6 - 8 December 2019, Strilky, Czech Republic

There was no snow for the December weekend in Strilky, Czech Republic when His Holiness Vishwaguru Maheshwaranandaji visited the ashram of Mahaprabhudeep Satsang Foundation. But for Christmas, there was a 'tree of light', which, according to Indian tradition, was lit for the winter celebration.

His Holiness Vishwaguruji chose a few topics that were interesting for the practitioners of Yoga in Daily Life. One of them was the importance of mantra in which Vishwaguruji told the story of Rama, Sita and Hanuman. Hanuman continuously repeated Rama’s name (mantra japa) and Rama looked constantly towards Hanuman, attracted to Hanumanji's great bhakti. Sita was a little bit confused and jealous of this, so Rama took a piece of hair from Hanuman's head and put it close to the Sita's ear. Sita realized that even that little hair from Hanumanji vibrated the name of Rama and she understood the power of mantra japa.

Mantras can be practiced in five ways: writing, repeating loudly, repeating quietly, then mentally, and finally spontaneously. The automatic spontaneous repetition is called 'ajapa japa' and shows the inner absorbed state of our being that is filled only with the quality and energy of the mantra.

Any of the methods for practicing mantra can be done at any stage, even when it is known by heart. It is advisable to write one's mantra at least a few times each day, besides repeating it mentally.

"Mantra shakti, the power that lies within our words, is an important power that we can discover and awaken in the anahata chakra (heart center). It attains perfection in ajapa japa, the spontaneous, constant flow of the mantra. In ajapa, the mantra runs at all times, whether you are awake or asleep, without conscious repetition or mental recollection. Through this, we are able to establish an uninterrupted connection with God. Vishwaguruji advised repeating your mantra until you feel God in your heart permanently. This allows your love for God to grow even more. And through your love for God, the yearning to see God is aroused, until ultimately this longing finds fulfillment in union with Him." extract from the book Chakras and Kundalini - Hidden Powers in the Human.

Sri Mahaprabhuji wrote about ajapa japa in a bhajan:

Ajapa is the most excellent mantra
Sing SO HAM and realize SAT-CHIT-ANANDA in your heart.
Through ajapa the antahkaranas are completely purified.
On the day you no longer need to practice ajapa
You are victorious.

Read about Anahata Chakra

Vishwaguruji further emphasized the principle of ahimsa, non-violence. During his stay in Europe since 1970, many practitioners have become vegetarian, which is beneficial for their health, but also saves the lives of animals. A bite of flesh is almost an insignificant amount, but the ongoing repetition of eating meat costs billions of lives every year. After a short calculation for those years in the Czech and Slovak Republics,  about 6 million animals have been saved by avoiding meat among Vishwaguruji’s followers.

Daily, millions of animals are cruelly slaughtered for consumption. Apart from the fact that meat is detrimental to our physical health, it is extremely harmful for our consciousness and has serious karmic consequences. Just as they are still doing today, Yogis have been warning people for thousands of years about the karmic consequences of killing animals, and also the danger to their health caused by the consumption of meat (a fact which nowadays is undeniable, with the spreading of animal diseases such as BSE, foot and fouth disease, swine fever, etc., and also the feeding of antibiotics and hormones to animals).