Japa

Japa

जप, japa

"muttering", "whispering"

Long repetition of mantra, with or without rosary beads. There are various ways to perform japa:

• daily repetition of mantra, for many years or for a lifetime (as nitya sadhana);
• in purashcharana, to achieve mantra-siddhi, following certain rules, and a given number of times (the total number of repetitions depends on the mantra itself);
• during festivals such as Mahashivaratri, Navaratri, Deities Jayanti as an expression of love and reverence for Devata.

In the book "Introduction to Natha Yoga" by Mahanta Avedyanath, it is said:

[Japa is] the recitation of the divine name, performed as often and continuously as possible, mentally and aloud, with deep devotion. It is necessary to believe that the divine name is a living speech incarnation of God, and the repetition of the name supports the awareness of the constant presence of God. To practice japa, one must specifically choose one of His holy names. The name received from Guru is endowed with special energy.

There are following levels of japa:

1. Vachaka – japa, pronounced aloud, it is audible to others when pronounced;
2. Upamshu – japa in a half-whisper when only sadhaka hears it;
3. Manasika – only mental repetition when the mind is empty, despite the superficial recitation of the mantra in the mind;
4. Ajapa-japa – when mantra is continuously held in consciousness or becomes one with consciousness.

It is believed that upamshu is three times more powerful than vachaka, and manasika is three times stronger than upamshu.

There are mantras pronounced in chant, where svaras (tones) are used, it is believed that they affect various centers of the subtle body, for example, Vedic mantras may belong to this category of mantras. But they are quite complex, they can only be taught by very good Sanskrit masters. Vaidika mantras and some tantric ones are difficult to get hold of oneself without a very experienced Guru.

It is highly desirable that the mantra be transmitted from a competent Guru, a devotee of the Tradition and his Teachers since, in most cases, the Deity is transmitted only in this way – when transmitting mantra. This happens when the realized state is directly transmitted, in the form of a "seed" that sadhaka "cultivates" during the daily sadhana.

The performance of japa is facilitated by pranayama and performance of nyasas, which ensure the integration of deity’s energy structure into sadhaka’s energy, which enhances the effect of reading japa.

"Vijnana-bhairava tantra" says that real japa is meditation on living energy in the form of pulsation, spandana, and the goal of all japas is to come to this vibration, awareness of the Deity’s energy.