Shri Samba Shivaya Namah — a Bhavani-Shiv Mantra for Householders Without Diksha, with the Mahashivratri and Masik Shivratri Vidhan

The speaker opens by saying that without the upasana and puja of Bhagavan Sadashiva a householder's life can never be complete; worshipping him is absolutely necessary for all of us. The problem, he says, arrives when we gather from various sources that without Diksha we cannot chant Sadashiv's mantras — that the Vedic mantras may not be chanted, and that many mantras given in the Puranas carry all sorts of confusions too — so that we cannot even decide whether to chant a mantra or not. Many times, he says, people become so bewildered even over the Panchakshari Mantra that they chant it and later worry that some Dosha may have attached. He lists why the Panchakshari leaves people unable to decide: someone says it is not pure for a given person; then it is said that in place of Gayatri this is a secret Gayatri and may be chanted instead; then comes the question of whether one has the adhikar for Pranav, and doubt sets in; then the claim that women should not chant it; and in many places the mahatmas one listens to forbid it, saying Namah is placed first in it, so it is not to be done. So confusions of many kinds arise, and whoever one listens to and follows, one either chants or does not chant accordingly. The mantra he teaches, he says, can be chanted at Mahashivratri, at the monthly ShivratriThe chaturdashi night of Shiva that falls each month, as distinct from the annual Mahashivratri., or all year and all life long, without any doubt or hesitation — there is no restriction of any kind anywhere, so one may adopt it into one's life with a settled mind. Its greatest speciality is that not only Mahadeva but also Jagadamba"Mother of the World" — an epithet of the Devi. is held to dwell in it directly — Bhagavati Gauri and Mahadev are both seated in this mantra — and along with them Jagdamba's Lakshmi form is present in it as well. And for this mantra no diksha of any kind is required.

The mantra for the upasana of Bhagavan Sadashiva, the speaker says, is shown on the screen. As the transcript records it, the mantra is: श्री सांब शिवाय नमः. He draws attention to the Shri in it: it is only Shri. Take care, he says, that no anusvara-matra is attached to it; there is no makara and so on — that is, it is not a bija. There is a difference, from the mantra's point of view, between the plain Shri and the bija form, and here it is only the plain Shri, which is the form of Lakshmi. The Lakshmi bija has not been taken here; had it been the bija form, it would have become the full Lakshmi bija. This Shri is Lakshmi's emblem. So Shri Samba, he explains, means "with Mother Ambe" — that is, accompanied by Bhagavati ParvatiThe daughter of the mountain and consort of Shiva; the questioner to whom much of tantra is expounded.. Samba is Shiva himself accompanied by her, and Namah means salutation: the mantra is a salutation to both Parvati and Shiva directly, with Shri attached alongside.

The speaker says that every householder may chant this mantra — whether a child or an old person, a woman or a man, married or unmarried, a person of any varna, anyone at all — without any hesitation, without any doubt, without any fear, at any time. He recalls that many listeners had a question after the Ajapa Jap he had taught earlier: which mantra of Bhagavan Sadashiva should they chant, since name-Japa alone was not satisfying the mind and they wanted a mantra besides the name. His answer is to chant this mantra; and if one wants to do ajapa jap, this mantra may be used for ajapa jap as well.

The speaker says the effect of this mantra is very intense and very quick, and then turns to how it is to be made siddha. If one wishes to do so at Mahashivratri, which comes around February-March, the vidhan for that is given first. Exactly nine days before Mahashivratri, he says, from the Chaturthi TithiA lunar calendar day — some idols (like a Shivling) need daily bathing regardless, while others only need it on their dedicated weekly day or tithi., the Navratri of Bhagavan Mahadeva begins. So whenever one wants to do the sadhana at Mahashivratri, one should look up when Chaturthi tithi falls at that time. Mahashivratri itself forms at the conjunction of the Trayodashi and Chaturdashi tithis, so one looks back nine or ten days before that to find the Chaturthi, and from that day the Japa is to be begun. On the daily count: if one wishes to complete sava lakh (125,000) japa within the ten days, and can sit that long, then every day from Chaturthi tithi one does 125 Malas — 125 malas being 12,500 japa. If one does not have that much capacity, then at the very least 108 full malas must be completed within the span from Chaturthi to Chaturdashi tithi — that is, at least 11 malas a day. So according to one's capacity, he says, choose whether to do 11, 21, 27, 108 or 125 malas a day, and complete the japa accordingly within the ten days.

For the Japa, the speaker says, a panchmukhi RudrakshaA sacred seed strung into rosaries and worn during shiva worship. Mala is the very best, and it is easily available; everyone should chant this on a panchmukhi rudraksha mala. The rudraksha mala used for japa needs to be somewhat sanskarit, he adds. If one does not know how to do the sanskar, he has taught separately how to consecrate a mala oneself and do Prana Pratishtha and so on; one should consecrate the mala that way. One should also get a GomukhiA cloth rosary bag, shaped like a cow's face, used to conceal the hand and rosary while chanting mantras in public. and the like — the mala should be kept only in a yellow gomukhi. And he says one should buy a good mala once, for life, because once a mala has been bought it is never to be changed; that same mala is always to be used.

On dress and seat, the speaker says the clothes may be yellow or white. The asana may likewise be yellow or white, or a KushaThe sacred grass used for seats, rings and purificatory sprinkling; treated as spiritually insulating. asana or a blanket asana. For direction, one may face east, north or west — any of the three — but never south. The japa may be done at home; if done in a temple of Bhagavan Sadashiva, that is most excellent. There is absolutely no need for any Viniyoga or Nyasa in this, he says. One takes whatever DhyanHolding the deity's form in the mind, the step that precedes japa in most vidhis. mantra of Sadashiv one knows and finds dear, and after that dhyan mantra one directly begins the japa of this mantra. Nor is any Yantra required: one sits before a picture of Sadashiv, because the very simplest vidhan is being given. Yet, he says, its effect is very intense — as simple as it is, so intense is it — because in this mantra there is the sayujya of both Shiva and Shakti, and both of them are, in a way, being invoked here.

If possible, the speaker says, from the first day up to the day of Mahashivratri one should go daily to a temple of Bhagavan Sadashiva and perform his jalabhishek — after doing the puja and japa at home first. And if, at the time of offering the water, one does one small thing, this mantra too becomes very intense, and not only in this birth but from lifetime to lifetime, by its grace, one's works are accomplished and one's life succeeds. That small thing: take one separate panchmukhi RudrakshaA sacred seed strung into rosaries and worn during shiva worship. bead and put it into the lota of abhishek water; along with it a little MishriCrystallised sugar, offered as naivedya. — the lump rock mishri, broken up — and at least four or five strands of KesarSaffron, used in ashtagandha inks and in offerings to the Goddess.. Only these three things are mixed into the water. At the temple, the very first thing is to light lamps: one before Shiva alone, or five before the whole Shiv parivar — one each for Shiva, Parvati, Ganesh, Kartikeya and Nandi — of mustard oil, ghee or sesame oil, with the wicks always in pairs. He then sets the order: before the bhog, first Sadashiv's abhishekaA ceremonial bathing of a deity’s image or symbol, usually with water and other prescribed substances. — pouring the lota of rudraksha, kesar and mishri water while chanting this same mantra throughout. After the abhishek, offer flowers, BelpatraThe trifoliate bilva leaf, the offering proper to Shiva. or ShamiA leaf used in remedy rituals — conventionally not to be picked on a Saturday; if needed for a Saturday rite, it's picked the Friday before. leaf, if available, to everyone; then the NaivedyaThe food offering (Bhog) presented to a deity during worship, accompanied by water offerings and dedicatory mantras. — a little kishmish before each of them, placed beside the ShivlingThe aniconic form of Lord Shiva worshipped at home and in temples. and not on top of it; then AartiA ritual of waving a lit lamp or flame before a deity's image, performed here at the close of Deepdan once the lamps begin to burn down. with camphor. After the water is offered the lota is set down right there, upside down, and picked up to carry home only after the naivedya and aarti. The kesar: after the water is poured, the kesar that passes over Sadashiv and gets caught on his arghya — the jalhari — is used, and only if it does stop there. It is not to be picked up off the top of the shivling. That kesar one picks up — woman or man, no difficulty — and rubs on one's own forehead. Kesar that remains in the lota at the end is instead taken out and placed on Shiva; it is not then applied to oneself. This is done every day from Chaturthi to Mahashivratri. Apart from this, he adds, whatever other worship there is — offering belpatra, shami leaf, the flower of ark (madar) and fruit — all of it should certainly be done at Shivratri time. Do this sadhana and see, he says: one will receive special benefit from it for the whole of one's life.

When Mahashivratri is complete, the speaker says, one should certainly offer some contribution at whichever temple is holding its puja and the vivah of Shiva and ParvatiThe daughter of the mountain and consort of Shiva; the questioner to whom much of tantra is expounded. that day. From the next day onwards, chant this mantra on the Mala every day according to capacity — whether five malas or 21 — and bring it into one's life as a rule. One thing to keep especially in mind, he says, is that the mala Japa must be done without fail. Besides it, one may also do Ajapa Jap of this mantra: chant it while walking about, chant it even while going to sleep, there is no difficulty. Seat this mantra in one's body, one's life, one's mind, one's prana. Nothing else, he says: in these two mantras alone one's whole life will pass, and whatever is needed will be obtained — if one does this much with rule and devotion.

If one is not doing this at Mahashivratri but on other days, the speaker says, there is the monthly ShivratriThe chaturdashi night of Shiva that falls each month, as distinct from the annual Mahashivratri. that comes every month, falling between Trayodashi and Chaturdashi. One should check with a pandit when the masik Shivratri falls in Krishna Paksha, and take the SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. from that day. Or one may take it at any auspicious time in the month of Shravan — in Shravan it may be taken at any time — or on a Friday or a Monday with a good muhurta, beginning from that good day, and proceed in exactly the same way as before. How many days to continue is up to oneself: five days of japa at 100 malas a day, or 11 malas; a sankalp of 51,000, or of 21,000 or 27,000 japa. But at the very least, he says, the first AnushthanaAn extended ritual observance — such as 108 recitations of a scripture — carrying its own strict rules. must be of 27,000 — there are 27 NakshatraOne of the 27 lunar constellations used to time rituals — certain occult procedures, such as acquiring a cremation Handi, must be performed within a specific Nakshatra's window.s, so in the first anushthan one should chant 27,000 times, not fewer. Do that much anushthan; no havan or the like is required in this. This, he says, is the whole of the very simple vidhan. One may also take the sankalp on the day of a Shivratri and continue to the next Shivratri — a full month — doing 108 malas, 100 malas or 27 malas daily, whatever one's capacity; that is very excellent.

If one chants this mantra daily for three months continuously, the speaker says, whether 27, 108 or 100 malas a day, then however great the calamity or adversity upon one, however large a thing of this world, it is overcome — if one keeps the rule of a single fixed time. If one does it at 4 o'clock in the early morning, then for three months it must be at 4 o'clock in the early morning. If one wishes to chant at night, one may chant at night as well — 8 o'clock, 9 o'clock, no difficulty — but keep the time the same for the whole three months. And apart from this mantra, no other mantra is to be done separately; the mantra japa should be this alone. Whether one keeps a picture of Bhagavan Sadashiva and Mother ParvatiThe daughter of the mountain and consort of Shiva; the questioner to whom much of tantra is expounded., a shri vigraha, or a ShivlingThe aniconic form of Lord Shiva worshipped at home and in temples. at home, do their puja-path first, and then, for as long as the japa continues, a lamp should keep burning — of ghee, mustard oil or sesame oil. In this way, he says, do the japa of the mantra.

Asked what SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. to take, the speaker says a sankalp must certainly be taken. It may be a general one, nothing very elaborate: with a flower or AkshatUnbroken raw rice grains, held in hand along with water and flowers while taking a Sankalpa. in the hand — or, if nothing else, simply water — one should say that for the attainment of the supreme grace of Mother BhagavatiThe Goddess addressed by her honorific, used across these talks for whichever form is under discussion. ParvatiThe daughter of the mountain and consort of Shiva; the questioner to whom much of tantra is expounded. and Bhagavan Sadashiva, and for the fulfilment of all one's material desires, "I take the sankalp to chant, according to my capacity (yathashakti), this mantra of Bhagavan Sadashiv and Mother Parvati" — leta hoon or leti hoon. Why yathashakti? Because, he says, if one is new and takes a sankalp of 100 malas, one's condition may collapse by 50 malas — there is no capacity left, and a test is indeed taking place — and then one is in the difficulty of whether to continue or not. So take the sankalp with yathashakti and proceed, so that even if things go badly at 50 malas, one can still make the offering. For the rest, he says, as one's bhakti and surrender to Bhagavan Shiva and Mother Jagadamba"Mother of the World" — an epithet of the Devi. grow, they themselves will increase one's capacity. Do it with the thought: O Bhagavati, bring this to completion; O Bhagavan Sadashiv, bring this japa to completion. If one places it upon them in this way, they will certainly give the strength for the japa to be completed.

Those who complete sava lakh Japa of this mantra five times — that is, five AnushthanaAn extended ritual observance — such as 108 recitations of a scripture — carrying its own strict rules.s of 1.25 lakh each — may after that, the speaker says, if they wish, undertake the anushthan of any one Astra Mantra of Bhagavan Sadashiva. Once the five anushthans are complete and one wishes to take up an astra mantra — because a SadhakOne who undertakes a sadhana; the practitioner as distinct from the ordinary worshipper. must certainly do an astra mantra — one should contact him and tell him the anushthan is complete. Whether one hears this six months later, a year later or however long after, he says, one should certainly inform him, and guidance will be given as far as possible. The astra mantra and its vidhan he withholds here.