Namaste Anon,

Here are a few quotes from: "In The Compnay Of The Holy Mother",
concerning Japa & prayer:


"Japa and austerities untie the knots of past misdeeds," Mother said. "But the Lord cannot be attained without love and devotion. Do you know what japa and the like are really meant for? They remove the influences of the senses."

"....The devotees who come nowadays simply keep on saying, 'Show us God.' They have no spiritual practice, no prayer, no austerity - and past sins must be many. These have to be removed step by step, and then only God can be seen. The moon in the sky is covered with clouds; wind will blow away the clouds; then only you can see the moon. Do the clouds scatter away all of a sudden? Exactly the same here. The karmas get exhausted slowly. When God is realized, he illumines the soul internally - one knows this internally."

"People who are worldy-minded cannot become detached. They are always complaining about their troubles."

One day many letters came from the disciples. I read them to Mother at evening. Hearing these, she remarked, "Do you see how different are the boys and how variously they express their desires? Some say, 'How dilligently I have been praying and making japa, and still there is no result.'

"Some have written about their troubles in life and their want, disease, sorrow, etc. I can no longer bear all this. I pray to the Master, 'Master, you yourself take care of them here and hereafter.' As a Mother what else can I say? How few want him in earnest! Where is that hankering?

"There is such a show of devotion and sincerity, but a few things of enjoyment quietens that hankering, and they say, 'How merciful He is!' When they ask, 'How is Radhu?' - that inquiry about Radhu comes first just to soften my mind. But when I close my eyes finally, nobody will even look at Radhu."

"The mind keeps well, when engaged in work. And yet japa, meditation, prayer also are specially needed. You must at least sit down once in the morning and again in the evening. That acts as a rudder to a boat. When one sits in meditation at evening, one gets a chance to think of what one has done - good or bad - during the whole day. Next one should compare the state of one's mind in the preceeding day and the present.

"Then one should meditate on one's chosen deity as one goes on making japa. In meditation the face of the chosen deity of course comes first; but one should meditate on the whole figure, starting from the feet upward. Unless you meditate in the mornings and evenings along with work, how can you know what you are actually doing?"

"Some, again, say," added I, "that work is of no avail; one can achieve one's end only through constant meditation."

"How did they know, what will be fruitful and what not?" asked Mother. "Does one get everything only by meditating for a few days? Nothing will be of any avail unless mahAmayA clears the way. Did you notice the other day, how one person trying hard at meditation, got his brain upset? If the head becomes unbalanced, then what remains?

"It is just like a screw being tight or loose. If a thread is too loose one becomes either mad or falls into the trap of mahA-mayA, and then considering oneself to be wise, one feels, 'I am all right.' Again, if the screw is tightened a bit the opposite way, then one is set on the right path and one gets peace and happiness."

Nahabat Guestbook features daily readings from: "In The Compnay Of The Holy Mother"

Web Admin,

This is most enlightening and has been running through my mind since I read it...

"There is such a show of devotion and sincerity, but a few things of enjoyment quietens that hankering, and they say, 'How merciful He is!' When they ask, 'How is Radhu?' - that inquiry about Radhu comes first just to soften my mind. But when I close my eyes finally, nobody will even look at Radhu."

Thank you for posting itl

It is my understanding that the mantra slowly acts to purify the aspirant.

Of course, Mother said the same thing here:

"Japa and austerities untie the knots of past misdeeds,"

Dear Anon,
Holy Mother has said, "Japat Siddhi, Japat Siddhi." Realization comes from the practice of Japa. As sister Rosemary has remarked, it slowly purifies the mind. The mantra coming from a realized soul has its own inherent power. Whether we realize it or not, Sri Fhanindra says that there is bound to be effect of Japa. There is a reaction somewhere in some form to the action of Japa. It doen't matter if the person is not moral. I am not but I have felt the effect of Japa, its ability to change one's personal environment, its calming effect, its reinvigorating powers and its saving aspect. Practice is required and patience. Gradually a groove will be etched in one's brain, the groove of a good habit that will, according to the books, (I being not yet old enough to practically experience it) stand one in good stead in old age which I hear can be lonely especially in western countries. Sustained practice of Japa gives one a personality of one's own and builds up again shattered confidence. Only one has to practice again and again and have patience. Holy Mother used to say that one is bound to have one's mind quieted by practising japa 10,000 times at a stretch at least. I have never done so. But practice of even one-third that number gives a feeling of well being and frankly speaking, one has the time for that. There is no question of lack of time but only of lack of will. I am a great lover of japa and even when I came to a state that I was not hearing what I was saying and I was chanting aloud the Guru mantra supposed to be not uttered at all but silently practiced without moving the tongue. It is said that the power of the japa declines on this rule being broken, I mean the tantric japa I was given, but I haven't found this to be true. Japa is almost like a beloved. One cannot be at ease without doing the minimum practice enjoined by the Guru. It is a divine addiction which I hope will in time free me from the baser addictions of sex, et al. I have only stated here some of my experiences and feeling after having practiced the Gayatri for almost 19 years and the Sri Ramakrishna mantra given by my gurudev for almost 12 years. I have no complaint against japa or questions about its efficacy though the results may not be as we desire. God always wills differently and for the greater good of all humanity.
Mantra used for selfish ends, which is used in Nalbari and Mayong in Assam especially, have their effects too but I think they ultimately boomerang on the person using them for low ends. Such mantras are of spirits and lower dieties generally, I feel. Japa of the Lord's Name is always productive of Good and helps one to die peacefully and with dignity, I have read and believe strongly.
A story in passing. There was a saint in North India. Once he gave his blood to a patient needing that particular blood group urgently. Afterwards, when the patient recovered he found that incessantly the chant of the name of the Lord was going on within him. That means the very marrow and blood of the saint's body was suffused with the mantra.
With regards and thanks,
Ankur

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Replying to:

I have read the the power of chanting the mantra is extremely powerful on its own accord. ie. If the mantra is chanted it will have effect.

However i wonder can this be true when the person chanting the mantra is not moral.Will it still have the same effect? will it have any effect?

Also at times people pray for something / someone they desire , even when it is not the right thing. For instance a man may pray to win a lawsuit even though he may not be in the right.

Does the mantra have effect in such cases?

Location: Guwahati, Assam, India