The Glory of Mantra-Diksha

1. Man cannot live by bread alone; but he can live repeating the Name of the Lord alone.

2. A Yogi crosses the ocean of Samsara by his Chitta-vritti-nirodha, controlling the modifications that arise in the mind; a Jnani by his Brahmakara-Vritti (by raising the pure thought of Infinity); and a Bhakta by doing Nama-Smarana. There is no end of Lord’s powers.

3. The Name of the Lord has a very great power. It brings you face to face with the Supreme Being and makes you realise your oneness with the Infinite and the whole world at large. It bestows immortality. Feel the wonderful and infinite power the Name of the Lord possesses and chant His Name constantly. Time is fleeting. The best way to utilise it is to remember Him, to chant His Name, sing His glories and meditate on Him.

4. The Name of Rama turns impossible into possible. It was by the glory of Rama-Nama that the stones floated in water, and the bridge, the Setu over the sea, was built by Sugriva and his companions at Rameshvaram. It was Rama-Nama that cooled Prahlada, when he was thrown into a conflagration of fire.

5. Any Name of the Lord is nectar. It is sweeter than sugar-candy. It is the essence of the Vedas. Amrita came out, in days of yore, during the process of the churning of the ocean by the Devas and the Asuras. Even so by churning the four Vedas, the Name of Rama, the nectar, was brought out to quench the three kinds of Taapa (affliction) of the ignorant Jivas. Drink it again and again by constant repetition, just as Valmiki did in days long gone by.

6. The world without Hari-Sankirtana is only a burial ground.

7. Japa is a very great purifier. It checks the force of the thought-current moving towards objects and forces the mind to move towards God.

8. Japa eventually helps in obtaining Darshan of God. The Mantra-Chaitanya is hidden in every Mantra.

9. Japa reinforces the Sadhana-Sakti of the Sadhaka. It makes him morally and spiritually strong.

10. The vibration produced by the chanting of a Mantra corresponds to the original vibration that arose from Hiranyagarbha.

11. The rhythmical vibration produced through Japa regulates the unsteady vibrations of the five sheaths.

12. Japa changes the mind-stuff from worldliness to spirituality, from Rajas and activity to Sattva and illumination.

13. The Name of the Lord is an inexhaustible storehouse of spiritual knowledge.

14. Even mechanical repetition of a Mantra plays a great part in the evolution of the soul. Even a simple parrot-like repetition of a Mantra, too, is beneficial. It has got its own effect.

Swami Chidananda