“Many people talk about Mantra Siddhi (the manifestation of the deity inherent in the mantra), but I am afraid that most of them have missed the boat. Let’s say that I want to locate you, and I know your name. But that alone is not enough. I must also know what you look like and where you live, because there may be many people with the same name. Only if I know your likes and dislikes, your temperament, all the facets of your character, do I really know you. Then I can locate you.
“It is the same in sadhana. When you call a particular deity with the help of a mantra, which is nothing but that deity’s name, you must have a mental image of what He or She looks like. Day after day you call; where will your Beloved go? The deity must come to you, and will come as soon as you for get everything else. At first you will only be able to draw your deity to you occasionally. Then, as you get onto His or Her wavelength, you will be with that deity at all times. This stage is called tanmayata, or ’togetherness.'
“Eventually your own individuality becomes completely dissolved, and
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you and your deity become one consciousness. When you become identical with your deity you have reached the stage of tadrupata. At this stage there is mantra chaitanya: there is total union of your consciousness and your man tra. Every cell in your body becomes a resonator for your mantra; every pore becomes a mouth with which you speak God’s name."
The Tantras maintain that the consciousness of a certain region of the physical body is its deity. Since every mantra is a deity, the entire human body is composed of mantras, and is a mantra itself. By repeating mantras you are continuously recreating yourself in a new image. Eventually, when you are truly purified, your original personality becomes totally effaced, and only the image of your deity remains. Vimalananda illustrated with a story:
“One day while traveling from place to place a wandering sadhu came upon a boy herding buffaloes. He was hungry, so he asked for some milk to drink, and the boy gave it to him readily. When he had drunk to his satisfac tion the sadhu began to feel generous, and asked the herdsman, ‘What would you like? I’m feeling so fine, I’ll give it to you.’
“The boy chuckled and said, ‘I really don’t need anything. I do nothing all day long but herd my buffaloes, and I’m satisfied with that. Besides, Maha raj, you came to me as a beggar and I gave you alms. How can I expect any thing from you in return? I am the giver, not you.’
“The sadhu was taken aback by this answer, and realized that this was no ordinary buffalo-herd. Then he thought he would do a good turn for the fel low anyway, and asked, ‘What is it that you love most in the world?
“Why, this buffalo,’ the boy replied innnocently, ’the one whose milk you just drank. She is the largest I have. She gives me more than ten gallons of milk a day, and she is so broad and strong, so loving and beautiful and well-behaved, that I love her best of all.’
“All right,’ said the sadhu, ‘please do one thing. Go sit in that cave over there and imagine that you are this buffalo. Think of her; keep her picture with you in your mind. Completely self-identify with her; become her. As you sit repeat to yourself, “Bhaisoham, bhaisoham” (“I am a buffalo, I am a buffalo.”) Don’t worry about a thing; I’ll look after your buffaloes.’
“The herdsman did as the sadhu instructed, and when after three days the sadhu entered the cave to check on the boy he found him sitting motionless with his eyes closed, repeating, ‘Bhaisoham, bhaisoham.’ Then
the sadhu said, ‘So, young buffalo-herd, how have you progressed? Come out now.’
“The herdsman answered, ‘Don’t call me a buffalo-herd! I am a buffalo. Can’t you see that? Look at my broad back! How can I leave this cave? My
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horns are too broad to go through the entrance. Now don’t be foolish; go away and leave me alone or I’ll gore you and toss you out with these beauti ful horns of mine.
“But the sadhu persisted and said, ‘Try to remember, my boy. I told you to sit and do this. Now, instead of repeating, “I am a buffalo, I am a buffalo,” start to identify with Shiva. Repeat, “Shivoham, Shivoham” (“I am Shiva, I am Shiva").’ The herdsman did that, and in about fifteen minutes he was in a deep trance. He realized his goal: the Universal Soul in the form of Lord Shiva.
“The sadhu was astonished. Tears came to his eyes and he said to himself, *This fellow sits only three and a half days and achieves, and I have wan dered around practicing without success for years and years.’ Then he had to take that buffalo-herd as his guru, and finally he also realized.
“That the buffalo-herd could achieve so quickly is of course the result of preparation from previous births. The same thing happened to Ramakrishna Paramahansa. What it took his guru thirty years to achieve Ramakrishna achieved in a few days. Time is not the criterion; if the desire is strong enough the result must occur without delay. You must forget every thing except the name and form of your deity; then you can achieve the highest.”
“Is ‘Soham’ the same as ‘Shivoham?” I asked.
“Not exactly. Many saints tell their disciples to repeat ‘Soham,’ which means ‘Sa aham’, ‘I am He,’ ‘He’ meaning the Universal Self in Its formless aspect. This is all very fine, except that it is not quite what is desired. It’s not so easy to identify with the Universal Self, which is impossible to imagine, much less put into words. If the mantra is inversed, however, it becomes ‘Hamsah,’ which is the Bija Mantra of Sarasvati, the goddess of learning. Whoever repeats that mantra gets the benefit of Sarasvati’s Shakti, which will lead the repeater step by step to Soham. It is always the Mother who shows the child the face of its Father, as Bhavatarini Ma did for Ramakrishna.
“The sadhu gave the boy a name and form on which to concentrate his mind because he had to do some preliminary work, no matter how mini mal, with the help of a form. Both name and form are essential for worship. One part of the mind takes the shape of an object; that is form. Another part of the mind identifies and distinguishes it; that is name. To go directly to the highest type of samadhi is almost impossible. Even Ramakrishna had to worship Mother Bhavatarini for many years before his consciousness became one-pointed enough to achieve The Formless.”
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“Why a buffalo?”
“A buffalo was the logical choice for the buffalo-herd, because he lived around them, and loved them; he had a strong affinity for buffaloes. You may not choose a buffalo for your concentration, since after all a buffalo is the very embodiment of inertness and stupidity; it is Tamas personified. You will probably prefer to use a deity to prepare yourself, and that too one with whom you have an affinity.”