[The six faults that should be avoided while performing daily recitation of religious scriptures]
There are two methods of doing "Paath" one is to understand it and then read it and other is just read it in moola [original] form even if you don’t understand like in Bible where you understand and read it whereas in few religious grntha [scriptures] you just read it whether you understand it or not. While in Sanaatan Dharma - both forms are practiced- reading it in moola form and understanding it by this the reader gets the benefit of both forms- like when the grntha is read in moola form then blessings are received of the related deity of that grantha [holy book] and while understanding it you gain qualities of that scripture and feel more faith for the holy book too and the reader is blessed by the amazing strength of the holy book.
All religious sects support Paatha of the religious book they recommend. By reading the holy book you are benefitted by two qualities i.e. malapharan and gunaadhaan- malapharan is like cleansing yourself like we clean our body by using soap this work is done by malapharan it removes the dosha of our mind i.e. it cleanse our mind and that is done even you don’t understand the Holy Book what it means but still you do Paatha. After that when you cleanse yourself then you apply different cosmetics like oil cream or deodorant or powder means you are enhancing pleasant feel and freshness to your physique to look well and that work is done by the quality of gunaadhaan means guna + adhaan =Guna ka Adhaan= Guna means qualities and adhaan is to bear - to acquire qualities of the religious grntha that is done by recitation and understanding the grntha you are reading. It will bestow you with the qualities of that grntha. Though gunaadhaan is the best but even if you are not able to understand the grntha then also it will impart you strength containing in it for the reader but the speed of its becomes slow. Sometimes it work miraculously too- depending upon faith of the reader. However, below are given the six faults that reader should avoid to gain the maximum of the benefit through the Paatha he is doing.
According to Vedic parampara there are six defects known while performing a paatha
“mouni geetee shirah kampim tathalikhitpaathakah |
anarthajnouspashtvaktah cha shadete paathakadhamah ||”
It is enumerating the six doshas of paatha that should be avoided:
1: The Paatha should not be recited so fast that the recitation is not proper. The words should be clearly pronounced and also it should not be done in murmuring form or just mental reading.
2: The Paatha should not be sung as the listener- then knowingly or unknowingly focus its attention to the music. The stress should be on the Paatha and not on the music or anything that distracts the mind from Paatha.
3: Reader should sit comfortably and in stable form. Neither should he moves his head or body. Some people move themselves in rhythmic form while performing jaapa o Paatha. That instability also affects focus of mind. That is why mental with physical stability is must.
4: Even though if one has learnt the Paatha by heart but still he should keep the book in front while reciting it. Firstly, it will help to remove even a minute mistake while performing the recitation and also that the grntha itself is the gross form of the Deity representing the lord of that Paatha that gives energy and power. It also makes one submitted towards that deity or God with respect and faith.
5: It is very good if one understands the meaning of the scripture which he is reading and it should be done before the recitation of Paatha so that when he recites the grntha he should understand it properly and it gives bliss and satisfaction while reading the scripture.
6: Paatha should not be recited in loud or too much low in voice. It should be audible to the person sitting next to you and it should not be so much loud that should disturb others or to be heard by those who are not interested.
Srimadbhagvadgita and SriRamcharit Manas both are divine grnthas. They bless the reader as the God blesses his bhaktas. That is why if possible then you can make it daily routine to recite few pages of these grntha as much as possible and be blessed by their divine powers.
The quantity of the Paatha you want to do daily should be selected in that much of amount of pages that you can recite it daily without any problem. However, it is not fix but an approximate number of pages or hymns should be selected for creating a daily routine.
According to Yaajnavalkya smriti :
Shaten sthirtaan yaati sahstren cha tishthatee|
Evam shatsahstren ihaloke paratra cha ||
Means- if any mantra or Paatha of any grantha [holy book] is recited for 108 time then it is imprinted in the mind like sanskar- then its quality are also gained by the person who recites. If the person who recites it for one thousand eight times then it would be memorized throughout the life. It the recitation is done for once lakh times then it is deeply imprinted in the mind as such that it is carried forward till the next birth too.
So increase your devotion and faith in your divine self and go ahead to get blessings of your deity while recite the grantha daily.
