Make A Wish
When things get really challenging, do you ever feel like you could just make a wish and everything would magically be all right?
If so, you wouldn’t be the only one.
What if I were to tell you that there is actually something like that available to you and all humans on this planet?
You probably wouldn’t believe me.
The ancient eastern spiritual tradition of Bhakti Yoga has it all worked out. The best thing is, that it was designed to assist people like you and me who may be having a hard time on our dear but challenged planet.
If you ever despair about your planet earth experience, wondering “is this all there is?”, but deep down feel that there is something more, then you would be right.
There is much, much more.
Where We Really Belong
The ancient sages who recorded the Bhakti Yoga teachings in writing long ago, knew that life for us could get tough, and being wise and just, simply wanted to help us out.
Therefore we now have the teachings of Bhakti Yoga, through many texts, including the ‘Bhagavad Gita As It Is’, translated into 75 languages and readily available to everyone today. See the Bookshelf to access your own copy.
The reason I mention this is that contrary to popular belief, distress is as normal an experience for humans as is happiness, that also comes at different times.
Life was sometimes meant to be tricky.
There is a philosophical reason behind this which the ancient Bhakti Yoga texts outline.
In brief summary, it is a way of getting us to realise that as spirit souls, we do not belong here. We belong in a place that is more suited to the pure and blissful nature of the spirit soul that we are.
Unfortunately due to the covering of the physical body and the laws of karma, it is easy to forget our true nature so then we feel the suffering and also the happiness at times, of being an embodied soul.
The Breakthrough
The embodied soul comes back to the material reality life after life, until there is a spiritual breakthrough.
This breakthrough is what I’m here to talk about.
The fabulous thing about all of our distress is that there is a point to it and a permanent solution to it.
You may think that being human is pretty ok (or not!), but what if I told you that you are something infinitely superior to a human being.
You are a spirit soul, and in the place where you actually belong (not planet earth!), you have a spiritual body to match.
Stay with me on this.
When the basic Bhakti Yoga philosophical premise is accepted that you are not this body but you are a spirit soul, things start to make complete sense.
Please see my Welcome to New Heart New World Blog and my What is Bhakti Yoga? Blog for more detail.
The Practice
Living in our current bodies we do what we can to stay strong and healthy, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Similarly, when you understand that you are a spirit soul, you naturally want to do things to nourish and strengthen your identity.
The soul also needs attention and food -
just like the body does, but it needs soul food.
Healthy, nourishing food for the soul is found in the Bhakti Yoga lifestyle.
As with any spiritual lifestyle, meditation is key.
The foundational aspect of this ancient and blissful lifestyle is mantra meditation with the daily chanting of a sacred mantra.
This chanting, along with the Bhakti Yoga lifestyle, comprises the spiritual breakthrough I just spoke about.
It is a spiritual breakthrough because it does just that - it breaks through the seemingly impenetrable barriers of material life, and delivers you to true spiritual fulfilment.
The Maha Mantra
It is not just any sacred mantra by the way, but it is the Maha Mantra (the Great mantra).
Contained within this sublime mantra is the name of Krishna (God) and His divine feminine counterpart (referred to in the mantra as Hare, pronounced, Har - e).
The layers and depth of meaning that come from this sublime combination of syllables is profound and serves only to make the chanting of this particular mantra more relishable.
The benefits of Sacred Maha Mantra Meditation are countless and include:
• Relief from anxiety
• Reduction or elimination of your experience of suffering
• Problem solving made easy
• Increase in general wellbeing
• Prevailing feeling of peacefulness
• Source of profound inspiration
• Positive transformation of the heart
• Increase in compassion to all living beings
• Realisation of your true spiritual identity
• Increase in faith in the process of Bhakti Yoga - because it works!
• Development of all good qualities
• Deepening of your relationship with Krishna
Some of these effects are immediate, and others are experienced over time, when chanting the mantra becomes part of a long term daily spiritual practice, as it purifies the heart with its potency.
It is the true pain killer of our times because it targets the root cause of your heartache - your souls’ disconnection from its source, Krishna.
In this way a loving relationship is again established between you and Krishna.
The most fabulous thing is that the chanting is so sweet, it tastes like spiritual candy. Of course over time the sweetness is distilled to a more and more intense experience.
And you don’t have to wait another second. You can start right now.
The Maha Mantra is comprised of 32 syllables as follows:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare.
The essential meaning of the mantra is an appeal to the feminine energy of Krishna, the one who knows him best, to be engaged in His service.
Hare = Krishna’s divine feminine energy
Krishna = The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Rama = Krishna, the source of all pleasure
It is a real love story if ever there was one in the form of the epic story of Krishna reuniting with His beloved devotee, which is you, the spirit soul.
You are part of this story.
The mantra can be chanted individually on a personal set of chanting beads and it can also be sung to many beautiful melodies in the form of Kirtan, another form of Maha Mantra meditation.
Listen to the Maha mantra being chanted here and for more examples of variations of the Maha Mantra and other mantras chanted and sung.
If you would like to know more about Bhakti Yoga, check out the Bhakti Yoga Bookshelf for first hand exposure and information on the philosophy and practice of Bhakti Yoga. It’s a good place to start the Bhakti Yoga magic.
Feel free to check out my other blogs for more information.
You can find a lot more concise information by checking out my educational videos containing secrets of the ancient, timeless knowledge of Bhakti Yoga - literally at your fingertips.
If you would like these blogs delivered directly to your inbox, you may like to subscribe.
If you would like to explore how you can incorporate Bhakti Yoga into your life in a balanced and harmonious way, and feel you would benefit from one on one support, you are welcome to book a free discovery session with myself, Rasika Manjari.
You may also like to visit a Bhakti Yoga Centre near you, one of the international branches of ISKCON (International Society of Krishna Consciousness.) to speak to a local, experienced Bhakti Yoga Practitioner and receive ongoing personal guidance and to immerse yourself fully in the Bhakti Yoga experience.
See you at the New World.
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