Question: I am working in a software firm. I am 23 years of age now. I was intitiated in 1998 when I was in college. I was chanting that Mantra regularly for 2 years and I used to attend the classes for the youth in Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. I found that my mind was getting a bit pure and clear. But after I got my job (through campus interviews), I lost my control of my mind and I stopped doing Japa and started enjoying like a normal college guy.
At present, I am working in Mumbai .What I want is a good, pure life free from jealousy, desire for girls, deceit. Nowadays I do Japa of ‘Om Namah Shivaya’. I do not chant the intitiated mantra because I am afraid of some things. I do read works of Vivekanda though not regularly. … …
I am learning music and I hear lot of carnatic, Western classic and cinema songs/music. Also I am learning violin for few months. Hearing pure classical music is sometimes boring and I hear cinema songs to pass that boredom. Will hearing music disturb the mentality of a person ?
Answer: The Mantra given by the Guru will help you to purify your mind. It is natural for men to err, but God will definitely forgive, if you are sincere in correcting yourself. If you are finding peace in repeating Shiva Mantra, you may continue to do so, but you have to do the Japam of the Mantra given by your Guru, at least as much as he has asked you to do.
Regarding the music, the cinema songs will only lead you towards more & more desires. There are so many devotional songs. It is better to hear them, or cultivate the habit of reading good books. That will always help you to keep your mind in higher levels.