfully content in his own ‘Self’. And only such a being can be the non-doer of actions and thus the non-bearer of its consequences. He is ever content with whatever that comes to him of its own accord, being equanimous in success and failure, and thus he is not bound despite performing actions....
When you chant Shiva mantra, your body should be still. Your spine, neck and head should be erect and your body should not be moving at all. You can begin by whispering the chant. Mantra is a sound vibration which will bring alterations in your brain and in the energy field of your body. By chanting Om Namaha Shivaya, you are not pleasing Lord Shiva but you are using this particular sound wave to create a state of mind...
India is a land with a long tradition of great masters and great yogis. And there are countless stories depicting their amazing lives and teachings. One such story is about a yogi from Maharashtra (in central India) called Changdev Maharaj. He entered a state of samadhi and stayed in that state for almost three hundred years. When he came out of samadhi, his age was almost four hundred years. Emerging from the cave, he asked the locals what year...
Meditation is the gateway to inner awakening. It is the door that opens up the possibility of self-realisation. It is the sword that destroys all ignorance forever. Imagine being free of all bondages and sufferings, not enslaved to anyone or anything, supremely happy and content, mind in perennial peace, having complete clarity of one’s real identity and the meaning of life being crystal clear…can there be anything more precious than this achievement in life? Can any worldly...
