| Essence Of Hinduism |
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HINDU RITUALS AND MYTHS |
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| Japa is the
repetition of a mantra. This is done by counting the beads of a rosary (Japa-mala) or the
divisions of fingers do this. There are three kinds of japa. In the first the mantra is
audibly repeated, in the second there is no audible sound, but only the movements of lips, and in the third the, repetition is purely mental. And what is a mantra? A mantra is an embodiment in sound of a particular Devata. It is not a mere formula. Nor is it a magic spell. It is the Devata Himself or Herself. And so, when a mantra is repeated with concentration of mind and the worshipper makes an effort to identify him with the worshipped, the power of the Devata comes to his help. Human power is thus. Supplemented by the divine power. A prayer is different from the re petition of a mantra. It is a purely human effort. Prayers may be offered in any language and in any form. But a mantra, being an embodiment of a Devata in sound, has to
be repeated in that form alone in which it first revealed itself |
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| About Hindu Rituals And Myths | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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