Om bhu-bhurva sva tat-savitur-varenya bhargo devsya dhimahi diyo yo na prachodayat
"You the eternal one, the physical one, the source of life oh adorable Sun God the brightest of all, clean my soul and purify me enlighten me, inspire me and lead me to the right path of life."
Mantras are words with a powerful and effective spiritual vibration.
One bhajan says, “We give and receive with words. With the help of words, we communicate and understand each other.'
Each word has its own vibration and its meaning and radiation evokes a corresponding response in the addressee. A friendly and polite request, such as "Would you do that for me, please?" will certainly elicit a different reaction than the harsh stimuli: "go do what I said!". The persons, place, and time are the same, and so are the mouth, tongue, and speech. Only words make a difference.
Even in the astral world there are various words used for understanding and communication. Just like in our world, there are certain rules that must be followed.
If we want to talk to someone, but our phone or the other person's phone is out of order, the call is out of the question. The basic condition for communication is therefore the functionality of both devices, the transmitting and receiving station. However, one more circumstance must be fulfilled. Even if both phones work, but one of the two partners does not understand the other's speech, communication is not possible.
Even animals have their own "languages". For example, fish communicate without words or signs, only by direct transmission of brain energy waves. If we observe a school of fish in the water, it often seems amazing and incomprehensible how perfectly they coordinate their movements. They swim right next to each other without bumping into each other and move simultaneously and brilliantly in the same direction.
Thus, at each level there are certain "languages" that are used for communication. A mantra is, as has already been said, a grouping of words that together form a sound with a positive vibration. Word is sound, sound creates vibration, and vibration is force - a creative force that permeates everything and causes movement and vibration. Energy means life; and where there is life, there is also creativity.
A word or sound is the most powerful force in the universe. Many people think that the greatest power is love. Earthly love is weak and fickle. However, words are very powerful. They can bring happiness or cause unhappiness, they can awaken love but also destroy it.
Sri Mahaprabhuji said, “Words should flow from the lips like fragrant flowers.” One poem says, “You should make everyone happy with your words. Let them radiate and spread peace and harmony."
It costs nothing to say something friendly to someone. However, harsh or bad words can hurt a lot. Therefore, it pays to speak kindly and friendly in every situation. And if this is not possible, it is better to remain silent. We should carefully consider every word in our hearts before we speak it, because then no power in the world can take it back. A proverb says, "Three things will never come back: the words you spoke, the bullet you fired, and the soul that left the body."
The literal translation of the word mantra is: man = mind, tara (tra) = movement, liberation. A mantra is a sound that frees the mind from fear, attachment and suffering. Once the mind is freed, all other problems dissolve automatically, because the biggest problem is the mind itself.
The mind is restless and constantly occupied with innumerable things. In the daily rush and rush of worldly worries, we often do not find time to think about God. Mantra gives peace of mind and directs thoughts to God.
Another meaning of the syllable tra comes from tripti (trapti): fulfillment. A glass of water can fill, satisfy the need of the thirsty. But what kind of thirst is the mind consuming and how can it be quenched? What binds the mind and how can it be freed from the shackles?
Atma, our inner Self, is the essence of the cosmic Self, whose nature is maha ananda, supreme bliss. That is also why ananda, bliss, is the most essential feature of every individual, because every creature is a part of the universal Self.
Atma is neither born nor dies. Atma, our true Self, is the essence of Ananda, Reality, Consciousness and Bliss. The thirsty mind longs to dissolve in this bliss. Only when he immerses himself in ananda can he find peace.
It is similar to digging a well; before we hit the desired water, we have to work hard: remove clay, stones and rock. These obstacles are everyday problems and difficulties that we have to overcome. The mantra helps us overcome daily worries, problems, illnesses and suffering and experience ananda - unlimited bliss.
Yoga forms the basis of all knowledge. Yoga means light, consciousness and being that was, is and will be eternal. The principle of yoga brings everything visible and invisible into harmony, harmony and balance. It is the force that unifies knowledge, both the knower and the object of knowledge. This knowledge was revealed and explored in their meditations by yogis and rishis and imparted to man for the development of his well-being. Even the symbols of the script that Sanskrit is written in were discovered in meditation. Each of these symbols addresses a certain level and power of the universe. Even the Sanskrit mantras that we use today come from the spiritual work of yogis. They found them in meditations and passed them on to us. Therefore, mantras pronounced in the original Sanskrit have a much greater effect than mantras recited in other languages. Sanskrit the script is called DÉVANÁGARÍ (deva - deity, nágarika - citizen). It is the writing of the gods, i.e.
There are different forms of mantras:
Bhajan (spiritual song)
Spiritual wisdom and purity are imparted in bhajan. Singing bhajans inspires singers and listeners, purifies consciousness, elevates feelings and awakens devotion (bhakti).
Kirtan (repetition of God's name in chant form)
This special form of mantra practice primarily appeals to the emotional side of us. Repetition of God's name full of feeling attracts spiritual energy and purifies the consciousness.
In principle, kirtans should not be chanted for more than 5-10 minutes, as chanting kirtans for too long can lead to over-escalation of emotions and subsequently to trance, loss of sense of reality and ecstatic states.
Prayer
Prayer is a mantra in the form of a ceremony. It is a "conversation with God". We can formulate it according to our own or follow the given occasion or the prescribed text (e.g. morning, evening prayer, prayer before meals). In prayer, we feel God's presence very clearly, prayer helps us solve problems, develop spirituality and trust in ourselves and in God.
Sacred mantra
Another form of mantra is the sacred mantra. Disharmonies and blockages of energy in the nadis and chakras can occur in our body. This then manifests itself in the form of illness. However, these places can be positively influenced by vibrations, that is, by words. Mantra vibrations have a beneficial, harmonious and healing effect on the physical body. However, sacred mantras are effective only when physical and spiritual discipline is followed. In order to prevent their misuse, the Master only transmits them orally and never in writing.
Spiritual mantra
The disciple receives the spiritual mantra from the realized Master. The master grants it only to those students who really want to work on their spiritual development and strive to achieve moksha (liberation). They receive it at the mantra diksha ("initiated into the mantra"). A spiritual mantra guides us on the spiritual path, deepens concentration and meditation, and helps us overcome inner fear and confusion. It is also a great help with nervousness, stress, mental imbalance and in difficult life situations.
For a spiritual aspirant, a mantra is like a pocket lamp showing the way out of the darkness of ignorance.
It is a support that we can cling to at any time, that gives us strength, helps us and protects us whenever we feel helpless and abandoned. A mantra is the "soul" of meditation. Without it, meditation is half done, it is like a body without a soul. Without a mantra, all spiritual efforts will be in vain.
Bija Mantra
After a long and continuous practice, the student arrives at the essence of the mantra that he received from his Master. Bija mantra is used in kriya practice and in deep meditation.
Bija means "seed". Just as the small seed of a certain tree contains all the qualities of that tree, so also the poverty mantra carries the power of the entire universe.
Whether the power of the mantra (mantra shakti) manifests depends only on the student himself. If we want to hit a target with a stone, we will succeed only if we have enough strength, concentration and if we are correctly focused on the target. Realizing the power of a mantra means having unshakable faith, discipline, single-mindedness and dedication.
Once the Master visited a small village and there two peasants asked him for a mantra. However, the master said that they both had to pass the test before he would accept them as his students. And he gave each of them a grain of soy with orders to take good care of it until he returned. One farmer stored soybeans in a box at home and closed it tightly. He thought this was the best way to dispose of such a precious gift from the Master. But the other thought: “Who knows when the Master will come again. By then, the soybeans could spoil or get lost somewhere.” So he decided to plant the seed in the ground. Soon the plant appeared, and he carefully watered and tended it, so that by harvest time he had a palm full of soybeans. And because the Master did not go, the farmer sowed beans again and the next summer he harvested a whole bag of soybeans.
When the Master finally reappeared in the village after three years, they both asked him again for the mantra. "First, give me back the soybean that I entrusted to you," the Master challenged them.
The first farmer ran for the precious box - but when he opened it, there was only a dead moth inside, which had entered and destroyed the soybeans.
The second peasant remained seated and waited. "Where do you keep the soy?" asked the Master. The farmer replied: "Your soybeans have multiplied so much that I cannot bring them here. Please come with me, I'll show you." And he led the Master to his warehouse, where a hundred kilograms of soy lay.
This peasant received the mantra from the Master, while the other still had to wait.
Whoever takes a mantra just to "put it in his pocket" and not to practice, behaves like a man who put soy in a box, where it was then eaten by the "moth of time". However, whoever uses the mantra multiplies its beneficial effect. As the saying goes: "Only practice makes perfect." We can practice the mantra in any life situation. Even when performing daily duties, it relaxes and calms the mind and helps us think clearly and positively. Also in this area, however, we should have avoided excessive and extreme practices and never forced anything. To be a yogi is to observe peace in every respect. As the Bhagavad Gita (6/16) says: "A Yogi is not one who eats too much, nor one who fasts excessively, nor one who sleeps excessively or one who is always awake."
A spiritual mantra can fundamentally never harm anyone. At most, its effect is weakened if there is a lack of proper internal tuning or if we have interrupted the exercise.
The mantra increases the success of practice and thus also the success of life. Then we have something in our heart that no one can take away from us, and we will never feel alone. The mantra protects us in every situation. When we say it or think about it, it fills us with a positive vibration and thus purifies our inner Self. We need water and soap for external cleaning.
A mantra will serve us to purify the mind, consciousness and intellect. The pure energy of the mantra removes clouds, veils and stains from consciousness and mind. It enables us to create a permanent connection between our Self and God, thus connecting us to the highest consciousness.
Sri Tulsidasji says: If you want to find enlightenment within and without, place on the threshold of your tongue the shining pearl of God's name (mantra).
