Opening to the Mother’s Presence with Namajapa

To open to the Mother’s Presence it is enough to remember Them in the heart and pray and aspire silently even while engaged in all the different activities.  All that is asked for is to remain receptive and open to Her and for this the simplest and yet the best method is to call Her Name as often as you can.

It is also good to find time and read something from their works, especially Savitri and Prayers and Meditations. If meditation is necessary and when it becomes necessary it comes naturally. What one can do instead is to take out some time and sitting quietly contemplate upon Her Presence in whatever way it comes naturally. Some sit and look into Her photographs which Sri Aurobindo Himself approved as a form of meditation, some imagine being in Her lap, others talk to Her, still other offer gratitude and yet some others ask Her for guidance and help for developing whatever is needed for the sadhana. Another good way to connect with Her is to write a diary or letters to Her. This helps clarify one’s aspiration which otherwise remains rather vague. It also may be helpful to play Her Savitri music to flood our living space and consciousness with Her atmosphere.

All these are so many ways to open to Her but the most powerful is without a doubt Namajapa of Her Name. To simply call Her Maa Maa Maa Maa Maa is to engage in this yoga in a very powerful way.

Here is what Sri Aurobindo Himself writes about Namajapa:

The name of the Divine is usually called in for protection, for adoration, for increase of bhakti, for the opening up of the inner consciousness, for the realisation of the Divine in that aspect.

As far as it is necessary to work in the subconscious for that, the Name must be effective there.

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It [the effectiveness of namajapa] depends on the person and how he does it. The Name of the Divine is in itself a power, if it is taken with the right faith and in the right attitude.

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Namajapa has a great power in it.

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In this Yoga all depends on whether one can open to the Influence or not. If there is a sincerity in the aspiration and a patient will to arrive at the higher consciousness in spite of all obstacles, then the opening in one form or another is sure to arrive. But it may take a long or a short time according to the prepared or unprepared condition of the mind, heart and body; so if one has not the necessary patience, the effort may be abandoned owing to the difficulty of the beginning. There is no method in this Yoga except to concentrate, preferably in the heart, and call the presence and power of the Mother to take up the being and by the workings of her force transform the consciousness; one can concentrate also in the head or between the eyebrows, but for many this is a too difficult opening. When the mind falls quiet and the concentration becomes strong and the aspiration intense, then there is a beginning of experience. The more the faith, the more rapid the result is likely to be. For the rest one must not depend on one’s own efforts only, but succeed in establishing a contact with the Divine and a receptivity to the Mother’s Power and Presence.