श्रीगुरु-उपासना
Veneration of Shri Guru
Audio recording by Ami Bansal
About two months before Baba took mahasamadhi in October 1982, I received the answer to a letter I had sent him, telling him how unhappy I was. Baba replied, “I hope you are happy and will continue to be happy.” He also said, “Just repeat the mantra with faith, and everything will happen at the right time.”
Now that I can look back, I see how my life gradually transformed through the years; I learned to live my life with respect and honor, which was also one of Baba’s teachings. As the years go by, I am repeating the mantra more often and continue to make an effort to repeat it even more. I am more aware of what thoughts and emotions I have, and the mantra helps me to replace the thoughts and emotions that do not serve me.
Willemstad, Curaçao
I received a mantra card from Gurumayi during darshan in the courtyard at Gurudev Siddha Peeth in 1991. At that time, I had no idea of the immeasurable gift I had received. I did not understand the power of the mantra or how it would quietly begin transforming my life.
When I returned home, I found myself naturally waking early each morning to engage in the Siddha Yoga practices. It was effortless. I had many tangible experiences that strengthened my faith in the path.
One experience remains especially vivid. In a dream, I saw a war taking place. Then I heard a voice ask, “What about the mental war?” When I awoke the next morning, the heaviness I had carried in my mind for so long was gone. In its place was calmness and peace.
Reflecting on this experience today reminds me that each time I repeat the mantra with love and sincerity, I am invoking the living presence of the Guru’s grace. The mantra continues to guide me inward, helping me navigate life’s outer challenges while steadily quieting the “mental war” within. Through Gurumayi’s grace, I am continually discovering new depths to “The mantra imparted by Shri Guru.”
New Jersey, United States
No mantra is quite like the one that Shri Guru has given me. Receiving it has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. The mantra I was given by Shri Guru is alive, filled with energy and blessings. When I first took it into my being when I received shaktipat-diksha, I was unaware of the wondrous alchemy it would bring about over the years, and just how helpful it would be in my day-to-day life.
I repeat the mantra that Shri Guru gave me in all situations in life, and it always helps me to connect with my innermost core. For me, the mantra is a manifestation of Shri Guru. When I repeat it, I connect with Shri Guru’s shakti, which is pure, strong, and clear. It is full of love, support, and protection.
Konolfingen, Switzerland
Even as a child, younger than age ten, I would repeat Om Namah Shivaya—for my mother was firm that all of her children should recite it during evening prayers. That practice was, without doubt, deeply beneficial, yet it left no real impression on me.
But years later, when I received that very same mantra through shaktipat-diksha from Shri Gurumayi, the experience was immediate and profound. I felt Gurumayi’s presence as nothing less than the embodiment of pure Consciousness itself. I began earnestly following her guidance, one part of which was the regular repetition of the mantra.
Through this, I came to realize a simple but profound truth: the same words, the same sacred phrases, take on a far greater power when they are transmitted through a Siddha Guru—one who is fully established in the Truth.
Thane, India
“The mantra imparted by Shri Guru” operates far beyond my intellect. This became a foundational truth for my family in 1995 when my father passed away suddenly at age forty-five, and we received a message on behalf of Gurumayi to play the mantra continuously. For two weeks, that sacred sound enveloped our home, anchoring us through intense grief.
Today, Om Namah Shivaya has become a natural reflex that protects me in both waking and dream states. Its healing power is real to me—when a severe headache resisted all other remedies, playing The Power of the Mantra overnight brought complete recovery. Recently, I had a dream of many big, long snakes, and when I felt fear, I repeated Om Namah Shivaya in my dream.
When I chant with Gurumayi, her voice penetrates the deepest levels of my consciousness. This practice silences the world’s noisy chatter and stills my inner dialogues. I also practice remembering and observing whether the mantra is repeating within me. If I notice it has paused, I gently begin repeating it again.
Dombivli, India