वैदिक प्रातःकालीन मंत्र, Mantras of Vedas

[ऋग्वेद : मण्डल ७, सूक्त ४१, मंत्र १-५]

प्रातरग्निं प्रातरिन्द्रं हवामहे प्रातर्मित्रावरुणा प्रातरश्विना ।
प्रातर्भगं पूषणं ब्रह्मणस्पतिं प्रातस्सोममुत रुद्रं हुवेम ॥ १ ॥

भावना - हे ईश्वर ! आप स्वप्रकाशस्वरूप – सर्वज्ञ हैं । परम ऐश्वर्य के दाता और परम ऐश्वर्य युक्त हैं । आप प्राण और उदान के समान हमें प्रिय हैं । आप सर्वशक्तिमान् हैं । आपने सूर्य और चन्द्र को उत्पन्न किया है । हम आपकी स्तुति करते हैं । आप भजनीय हैं, सेवनीय हैं, पुष्टिकर्त्ता हैं । आप अपने उपासक, वेद तथा ब्रह्माण्ड के पालनकर्त्ता हैं । आप हमारे अन्तर्यामी और प्रेरक हैं । हे जगदीश्वर ! आप पापियों को रुलानेवाले तथा सर्वरोगनाशक हैं । हम प्रातः वेला में आपकी स्तुति-प्रार्थना करते हैं ।

प्रातर्जितं भगमुग्रं हुवेम वयं पुत्रमदितेर्यो विधर्ता ।
आध्रश्चिद्यं मन्यमानस्तुरश्चिद्राजा चिद्यं भगं भक्षीत्याह ॥ २ ॥

भावना - हे ईश्वर ! आप जयशील हैं । आप ऐश्वर्य के दाता हैं । आप तेजस्वी – ज्ञानस्वरूप हैं । आपने अन्तरिक्ष के पुत्र-रूप सूर्य को उत्पन्न किया है । आप ही ने सूर्यादि लोकों को विशेष रूप से – सब ओर से धारण किया है । आप सभी को जानते हो । आप दुष्टों को दण्ड देते हो । आप सब के प्रकाशक हो । मैं आपके भजनीय स्वरूप का सेवन करता हूं – उपासना करता हूं । आप सबको उपदेश करते हैं कि – ‘मैं सूर्यादि जगत् को बनाने और धारण करते वाला हूं, आप लोग मेरी उपासना किया करो, मेरी आज्ञा में चला करो ।’ हे भगवान् ! इसलिए हम आपकी स्तुति करते हैं ।

भग प्रणेतर्भग सत्यराधो भगेमां धियमुदवा ददन्नः ।
भग प्र णो जनय गोभिरश्वैर्भग प्र नृभिर्नृवन्तः स्याम ॥ ३ ॥

भावना - हे ईश्वर ! आप भजनीय स्वरूप, सबके उत्पादक और सत्याचार में प्रेरक हैं । आप ऐश्वर्यप्रद हैं । आप सत्य धन को देनेवाले हैं । आप सत्याचरण करनेवालों को ऐश्वर्य देनेवाले हैं । हे परमेश्वर ! आप हमें प्रज्ञा का दीजिए । प्रज्ञा के दान से आप हमारी रक्षा कीजिए । आप हमारे लिए गाय, अश्व आदि उत्तम पशुओं के योग से राज्य-श्री को उत्पन्न कीजिए । आपकी कृपा से हम लोग उत्तम मनुष्य बनें, वीर बनें ।

उतेदानीं भगवन्तः स्यामोत प्रपित्व उत मध्ये अह्‌नाम्‌ ।
उतोदिता मघवन्त्सूर्यस्य वयं देवानां सुमतौ स्याम ॥ ४ ॥

भावना - हे ईश्वर ! आपकी कृपा से और अपने पुरुषार्थ से हम लोग इसी समय – प्रातःकाल में तथा दिनों के मध्य में प्रकर्षता अर्थात् उत्तमता प्राप्त करें, ऐश्वर्ययुक्त और शक्तिमान् होवें । हे परम पूजित ! आप असंख्य धन देनेवाले हो । आप हम पर कृपा कीजिए कि हम सूर्यलोक के उदय काल में पूर्ण विद्वान् धार्मिक आप्त लोगों की अच्छी उत्तम प्रज्ञा और सुमति में सदा प्रवृत्त रहें ।

भग एव भगवां अस्तु देवास्तेन वयं भगवन्तः स्याम ।
त्वं त्वा भग सर्व इज्जोहवीति स नो भग पुर एता भवेह ॥ ५ ॥

भावना - हे जगदीश्वर ! आप सकल ऐश्वर्य सम्पन्न हैं । इसलिए सब सज्जन आपकी निश्चय करके प्रशंसा – स्तुति करते हैं । आप ऐश्वर्यप्रद हैं । इस संसार में तथा हम जिस किसी ब्रह्मचर्य, गृहस्थ आदि आश्रम में स्थित हैं, उसमें आप अग्रगामी और आगे-आगे सत्य कर्मों में बढ़ानेवाले हूजिए । आप सम्पूर्ण ऐश्वर्ययुक्त और समस्त ऐश्वर्य के दाता हैं । अतः आप ही हमारे ‘भगवान्’ – पूजनीय देव हूजिए । उसी हेतु से हम विद्वान् लोग सकल ऐश्वर्य सम्पन्न होके सब संसार के उपकार में तन-मन-धन से प्रवृत्त होवें । यही आपसे प्रार्थना है !

[नोट – यहां मन्त्र की 'भावना' स्वामी दयानन्द सरस्वती जी रचित ‘संस्कारविधिः’ के आधार पर संकलित कर प्रस्तुत की गई है । मन्त्र के शब्दों के अर्थ जानने के लिए ‘संस्कारविधिः’ का गृहाश्रम-प्रकरणम् द्रष्टव्य है । - भावेश मेरजा ]

Translation of the Vishwamitra (Savitur) Gayathri:

Translation of the Vishwamitra (Savitur) Gayathri: 

(From the) origin (Brahma come the three realms of) material, experiential, and emotional, (may they be bathed in the)  ray of Savitur, and bring us closer to that deity of glorious light. 

Note: In the Brahmanical i.e. Non Puranic, Vedic  tradition, Brahma is not part of a trinity. From Brahma comes his light Mitra who together with his fluid Varuna and matter Aryama form the cosmos. Mitra forms and sustains 12,000 types of Suns. From the Sun comes his light Savitur (father) comprising the three Gunas of Virinchi (creative etc), Narayana (sustaining etc) and Shankara (transcreative etc), who, as light, warmth etc (Sandhya), life etc (Savitri), sound etc (Gayatri) and knowledge etc (Sarasvathi) forms and sustains life here in unison with water (Aapa) and soil (Bhu) the two mothers: 

(via Ekal Sanatana and Rajesh Ramachandran)

YAGYA- A ritual or culture?

YAGYA- A ritual or culture?

The sole picture of ancient India that arises when one tries to imagine the Vedic era is that of few white bearded rishis sitting in front of a pit and offering oblations to the fire. Frankly, our mythological serials in the 1990s are also responsible for creating such a picture that Yagyas was a sort of ritual. And how can we forget? Our very great Communist historians are the main players in the character assassination of our ancestors and branding them as ritualistic, blind faith affected people.

 Yagya, for that matter,is a system developed for pleasing the Devas but also has many variants including a Yagya for cooking and a Yagya for all 16 sanskars of Hindus.In a Yagya, we have to offer an oblation, let it be ghee,milk, cakes of cereals, Soma,etc. And this oblation is not done just by sitting there. An important condition for this is chanting of the Vedic mantras, Samantrakam समन्त्रकं,with the Mantas, as they call it. These Mantras are well documented in the Rigveda.
              
The Englishmen translated the word Yagya as 'sacrifice' which in itself is a blatant mistake. Yagya was never meant for any sacrifice of animals.It was a simple system of pleasing the Gods into which animal sacrifice found place, which is no doubt not a right thing. But branding the whole system as an outrageous way of pleasing the Gods, is itself outrageous.If one really tries to see the intricacies of a Yagya, then one will come to know the amount of perfection and the amount of brains that have gone in framing the smallest of things. Take for example, the fire in the Yagya. Now one would imagine that the rishis would be bringing some random logs of wood and burning them. But instead, the fire is of a particular wood and that too of 3 types- Garhapatya, Ahavaniya and Dakshinagni. (गार्हपत्य, आहवानीय, दक्षिणाग्नि ). Even the fire altar's dimensions, it's height from the ground,etc are fixed and find place in the Apastamba and Baudhayana Sulva Sutras.
                   
And even the Yagya does not take place without some specially qualified people who conduct it- The Hota, Udgata and the Adhvaryu. The Hota is skilled in Rigved and recites the mantras line by line. The Udgata is a Samved expert who recites the same mantras but with a musical tune called Chhanda whereas the Adhvaryu is an expert in Yajurved who knows about the small technicalities of a Yagya and also controls the Yagya till it ends.
                   
Samveda in particular has a relation with this whole Yagya system. Because due to this system, the whole stream of Indian classical music was developed. Mantras in a Yagya cannot be recited as they are since they are too many and it sounds boring. Hence was felt the need to give a rhyme to these mantras which gave rise to Samved. Samved has almost all it's verses common to Rigved but are given a particular rhyme called Chhanda. Different Chhandas include Gayatri, Trishtup, Anushtup, Brihadrati,etc. 
For example there are 3 verses A,B,C and I want to multiply them to 15 verses. So I sing them as- 
A A A B C    A B B B C   A B C C C. This forms one chhanda or style of reciting. 

This also proves the brilliant practice of the then Brahmins in reciting thousands of these mantras, sometimes overnight. And even in this overnight chanting, certain adjustments were made.Now obviously I would fall asleep while chanting these mantras overnight. So what to do? Simple- Sit on a swing and keep swinging overnight while chanting the mantras !!!! Simple adjustments assimilated into a complex culture.Returning to Samved, we find that for chanting these verses, our 7 Swaras were developed- Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa- although we find them in different names. The reader would be surprised to know that a separate UpaVeda of the Samved called the Gandharva Ved exists which specifically deals with music and it's different Ragas and Talas. So much of advancement, and that too originating for the sake of singing the mantras properly in a Yagya !!!!! And with singing comes dancing. There is a ritual that if the person for whom the Yagya is conducted is rich, he can bring his 50 Dasis who with pots on their heads can dance beautifully around the Yagya altar.

TYPES OF YAGYAS

There are different types of Yagyas conducted for different purposes

• Agnishtoma- It's a kind of Somyaga
• Vajpeya- It is done for maintaining harmony with neighboring states.
• Ashvamedha- It is done to usurp power of other kingdoms. Done by Lord Ram.
• Rajsuya- Done for becoming the Samrat of India. Done by Yudhishthira
• Naramedh- Done by sacrificing  humans to please Varun. Half completed by king Harishchandra
• Putrakameshthi- Done for getting an offspring. Done by Dashrath to get Ram and 3 other sons

Agnihotra is a yagya done twice in a day

 

A special kind of Yagya called as Atiratra is done for bringing rains. It is a 12 day ritual. This was successfully performed in Panjal, Kerala in 1975 as well as in 2011.

CONCLUSION

Now even if this Yagya was a small ritual done to please Gods, no person in this world would have generated so much delicate rules and conditions. No variety of stuffs used, no variety in the types of Yagyas would be seen.

Since we have specialized people earning their penny from a Yagya, with art forms like music and dance getting a push and most importantly, 3 whole Vedas being composed to specilize in that subject, it can be seen that this Yagya system was indeed the CULTURE of Indians rather than being just a ritual. People got themselves involved in this. All major kings of Puranic tradition have in some or the other way performed a Yagya. Such huge popularity of a certain system can only mean it had seeped in the lives of people. It may have been started as a small ritual, but it's importance increased to such an extent that it became an important cultural facet of Vedic people.

This happened to such an extent that even the Zoroastrians who were Vedic Anus migrated to Iran also continued to worship fire as a God.. Now that's called influence..!!

  

From  Ashutosh Kulkarni

मंत्र शक्ति का वैज्ञानिक विशलेषण

मंत्र शक्ति का वैज्ञानिक विशलेषण

मंत्र ध्वनि-विज्ञान का सूक्ष्मतम विज्ञान है मंत्र-शरीर के अन्दर से सूक्ष्म ध्वनि को विशिष्ट तरंगों में बदल कर ब्रह्मांड में प्र...वाहित करने की क्रिया है जिससे बड़े-बड़े कार्य किये जा सकते हैं… प्रत्येक अक्षर का विशेष महत्व और विशेष अर्थ होता है.. प्रत्येक अक्षर के उच्चारण में चाहे वो वाचिक, उपांसू या मानसिक हो विशेष प्रकार की ध्वनि निकलती है तथा शरीर में एवं विशेष अंगो, नाड़ियों में विशेष प्रकार का कम्पन पैदा करती है । जिससे शरीर से विशेष प्रकार की ध्वनि तरंगे निकलती हैं, जो वातावरण-आकाशीय तरंगो से संयोग करके विशेष प्रकार की क्रिया करती है। विभिन्न अक्षर (स्वर-व्यंजन) एक प्रकार के बीज मंत्र हैं । विभिन्न अक्षरों के संयोग से विशेष बीज मंत्र तैयार होते हैं जो एक विशेष प्रकार का प्रभाव डालते हैं, परन्तु जैसे अंकुर उत्पन्न करने में समर्थ सारी शक्ति अपने में रखते हुये भी धान, जौ, गेहूँ अदि संस्कार के अभाव में अंकुर उत्पन्न नहीं कर सकते वैसे ही मंत्र-यज्ञ आदि कर्म भी सम्पूर्ण फलजनित शक्ति से सम्पन्न होने पर भी यदि ठीक-ठीक से अनुष्ठित न किये जाय तो कदापि फलोत्पादक नहीं होते हैं ।

घर्षण के नियमों से सभी लोग भलीभातिं परिचित होगें, घर्षण से ऊर्जा आदि पैदा होती है, मंत्रों के जप से तथा श्वास के शरीर में आवागमन से, विशेष अक्षरों के अनुसार विशेष स्थानों की नाड़ियों में कम्पन(घर्षण) पैदा होने से विशेष प्रकार का विद्युत प्रवाह पैदा होता हैं, जो साधक के ध्यान लगाने से एकत्रित होता हैं तथा मंत्रों के अर्थ (साधक को अर्थ ध्यान रखते हुए उसी भाव से ध्यान एकाग्र करना आवश्यक होता है) के आधार पर ब्रह्मांड में उपस्थित अपने ही अनुकूल उर्जा से संपर्क करके तदानुसार प्रभाव पैदा होता हैं, रेडियो, टी०वी० या अन्य विद्युत उपकरणों में आजकल रिमोट कन्ट्रोल का सामान्य रूप से प्रयोग देखा जा सकता है, इसका सिद्धान्त भी वही है जो मंत्रों के जप से निकलने वाली सूक्ष्म ऊर्जा भी ब्रह्मांड की ऊर्जा से संयोंग करके वातावरण पर बिशेष प्रभाव डालती है हमारे ऋषि-मुनियों ने दीर्घकाल तक अक्षरों,मत्राओं, स्वरों पर अध्ययन प्रयोग, अनुसंधान करके उनकी शक्तियों को पहचाना जिनका वर्णन वेदों में किया है इन्ही मंत्र शक्तियों से आश्चर्यजनक कार्य होते हैं, जो अविश्वसनीय से लगते हैं, यद्यपि समय एवं सभ्यता तथा सांस्कृतिक बदलाव के कारण उनके वर्णनों में कुछ अपभ्रंस शामिल हो जाने के वावजूद भी उनमें अभी भी काफी वैज्ञानिक अंश ऊपलब्ध है, बस थोड़ा सा उनके वास्तविक सन्दर्भ को दृष्टिगत रखते हुए प्रयोग करके प्रमाणित करने की आवश्यकता है ।

Everyday Mantra

O' thou who reposes in peace rests on the great coiled serpent ,the sacred lotus springs from thy navel o' lord thou art the universe & heavens & the lord of the devas, who sustains the universe, who is boundless & infinite like sky, blue as cloud whos colour is & who has beautiful & auspicious body, who is the lover goddess lakshmi ,who has lotus like eyes & who is attainable by yogis by meditation Salutions to that Vishnu who removes the fear of worldy existense & whois the lord of all the devas thou are blessing, who brahmaa the creater & Rudra the destroyer & the gods of water rain & wind praise with songs divine whom the chanters of samaveda praise formly observing the rules of scriptures ,whom the yogis engrossed in meditation see clearly in the mind's eye who's limits are unknown to even gods & demons, bow to that lord vishnu

Chant every morning when wake up inthe good morning
 pls do the chanting the nine holy names of nine immortals

"ashwathama bali vyasa hanuman jammbvan kripaha parushurama vibhishana markandeya "

 Mantra for treatment by touch
 its very simple & very divine & holy first see ur hands & say the following mantra & then rub ur hands ur palms with each other then

 Ayam Me Hasto Bhagwan Ayam Me Bhagavattara
 Ayam Me Vishwa Bheshajo Ayam Shivaabhimarshanah

 Meaning: Both my hands are divine. They can bring prosperity. They can give a soothing effect. Moreover, they are more powerful than being simply divine. All medicines for the diseases of the world lie on my hands. Touch of hands is capable for well being and healing.

 & then chant the holy mantra for eyesight blessu chant the following holy mantra while rubbing the palms with each other gently

 Om mam netrajyoti jagra jagra omshanti

please gently very softly place ur soft palms (very softly & gently) very slightly on ur eyes  on closed eyelids omshanti softly

 & chant this five holy names after food
 Devi Sukanya Maharishi Chyavan( the holy Rishi couple) , Indra ( lord of heavens), Ashwini kumaras( the twin divine physicians) Devi Sukanya Maharishi Chyavan , Indra & Ashwini kumaras i remember these five holy names may i be blessed with good eyesight & good health always om om om omshanti omshanti

omshanti ur eyesight will be fine & great blessu blessu blessu om om om & eat seven almonds with sugar candy & milk everyday u will be blessed with beautifull & great eyesight blessu always good health & long life om om om

 Health Protection Mantra

 ॐ हंसं हंसः

 Om hansam hansaha

 A very divine Mantra for gaining good health,chant every morning 1 mala means 108 times with sincere devotion faithfully "

A Mantra useful in controlling mind emotions& becoming glorious & intelligent

Take some milk in a cup. While gazing at the milk, repeat the following mantra twenty-one times and thereafter drink the milk. This is an excellent aid to Brahmacharya. This Mantra is worth remembering by heart.

ॐ नमो भगवते महाबले पराक्रमाय मनोभिलाषितमं मनः स्तम्भ कुरु कुरु स्वाहा |

Om namo bhagwate mahabale parakramaay manobhilashitam manah stambh kuru kuru swaha |

Divine Mantras

a beeja mantra KHAM 

do this 50 mala or aleast one mala 108 times before a glass of water daily , if u can put a tulsi leaves in that water its is best and drink that water

this will cure all bp & heart & liver related problems hariomshanti

Dharmaraaja mantra for cuing all diseases 

ॐ क्रौं ह्रीं आं वैवस्वताय धर्मराजाय भक्तानुग्रहक्रते नमः ।
aum kraum hrim aam vaivasvataya dharmarajaya bhakta anugrahakrte namah

chant above mantra daily 108 times in the morning

Achyutaaye Govindaaye Anantaaye Naam Bheshjaam,
 Nashyanti Sarv Rogaani Satyam Satyam Vadamyaham."

 Meaning:We invoke the Lord by chanting His Names -

 1. Achyutaaye - The Lord Who never declines. 2. Govindaaye - The Lord by Whose Grace the senses operate in the body 3. Anantaaye - The Lord Who is Limitless and All Powerful take a breath inhale normaly & chant this holy mantra while holding the breath for atmost 1 min & after chanting exale the breath normaly By chanting the Lord's Names, ALL diseases of the body, mind, intellect are destroyed - of this, there is no doubt.

Mantra To Elleviate Sudden Trouble
Chanting this mantra 108 times everyday, elleviates one from miseries and sudden trouble.

ॐ रां रां रां रां रां रां रां रां मम् कष्टं स्वाहा


" Aum raan raan raan raan raan raan raan raan mam kashtam svaahaa "

we can replace मम् (mam) with name of person, whose problems have to be removed.
Note:- in above mantra raan is for 8 times


For Court-cases related problems

पवनतनय बल पवन समाना |
बुद्धि विवेक विज्ञान निधाना ||

pavantanaya bal pavan samaana |
buddhi vivek vigyaan nidhaana ||

Do one mala means 108 times chanting daily of above mantra to get true results of court-cases. Keep your court related files in North-East direction not locked in cupboard or lockers Almirah. in ur room or ur house , which u prefer as safer,Keep the file in lotus feet of your beloved Ishta or Sri Hanumanji's idol or image or photo 
& then do this Stuti
Kavan so kaaj katheena jag mahi
Jo nahi hoi tat tum Pahi

with atmost devotion

Mantra to attain Wealth 

ॐ नमः भाग्यलक्ष्मी च विद्महे |
अष्टलक्ष्मी च धीमहि | तन्नो लक्ष्मी प्रचोदयात | 

om namah bhagyalakshmi cha vidmahe|
ashtalakshmi cha dheemahi | tanno lakshmi prachodayaat | 

निरोगी व श्री सम्पन्न होने के लिये 

ॐ हुं विष्णवे नमः ।

tobecome prosperous & healthy do one mala of aboye holy mantra

Blow away the Impediments
‘tam’ (टं)
is a beej mantra, representing chandradeva, the presiding deity of the Moon. The japa of this mantra is just enough to do away with the sudden impediment inflicting your life.

Write ‘tam’(टं) on a piece of ‘Bhojpatra' and insert it into an amulet. Then put this amulet on your right hand. This will remove all sorts of obstacles out of your way.

Just wear an amulet having in it the mantra, ‘tam’(टं)written eleven times on a piece of paper.
keep this withu, This will also remove all sorts of obstacles out of your way.

This helps in cases of deficiency of calcium, poor lactation among women and also comes in handy in soothing a fretting child.

For Job,Marriage related problems

ॐ घं काली कालीकायै नमः |
Om gham kaalee kaaleekaayai namah | 

chant above mantra 1mala or 108 times

Mantra for Marriage only for females

जय जय गिरिवर राज किशोरी, जय महेश मुख चंद्र चकोरी
jai  jai  girivar  raaj  kishori ,  jai mahesh  mukh  chandra  chakori

Mantras for protection
for safe journey

Om Namo Bhagvate Vaasudevaaya

chant this holy mantra 108 times before going to journeys

Mantra of mother shakti for protection

Om Hreem Om

chant108 times means one mala daily

for all around  protection and safety
always chant the most holy mantra


Narsimha Maha Mantra for protection from all dangers & fears

" Om Ugrram Veeram Maha Vishnum Jvaalantam Sarvatho mukham
Narasimham bheeshanam bhadram mrityum mrityum namamyaaham "

when any danger or fear for lifecomes then,don't worry , chant this most powerfull mantra
all troubles dangers & fears will be gone forever



The Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra

Om Trayambakam Yajaamahe Sugandhim Pushtivardhnam

 Urvvarukamiva Bandhanaan Mrityormuksheeya Maamrataat O

How Mantras work?

Since ancient time till the present era; Mantras have been used as a remedy for nearly every problem. With the increasing number of TV channels in India, the situation is such that you tell about any issue and one out of ten persons, you will find at least one to come out with a handy Mantra to resolve your issue. The great learned pundits are there on the small screen almost round the clock. Now a question arises, do we really get benefit from those free of cost advice ? I don’t think the TV channels will be helpful to you in this respect. They should be more than happy with the increasing TRP and would hardly get time to undertake a survey to find efficacy of such remedial mantras etc.

With a view to verify the effectiveness of mantras, let us try to answer these questions:
Can one mantra be effective for multiple purposes?
What is the source of power of any mantra ?
What is the correct way of using a mantra ?
What matters the most – The sound, the tone and rhythm of reciting a mantra, the meaning of the words used in the mantra, or the procedure prescribed?
By usage of a Mantra can any one be able to escape from experiencing the fructification of Karma?
How does ‘offering’ of a mantra by a Siddha makes a difference?
One Mantra removes all evil?
One should not need any thing more than mere common sense to reject the notion of ‘elixir’ kind of a Mantra that can be used to resolve a problem irrespective of nature of problem.
As we accept the low of ‘Cause and Effect'; we have to find the likely cause of a problem and then the remedy has to address the cause. In a way, the remedy should be a kind of reversal process of the cause.
We can understand that every problem has to have a particularly related cause and hence, it has to be addressed with a specific process. Thus, a Mantra to increase physical height of a person cannot be accepted as a cure of Cancer.
Hindu mantras like ‘Maha Mrintyunjaya Mantra’, ‘Gayatri Mantra’, etc. suffer from the notion of ‘One-for-All’ remedy and we most humbly do not agree with the belief.
The sanctity of mantras for spiritual upliftment should be maintained and must not be recommended for temporal laukik reasons as trivial as ‘securing a job transfer ‘ or ‘begetting children’ etc. People indulging in such activities are unknowingly doing a grave disservice to the sacred heritage of Vedas.
Prerequisites for Using a Mantra
The seers who formulated the mantras offered them to their disciples who were well-versed with the prerequisites as a part of the methodology of particular school of spiritual Sadhana. The knowledge of such prerequisites was believed to be so fundamental that its narration, at times, used to be omitted to avoid repetition.
Most of the mantras have been a part of a Stotra or an Upanishad or a fullfleged Sadhana or an Anushthana and were never intended to be used in isolation. However, over a period of time, some of the Pundits started compiling the mantras and formulated books of such collection. At this stage, the brevity was the call and not only the prerequisites, but even the overall purpose and relevance lost their place.
In the modern age, where education and spirituality has turned into an Industry, Astrology, too, has slipped into the hands of commercial people. In absence of honest custodians and the rightful inheritors; mantras are prescribed in most bizarre manner by the commercial astrologers for meeting their selfish means. Needless to say, mantras have become tools in their hands to exploit the greedy and ignorant people.
The Rishis who formulated the mantras also advocated certain procedures to be followed for its right use. This include a formal commitment in the form of ‘Sankalpa’, some movements and gestures in form of ‘Nyasa’, creating protective sheath in form of ‘Kavacha’ and offerings to the Devata in the form of ‘Arghya’.
Let us understand the procedure as well as the parts of mantra.
Sankalpa
Sankalpa with respect to Mantra Sadhana, means a formal commitment about one’s plan of the Sadhana. A statement of sankalpa generally contains one’s own identification. This is in the vedic manner including one’s full name, one’s vedic lineage i.e. Veda, Gotra, Shakha etc. Then follows ones desire to chant the Mantra for a particular duration and in particular number or undertake an Anushthana for fulfillment of a particular wish. The sankalpa is addressed to the Devata of the Mantra. Ritualistically, a sankalpa is taken through Sanskrit. However, as we know the significance of Mental vibrations in Mantra Sadhana, it should be OK to undertake the Sankalpa in one’s own language.
Nyasa
Nyasa is an important preparatory stage of Mantra Sadhana. It is in a way a ‘warming up’ and ‘cleansing’ session prior to undertaking Mantra chanting. The sadhaka while exercising Pranayama, touches different parts his body either physically or visualize mentally depending upon the type of nyasa he has adopted. There are different types of Nayasa, e.g.Kara Nyasa, Anga Nyasa, Hridayadi Nyasa, Rishyadi Nyasa, Panchatatwa Nyasa, etc. Here, again the primary objective is to augment the process of attaining embodiment with the Mantra and its Devata at psyche level.
Kavacha
‘Kavacha’ is the imagery shield to be created for the protection of the Sadhaka during Sadhana. It is very important because, the Sadhaka loses his conscious sense of awareness as he transgress into meditative state or altered state of awareness. During such a state he stands vulnerable and exposed to abnormal frequencies and vibrations. The performing of Kavacha protects the Sadhaka from such vibrations. The Kavacha in a way create hypontic layer of self-confidence and keep him comfortable
Arghya
Arghya is a symbolic gesture of hospitality offered to the Devata. As we offer some tea and snacks and respect to the guest at our home, similarly, here during Mantra sadhana, we are invoking the Devata of the Mantra and suitable welcome is essential. The arghya is normally a mixture of water, milk, curd, flower petals, kumkum, sandal and grains like til (sesame). The mixture is taken in hands in the cavity created by holding two palms together and then poured in the vessel meant for it. The ingredients of Arghya are Devata specific and so is the way of offering it and as such different Mantra Sadhana requires different kind of Arghya. On mental and subtle level, the offering of Arghya signifies surrender of the individual ego at the feet of the Devata.
In addition to the procedure, it is vital to understand the essential parts of a Mantra. Every mantra is suppose to be complete only when it is used with the following six parts, knows as ‘Shadanga':
Rishi
Chhandas
Devata
Beeja
Keelaka and
Shakti.
Rishi
Rishi is the person who originally formulated the Mantra. In vedic culture, Rishi is believed as the seer, a visualizer of Mantra. The prerequisite of naming the Rishi of the mantra before using the same is a humble way of showing gratitude and acknowledgement. This act of acknowledgement is the first step towards dissolution of personal pride and ego. The feeling of gratitude initiates the altered state of mind leading to internal environment congenial to invocation of the Devata of the Mantra.
Devata
Devata of the Mantra is the form of the god who is being propitiated. The deveta element engages the visualizing faculty of human mind. Every Devata has its own Shape, Colour, Posture, Gesture, Mudra, Ayudha, and personality. The preceding steps of Rishi and Chhanda prepares the ground for effective visualization of the Devata. The initial utterrance of name of the Devata creates flashes of the visions. Its frequent repetition enables a devotee to contemplate upon the form of the Devata. Ultimately, he forgets his own self and gets unified with the form of the Devata.
Chhandas
Chhandas denotes to the grammatical formation of words in a particular rhythm. The chhanda sets the pattern of words and number of syllables. The formation guides the recitation of the Mantra in a particular way. The pattern activates different points in human brain and further augment the internal psychic environment. Each chhanda has its own attributes to influence the mood of the person reciting it.
Chhandas are classified into two types (1) Varnik Chhand (alphabetical stanzas) and (2)Matrik Chhand (stanzas containing short vowels). Hindu mantras follow the Chhandas of their respective Vedic Samhita and Shakha. Generally a distinct Matrik Chhanda has been preferred by different Shakha in different Samhitas.
Beeja
Beeja is a single letter of Sanskrit Alphabet and it represent, again, shortest possible form of the Devata. The shape of the Beeja creates the route for the energy to vibrate. Beejam resembles the basic character (tatva) of the mantra. for example jala tatva(soft), agni tatva (hard) etc.
Keelaka
Keelaka means a nail. Now, what is significance of a Nail here with respect to reciting a Mantra? To understand the significance of Keelaka we have to link it with the nail that stops a rotating wheel slipping out of its excel. We know that the energy of a mantra is generated from the mind of the person and its important to keep it centered at a point to save it getting dissipated. This is done through Keelaka. Some people symbolize it with a key of the lock. Thus, a keelaka is believed to be a Key to open the lock of the source of a Mantra power.
Shakti
Shakti means Power. Shakti means power or energy of the Mantra. This is the power generated through reciting the mantra.
It has to be noted that every Mantra has its own form of Shakti. However, let us admit that today, except the name denoted to the Shakti, we do not know much about distinct forms of the energy of Mantra. The main reason for this omission is attributable to the fact that graphical reproduction of the form of energy vibrations visualized during altered state of mind remains difficult. The second reason for the misconception is that we consider the words ‘Devi’ and ‘Shakti’ as synonyms.
Due to this ambiguity, it is quite possible that a Sadhaka of a Mantra may contemplate upon a known form of Devi in stead of the energy vibrations of the Mantra.
Now, it should be clear as to why we don’t get the much acclaimed results from reciting a mantra. If we ignore the essential 6 parts, how can we expect the desired effects?
The limitation lies on two parts. First is the ignorance of the doer. The person who undertakes Mantra, does not know the essential prerequisites. Secondly, the limitation lies with the source from where a person receives the mantra. It is quite common now that people take mantra from any source, be it a cheap pocket book being sold at the roadside, any Sadhu or a TV Jyotishi. It is quite possible that the prerequisites are compromised in offering and receiving the Mantra in this manner.
Research on Mantra Sadhana
My objective here is to sensitize the need for conducting a research upon effectiveness of various Mantras. This way, we can assess the effectiveness of different mantras. The research should include the following:
What was the objective of undertaking a Mantra?
Whether Mantra was received from a Siddha or a Guru
If yes – who was the person?
what was the procedure used by the guru to season (siddhi) the Mantra?
What were the conditions followed by the Guru to assess the suitability of the beneficiary?
How many times the Mantra was recited/chanted every day?
What was the duration/period the Mantra was recited?
Whether the Shadangas i.e. Rishi, Devata etc. were performed ritualistically?
Whether Viniyas i.e. Sankalpa, Nyaasa, Puruscharana were performed?
If yes, what was the procedure?
What benefits were observed that can be confidently attributable to Mantra sadhana?
What way the pronunciation and modulation recitation of Mantra or or any instrumental sound used substantiated ? Could it be verified by a
living experienced expert?
Whether the Verbatim meaning of the Mantra signified the expected benefits?
Whether colours were used deliberately i.e., colour of the cloths or the Asana used by the sadhaka
If Mantra was used as a remedy of any disease; was it verified through medical reports?
I wish to have valuable contributions from learned members and visitors of this esteem site so that the science of mantra can be augmented in right direction. I invite suggestions with regard to classification of various kinds of Mantras and its genuine purpose. I wish that we can compile the Shadangas of every Mantra with its dos and don’ts. Let us bring in transparency into this subject. This is the way, we can get back the lost glory to our divine heritage. Let us admit and sensitize as to what can be done and what cannot be done through Mantra.This is the way, we can curb the Cheaters and Thugs who are exploiting the ignorance of poor and needy people.