March 2008

I’ve started doing proper mantra meditation today. I should have started a long time ago, but I have come to the realisation I may have been using the wrong mantra. Added to that, I haven’t been chanting consistently for 40 consecutive days, and I feel I need a fresh start. It’ll give me a chance to try out a more appropriate mantra for the particular mala beads I have (rosewood).

Namely, it is the mantra invoking the Hindu god, Ganesha. It goes like this:

Om Gam Ganapatayei Namaha

I feel an inherent respect for God in all His forms, either in nature, in of different divinities or otherwise, but I have always felt a certain particular regard for the elephant-headed Ganesha. His eyes are so gentle. Lord Ganesha reminds me of Lord Krishna, yet perhaps a little more peaceable than the boisterous avatar of Lord Vishnu. I feel His boundless generosity when I think of His name and image. I have read in some Vedic texts describing the attributes of Lord Ganesha, that to accept his unusual form (an elephant-headed man is something of a shock I would imagine to Westerners) is to go beyond mere appearances. To accept that the Divine can be found in things we do not anticipate, which is a good practice I believe. I try not to judge things based on surface appearances anymore. And besides, more than any other Hindu god I have come across, I have felt Lord Ganesha is the most accessible, even to a non-initiate like myself. He is ever-smiling and radiates an abundance that makes me feel safe in His presence. I have also found it amazingly easy to connect with Sri Ganesha. It is almost as if He welcomes me to Him. It is appropriate perhaps I should restart my mantra meditation proper with this mantra. He is, after all, the Lord of Beginnings. I think I need a new start.

I started japa mala today and was quite amazed at how many rounds I was able to do. No disrespect meant to my old mantra or the aspect of God that presided over it (Lord Shiva), but it would take my a long time to say just one round and sometimes I felt it was a strain on me, or that it didn’t sit right with me for long. Perhaps in the future, when I have delved into deeper states of consciousness, can I try my hand at it again. For now, it is kind, benevolent Lord Ganesha who lights my way.

Jai Sri Ganesha!