Om dhoopam samarpyami
Om deepam darshyami
(Here “darshyami” is used rather than “samarpyami” to indicate that “I’m showing the lamp”, as opposed to “offering the lamp”.)
Om naivedyam samarpyami
Om tambulam samarpyami
Om pungiphalam samarpyami
When you make mental offerings, you can simply say, “Om dhoopam, deepam, naivedyam, tambulam, pungiphalam samarpyami .”
Step Twenty-Four
In this step, we perform mantra samskara . There is no real equivalent of the word samskara in English. Broadly translated, it could mean cultural values, upbringing or an act marking transformation. In Sanatana Dharma, there are 16 samskaras , important milestones, in the life of a human being that mark the beginning of a new chapter in a person’s life. The same courtesy is extended to the living energy of any mantra we invoke. Gayatri is no exception.
The mantra of Gayatri was cursed by Brahma, Vasishtha and Vishwamitra. So the primary samskara of Gayatri mantra is to absolve it from the curse of the sages (shaap vimochana ). To do so, chant the shaap vimochana mantra of Brahma, Vasishtha and Vishwamitra seven times each. If you cannot do seven times each, doing it thrice each will also do, but that’s the bare minimum. The mantras are provided in the appendix.
Please note that this book is written for those who are not initiated. If you are initiated into Gayatri mantra, you only have to do mantra samskara based on what your guru tells you. Usually, it’s done only on the first day – sometimes not even on the first day, but before the beginning of the sadhana. If you are not initiated into the Gayatri mantra, you’d have to do it every day.
Step Twenty-Five
The 25th step is mantra dhyanam . Now sometimes, in some sadhanas you have what we call a dhyana shloka, which is usually a verse that depicts the Devi – that talks about how your object of worship looks, what implements she carries, what kind of face she has, her physical appearance – so you can meditate on that form. If you want to keep it very simple, just chant your Gayatri mantra and let that be your dhyan shloka . Or you can go online, where you can find a myriad of images of Vedmata Gayatri. Pick the one that appeals to you, and meditate on that form in the beginning. If you are keen on using on the dhyana shloka , I’ve provided that in the appendix.
Step Twenty-Six
Now the good news: you are ready to do the chanting, mool mantra japa , step number 26, where you will pick up your beads and start chanting. You will chant based on the sankalpa you have taken, so if you had said, “I am going to chant ‘x’ number of times a day,” that’s what you will do. If you had said, “I’m only going to chant ‘x’ number of minutes a day,” then that’s what you will do.
I would like to remind you that consistency in chanting is extremely important.
Step Twenty-Seven
Once you have done the chanting, we show uttara mudra or post-japa handlocks. A couple of them may seem a bit complicated, but they aren’t. Eight handlocks are shown in this step. They are dhenu , gyanam , vairagya , yoni , shankha , pankaja , samhara , lingam and nirvana mudra (also known as samhara mudra).
In the olden days, teachers would make their students slog for years before they would teach mudras. Sometimes, a disciple would train for 12 years, yet the teacher would not instruct them on mudras at all. When we get something after much time, effort and energy, we usually value it. I have given you the mudras freely, but please don’t think that these mudras are casual gestures. Mudras represent a powerful method to aid the flow of energy.
Once you have done these, you just do the namaste mudra also known as anjali mudra. It is done in the standard namaste posture by joining both hands and bringing them to your chest.
Step Twenty-Eight
This step is called japa samarpana which means offering your chanting you just did. We have to offer the japa back to the deity we have been praying to, because we haven’t done this japa for us but for the welfare of all sentient beings. This higher sense of consciousness is required so you don’t just feel like you have become the object of your worship but also behave like one in the truest sense of the word.
I don’t deny that whenever most of us do sadhana , we do it because somehow we want to benefit from it. Yes, I as an individual want to benefit from my chanting, but remember that at a soul level, we are all interconnected. The more you flourish, the more I will gain – that’s the precept under which we function. The more everybody is enjoying themselves, the more I will enjoy myself.
There was once a farmer who had a cornfield, and every year he would distribute free seeds to all his neighbors. One day, his friends said to him, “Why do you spend so much money every year distributing free seeds? People never give you anything in return.”
“I do that because it benefits me.”
“How can it benefit you?”
“You see,” he replied, “when birds, bees and other insects carry pollen, they will always carry pollen from adjoining fields. If the fields around me have healthy corn, then the corn in my field is also going to be good, but if the corn in the fields around me is unhealthy, if it is infested with pests and so on, then I would also be affected. So, it is in my best interest to ensure that the farmers around me get good produce. When I give them good seeds, it helps me directly.”
In other words, we are all affected by karmic cross-pollination.
Most of our actions are usually performed for selfish reasons, that everything is geared towards my happiness, my fulfillment, my desires, my goals and my ambitions. This one karma of chanting, of calling out to the Divine, let this not be for me. For once, let me understand that this is for the welfare of all sentient beings, because if they are going to benefit from my actions, then clearly, I will benefit too.
With that in mind, we visualize the deity, Vedmata Gayatri. Mentally offer your chanting in the left hand of Devi. Visualize that Devi, Mother Gayatri, Mother Divine is there, and you have offered it in the left hand of Devi. You can simply say, “I hereby offer you all my japa .” It’s as if you are a child who has earned something, and are giving it to your parents for safekeeping – “Please, put it in a fixed deposit,” or the like. Now, chant,
Abhishta siddhim me dehi
sharanagata vatsale bhaktya
samarpaye tubhyam
japamevarcanam
That, “O Devi, I have done this japa with a pure intention; let that intention manifest. I am offering you all my japa .” In this way, you very smartly reinforce why you did the japa in the first place, and you have devoted all your japa to your deity. This is a crucial step. I always tell those whom I initiate that if you miss this step, your purushcharana is khandit – it’s broken.