Mantra Repetition in Activity

The Shiva Boons practice includes silent mantra repetition while doing one’s daily tasks. The Sanskrit word for “mantra repetition” is “Japa”, so this practice is “Japa in Activity“, which is Devotion in Motion.

Such Japa is a form of devotion (sanskrit “Bhakti”). Devotion is done for the sake of attaining the grace of God and all the benefits that spring from that grace (including boons).

This Japa involves using one of the many names of God. (God is One but has thousands of names and forms.) For the Shiva Boons practice, the recommended mantra is: “Shivāya namaḥ – Shaktyai namaḥ“ (translation: “reverence to Shiva and Shakti”).^[1]

There are many other mantras one could use depending on your favorite deity (i.e. form of God). For instance, a follower of Vishnu could use the mantra “Rāma Rāma Jaya Śrī Rāma“ (see the Name of Rama). How one chooses a deity (sanskrit “Ishta Devata”) for devotion will be the subject of a future web page.

Japa in activity is done silently and mentally. (Of course, it can be done out loud when you find that enjoyable and it doesn’t bother anyone else.)

Japa in activity is NOT meditation, nor contemplation, nor concentration, nor mindfulness. Meditation is an inward activity for the purpose of transcending. Whereas this Japa is an outward activity of devotion which is done for the sake of gaining grace and receiving boons.

Japa in activity doesn’t involve any counting of repetitions. Also, mantras suitable for activity don’t use the word “OM“, because “OM” is very “inward” (sanskrit “nivritti”) and it withdraws the mind from the world, so it’s not advisable to use OM while performing daily activities.

Japa in activity is feasible because our brains usually have lots of spare “CPU cycles” that can be used for devotion. You can do japa even when you’re listening to music or a podcast. You don’t need to repeat the mantra when you are doing some task that requires focus and concentration. You never force yourself to repeat the mantra, that just tires the mind. But, there’s lots of time throughout the day when your mind is free enough to easily repeat the mantra, and it will spontaneously start itself.

Japa in activity is an easy way of offering and dedicating your actions to the Divine. The Bhagavad Gita extols such offering as a way of combining “Karma Yoga” with “Bhakti Yoga”, combining action with devotion. By doing Japa in activity, you are spontaneously offering your activities without making any explicit effort to do so.

Such offering gives you a degree of detachment from your activities. The Gita urges one to act without concern for the fruits of the action, because only actions are in your control, never the fruits. However, you should not make an effort to be detached because that weakens your actions. Rather, the detachment will happen spontaneously because you are remembering God while doing your activities, merely by repeating a mantra containing a name of God.

Note, some might object that this Japa is only thought on the surface level of the mind, and so it’s not effective for devotion. But the fact is, every thought you think comes from the deepest levels of the mind (sanskrit “Parā” and “Paśyantī”). So when you repeat a mantra in activity, it actually comes from the deep subconscious levels of the mind, and you don’t need to have your awareness on those deep levels for the mantra to be devotional and meriting of grace.

Japa in activity is a very important devotional practice. But remember, if you seek boons the primary means is by offering water to Shiva, as described on the procedure page. It’s easy and only takes a couple of minutes.

Shivāya namaḥ – Shaktyai namaḥ

Notes and References

Shiva is the supreme divine masculine principle, and Shakti is the feminine principle. Shiva is Purusha which is pure consciousness, and Shakti is Prakriti, which is matter, the universe, and Nature. Together they are a Unity which makes up all that exists.