Hari OM
Application - that is what 'Workings-days' are about!
The author, that king of ancient years, brings us back to the practicalities of praise.
zÇuCDedEkmÙ< sklmupin;ÖaKysMpUJymÙ<
s<saraeÄarmÙ< smupicttmSs‡inyaR[mÙm!,
svREñyREkmÙ< VysnÉujgs<d:qsÙa[mÙ<
ijþ ïIk&;[mÙ< jp jp stt< jNmsa)LymÙm!.24.
Shatru-chcchedaika-mantram sakalam-upanishad-vaakya-sampuujya-mantram
Samsaarottaara-mantram samupachita-tamas-sangha-niryaana-mantram,
Sarvaishvaryaika-mantram vyasana-bhujaga-sandashta-santraana-mantram
Jihve shriikRshna-mantram japa japa satatam janma-saaphalya-mantram ||24||
Oh tongue, please chant always the mantra 'Sri Krishna' that can give complete fulfilment of life. This mantra can destroy all the enemies, it is praised by statements of all Upanishads; it can lift one from the ocean of worldly existence; it is the mantra that can completely remove all darkness (ignorance) accumulated (over many lives); it can give great prosperity and can save even when bitten by the 'snake' of afflictions.
We all know our mind to be a monkey, do we not?! Even great sages will practice japa, and many will still use a mala to do this. Indeed, japa is the perfect activity of bhakta for a jnaani, for it forms the very basis of meditation. We MUST have a tool to keep our mind from distracting itself with all sorts of nonsense.
When we are at work, the mind is focused on the tasks there… (isn't it…?!) When we are dealing with family, our mind must focus there. Then we come to being with ourselves and the mind is generally let off the leash. It can land us all sorts of imaginings, dreams of the impossible, creating scenarios, rerunning events. You name it the mind will get into it. Japa is likened to the net put up for catching birds; it keeps the thoughts drilled to the one point of focus. In the case of this verse, the focal point is Shri Krishna. You may choose any form of the Higher which suits you. Remember, even the great masters maintained a practice of this nature. Never take for granted the control of your mind.
Mantras have power. Much emphasis is given to them in Santana Dharma. It is not that they are 'spells' - yet if you experience a prolonged period of focus on any mantra, you do begin to appreciate the energy it creates and develop and instinct for the present you may not have previously had. How so?
We tend to take language as only a means of communicating. But that communication is something beyond the mere words if we pay attention. This is felt quite easily if we have someone talk to us in such a manner that we feel abused. "Idiot! - Fool!" - Thief!" All of us have felt badly at some point in our lives in response to such words or accusations. Our egos rise and fall according to praise or condemnation. The words are nothing but a collection of letters, but we attach greater or lesser importance to them and allow them to affect us for all sorts of reasons. It is true, too, that the manner of delivery affects how we receive the words. A mother smiling and saying playfully, 'oh you are a fool!' will have much less damaging an effect than a boss at work yelling it in the office.
Mantras, then, are imbued with a resonance which intensifies the meaning of the bundling of letters. The grammar in Sanskrit is also complex and adds its own value to the mantra. This is why the king can say, here, that the simple mantra of "Shri Krishna" repeated well and with focus, can build a wall of security about us and help to lift us spiritually. It can cure us of the ills of our karma and, above all, rein in that monkey!
