Page 35 - Ecstasy and Agony in the Journey to Infinity

10. జపము (Japamu)
If you do not get into a stage of service to the Master early then you must perform austerities and penances, to come out of the clutches of sensuality.
Japa does not mean growing a beard and sitting under a tree in a forest. Even what we do under our meditational practices is Japa. As a matter of fact, if we take the Hindu culture, if we take any temple town, there will be people in the verandah of the house doing Japa. They will be doing Gayatri mantra, Rama japa, Tirumantra, and other such prayers. They are not going to the forest with a beard. That would be sanyasi logic.
A person doing japa will be remembering God. There need not be a reason for it. We call it Jikar in Urdu which is of two types. Japa done in the heart and Japa is also done with the uttering of name loudly. Japa is not restricted to Hinduism. Christians also use rosary beads. We see it in Islam also.
If we want to come out of the clutches of sensuality, and if there is no assistance of Pranahuti, if there were no Point A and Point B, we have no other option but to do 17