Hari OM
'Text-days' are for delving into the
words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.
This month the prayer of focus will be the Mahaa-MRtunjaya Mantra.
Having seen extended meaning of the first to words of the mantra,
let us proceed…
Sugandhim follows next and is an adjective; it describes how
sweet-smelling is this Lord Shiva. Straightforward compliment? Yes, but this
also has the context of prompting our awareness that in our sense of smell,
everything which we sniff is nothing but the Lord Himself! This, of course, means that even the
less-than-sweet odours of the world are a part of him; but is that not true of
all of us? Importantly, especially in the context of this prayer for the sick
and needy, it reminds us to think only of His Sweetness that He might shed some
of it upon us and those we for whom we pray. This word, then, also points to
the All-Pervasiveness of the Higher Essence. It helps us to remember that
little ego-selves are nothing, compared to That. Another facet is that, when
crushed in the hand, a flower will leave its fragrance upon the skin; the
flower has given of itself even in its being crushed. This equates to
Forgiveness; a major part of any healing.
Pushtivardanam is another adjective. Nourishment and growth are
being attributed to the Lord. How does He nourish our growth? By chanting the
mantra correctly the vibrations themselves help to tune our mind to a more
peaceful wavelength. Here we think more clearly and raise our inner standards.
By using the word 'pushti' in this compound, the beseecher is also
acknowledging that the Lord is the generator of all that is perceived and not perceived and by attuning to this
vibration we also can 'manifest'; thus, whilst this is a mantra to overcome
materialism, it also results in prosperity - but not necessarily in the way we
expect.
Urvarukam Iva bandhanaat mRtyor mukshiiyam'amRtaat - as a sentence
can be translated as 'may I be released from
this bondage called death, just as the cucumber.' Odd? No; the cucumber -
indeed any fruit - needs to be picked or harvested and freed of its connection
to the vine which gave it life… the analogy is that this life and the world as
we perceive it is our 'vine' upon which we have become dependent and attached.
The Rsis advised never to pick an unripe fruit, for it hurts the plant; a ripe
fruit, however, readily gives up its attachment! Therefore, the supplicant is
begging to be seen as ripe and ready to leave behind the bondage of the world.
Many in the tradition have mistaken this to mean that chanting the prayer over
a sick elder, for example, will release their spirit and ease them into death;
to be fair, if that is appropriate for that jiva, this is indeed the case.
However, this prayer is for all ages and all conditions and is more in
reference to the fact that to live a better and healthier life will require
surrendering attachments and taking up improved viveka and vairaagya;
discernment and detachment. Thus, the mantra is suggesting that, apart from the
body, our whole being is diseased by this attachment. By surrendering to the
will of the Lord, only the best outcomes can be expected. It is to remembered
here that sometimes, the best outcome is
indeed to leave the body. However, the 'mRtyor' of this mantra does not
specifically relate to physical death as we understand it. To transform our
lives by living divinely, leaving our old habits and dropping all which is of
no use to us is the equivalent of' 'dying' to the world. In Christianity, it
would be called 'born again'. Thus the prayer is also for this spiritual
transformation. The highest stage of which is moksha (mukshiiya); liberation.
Liberation from the mistaken attitude we have about what life is and how
individual we are. Knowing our True Nature frees us, even is we still retain
the body. Sorrows are seen for the pinpricks that they are, joys are known as
distractions from purpose… this is a blissful state indeed, thus the prayer
ends with the plea 'm'mRtaat'… not to fall back into old ways and habits and
lose the bliss of this freedom.
SAADHANA
Thus, like so many of the key mantras, we find that there is a
completeness of scripture within it! The mantra can be listened to and much
strength and calm will come from it; however, to maximise the benefits,
consider working on pronunciation and metre (per that vid
clip provided earlier), inculcate the meanings and deeper significance
given here; sit in aasana and focus inwardly. Feel the depth and breadth of the
mantra.
