There are some Mantras which are intensively purgatory in nature. These mantras purge you of your past karmas, attachments and whatever stands in the way of your achieving salvation. But to the ordinary person who is still attached to material things, the process of purging will come as a shock. Many people after practicing these Mantras complain that bad things are happening in their life like loss of a job, estrangement with close relatives, friends, loss of material things etc. etc. What they fail to understand is that this is a way of paying your karmic debts and getting rid of attachments.
In the case of all Mantras this sort of things happen. I know a person who received initiation from the Swamiji in Ramakrishna math. But he had so many problems that he approached the Math for giving up his Mantra. I do not know what happened there. But what I do know is that he went all the way to Varanasi from Kerala to give up his Mantra. The changes brought about by Mantra japa or meditation may not be always acceptable to the family and friends. I find parents complaining about the effect of mantra on their children and colleagues complain about the effect on their co-workers. In Mantra Sasthra, which is Tantrik, there are no Saguna or Nirguna Mantras. This division is Vedantic. Even the division of Spiritual and non-spiritual mantras is artificial.
The path to the ultimate is not an easy one.
In the words of Swami Yatiswarananda (Meditation and Spiritual Life - Ramakrishna math. Bangalore)
"Spiritual evolution at first brings great suffering to the aspirant, not happiness. In the intermediate stages his life becomes very difficult. Then he has no longer any real interest in what he has in the world, and cannot yet obtain self-realisation, which is still beyond his reach. It is just like hanging in mid-air without being able to go up or down. "Again in Swamiji's words
" We should look upon it as a great fortune that, for some reason or the other, our mind possesses an attraction for the higher and eternal things, and should see that we steadily and gradually proceed along the higher path, never flagging till we reach the goal. Our spiritual fervour is to be maintained, but we very often run the risk of becoming slack. Thus spiritual striving stops in most people after they have taken to the spiritual life for a certain time. Their minds are too restless and too outgoing to keep up this spiritual fervour and intensity for a long time, and to go on steadily and doggedly with their spiritual practice, reading, and studies. So we should be on our guard. Dogged tenacity is the one thing needed for spiritual life. All progress can only be had through great steadiness and tenacity, never allowing ourselves to flag or to become lukewarm. "In India where we are very fond of our mad monks, such people who do not seem normal are accepted. I know of many seekers in all margas who cannot be called normal by the strict definition of normalcy. We call them God Crazy. But tolerance and acceptance is part of the Indian psyche. I have known many Sanskrit scholars, mathematicians, and religious people who would have been committed to an institution in other countries. I do not understand why there are more crazy professors in Sanskrit and mathematics whereas we rarely find one in Economics.
But then in this crazy world everyone is crazy. Power crazy, Money crazy, Fame crazy or God crazy.
Jai MAA !!!
Sankar
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