How to Say Affirmations with the Right Rythm

Question

Swamiji has written the following: "Make your affirmations rhythmic, in a rhythm commensurate with the nature of your resolution."

Can you shed some light on his words.

In Master

Durgadas

—Durgadas (Alan Gosink), USA

Answer

Durgadas: Hi! Hriman (Terry) McGilloway, here, up in Seattle.

My understanding of Swamiji’s comment might be understood by example:

If the affirmation you are doing draws on will power then the rhythm would be somewhat martial-like, as if marching. “I am STRONG in myself. I am COMPLETE in myself.” (Imagine yourself marching as you say this affirmation.)

If the affirmation is more devotional or of a feeling nature, the rhythm would be soft and flowing like a brook: “I feel myself in the flowing brooks, in the flight of birds, and in the dance of flowers in a breeze.” (Imagine yourself swaying gently side to side as you say this affirmation.)

A mental affirmation, perhaps a mantra, even, would have the near monotone or perhaps rather the mono-syllabic rhthym that emphases the sounds rather than the words: OM NAMOH [slight pause] BHAGAVATE [pause] VASUDEVA. (This would be broken into syllables rather than words and spoken with a rhythm that would be relatively even, just as Sanskrit pronounces each syllable with approx equal emphasis. The only variation would be where the pauses are.)

Does that help?

Nayaswami Hriman