Talk:Importance of Japa

By Vishal Agarwal

Several scriptural passages extoll the importance of Japa in one’s spiritual advancement-

The four Pākayajnas and the Vedic (Shrauta) Yajnas are not equal in merit to the sixteenth part of that yajna, which consists of chanting prayers. Manusmriti 2.86 But indeed, a Brahmana reaches the Supreme Goal by chanting prayers alone, whether he performs other religious ceremonies or neglects them – a true Brahmana is the friend of all creatures. Manusmriti 2.87 Indeed, he who practices Japa earns the same result as the Yogis. Mahābhārata 12.200.23cd The Twice Born should study the Vedas daily, for doing so, he will obtain the fruit of performing yajna, charity, and austerity. Vyāsa Smriti 3.11 The Devta of worship is without a material form, but He takes the form of mantras. By worshipping Him using the forms of these names, a person becomes a Rishi, and his or her perception becomes clear. Bhāgavata Purāṇa 1.5.37-38

Narratives on Glory of Japa The example of how the Japa of Rama’s name purified Valmiki, a highway robber, and made him a saint is well known. The following narratives highlight the importance of Japa in the path of Bhakti.

Story 1: Nāmadeva teaches the value of the name of Rama In the town of Pandharpur, there lived a wealthy merchant named Vimal. He was proud of his riches. One day, to show off his generosity, he announced that he wanted to donate his body’s weight in gold. Everyone – poor, rich, Brahmanas, etc. came to get their share and returned enriched with the donation. Everyone was in full praise of Vimal. However, there was one prominent person in the town who did not show up – Sant Nāmadeva.

The merchant then sent a messenger to summon Nāmadeva, but he did not respond. A second messenger was sent, but Nāmadeva did not come. Finally, only after a third messenger was sent, Nāmadeva came to see Vimal. The merchant said in an anguished tone, “Why did you not come to collect your share? Did you think that I would not give you enough? Please accept some gold from me, because it will give me punya. By accepting my charity, you will save my honor. If you do not take anything, people will say sarcastically that I am a miser who donates any money to you.” But Nāmadeva responded, “I have no use for money. You have already donated a lot of gold to others. If I, too, take gold from you, then there will not be enough left with you!” But Vimal laughed and said, “Do not worry, Sant-ji, I will give you as much gold as you wish. I am a rich man. Tell me how much you want.” Nvmadeva responded, “Just give me enough to equal the weight of a Tulsi leaf.” Nāmadeva then wrote the name of Rama on the left and placed it on one of the pans of the merchant’s weighing scale. The merchant flippantly placed a gold coin on the other pan, but the leaf was surprisingly heavier. The merchant started placing more gold, then bags of coins of gold and silver, and finally, his gems. But the leaf-bearing pan still seemed higher!

Disgraced, he asked his wife to take off her jewelry and place it on the pan, but to no avail. The entire town showed up to watch the miraculous spectacle. The other merchants thought, “One of our own is getting humiliated. Let us also put our wealth to give to the Sant.” The,y t, oo started adding gold and silver, but the pan bearing the Tulsi leaf with the name of Ram on it would not budge!

Vimal now begged forgiveness and said, “Tell me, Sant Nāmadeva, what more can I give to you?” Nāmadeva replied, “I want all the punya that you have earned due to your good deeds.” Vimal agreed, and with some water in his hands, he prayed to the Devatas, “If I have done any good deeds, then let their punya add to the weight of an containing the wealth.” But the pan with the Tulsi leaf was still heavier! Other Merchants also came forward – some had performed great yajnas, some had undertaken many pilgrimages, and others had given many charities. They all now vied with one another to give all of their punya to Sant Namdev’s pan of leaf. But the pan with the leaf was still heavier! Vimal now cried and said, “Sant Nāmadeva, I do not know of your mysterious power. But now I know that whatever you accept will reach Rama himself. Therefore, please accept our wealth.”

Nāmadeva replied, “You are not giving for the sake of Rama, but only to inflate your pride and show off your greatness. If you had given it from your heart to please Rama, then I would have accepted it with reverence. Why should I take your wealth to boost your ego? It is all waste and worthless in comparison to devotion to Rama.” Saying this, he picked the leave of Tulsi. The pan now swung up, and the pan with the gold fell to the ground with a thud. Sant Nāmadeva picked up a Tusli leaf that had the name of Rama written on it and left the gathering. The merchants and the onlookers felt blessed that they had been made to witness the glory of Rama’s name by a Sant.

Story 2: No Time is Inauspicious for Japa “Once Swami Chaitanya went to evacuate. When He returned, He was holding His tongue. When the devotees saw this peculiar sight, they asked him why he was doing that. Mahāprabhu replied that his tongue was acting so improperly that it wouldn’t stop chanting Hare Krishna even when he was engaged in such personal cleanliness. Therefore, he was forced to hold his tongue to restrain it. At that time, a small boy named Gopāla bravely spoke up. Gopāla said, “No, no, this isn’t the correct philosophy. Krishna’s name is pure and should be changed at all times. For instance, if one were about to die, would he think, ‘Oh, this is an inauspicious time, and therefore I shouldn’t chant?’ No, at all times. Regardless of the external purity of the situation, one should remember Krishna and chant His name.” Shri Chaitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “You have properly understood the philosophy. You are my guru. You are Gopāla Guru.”

Story 3: Words Have Power, So Does Japa One day, Swami Vivekananda was giving a sermon on the efficacy of Japa – chanting mantras and reciting the names of Bhagavān. Suddenly, a man arose from the audience and said, “I do not believe in what you are saying. How can repeating mere words have any spiritual effect?” Swami Vivekananda looked at him in anger and said to him, “You idiot! What a fool you are if you cannot understand this simple concept.” The man was shocked and responded angrily, “Swami-ji, you are a fraud because a Sannyāsī is not supposed to utter these profanities to anyone.” Swami Vivekananda laughed and said, “I have proven my point. All I said were mere words. But they did affect you, even though I did not hurt you physically! Similarly, Japa, done with sincerity, has its desired result.”

Story 4: Devarshi Nārada Learns the Importance of Japa

One day, Rishi Narada went to Vishnu and asked, “Why does everyone say that chanting ‘Om Namo Nārāyaṇāya’ is beneficial?” Vishnu replied, “Chant the mantra in the ears of any creature you see and notice the effect. Then let us discuss what you saw.” Accordingly, Devarshi Narada chanted the mantra when he saw a worm. Immediately, the worm died.

Rishi Narada went to Bhagavan Vishnu and gave him the bad news. But Vishnu asked him to chant the mantra again. Next, Narada saw a butterfly and chanted the mantra. But alas, the butterfly immediately fell dead on the ground. Vishnu said, “Look there, Mother Deer has just given birth to a baby. Chant the mantra in the baby deer’s ears.” When Narada did that, the fawn (baby deer) too died. Narada was getting more and more impatient and also feeling guilty. But Vishnu said, “A cow has just given birth to a calf. I want you to chant that mantra in the calf’s ears.” As expected, the mantra had the effect of killing the calf. Now, Nārada lost his patience. He said, “Everyone will now call me the murderer of a calf. Why have you done this to me?” But Bhagavan Vishnu smiled and said, “Why do you lose faith in me so soon? The King of Varanasi has just become a father. Go and meet with the baby boy and chant the mantra in his ears, too.” Narada refused and said, “I do not want to be the killer of a human baby.” But Vishnu persuaded him, “Do it for one last time.” Narada reached Varanasi, and I, and the King welcomed him with due honors. The King requested, “Respected Rishi, it is our good fortune that you have arrived at the birth of my son. Please be kind to bless him and whisper a mantra in my child’s ears.” With great hesitation, Narada went to the cot in which the baby was lying and whispered gently in his ears, “Om Namo Nārāyaṇāya’. Surprisingly, the baby woke up and smiled. He looked at Narada and spoke like an adult, “Rishi, I must thank you for uttering the great mantra in my previous lives. As a result of that, I progressively took rebirth in higher and higher life forms and finally got this human body. Now, in this body, I can devote myself to worship of Bhagavan Vishnu and attain Moksha.” Narada was surprised to hear this, and he learned two things – first, that Japa accelerates our journey towards the Devta. Second, death is sometimes a doorway to a better life.

Story 5: The Mantra Received from the Guru for Japa is Not an Ordinary Sentence A disciple once asked his Guru to give him a mantra that upon constant chanting, would give him Moksha. The Guru agreed and uttered ‘Aum’ in his right ear, saying, “Reflect on this Mantra, and you will get Moksha.” The student was a bit disappointed. He said, “How can this simple mantra be so valuable as to give me Moksha?” The Guru said, “I will explain to you why this mantra is very valuable. But before that, I want you to do an errand for me. I will give you a stone. Please take it to three shops, and ask them how much money they will give to you for it. First, go to a grocer. Then, to a stationary seller. And finally, to a jeweler.” The student did as told. The grocer said to him, “I have no use for this stone. But I could perhaps use it as a weight measure. I will give you $1 for it.” The stationary seller said, “This is a pretty stone. But the only use I can think of it is as a paperweight. I will offer you $2 for buying it.” The student then went to a jeweler. After examining it for a few minutes, the jeweler’s eyes widened, and he said, “Son, where did you get this stone? Even if I were to offer you a million dollars, it would not match the value of this stone.” The student was very surprised. He said, “Well, I do not want to sell the stone. I just wanted to know how much it was worth.” Then, he rushed to his Guru and said, “You would not believe what the three people offered to pay for this stone. I just do not understand how they could evaluate the same stone so differently!” The Guru smiled and said, “It was the same stone that was evaluated differently by three different people. The first two were ignorant and did not know its real worth. But the jeweler could see that this stone is an unpolished large ruby. Which is why he evaluated it correctly. In the same way, ignorant people undervalue the mantra that their Guru gives to them. They think that the mantra is just a word or a collection of words, similar to the first two men who thought that this ruby was just a pretty stone. But he who is knowledgeable and wise knows the true worth of the mantra.