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Introduction
During a religious discourse, a Hindu saint told the assembled group that a person who chants a mantra (the holy name of God) regularly for many years, develops a pure mind which enables him to see God. At this, someone in the audience stood up and said, “Sir, I can’t believe in the efficacy of mantras. A mantra is just a word. How can it have the power to purify anyone’s mind and give him God-vision?” “What! You don’t believe in the power of mantras?” exclaimed the saint, “You’re the worst fool I’ve ever seen in my whole life!”
Since the saint had called him a fool in the presence of the entire audience, the man felt extremely humiliated. His face reddened and he started shaking with suppressed anger. Pointing out his reaction, the saint said, “You don’t believe in the power of words, but look at the power of the word “fool” – what a strong effect it’s had on you! And yet you deny the power of mantras?”
In Hinduism, a mantra is not like any other word; it is special. Its association with God makes it sacred and spiritually beneficial. By chanting a mantra repeatedly with love and devotion a person can become spiritually illumined. The derivative meaning of the word mantra is “something by reflecting on which a person is saved (from danger or the bondage of this world).”
In India, spiritual aspirants want to receive mantras from saints or holy men. Such mantras are considered far more effective than mantras picked from a book. The following hypothetical case will explain why.
Let us suppose a patient has gone to this doctor for a checkup. The doctor detects some malignancy in the patient’s body. As a result, the patient becomes very worried and upset. Then he returns home and gives the bad news to his wife. Seeing him extremely upset, his wife says to him, “Darling, don’t be upset. It’s lucky your cancer has been detected so early; you” be cured.” Her words, however cannot relieve her husband of his worry and anxiety.
A few days later the patient goes to see the best cancer specialist in town. The specialist examines him carefully and says, “You’re indeed lucky, the type of cancer you have can be completely cured.” Like magic the specialist’s words instantly relieve the patient’s anxiety.
Both the specialist and the patient’s wife have said that he would be cured, but the specialist’s words have far more telling effect. His medical training and years of experience in treating cancer have made his words more convincing and effective.
In the same way, a mantra given by a spiritually illumined teacher has his entire life’s spiritual experience behind the mantra. A mantra picked by a student from a holy book will undoubtedly help, but not nearly as effectively as a mantra obtained from an illumined teacher.
In addition, a mantra which already has helped someone to have God-realisation acquires great spiritual potency. Such a mantra is called a siddha mantra. A siddha mantra, if given by a teacher to a student, is more effective than others.
The Sacred Symbol OM
Among the sacred mantras or holy words of Hinduism, the monosyllabic word Om is the most ancient and undoubtedly the most important. This holy syllable, which signifies God, has been frequently mentioned in the Vedas and other scriptures of Hinduism. The syllable Om can also be spelled as AUM. It is also called Pranava. Each of the three letters A, U and M has a special meaning. According to one interpretation, “A” stands for creation, “U” stands for preservation, and “M” indicates destruction or dissolution. As God in Hinduism is the creator, preserver and destroyer of this universe, Om or Aum is a suitable name of God. According to another interpretation, the three letters forming AUM indicate the three lokas (planes of existence) of this universe – both gross and subtle – Svarga (heaven), Martya (earth) and Patala (netherworld). As the omnipresent God is immanent in these three lokas, Aum is considered a symbol of God.
Aum is also a sonic or auditory symbol of God. All the words produced by the human vocal organ can be represented by Aum. The vocal organ of a person starts with the throat and ends with the lips. “A” is produced in the back of the throat, “U” in the center of the mouth, and “M” by the lips. Therefore, AUM is a symbol of all the words which the vocal organ can produce. Then again, all that exists in this universe can be represented by words, and all words are produced by the vocal organ. Thus the entire universe can be represented by Aum. As God covers the entire universe with His presence, Aum symbolises God.
Aum is a non-personal as well as a nondenominational symbol. It can, therefore, be used by Hindus of all sects and denominations. Just like the cross in Christianity or the menorah in Judaism, the pictorial image of Aum is used as a symbol of Hinduism.
The Gayatri Mantra
The Gayatri Mantra is also known as the Savitri Mantra. It is one of the most important mantras in the Hindu scriptures. It is found in the Rig-Veda. The mantra is in the form of a prayer: “Aum, we meditate on the effulgence of that Adorable Divine Being, who is the source and projector of the three worlds – the earthly plane (Bhurloka), the subtle ethereal plane (Bhuvarloka), and the heavenly plane (Svarloka). May that Supreme Divine Being stimulate our intelligence in order that we may realise the Supreme Truth.” This mantra is recited daily by Hindus of the three upper castes after they have been invested with the sacred thread (Upavita).
Each Vedic mantra is addressed to a deity. Also, each Vedic mantra is associated with the name of the sage to whom the mantra was first revealed. Every Vedic mantra, like a verse, has a meter. The Savitri Mantra (revealed to the Sage Vishwamitra) is composed in the meter Gayatri, this is why its other name is Gayatri Mantra.
Mantras and Yantras in the Discipline of Tantra
Mantras are very important in the discipline of Tantra. Any mantra of the Tantra tradition, among other things, has two important ingredients: (1) the vija (seed) and (2) shakti (power). The vija is a monosyllabic word endowed with great spiritual potency. The vija is also called a vijamantra. There can be many vija-mantras suitable for different deities. Every mantra of the Tantra tradition starts with a vija-mantra. The Tantra system claims that a mantra accompanied by a vija has great spiritual potency. Repetition of such a mantra received from a guru enhances the prospect of God-vision. It is also believed that whenever any offering is given to a deity by chanting such a mantra, the deity immediately accepts that offering.
Yantras are mystic holy diagrams associated with the worship rituals of Tantra. Some yantras are used as symbols of God in the Tantrika worship.