महामनुस्तवः

THE METHOD

With these basic requisites, if one follows the method one is sure of success. The method is external worship, or Mantra Sadhana culminating in inner contemplation and meditation. It is fashionable to decry external worship as a crutch for the limping novice. At the most it is considered as a concession granted to the handicapped beginner. But the real Tantric knows the importance of external worship. It is necessary at one stage or the other in the sadhana and afterwards it is carried on in some form or the other, though not in elaborate details throughout the course of the sadhana. The Tantra has great faith in the Spirit; but pins its faith to the material world as well, which the Spirit has created and pervaded. While gaining God one should not lose the world. The sadhana will remain partial if there is no link between the inner gains one makes and the outer life one leads. The link is supplied by external worship. It is powerful and effective and if done with the true consciousness, it intensifies devotion and stabilises the inner realisation in outer conditions. It gives a field for the manifestation of inner gains and makes the sadhana integral.

In the outer worship, the Divine Presence is sought in an image, in a sculptured stone of the temple or in the Sri Chakra, the Form-pattern of the Goddess. When properly installed, an image becomes a living Presence to the worshipper⁴⁷

Now coming to Mantra sadhana, it is true that the Mantra itself does the sadhana, especially when the Mantra is received in initiation from a Mantra Siddha. But the sadhaka has to nurture it constantly, by reliving the great moment of initiation. In all other cases, japa, slow, scarcely audible recital of the Mantra, backed up by attention should be undertaken to evoke the presence enshrined in the Mantra. But unfortunately in most cases Japa degenerates into a mechanical routine, a life-less repetition. The mouth goes on muttering while the rest of the being is engrossed in its own accustomed rounds. One should literally put one’s heart into the Japa of the Mantra if the Mantra has to respond as a living Presence. The Vedic Rishis call the Mantra as carved out of the heart, hrda yat tashtan mantran. The Mantra should actually rise from the depth of one’s heart and be accompanied by the four processes of call, surrender, prayer and waiting upon the Deity.

Just as a person would call another person by his name, the aspirant utters the Mantra from the heart and calls the Goddess to give him protection. The first obsession is fear and it is created by thinking of a second other than oneself. Fear is destroyed immediately by the Goddess extending her protection which acts like an armour around the being of the aspirant. When a call is made for protection, the aspirant is immediately wrapped in the Mother’s consciousness. But there is no use in calling if he does not know how to submit himself to the call. Again with the Mantra from the heart the aspirant surrenders his entire being to the enveloping consciousness.⁴⁸

Having got into this consciousness, if he has to retain it, he has to reject all that opposes this state. He has no power to do this by himself. He has to seek the help of the Goddess. There is a veil of illusion thrown over his eyes preventing him from seeing the true nature of things. With the Mantra welling up from his heart, he begs of the Goddess, prays to her to remove the veil from his eyes, so that he becomes enabled to see without any illusion all her verities⁴⁹

Then the aspirant looks within himself where everything is covered by the darkness of ignorance. With the Mantra from the heart he approaches the Goddess and waits upon her in adoration in order that the darkness inside him may be removed. Upasana literally means having one’s seat near.” The secret of upasana is to approach the Divine and wait upon it in adoration with-out impatience for the transformation to come in due course.⁵⁰

A Mantra sadhana so done leads the aspirant gradually to the path of meditations.