JAPA: A PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATMENT Q. What is the starting point of
japa from the linguistic - point of view? What are the halting
places in this joumey? And how does the power of japa become
comprehensive form the point of view of physiology or of the
science of incantation? Ans. Japa, the repetition of the name of
the deity, and jalpa, meaning sophistry, come from the root
words japa and jalpa. The root word jalpa connotes plain,
explicit speaking; whereas the root word japa has two
connotations--explicit speech and mental talk. Thus, the
semantic journey of japa begins from loud note' to mantra-
articulation' and, mental repetition' thereof. Of course, japa
is always done aloud, but from the point of view of
articulation, it has been divided into two classes-voiced and
mental. From the viewpoint of the science of incantation, japa
is of three kinds-japa, antarjalpa, and mental jalpa. In the
language of the science of incantation, these are known as
voiced, low-voiced, and silent (i.e. mental). All these three