THE TYPES OF HINDU MANTRAS

                             

                                  TYPES OF MANTRAS 

                     SAGUNA MANTRAS - MANTRAS WHICH GIVE RISE TO THE ACTUAL FORM OF A PARTICULAR DEITY AND HAVE A PARTICULAR SHAPE ARE KNOWN AS SAGUNA MANTRAS. ON CHANTING, THEY LEAD TO GOD REALISATION. THEY HAVE FORM, QUALITIES, AND VISUAL SYMBOLS. THE MANTRA IS THE DEITY ITSELF. THE MANTRAS SHOULD BE CHANTED PROPERLY WITH FULL CONCENTRATION ON EACH AND EVERY WORD.

                    OM NAMAH SHIVAYE'  IS LORD SHIVA'S MANTRA. HARI OM' IS THE MANTRA OF LORD VISHNU.

                     NIRGUNA MANTRAS - MANTRAS WHICH DO NOT GIVE RISE TO THE ACTUAL FORM OF A PARTICULAR DEITY ARE FORMLESS ARE CALLED NIRGUNA MANTRAS. THESE MANTRAS HELP IN BECOMING ONE WITH NATURE. THEY HAVE MYSTICAL ENERGY. THEY SHOULD BE PRONOUNCED OR CHANTED CORRECTLY. MISPRONUNCIATION CAN CAUSE SEVERE NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON ONE'S BRAIN.

                    AHAM BRAHMA ASMI' MEANS I AM BRAHMA. IN THIS MANTRA ONE DENIES BODY CONSCIOUSNESS AND AFFIRMS UNITY WITH BRAHMA.

                      MANTRAS FOR JAPA - THESE ARE SOME OF THE MANTRAS CHANTED ALL OVER THE WORLD.

                     1. OM

                          IT IS THE SOUND OF UNIVERSE AND ORIGINAL VIBRATION OF GOD. ITIS THE MANIFESTATION OF ABSOLUTE. IT REPRESENTS GOD AS OMNIPRESENT, OMNISCIENT AND OMNIPOTENT OM LETTER BY LETTER A-U-M REPRESENTS SHAKTI, DIVINE ENERGY UNITED IN THREE ELEMENTARY ASPECTS BRAHMA SHAKTI (CREATION) , VISHNU SHAKTI (PRESERVATION) REPRESENTS THE SLEEP STATE AND "M" REPRESENTS THE DEEP SLEEP STATE AND THE COMBINATION AUM REPRESENTS TOTAL CONSCIOUSNESS. ACCORDING TO MANDUKYA UPANISHAD, "AUM STANDS FOR THE WHOLE WORLD".

                    2. OM SRI MAHA GANAPATAYE NAMAH

                I BOW TO LORD GANESH WHO IS THE KING OF "GANAS" TROOPS. HE REMOVES ALL OBSTACLES AND GIVES PROTECTION. IT GIVES SUCCESS IN MATERIALISTIC AS WELL AS SPIRITUAL LIFE.

                   3. OM NAMO NARAYANAYA

           

               THIS MANTRA IS FOR LORD VISHNU. NARAYANA IS ONE OF HIS NAMES. HE IS THE PRESERVER OF THE WORLD. PEOPLE WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE RUNNING OF ANY INSTITUITION OR SOCIETY CAN CHANT THIS MANTRA.

               NAMBI GAVE INITIATION OF RAMANUJA FOR THE MANTRA "OM NAMO NARAYANAYA" AND ASKED RAMANUJA TO MAINTAIN ITS SECRECY AS IT IS A VERY POWERFUL MANTRA. ON CONTINUOUS REPETITION IT GIVES SALVATION. IT SHOULD BE GIVEN ONLY TO A WORTHY DISCIPLE. ON REALISIN THAT IT IS A POWERFUL MANTRA, RAMANUJA ASSEMBLED PERSONS OF ALL CASTE, CREED AND SOCIAL STATUS AND TOLD THEM THE MANTRA TO SALVATION. HE WAS VERY COMPASSIONATE AND KIND. HE WANTED THAT EVERYBODY SHOULD ENJOY THE ETERNAL BLISS OF LORD NARAYANA.

                    4. HARI OM

               HARI IS THE NAME OF LORD VISHNU. IT DESTROYS PAST KARMAS AND NEGATIVE EMOTIONS. IT GIVES SALVATION.

                 5.  OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VASUDEVAYA

             IT IS THE MANTRA OF LORD KRISHNA. VASUDEVA IS ONE OF LORD KRISHNA'S NAMES. IT GIVES VAIRAGYA (DISPASSION) AS WELL AS MUKTI (SALVATION)

                6. OM SRI DURGAYAI NAMAH

              MOTHER DURGA IS SHAKTI, SHE HAS EIGHT ARMS IN WHICH SHE CARRIES WEAPONS AND LOTUS FLOWER. SHE RIDES A TIGER. THIS MANTRA GIVES POWER AND REMOVES FEAR.

                7. OM SRI MAHA KALIKAYAI NAMAH

            THIS MANTRA IS FOR GODDESS KALI WHO REMOVES NEGATIVE QUALITIES FROM INDIVIDUAL AND HELPS IN  COSMIC UNION OF INDIVIDUAL SOUL.

                  8. OM AIM SARASWATYAI NAMAH

               GODDESS SARASWATI IS THE SOURCE OF LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE. SHE SHOWERS KNOWLEDGE IN THE FIELDS OF ART AND MUSIC. THIS MANTRA HELPS IN CREATING INNOVATION IDEAS. IT ALSO INCREASES KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM.

GAYATRI MANTRA STEPS

 

                                                           STEP EIGHTEEN

                              WE'LL NOW DO VINIYAGA, MEANS THE APPLICATION OF THE MANTRA. SANKALPA IS DONE ONLY ONCE ON THE FIRST DAY WHEREAS VINIYAGA IS DONE EVERY DAY THROUGHOUT YOUR PURUSHCHARNA. HERE'S THE MANTRA FOR GAYATRI VINIYOGA:

                            SAPTAVYAHRATINAM HAMADAGNI, BHARADVAJA, ATRI-GAUTAMA,

                            KASYAPA, VISVAMITRA, VASISTHA RSHAYAH,

                           GAYATRYUSNIGANUSTUBBRHATI-PAMK

                           TISTRISTUBJAGATYASCHANDADAMSI,

                            AGNI-VAYU-SURYA-BRHSPATI-VARUNENDRA-VISVEDEVA DEVATAH,

                            SARVAPAPAKSAYARTE JAPE VINIYOGAH.

                        NOW DON'T BE ALARMED - YOU DON'T HAVE TO CHANT IT. THERE IS A SIMPLE WAY TO DO IT! TAKE WATER IN YOUR PLAN AND SAY, O THE SAGES WHO HAVE EXISTED BEFORE ME WHO HAVE INVOKED VEDMATA GAYAYRI, I AM CHANTING THIS TO PURGE MYSELF OF ALL THE BAD KARMA I MIGHT HAVE DONE, TO CLEANSE MYSELF OF ALL THE NEGATIVE EMOTIONS I CARRY IN MY HEART. AFTER YOU HAVE SAID THIS, JUST POUR THE WATER FROM YOUR PLAN ON THE GROUND IN FRONT OF YOU.

                                                                 STEP NINETEEN

                                                                             ❤❤❤

                              NOW WE COME TO THE PURIFICATION OF THE HANDS, WHICH IS CALLED KARNA SHUDDHI. THERE'S AN OLD BHAJAN THE SAYS, "VEDAN DIYA HARI GUN GAANE KO AUR HAATH DIYE KAR DAAN RE....' THAT WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH A MOUTH SO WE MAY SING HIS GLORIES AND HANDS SO WE MAY ENGAGE IN CHARITABLE ACTS. BUT OFTEN IN OUR LIVES WE END UP DOING THINGS WTH OUR HANDS THAT DON'T BEFIT US. BEFORE OUR HANDS PERFORM MUDRAS (HANDLOCKS) OR NYASA (PLACEMENT OF LETTERS OF THE MANTRA ON OUR BODY), WE NEED TO PURIFY OUR HANDS. THE RATIONALE IS QUIETE SIMPLE, CAN'T WASH OFF DIRT WITH DIRTY WATER, WE CAN'T PURIFY OUR BODY WITH IMPURE HANDS.

                       PURIFICATION RITUAL IS PERFORMED BY CHANTING "OM BHURBHUVA SVAHA" AND WASHING YOUR HANDS WHILE YOU CHANT IT. THREE TIMES THE HANDS ARE WASHED AND THREEE TIMES HE SAME MANTRA IS CHANTED.

                    ONCE AGAIN, YOU WASH YOUR HANDS BY TAKING A BIT OF WATER IN THE RIGHT HAND AND THEN SYMBOLICALLY WASHING BOTH HANDS WITH IT TO YOUR LEFT SIDE. YOU CAN KEEP A SMALL TOWEL WITH YOU TO WIPE YOUR HANDS EVERY TIME YOU USE WATER. THIS IS COMPLETELY AT YOUR DISCRETION.

                     NOW, CHANT THE FOLLOWING MANTRAS AND SHOW THE APPROPRITATE MUDRAS TO PERFORM PURIFICATION OF THE HANDS.

 

                                          AING ANUSHTHABHYAM NAMAH.

                                          HRING TARJANABHYAM NAMAH.

                                          SHRING MADHYAMABHYAM NAMAH.

                                          AING ANAMKIABHYAM NAMAH.

                                          HRING KANISHKABHYAM NAMAH.

                                          SHRING KARTAKISHTABHYAM NAMAH.

                        WE HAVE PLACED LITTEL MANTRAS ON OUR HANDS. NOW THE FEELING, THE SENTIMENT IS THAT THESE ARE THE HANDS OF DEVI THAT DEVI ALONE IS FIT TO WORSHIP HERSELF.

                                                                   STEP TWENTY

                           

                               TWO STEPS ARE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE WHEN DOING MANTRA SADHANA. ONE IS NYASA AND THE OTHER MUDRAS. NYASA IS THE METHOD BY WHICH YOU NO LONGER REMAIN A BODY, BUT BECOME A MANTRA. THE IDEA BEHIND THIS IS NOT SIMPLY PURIFICATION OF YOUR BODY, MIND AND SOUL, BUT TO BECOME AT PAR WITH THE OBJECT OF WORSHIP.

                          LET'S SAY YOU INVITE A BEGGAR INTO YOUR HOME AND TELL HIM, PLEASE SIT NEXT TO ME AT THE DINING TABLE. THIS WOULD LIKELY MAKE THE BEGGAR FEEL VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. YOU MIGHT ALSO FEEL AKWARD, YOU WOULD FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE SPEAKING TO SOMEBODY ON A SIMILAR WAVELENGTH. IT WOULD BE EASIER TO COMMUNICATE, TO SPEND TIME WITH THAT PERSON.

                       SO IT IS WITH CHANTING, WITH OUR PRETTY THINKING, OUR LIMITED MINDS, WE CAN'T BE AT ONE WITH THE OBJECT OF OUR WORSHIP, OUR MANTRA, WITH OUR DEITY. THIS REQUIRES US TO RISE ABOVE THE LIMITED TENDENCIES OF THE MIND-OUR SELF-CENTREDNESS, SELFISHNESS, JEALOUSY, HATRED, NEGATIVITY AND SO ON. THIS IS INVARIABLY DONE WHILE YOU ARE CHATING THE MANTRA, BY NYASA, IN WHICH YOU PLACE VARIOUS LETTERS OF THE MANTRA ON YOUR BODY. THIS WAY, THE MANTRA IS DONE WITH AWARENESS, CONCIOUSNESS, DEVOTION, THROUGH THE NYASA, YOU BECOME THE MANTRA.

                       THERE ARE MANY KINDS OF NYASAS. THERE IS RISHYADI NYASA, IN WHICH WE PAY HOMAGE TO ALL THE RISHES, THE SAGES OF THE LINEAGE IN OUR MANTRA WHO HAVE INVOKED IT IN THE PAST. THEN WE HAVE THE VARNA NYASA OR NYASA ON THE SYLLABUS OF THE MANTRA, FOLLOWED  BY MATRIKA NYASA, WHICH IS IN A SANSKRIT SCRIPT CALLED DEVANAGARI. (AN ANCIET FORM OF SANSKRIT SCRIPT WAS CALLED BRAHMI, WHICH HAD MORE LETTERS THAN DEVANAGARI)

                   SINCE WE DID THE PURIFICATION OF OUR HANDS IN THE PREVIOUS STEP, WE ARE NOW READY TO INVITE THE  ENERGY OF THE DEITY INTO YOUR BODY. THE MANTRAS OF THE NYASA ARE COVERED IN THE APPENDIX.

                    THEN WE DO WHAT IS CALLED THE PRANAVA NYASA. THE SOUND "OM" IS CALLED PRANAVA, FROM THE ORIGINAL PRANA, THE LIFE FORCE THAT HAS REVOLVED. IT IS DONE AS FOLLOWS:

                                         OM BRAHMA RSAYE NAMAH SIRASI

                                         GAYATRICHANDRA SE NAMAH MUKHE

                                         OM PARAMATMADEVATAYAI NAMAH HRADI

                                        VINIYOGAYA NAMAH SARVANGE

                           NOW THAT YOU HAVE INVOKED THE PRIMORDIAL VITAL LIFE FORCE IN OUR BODY, YOU ARE READY TO PERFORM NYASA OF THE HANDS. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT PURIFICATION OF THE HANDS WHERE WE USE SEED SYLLABUS FROM THE MANTRA.

                                      OM TATSAVITURBRAHMANE ANGUSTHABHYAM NAMAH

                                     VARENYAM VISHNAVE TARJANIBHYAM NAMAH

                                     OM BHARGO DEVASYA RUDRAYA MADHYAMABHYAM NAMAH

                                      OM DHIMAHI ISVARAYA ANAMIKABHYAM NAMAH

                                      OM DHIYO YO NAH SADASIVAYA KANISTHKABHYAM NAMAH

                        ONE OF THE REASONS THIS MANTRA IS SO POTENT IS BECAUSE I CARRIES ALL THE ENERGIES IN ITS VARIOUS WORDS.

                        NOW WE'LL DO WHAT IS CALLED SHADANGA MANTRA NYASA. AS I SAID, PLEASE DON'T BE OVERWHELMED BY ALL THIS. ONCE YOU GET USED TO IT, IT'LL BE A PIECE OF CAKE. BESIDES, IF YOU FIND THIS TOO MUCH, YOU CAN ALWAYS OPT FOR THE CONSISE METHOD.

                                          THE ANCIENT SCIENCE OF MANTRAS, WHEN SHIVA CREATED ALL THE MANTRAS IN THE UNIVERSE, THEY WERE LOCKED, AS IT WERE, SO THAT PEOPLE COULD NOT MISUSE THEM FOR THEIR OWN LIMITED DESIRES. AND EVERY MANTRA HAS WHAT WE CALL SHAKTI, OR ENERGY. THERE ARE THE SHADANGA, THE SIX LIMBS OR ASPECTS OF A MANTRA.

                                     OM TATSAVITURBRAHMANE HRADAYAYA NAMAH

                                     OM VARENYAM VISHNAVE SIRASE SVAHA

                           EARLIER, WHEN YOU SAID SIRASE, YOU TOUCHED THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD. BUT IN THIS, YOU JUST TOUCH YOUR FOREHEAD.

      

                                     OM PRACODAYAT SARVATMANE ASTRAYA PHAT

                           NYASA WITH EXACT MANTRAS AN MUDRAS CAN BE FOUND IN THE APPENDIX. IF YOU WISH TO PERFORM AN EXTENTED NYASA (LIKE VARNA NYASA, ETC) THAT TOO I'VE PROVIDED THERE.

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