What are mantras?
Mantras
Quote: “Meditation is the only royal road to the attainment of Freedom. It is a mysterious ladder which reaches from earth to heaven, from error to truth, from darkness to light, from pain to bliss, from restlessness to abiding peace, from ignorance to knowledge, from mortality to immortality.”
– Swami Sivananda in “Bliss Divine”
– Swami Sivananda in “Bliss Divine”
What are mantras?
Swami Sivananda says in “Japa Yoga” that, “Mantra Yoga is an exact science. By the constant thinking of mantra, one is protected and released from the round of births and deaths.
A mantra is so-called because it is achieved by a mental process. The root “man” in this word mantra comes from the first syllable of that word meaning “to think”, and “tra” from “trai” meaning “to protect or free” from the bondage of the phenomenal world. A mantra when constantly repeated awakens the consciousness.”
Swami Vishnu-devananda in his book “Meditation and Mantras” says that, “A Mantra is a mystical energy encased in a sound structure.”
Upon repetition of the mantras, the energy is released.
Mantras are Sanskrit invocations of the Divine.
Sanskrit is also known as Devanagari, or the language of the Gods. Sanskrit is not a foreign Indian language but an ancient universal language. The 50 letters of Sanskrit alphabet are based on the pure vibrations of our chakras.
By using the mantras, we create a certain pure vibration in our astral body and mind, and we purify ourselves of all of our impurities and negativities. It is like washing the mind with soap made of sound.
A mantra cannot be created or tailored for an individual. It is a sound formula given to us by Rishis, or Seers, of the mantra, who have used the mantra and attain the highest realization.
Every mantra has a seed, a Shakti (or power), a presiding deity, a specific meter, a specific wavelength, and a plug or lock. It is an exact science and needs to be studied properly under a teacher.
The Universal mantra Om:
In the beginning of your meditation practice, you can use the universal mantra Om (or AUM, which represents the three states of consciousness [waking, dreaming, and deep sleep] and the transcendent fourth state, which is that of the pure witness of the other three states).
Om is the sound of creation, the sound of Unity, a sacred universal sound that is at the basis of all language.
If you have not been initiated into a mantra, you can use the universal mantra Om for meditation independent of your religious faith.
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