Mantra Philosophy: Kabir's Story (Intensity > Source), Hanuman Chiranjivi (Physical Body Still Exists), One Mantra Deeply vs 100 Casually

Mantra — Kabir's Story and Why Hanuman Sādhana Is Special

Kabir's mantra

The teacher breaks off from the chart for a story.

• Kabir wanted mantra upadeśa from a particular saint, who gave mantras to very few. When Kabir arrived the saint was lying down. Disturbed, he just said "Ram, Ram" — not as an initiation.
• Kabir said, "I got my mantra," and left. He did only "Ram, Ram". With it he had darśana of Hanuman and of Sri Ramachandra, and the experience of Brahman, called Allah in the Muslim sampradāya.

"How a mantra comes to you is basically decided by nature. But what is in your control is how you make use of that mantra."

Upadeśa is overrated

• People stress getting a mantra from a well-known Swamiji. It is not necessary. A mantra from a book works.
• Every standard mantra has a Ṛṣi. Each Veda mantra has its own. For a Purāṇa mantra with no Ṛṣi named, take Vyāsa.
• In earlier ages everything went secretly from mouth to ear. For Kali Yuga the Ṛṣis saw that perfect succession, good masters and good students would be hard to find, so they put everything in the open. Vyāsa arranged the existing knowledge as Vedas and Purāṇas for this purpose.

"Mantra upadesha is overrated if you ask me, but if you get the right guru, it has its own value. But it is almost impossible in Kali Yuga. So just get started."

One mantra, hours a day

• Take whatever mantra the mind is drawn to. Whether it is "right" or "wrong" does not matter.

"Do it intensely, do it hours every day, not just minutes. Minutes of sadhana is practically useless, because that is not even sufficient to clear all the impurities that have come in a single day."

• Do not do a hundred mantras to please Sun, Moon, Shiva and Vishnu in turn. As Ramakrishna Paramahamsa says: dig in a hundred places and you find water nowhere; dig in one place a hundred or two hundred feet and you find it.

Why Hanuman

• Other deities — Rama, Krishna, Durga — are not here in a body. It is very rare for a deity to appear using the earth and water elements. When they come, it is through fire, air or ether, and only subtle perception can see them.
• Hanuman is a Chiranjīvi. The body in which he walked this earth is not destroyed and will last till the end of this creation.

"If you actually do intense sadhana, it is possible to see him in his body which is made of the five elements, not just akasha but also bhoo and jala. Somebody that your eyes can see."

• Many saints have seen Hanuman, even in the last few hundred years. And once you see any deity, even once, your life is made.

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