Questions

1) Could you please tell me if Gayatri mantra is connected to surya and therefore should be only recited during day time and avoided after sunset?

2) I believe that we are not supposed to practice any special mantras (mantras apart from our diksha mantra) during 12 midnight to 3 am and 12 noon to 3 pm (6 hours in total). Is this correct?

Answers

Stephen Parker (Stoma) and Lalita Arya (Ammaji) have answered this question.

Stephen Parker (Stoma)

The Gayatri is indeed a solar mantra, the most powerful one, in fact. But the sun addressed is the inner sun of Ātman. There is no reason to avoid reciting it after sunset.

With respect to appropriate hours for japa, one explanation of these rules is that these are the hours when the devas are resting. But by what clock? 12 midnight here is 7 AM in Europe. And what time on the North Pole of Mars?

Swami Veda always maintained that because women are given extra respect in our Śrī Vidyā tradition, there are no such restrictions for women. He said that the same is true for nishkāma-japa, japa without a desire-based purpose, done solely for the purpose of liberation.

Japa of special mantras for spiritual prosperity, for healing, or to find a spouse, done by male sādhakas, should follow that rule.

Lalita Arya (Ammaji)

I agree with Stoma. My added comments –

Mantra japa has to do with the subtle and does not refer or allude to the physical like sunrise/sunset, and hours of day and night, which as Stoma well explains differ from location to location. When the mantra is absorbed into the atma-self, there is a continuous throb/hum that goes on, so no limitation.

Rituals, however, that have to do with the manifest physical may have limitations in their practice times- these are almost always done with consultation from the experts.

Seeking the truth is the journey to moksha.

Editor’s Note

If you have any questions about your spiritual practice, you may write to the AHYMSIN Spiritual Committee at adhyatmasamiti@gmail.com.