All roads lead to the same destination called liberation. What is ‘Atma Vichara’. Contemplating in order to realize the Self. This may be done, either through Bhakti or Jnaana. In either case, the end result is the same. In the other paths, you take some effort and then wait for God’s grace. In Bhakti, you depend only on the grace of God and nothing else. That makes Bhakti an easier way to attain the end-state.
Let me give you an illustration for better understanding.
A hungry person arrives at a house. The householder welcomes him and feeds him with cooked food, and his hunger is immediately appeased.
In the second case, when a hungry person enters a house, he is accorded a welcome and given the stove , rice, vegetables, utensils and other cooking materials required to prepare the food. This person has to prepare it all by himself and then partake of the food.
The former instance can be likened to the path of Bhakti, where God take care of you.
The latter instance can be likened to the path of Jnaana, where you are required to put in effort in order to attain the goal.
In the case of Jnana Marga, the lord shows you the path to attain the goal, while in Bhakti, He verily takes you to the destination.
By chanting the Mahamantra, you are having God Himself take you to the destination.
MAHAMANTRA
Is chanting Gayathri Mantra enough, instead of chanting Mahamantra? When I go to satsang, I chant the Mahamantra. But, personally when I am in my room, I chant Gayathri Mantra.
There are rules and regulations to chant the Gayathri Mantra. They require appropriate ‘Nyasa’s . It mandates purity and cleanliness in all respects. You can chant the Gayathri Mantra only while sitting or standing. You cannot chant it while moving about. Unlike Gayathri Mantra, Mahamantra can be chanted at any time and any place with absolutely no restrictions at all.
Hence, whenever you are pure and clean, and find the appropriate time and place, chant the Gayathri Mantra. At all other times, chant the Mahamantra.
I hear that the Mahamantra is from the Kali Santarana Upanishad. Hence, is it okay to chant it anywhere without any conditions, or are there rules associated with chanting these? I am asking this because I have heard that Veda mantras have strict rules.
Unlike the other Veda Mantras, the Mahamantra has absolutely no rules and restrictions.
During the Japa of Mahamantra should I concentrate my mind on my soul?
You would not know the exact location of the soul. Hence you will not be able to concentrate on the soul. Hence, during the Japa, concentrate on your mind.
I am chanting maha mantra and following a normal life. How long will it take to attain the Lord? I want to know whether these sufferings will be there in my whole life.
You are already one among the blessed few, picked by the Lord Himself. Don’t get bogged down by any troubles or sufferings on your path. It might be a test for your devotion and faith on the Almighty. Hold on to the Maha Mantra strongly and continue to chant it with the same love and devotion. A sparkling bright future awaits you if you remain steadfast in your chanting.
Mahamantra has done a lot of good to me and takes me on the right path. These days, I cannot stand the negative attitude of people around me, and this is intolerable. Is this because of the Mahamantra?
When you progress in spirituality, your mind becomes more sensitive day by day. There are a lot of negative things around us. The mind tries to observe all these negativities. What you have to do is, try to neglect such observations and do more and more Japa. It will be alright slowly.
Does the Rama Nama in the Mahamantra denote Lord Ramachandra or Balarama?
It denotes both of them.
Can Mahamantra be written (like Rama Nama)?
Definitely. Do it.
We are chanting the Maha Mantra for one of my friend’s problems. But we are not able to concentrate because I am depressed about their state and they are crestfallen because of their problems too. An elderly family person keeps watching TV as we chant Nama and the cacophony disturbs our concentration. How do we correct this person?
When you perform Nama Kirtan, others’ condition will disturb you. But you should not give too much importance to that and continue with your Nama Kirtan. Faith is very important. Even if others influence us against chanting the Maha Mantra, we should not lose that confidence. In the same way, others will also try to disturb and distract us because of their noisy worldly affairs. Initially it will be difficult to gain the concentration, but over time, the Lord will give us the required concentration. We can also chant on behalf of them so that Bhagavan Sri Krishna gives them also the required devotion and faith in the Divine Name.
Is it right to Chant the Maha Mantra using the Japa Mala or we should chant it like the Kirtan?
You can chant the Maha Mantra either way. Whether you perform Nama Kirtan or chant it with japa mala, you should do it with love and devotion. That is the most important criteria.
