Advanced Meditation: How to Do a

Purashcharana

Like a shaft of light that dispels the shadows of a darkened room, the practice of
mantra meditation illumines the space of the mind. Mantras embody higher
states of consciousness. In meditation, mantras pervade awareness with their
presence, influencing the mind altogether differently than the senses, memory, or
imagination. Each repetition of a mantra infuses the mind with the mantra’s
protective and illuminating power. With practice, the forces of mind and mantra
unite. The Shiva Sutras, a tantric text of Kashmir Shaivism, says “chittam
mantrah” (through deep identification with the Self enshrined in a mantra, the
mind becomes the protecting presence of the mantra). In this sense, the mind is
not merely transformed in meditation—it is transfigured.

Achieving such subtle levels of awareness is a gradual process and the long-
range goal of a wide array of yoga practices. One of the most powerful methods
for seamlessly integrating mantra and consciousness is to undertake
a purashcharana. In this systematic practice, you repeat a mantra a specific
number of times each day for a set period; a single purashcharana can last
months or even years. By deepening your meditation practice in this way, a
purashcharana magnifies the energy of your mantra, removes the impediments
obstructing spiritual progress, and profoundly purifies the mind.

Prerequisites to Practice
In order to begin a purashcharana, you should be well established in the
fundamentals of mantra meditation. As a beginning student, you likely learned
how to sit, breathe, and rest awareness on a single focus. You may have worked
with a universal mantra such as so’ham, the restful sound of the breath, and later
received a personal mantra from a qualified teacher through initiation. Or you
may have selected one of the great Vedic mantras (for example,
the gayatri or maha mrityunjaya mantras) for daily practice.

The process of holding a mantra in your awareness and repeating it with one-
pointed focus is called japa. In regular japa practice, as well as the amplified
practice of purashcharana, you can keep track of the number of mantra
repetitions you have completed by using a mala. Even though a mala has 108
beads, one round is counted as 100 repetitions, making it easy to keep track of
your practice.

Experience with a mantra in meditation helps it flow more smoothly. A well-

practiced mantra will surface effortlessly in your mind, like an enchanting melody.
It recites itself. The pace of a well-rehearsed mantra becomes more rapid—fast
enough that you may no longer articulate the mantra’s syllables clearly, yet your
attention rests in the pulsing of the mantra and the feeling inherent in its sound.
This combination of effortless recitation and rapid pulsing is called ajapa japa.

A purashcharana is “the next step forward” in

practice—a means of taking your meditation to a new
level.
Usually, it is best to have practiced your mantra and acquired some facility with
ajapa japa before attempting a long purashcharana. But sometimes, a
purashcharana is precisely the way to gain a closer relationship with your
mantra. Your enthusiasm, your teacher’s counsel, or perhaps your need for a
more disciplined practice can draw you to undertake a purashcharana, and
similarly, your enthusiasm and determination will sustain you until you complete
it.

How to Undertake a Purashcharana

Purash means “next” or “forward” and charana means “step” or “course.” A
purashcharana is “the next step forward” in practice—a means of taking your
meditation to a new level.

The basic technique in a purashcharana is to complete a specified number of

mantra repetitions each day for a predetermined period of time. Traditionally, a
full purashcharana for any mantra is 100,000 repetitions multiplied by the number
of syllables in the mantra. Many personal mantras have five or six syllables,
yielding 500,000 or 600,000 total repetitions. The gayatri mantra has 24
syllables, so a complete purashcharana would entail 2.4 million repetitions,
allocated over as many years as you might need to complete the practice at a
reasonable pace.

But even a much shorter practice can be deeply satisfying. In many world
traditions, 40 days is a standard period for taking on a practice. If you have never
done a purashcharana before, a 40-day practice is a manageable and satisfying
step forward. If you’re feeling more ambitious, you might take on a
purashcharana of 125,000 repetitions by committing to 10 rounds a day for 125
days.

With any of these practices, the number of repetitions completed each day is
determined by your mental and physical capacity. The amount of time required to
complete a round of your mala depends on the length of your mantra and the
speed at which you recite it. If your mantra is relatively short and you have had
enough experience with it that it flows quickly, then one round may take only a
couple of minutes to complete. But longer mantras, such as the maha
mrityunjaya mantra, will take more time, especially at first.

A purashcharana opens a dialogue

with life.
Technical details about the length of a purashcharana can sound mechanical, but
the essence of the practice is both more subtle and more profound. Far from
being a race to the finish, a purashcharana opens a dialogue with life. The
discipline of completing each day’s practice requires constancy and planning.
This creates tapas, or spiritual heat—the means for purification and
transformation.

Your resolve is not just about completing a set number of mantra repetitions but
about using your practice as a means for bringing your spiritual goals to life. Over
the course of practice you will become more aware of your interests, your moods,
how you spend your time, and your defenses and resistances. This will help you
align with your higher aspirations. A purashcharana can be used as a means of
atonement, a strategy for making amends, or for changing what you find
upsetting in life. And because a purashcharana is woven into your daily schedule
(“When will I eat?” “When will I meditate?”) you will find yourself making different
lifestyle choices—forming helpful new habits and dismissing unproductive ones.

From Start to Finish

Each purashcharana begins with a sankalpa, or a mental resolve, to complete
the practice unselfishly and without expectation. A sankalpa is an intuitive
commitment which arises from a deeper part of yourself than your analytical
mind. It allows you to trust that your undertaking is the right thing to do and that it
is filled with the energy necessary to complete it.

When should you begin the practice? Tradition suggests that certain junctures in
time—notably spring and fall, full moons, Thursdays, and early mornings—
favorably support your inner resolve when embarking on a purashcharana. The
most critical element, however, is the guidance of your teacher or your personal
determination that a purashcharana practice is right for you. Then, either your
teacher or your internal calendar will guide you to an auspicious moment, and
you can set your sankalpa and begin.
When you have completed your total intended repetitions, you can perform
a homa—the key traditional practice for concluding a purashcharana. This
involves offering an additional 10 percent of your entire practice into a ritual fire
(havan) or into the internal fire residing at your navel center. For example, a
purashcharana of 10,000 repetitions would conclude with offering 1,000
additional repetitions into the fire. Homa offerings are an expression of love and
gratitude, a recognition that the presence of your mantra surrounds you in the
natural world as well as pulsing within you, and a final demonstration of
selflessness that brings your practice to a meaningful close.

Overcoming Obstacles
Patanjali, the great codifier of yoga, identifies nine impediments (antarayas) that
weaken concentration and distract us from our spiritual purpose: disease, mental
inertia, doubt, carelessness, sloth, inability to withdraw from sense cravings,
clinging to misunderstanding, inability to reach the goal (samadhi), and inability to
retain it. As you examine the list, you may recognize stumbling blocks that are
particularly troublesome in your practice. According to the Yoga Sutra (1:28–9),
all these obstacles can eventually be eliminated through mantra repetition:
“Through the practice of japa and absorption in the presence of God (Ishvara),
inward consciousness is refined and realized, and the impediments to self-
realization are removed.” This is the essence of self-purification.

During the course of your purashcharana one or more of these impediments may
surface to strongly challenge and undermine your resolve. You may become
frustrated or disillusioned. But if you stay the course, the power of your mantra
will gradually diminish the imbalance. The antarayas are symptoms of an
unsteady mind, and japa—especially in the intensified form of a purashcharana—
serves as the deep-acting remedy. For instance, in order to dissolve doubt—one
of the most destructive impediments—you need to strengthen the mind and
supply it with direct experience. This is precisely what a purashcharana does. As
mind and mantra merge, the appeal to a source of higher wisdom resolves the
lower mind’s tendency to vacillate.
Finding Faith
Earlier we noted that the term purashcharana could be defined as a step forward
in one’s practice. The term also has a second, more devotional, meaning. In the
traditional view of a purashcharana, it is the mantra itself that is brought forward.
Just as you honor a distinguished person by seating him at the front of a
gathering, you position a mantra in the forefront of your life by doing a
purashcharana. The mantra then serves as a guru, an inner guide—it leads,
nourishes, and protects.

Understanding a purashcharana as a devotional act helps us encounter a

different dimension of ourselves—our faith. In every spiritual tradition faith is
venerated as a vital component of inner life. In a penetrating verse of
the Bhagavad Gita (17:3), Krishna tells Arjuna that “Persons are made of faith,
and whatever is one’s faith, that indeed one is.” Both Patanjali and the Buddha
placed faith at the top of a list of preconditions for enlightenment, followed by
vitality, mindfulness, one-pointed concentration, and wisdom. St. Paul famously
wrote of “faith, hope, and love.”

“Faith,” Krishna says in the Gita, “is in accordance with the purity (sattva) of one’s
nature.” Since purification lies at the heart of a purashcharana practice, it is
naturally faith building. However, acquiring a deep level of faith takes time. We
are all in training. In order to expand our faith, we need to cultivate an emotional
engagement with our practice.

According to the Shiva Sutras, only

“a zealous, careful, and diligent
approach brings about union with the
mantra.”
Here are some helpful suggestions: Meditate with a cheerful heart—with
optimism that your practice will benefit you and others; this will naturally
strengthen your inner resolve. Trustfully surrender to the practice you have
embraced, and let life unfold naturally from that space. Cultivate a devotional
relationship with your mantra—a sense that you trust the mantra and offer your
shortcomings to its presence.

According to the Shiva Sutras, only “a zealous, careful, and diligent approach
brings about union with the mantra.” As you meditate, grasp the mantra firmly but
not rigidly in your awareness, and let the living sound of the mantra fill the space
of your mind. At the same time, soften your mental grip on the mantra and recite
it as if it is your own thought and not simply a random sound that you have
momentarily discovered. The Tantrasadbhava Tantra describes mindless
repetitions of mantras as being “as useless as autumn clouds [that bring no
rain].” When you approach japa with presence and devotion, you bind your
awareness with the mantra’s essence. This integration bolsters your faith.

A purashcharana will expand the dimensions of your meditation, but not because
there is a record to be set or a medal to be earned. Meditation is an inward
journey and a purashcharana enlarges the boundaries of that exploration. A
purashcharana strengthens your spiritual resolve and immerses your mind in a
search for the divine, bringing you closer to the pure being you are.

ABOUT THE TEACHER

Rolf Sovik, PsyD

show full bio
President and Spiritual Director of the Himalayan Institute, Rolf Sovik, PsyD, began his
study of yoga and meditation in 1972. He is a student of H.H. Swami Rama and Pandit
Rajmani Tigunait, and under their guidance has explored the teachings of the
Himalayan tradition. He holds degrees in philosophy, music, Eastern Studies, and
Clinical Psychology. He is currently a resident of the Himalayan Institute where he lives
with his wife, Mary Gail. Read Rolf’s articles on yoga wisdom and spirituality in the
Himalayan Institute Wisdom Library.