We have learnt different meditation techniques using mantras, transcendental sound. One must become fully convinced that this sound vibration is not material. You can’t see that with your eyes, it’s just another sound. You can’t hear it, it’s just another sound. Here are the words on the page: GAURANGA NITAI-GAUR and we hear how that’s pronounced, ‘GAURANGA NITAI-GAUR’. There’s the sound, it’s just another sound. It’s unfamiliar, we don’t know what it means. I go to many countries and hear sounds and don’t know what they mean all the time. I hear people talking, I don’t know what they’re talking about. No, we can’t base it on whether I understand it, whether I can see it, whether I can perceive it. That’s not the method.
We receive this sound and we also receive the knowledge about this sound from the Supreme Lord through scripture, through His representatives – the spiritual masters. They inform us “This is spiritual sound, this sound, these mantras have spiritual potency!” Yesterday we read a prayer from Lord Gauranga, or Lord Chaitanya who is the Lord Himself. He is declaring the potency, the value and the effects of these transcendental sounds. Sometimes these mantras are referred to as yoga sounds, meaning they come from the Supreme Lord. Their effect on our lives is that we become united with the Supreme Lord. This is the Absolute Truth. It is time to inquire about this.
So now we are going to chant our mantras with our different techniques. This is not an ordinary activity. This is not just another event. This is a very, very unique special opportunity.
Our first meditation is ‘GAURANGA NITAI-GAUR’, these are names of God. ‘GAURANGA’ for instance means ‘He whose body is more beautiful than molten gold’. When we chant ‘NITAI-GAUR’, this refers to Lord Nityananda and Lord Gauranga – the Supreme Lord. When we do this, we’re actually worshiping the Lord.
Throughout history people have worshiped the Supreme Lord. People have devised different forms, different methods of worship. But the highest form of worship according to God Himself is in the way of worshiping through to chanting His names. So that’s what we’re going to do now.
With the mantra ‘GAURANGA NITAI-GAUR’ we will use a deep breathing process. We’ve discussed this before but I’ll explain it again for those who are here for the first time. We breathe in very slowly, gently and deeply. As we do this, silently in the mind we chant “GAU-RA-ANG-GA.” Then, as we exhale, out loud we chant “GAU-RA-ANG-GA.” And it’s the same with ‘NITAI-GAUR’.
We want to relax. We should all practice that again today – relaxing. You can never be too relaxed. It doesn’t mean you have to fall apart. You can be relaxed but still very attentive, very alert, very aware, which is required.
We relax and become very attentive to the sound. So we will do that now for some period of time. Again, try to meditate on the sound, enter into this meditation. Try not to just stay on the outside, kind of looking at it from a distance. We should try to enter into it, get involved with it. This is how we are guided, this is our instruction.
Ok, let’s begin. Everybody take a big breath, let it out, and relax. Now very slowly, gently and deeply inhale and chant ‘GAURANGA’ in the mind:
GAU-RA-ANG-GA – NI-TAI-GAUR
GAU-RA-ANG-GA – NI-TAI-GAUR