Greatness of Panchakshara Mantra Continued

Ishvara said

Fair-faced one, even if japa is done to obtain instruction, without instructions, kriya, faith and dakshina it is fruitless. If the instructions and kriyas are successful, with dakshina and devotion to me, the great fruit of siddhi is gained through this mantra. One should approach a guru, a brahmana acharya who knows the truth, who has virtuous qualities and is devoted to japa, meditation and yoga. With pure feeling one must work to satisfy him, pleasing him in thought, word and deed. The brahmana must make every effort to worship the acharya. If he has the wealth, he should devoutly give the guru elephants, horses, chariots, jewels, fields, houses, ornaments, clothes, grain and riches. If he wants siddhi for himself, he must not be deceitful with wealth. After this he must give himself and all he has to the guru. In this way, by the norms and as he can, he should serve the guru without deceit. In time he will receive the mantra and knowledge from the guru. If pleased with the worship, the guru will let the disciple live with him for a year, serving him without ego. On an auspicious day he will be made to bathe and fast, and bathed again with a pot full of ghee, water sanctified with mantras and other pure things, so that he is purified. He will be adorned and wear excellent garments, fragrances and garlands. Auspicious blessings are spoken and brahmanas worshipped. An auspicious spot is chosen on an ocean shore, a river bank, a cow pen or temple, or a pure place in the house. The time and tithi must ensure siddhi, free of all faults, with an auspicious conjunction of stars. Favouring him, the guru follows the norms and bestows knowledge on him. Very pleased, the guru carefully pronounces the letters with the right sound, then has the disciple repeat the excellent mantra. He says, "Let everything be auspicious for you, beautiful for you, pleasant for you." Having given the mantra, the guru then gives the instructions that follow.

Having received the mantra and the guru's leave, he will control himself. Saying the mantra first, he takes a vow to do japa daily. As long as he lives he will do japa a thousand and eight times each day. A person who is single-minded in this way and pursues nothing else reaches the supreme goal. One who lovingly does japa four hundred thousand times, restraining himself and eating only at night, is known as a Pourashcharanika. Having finished purashcharana, if he goes on with japa every day, he has no equal on earth. Having become a siddha, he gives siddhi to others. After bathing he sits in an auspicious spot, binding his mind to pleasant things. In his heart he thinks of you and me, and of his own guru. Seated, he faces north or east, single-minded and silent. He purifies the five tattvas subject to burning and flooding. With the mantra he does nyasa and makes his body fit. Controlling prana and apana, he meditates on our two images. He remembers the learning: its place, form, rishi, metre, deity, bija-shakti and expression. Remembering these, he does japa of the panchakshara. Those versed in the agamas say japa in the mind is best, japa in an inaudible voice is middling, and japa spoken aloud is the lowest. The best deity is Rudra, Vishnu is middling and Brahma lowest. When the syllables are uttered in high, low or middle pitch, clear or unclear, the mantra's words are spoken aloud, and this is japa aloud. When the tongue throbs and there is a slight utterance that others may or may not hear, that is the inaudible voice. When the row of syllables is only in the mind and one thinks of the meanings of letters and words, that is japa in the mind. If the worth of spoken japa is one, the inaudible is a hundred and the mental is said to be a thousand. When it is sagarbha the benefits are a hundred times more, and japa with pranayama is called sagarbha. At the start or at the end, even agarbha pranayama is praised. After forty rounds of pranayama he must understand the meaning of the mantra and remember it. If he cannot do that many, he should do as many as he can, five or three, agarbha or sagarbha, though sagarbha is praised. Japa with meditation is said to be a thousand times better than sagarbha. So one of these five kinds of japa should be done, according to capacity.

There are many ways of counting japa. The fingers are one. It is known that counting by lines gives eight times as much, by living sons ten times, by conch shells or jewels a hundred times, by coral a thousand, by crystal ten thousand, by pearls a hundred thousand, by lotus seeds a million and by gold pieces a crore. By knots of kusha grass or rudraksha, one is said to be able to count an infinite number. Japa with a rudraksha string of thirty beads brings wealth, twenty-seven nourishment, twenty-five liberation, and fifteen the fruits of hostile rites. Counting with the thumb gives liberation; know that the index finger destroys enemies, the middle finger brings wealth and the ring finger peace. A string of a hundred and eight beads is the best of all. A hundred is excellent and fifty is middling; fifty-four rudraksha beads are also called best. Japa must be done with such strings of beads and nobody else should see it. In japa the little finger is inauspicious and should be avoided. The thumb must be used with the other fingers; japa without the thumb is fruitless. Compared with japa at home, japa in a cow pen is a hundred times more effective, in a sacred forest or garden a thousand times, on a holy mountain ten thousand, on a river bank a hundred thousand, in a temple a crore, and in my presence it is endless. Japa is praised in the presence of the sun, fire, the guru, the moon, a lamp, near water and in the presence of brahmanas and cattle.

Facing east is desirable. Facing south is for those who practise hostile rites. Facing west brings wealth and facing north brings peace. When the mantra is spoken in the presence of the sun, fire, brahmanas, gods, gurus and the like, one must not turn his face away. One should not wear a headdress or jacket, and must be humble, with hair not loose and throat not covered. Never do japa while lamenting or when impure and unpurified. Avoid anger, intoxication and sneezing. One should not spit or yawn. Do not do japa where dogs or low persons can see. After rinsing the mouth, remember you and me. One may also look at the stars and do pranayama. Japa must not be done without a seat, lying down, walking or standing, on the road, in an inauspicious spot or in the dark. The legs must not be stretched out, nor should one sit in the cock posture. It must not be done astride a vehicle or a bed, nor when overcome by worries. If able, do many japas; if not, as many as you can. Why say more? Listen to my short words.

A pure person of good conduct gains from japa and meditation. Good conduct is the supreme dharma, wealth, learning and destination. A man without good conduct is blamed in this world and is not happy in the next. So good conduct must be followed. The karma recommended by the Vedas and sacred texts for those who follow the Vedas is good conduct, and nothing else is. Those who follow good conduct are called virtuous. Conviction is said to be the foundation of good conduct. A distracted person who does not believe deviates from good conduct. One who believes constantly is never blamed, so one should believe. Belief is the view that happiness and misery come respectively from good and bad deeds, in this world and the next. Beloved, I will tell you another secret to be kept secret. It must never be told, especially to an unbeliever, an animal, a person without good conduct, a fallen person or an outcaste. In kali yuga, apart from the panchakshara there is nothing that can save. Whether a person is pure or impure, if he uses the mantra while walking, standing or doing any other work he likes, it will not succeed. If a man lacks good conduct, has not been purified along the six paths, and has not been instructed by a guru, this mantra will not succeed. But in every case, if the person is full of great devotion to me, it ensures siddhi. Doubtless this is not so with other mantras.

Beloved, for this mantra one should not worry too much about the rising sign, tithi, star, weekday and conjunctions. It is always awake, never asleep. This great mantra never harms anyone. It is susiddha, siddha or sadhya. When taught by a guru who is a siddha, it is susiddha. When taught by a guru who is not a siddha, it is merely siddha or sadhya. But even if taught by a guru who is not a siddha, if there is great devotion to me, both the mantra and the guru become siddha. Other mantras raise questions about who has the right. A learned person should abandon those and turn to the supreme learning, the panchakshara itself. If other mantras become siddha, this mantra will not necessarily become so. But if this great mantra becomes siddha, all others will be siddha too. Maheshvari, when other gods are reached, I am not necessarily reached, but when I am reached, all of them are reached. The same norm holds for mantras. The use of this mantra is wholly neutral about the class one is born in, so it lacks the fault other mantras have. Even so, it should not be used for small fruits or suddenly against insignificant enemies. It has great strength.

Upamanyu concluded

So for the welfare of the universe Mahadeva, wielder of the trident, himself spoke the rules for the panchakshara mantra to Mahadevi. A person who devoutly chants this, or listens to it with self-control, is freed from all sins and goes to the supreme destination.