Naturopathy

  • By Swami Sivananda
  • March 2002
  • 199864 views

Spiritual Healing       

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PSYCHIC AND SPIRITUAL HEALING

Psychic healing is usually mistaken for spiritual healing. Psychic healing is a simple matter of concentrating the mind and developing the will to a certain degree of power. It is acquired with as much ease as a gymnast acquires perfection of muscles in a gymnasium! Here, the healer has no contact at all with the Divine Will, because he still works with the help of his own individual will. I have known of some cases in India where the healer has come to grief by violating the Divine Will in forcibly healing a patient with the help of some magical powers and Mantra Siddhi. This practice is not desirable.

Spiritual healing is entirely different. The healer merges his will in the Divine Will, realizes his identity with the God within, and also with the same God within the patient. Through silent, sincere and selfless prayer he awakens in the patient the power of God. It is in fact the patient’s own inner power, when awakened, even though temporarily, that heals him. In such cases it is often found that the patient turns definitely towards God and thereafter leads the pure life of a spiritual aspirant, no matter, even if he leads an active life in the world. It is no longer a long journey to feel the presence of God within and everywhere and to achieve that sincere, profound and spontaneous flow of prayer with deep concentration of mind that knows no limit or hindrance, internal of external. But, the trouble taken to achieve it through the practice of the eightfold Sadhana in Raja Yoga will be amply repaid.

Look at the vast difference! The patient is not only cured of the illness but he is definitely turned towards God. The healer feels that in reality it is god that effected the healing. Egoism is absent I him. He, too, progresses with every such healing attempt.

Meditation on the Self, in its manifested or unmanifested aspect is the key to this achievement. Understand that the Self or God is same in all. Purify his heart through selfless service and sincere prayer for all the sick and the suffering. Still your thoughts. Be truthful in thought, word and deed: this is very important. Observe strict continence. Never get irritated or hurt other’s feeling. Take Sattvic or pure, nutritious, non-exciting, vegetarian diet. Pray for the sick man’s recovery. But do not inwardly swell up with the thought that you are indeed doing a very grand, noble and selfless thing, or that you will be rewarded by this healing, monetarily, or by way of name and fame, or even with spiritual merits. Absolute selflessness is the secret of rapid and sustained success.

Healing by Mantra

Mantra healing is based on the realization of the truth that the healer is God and that all that the healer need do is to put himself and the patient in tune with Him.

I give below in detail the process of healing with the help of Mantras:

The most important point to be always remembered in this connection is the fact that is the omnipotent God that heals the person and not our individual will. Our duty consists in invoking His Will and healing Grace and in attuning the person’s mind to that Omnipotent Will, through Japa, Kirtan, etc. Prayer is the key to both.

Hold a small Satsanga. The persons who want to be healed must be there. And as many advanced Sadhakas and Bhaktas as you can get, may also be there. The latter need not necessarily know that the Satsanga is for the purpose of healing. Their combined prayer-force will help the patient greatly.

Start with OM-chanting, Ganesha and Guru Kirtans. Invoke Sri Hanuman and then sing the Maha Mantra Kirtan for a period of ten to fifteen minutes. If possible (i.e., if the patient is not seriously laid up), the patient must also be made to sing the Kirtan; in any case, he must be made to relax completely and try as far as possible to think of God with full faith in His Healing Grace.

When a certain amount of concentration is developed within yourself then mentally pray to God to shower His grace and blessing on the person to be healed and then start the Maha Mrityunjaya Japa. Repeat the Mantra first aloud several times and then do silent Japa for a few minutes. All the time feel the Lord’s Grace is healing the patient of his malady; the patient also should feel that the great power of Mantra is enveloping him.

Then repeat the Shanti Path. Meditate for a couple of minutes, feeling the Lord’s Grace, which now fills the patient, dedicate the whole process to Him and get up.

At the conclusion of the above procedure, you may give Vibhuti Prasada to the patient with a strong mental suggestion for healing by Lord’s Will.

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