Japa-Yoga
Japa is the repeated, focused recitation of a mantra, a nāma (sacred name of Paramātmā) or another sacred phrase. Japa-yoga is the practice of doing this steadily and with full attention, as a main path to mokṣa (liberation).
In the Mahābhārata, the Mokṣadharma Parva of the Śānti Parva (Chapters 196–200) contains the Jāpakopākhyāna, “the story of the one who does japa”. It gives a complete, step-by-step teaching on japa as the highest of all sādhanās (spiritual practices). It says japa is greater than yajña (sacred fire offering), tapas (austerity), dāna (giving) and tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage), when it is done with the right understanding and with the antaḥkaraṇa (the inner instrument: mind, intellect and ego) held steadily on one point.
The Jāpakopākhyāna
The Jāpakopākhyāna tells of Kauśika Maharṣi, son of Paippalāda, who had mastered the Vedas and all six Vedāṅgas (the six supporting sciences of the Vedas). He did japa without a break for one thousand years. At the end of his tapas, a brāhmaṇa who loved debate came to him and challenged the claim that japa is higher than every other practice.
A long debate follows. Every traditional practice, yajña, dāna, tapas, pilgrimage to tīrthas and brahmacarya (self-restraint), is weighed against japa, and japa’s superiority is shown through an argument in several stages.
Why Japa Is the Highest
The Jāpakopākhyāna’s main reasons for placing japa above all else are these.
It is wholly inward. Yajña, dāna and pilgrimage are outward acts. They depend on money, place and circumstances. Japa is entirely inward. A person who has lost everything, who is in prison, sick or dying, can still do japa. The practice that is open to everyone and does not depend on circumstances is the one that anyone can take up.
It trains the mind to stay on one point. Repeating the mantra again and again slowly fixes the manas (mind) on a single point and ends its scattered, restless state. A mind trained to come back again and again to the mantra has learned the most basic skill of all spiritual practice: ekāgratā, one-pointedness.
It purifies the inner being. Each repetition of japa brings a subtle cleansing of the antaḥkaraṇa. Over thousands and millions of repetitions, the kleśas (inner impurities) that have built up are dissolved bit by bit. The jāpaka (one who does japa) does not need to keep track of this progress. It happens naturally through the practice itself.
It becomes constant remembrance. Advanced japa is not only repeating the sound. It includes bhāvanā, a meditative sense of the presence of the devatā or truth that the mantra stands for. At this stage japa becomes smaraṇa, constant remembrance. The mantra stays present in the background of the mind even while one is busy with other things.
Conditions for Effective Japa
The Jāpakopākhyāna names the conditions under which japa bears its full fruit:
- Niyama and śuci (discipline and purity): a clean body and a clean place, and keeping the basic niyamas (personal disciplines)
- Mantra-siddhi: the mantra must be received from a qualified guru through proper dīkṣā (initiation)
- Kāla (time): japa done at the right times, such as the sandhyās (the junctions of dawn, noon and dusk) and brahma-muhūrta (the hour before dawn), gives stronger results
- Mānasa japa (silent japa): japa done entirely in the mind, without moving the lips, is held to be more powerful than japa spoken aloud
- Continuity: Kauśika’s thousand years of practice show that japa builds up over time. It is not something done now and then, but a daily practice kept up without a break
Japa and Mokṣa
The Jāpakopākhyāna teaches that japa, when fully ripe, becomes the same as samādhi (complete absorption). A mind that has rested in the mantra for a thousand years has been dissolved. It no longer throws up new vikāras (disturbances) out of its own momentum. What remains is pure awareness, in which even the mantra dissolves.
This is the mokṣa that japa brings. It is not a new state that one gains. It is the natural clarity that shines out once the antaḥkaraṇa has been completely cleared of the obstacles it had gathered.
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Śānti Parva, Mokṣadharma Parva, Chapters 196–200