How many mantras do we really need? Where do we start? Do we need a guru or realized soul to impart our mantra to us? How do we build a mantra vocabulary? This chapter addresses these questions.
I am often asked in my workshops and seminars if we need to receive our mantras from a guru. Traditionally, a mantra is imparted to a yogi or mantra practitioner by an enlightened soul — someone who has realized the power of a particular mantra. Often, this special sound was handed down to the teacher by his or her own guru, creating an unbroken chain of energy. Such a mantra is like a vessel that never runs dry, but is handed over from one person to another.
But today a more common, practical method is a self-initiatory process of working with a specific selection of mantras. I believe that this is by far the most powerful method, and one that is most needed now. In this approach, individuals prepare their mind, heart, and body with their own set of self-empowering mantras. These mantras then become their “sonic community.” This is the method I will be sharing with you.
In ancient times, mantras were tightly controlled and administered under specific conditions. This was necessary to protect both the mantras and the practitioners from misusing these sacred instruments of power. Today, our need for mantras is urgent. Bringing the energy of the spiritual realm into our physical reality is crucial in order to compensate for the great banishment of the sacred from our culture. Mantras are catalysts of spiritual transformation, and they must be made available to as many people as possible.
Those who wish to receive their mantras from an enlightened soul should definitely do so. In the Hindu tradition, there are three types of guides: God, guru, and acharya. “God” usually refers to any spiritual force or being of light — an angel, a deity, or an ancient power. An acharya is a teacher or spiritual guide, while a guru is an enlightened soul, either living or passed on from the body. Although gurus that meet all our expectations may be hard to find in this day and age, they still exist. And a spiritual guide can always point the way. At the same time, I believe that we have to stop projecting our own enlightenment onto other people. We must learn to trust in our own light, believe in our own spiritual potencies, and stop worrying excessively about getting things right the first time.
The Buddha said:
Believe nothing because a wise person said it,
Believe nothing because it is generally held.
Believe nothing because it is written.
Believe nothing because it is said to be Divine.
Believe nothing because someone else believes it.
But believe only what you yourself judge to be true.1
IN DEVELOPING a community of mantras, the most important mantra of all is our core mantra. This is the mantra that many receive from their guru. Our core mantra addresses the essential dimension of being: our innermost Self, our deepest spiritual nature, our soul.
Our core mantra affirms the alignment of our soul with the Divine ground of existence; it should instantly awaken us to the highest, greatest, most powerful, most authentic, most wise, most beautiful, and most inspiring awareness of Spirit in our memory. The key word is “resonance” or, more precisely, “multidimensional resonance.” The realm of the five senses is the realm of the personality, constructed and oriented by an education in this world and limited to knowledge of this world. Multidimensional resonance is the awakening of all our senses, including the spiritual senses: intuition, spiritual vision and knowledge, awareness of life’s blessings, trust in Divine providence, and the fullness of love, peace, and joy.
It is preferable to avoid choosing our core mantra in the language we think in. Complex prayers like the rosary and the Lord’s Prayer may function well as mantric prayers, provided they do not get the thinking mind into gear. I personally find the rosary and the Lord’s Prayer deeply meaningful; they allow me to sense the Divine presence in a profound way, particularly when I think about what the words mean. For precisely that reason, I don’t use them in mantra recitation.
Also, our core mantra is not used to speak to God, stimulate intellectual ideas, or provoke reflection on spiritual matters. Reflective prayer is necessary, and so are conversations with God, but they must be reserved for other times. “Mantra is meaningful, not in any descriptive or even persuasive sense,” explains mantra scholar Bharati Ageananda. “It is verifiable not by what it describes, but what it effects.”2
To hone our core mantra’s power to affect our consciousness, the mantra should be short: a single word or phrase to summon the Divine presence. It may be as simple as the mantra Om. If you want to use a Christian mantra form, you might try adding the name of Jesus to the mantra: Ye-su Om, or Om Namah Christaaya, which is the Sanskrit form of “I worship the presence of Christ as the DivineWord through which all things are created.”
The repeated sounding of our core mantra reinforces the capacity of soul to express itself fully in our personality — to incarnate. The personality, which repeatedly hears this mantra, opens like a flower and accommodates the authentic expressions of our soul, working with it rather than against it. Our core mantra moves us toward wholeness because the repeated sounding of the mantra pulls together the disparate portions of our being.
Our core mantra also helps remove fear, proving to be our true salvation at the moment of death. When a mantra achieves this level of depth, it becomes our aabhath mantra — a sound capable of rescuing us from all perils and dangers. This mantra will spontaneously come to our attention at the moment of death, helping us find our way home to our source in the Divine. Gandhi, when he was shot, died uttering his core mantra Ram, a popular name for the Divine in India. Ram mystically signifies “that which awakens joy in the heart.” Our core mantra should therefore be synonymous with our deepest experience of the Divine since it is to be used most of the time, during meditation, and particularly in times of stress or danger.
AS MANY OF US quickly discover in spiritual practice, the path is about love. But until we have discovered the connection between our soul and the Great Spirit of the Universe, and sensed the role of our personality in the midst of it all, the spiritual path is more about technique than relationship. The essence of the spiritual life — or, for that matter, life itself — is love. But because love cannot reach its full stature and depth without complete freedom, it isn’t easy for us to remain uninterruptedly aligned with the core of our being. We repeatedly lose this connection through our obstinacy, egocentricity, impatience, and anger.
In the past, many spiritual teachers have said, “Just say your mantra, whatever is going on inside you.” Yet I have noticed that whenever we fall from our natural state of grace, saying our core mantra feels insincere. We know that we aren’t aligned with the core of our being, and it’s no use pretending that we are. For this reason, I recommend having a recovery mantra. Our recovery mantra functions as a purifying device because it acknowledges that we’ve fallen into egocentricity and affirms that we need grace to help us out of it. This complementary sacred formula proves indispensable in helping us maintain balance.
In the more advanced stages of our mantra sadhana (spiritual discipline), it may be possible to reduce all our meditations to a single sound, a single breath, or a single movement. To get to that point, however, we may need many sounds, many breaths, and many movements. Our progression, therefore, is from the many to the One.
It may appear that our recovery mantra is a bit circuitous, but it is very effective. Here’s an example: Some of my most challenging situations manifest when I make decisions with my wife. As with most couples, I find it especially difficult with her to give up my opinions, admit that I’m wrong, or simply not get my way. When this happens, I feel like some of the best parts of myself have been squeezed out of their deep center. Then, depending on how inflated my ego gets, I have a hard time readjusting to my core. You may nod knowingly or relate to the same conditions with your coworker, your boss, or some of your clients. Each of us has vulnerable circuits that feed back into our consciousness, and the situations that trigger them may run into the hundreds — even thousands — each month.
During such times, my core mantra lacks efficacy. Even though I’m saying my core mantra, there is a mad rush of activity going on in my mind and emotions. It’s possible to wait out this flurry of thought and emotion, but often that seems to take forever. During such phases, I have found that my recovery mantra, Naaraayana, Naaraayana (“Oh perfect One, come to my assistance”), uttered with great fervor, helps me regain the connection I’ve lost. This mantra reminds me, through its simple formula, that I am dwelling too strongly in my ego and that I’m being too self-reliant or judgmental. It also has a soothing sound, which helps me work my way back to the core of my being more quickly and effectively than hammering my emotions with my core mantra. You, of course, should find the mantra that produces this effect for you.
In Christian terms, the recovery mantra is similar to asking for forgiveness or assistance; it helps keep us honest and humble. There are still occasions when I use “Lord, have mercy on me” as a recovery mantra. For a non-Christian, or for someone who doesn’t want to relate to a personalized form of the Divine, a recovery mantra needn’t literally state “God, please forgive me,” but it can be a sound or phrase that conveys a sense of humility in its energetic resonance. This mantric resonance expresses — without explicit words — a desire to reconnect with our highest truth. For instance, the mantra Sharanam Ananda, Satchidananda can be used as a recovery mantra. It means “I seek refuge in the Being, knowledge, and bliss of spiritual reality.” You can find other appropriate mantras in the appendixes.
I find that a set of mantric syllables is far more effective than a phrase in English or whatever one’s “thinking language” may be; it bypasses the mind’s tendency to reflect on the phrase and directly addresses the emotional dynamics of our energy. The rhythm of the mantra cohesively draws together the disparate streams of energy caused by our negligence and helps us recover our connection to the essence of our being. I sometimes use Om Maha Deviye Namaha, a Sanskrit phrase that can be translated as, “Great Mother, make haste to help me.”
From another practical standpoint, the repeated use of our core mantra — or any other single sound — can easily dull our awareness and cause us to tune out; our recovery mantra serves to maintain contrast and balance in our Yoga of Sound practice. Almost all television stations worldwide alternate between male and female voices in their news broadcasts; this helps maintain viewers’ attention through gender balance and vocal contrast. Likewise, our own alternation between a core mantra and a recovery mantra helps us maintain a strong connection to the core of our being. We recognize that the ego is always present, and we keep it transparent through the use of the recovery mantra. Using the core mantra and recovery mantra in a healthy balance, and within proper contexts, helps strengthen our mental and emotional reflexes.
ROOTED IN OUR core mantra and balanced with our recovery mantra, we are strong enough to create around ourselves an entire community of mantras that fortify our soul. This extended vocabulary of sacred sounds will continually support and strengthen us, much like taking our daily vitamin supplements does. Also, just as there is tremendous strength in having constant support from a group of human beings who truly understand and support our spiritual path, our community of mantras fortifies our soul when human beings are unavailable. Whenever we feel alone on the path, our community of mantras creates a net of safety around us and assists us in whatever spiritual process we are undergoing at that time.
Another perspective is that our community of mantras represents those Divine attributes and qualities that we seek to develop in ourselves. Catholics have a wonderful tradition of praying to the saints. Developing a community of mantras is similar to believing in a “communion of saints.” When approaching the saints, Catholics generally perceive these presences as dwelling outside the range of their consciousness, in heaven. Through intercessory prayer, Catholics reach out to these saints and draw them into their field of awareness, asking for their intervention. Being closer to God than we are, the saint is considered more capable of directing Divine power toward an event or situation. In the same way, through mantras we can come into immediate contact with the power we need in our lives; the sound actually contains the necessary force and links us directly to a reservoir full of that power. As we sound the mantra in our body, we channel this power into the desired situation or area in our lives. The power, in this case, is inside us.
How, then, do we start to build our community of mantras? We are so accustomed to having our lives well-packaged that we might expect to find mantra manuals listing ingredients and instructions. But as mantra practitioners, we must season our spiritual channels much as we might season a cooking pan; only then can we truly taste the energy of mantras and realize their intended effect upon us. Otherwise, this food for our soul can stick to the pan or just not cook to perfection.
A regular practice of mantra, incorporating the elements of Sound Yoga as described in part four, is essential to this seasoning process; it helps us understand and work with mantras efficiently. As you read this book and work with the accompanying audio tracks, you will begin to understand mantras and their applications on a deeper level. Over time, you will build your community of mantras. I have provided a reference at the end of this chapter to give you a sense of how this might come together, but you must develop your own relationship with mantras to build your own unique force field.
The same mantra, for instance, may have different effects on different people, or it may vary its effects on the same person in different times or situations. This does not mean that there aren’t specific mantras for specific purposes. On the contrary, there are vast quantities of mantras for specific purposes, from the curing of snakebite to forcing someone to fall in love with you. Of course, if such mantras worked for everyone, I would be a wealthy man and so would millions of other Indians. What makes the mantra effective is belief, or faith. We believe something because it rings true in our depths; faith gives us the energy to act on that belief.
During a break at one of my conferences, a bald man came up to me and seriously asked, “Do you have a mantra that can grow hair?” A mischievous Sufi friend of mine who was standing nearby replied just as seriously, “If you chant ‘Hairy Krishna’ with the belief that your hair will grow, I guarantee that it will.” Humorous though this situation was, it is true that belief and faith can manifest anything we want — even move mountains if need be. The real mountains, though, are the blocks in our spiritual lives and our energy systems that can be dissolved through the proper use of mantras.
The inner life is a type of spiritual archeology. This is why, to aid us in our faith and belief, mantras have been sculpted and refined into sophisticated tools for the soul. Also, what makes a mantra work is not just the sound itself, but all the preparation involved: our mental and physical framework, our environment, our interpretation, our self-talk, any ritualistic aspects we use, our attunement to the sounds, the inflections we use, and so on. Chapter eleven covers many of these key principles of preparation and presents many applications of mantra shastra that can assist you in your efforts.
WHEN WE EXPLORE our inner world and discover the vast landscape of consciousness, it can be empowering to carry a community of spiritual forces with us as we move from region to region. As our spiritual life takes us across diverse terrains, our core mantra functions as a staff that offers constant and immediate support. When we are distracted, our recovery mantra acts as a compass, helping us return to the path. When we are lonely or in need of extra protection, our community of mantras is there to assist us. All too often, the spiritual life has been described as a lonely path; with mantras, it needn’t be so.
In this age of spiritual curiosity, an assortment of mantras may sound alluring. Your own experimentation will reveal that limiting your spiritual practice to a collection of mantras without regularly practicing a core mantra will not effectively bank the spiritual energy generated by your practice; it only assuages a superficial need for spiritual consciousness. Indiscriminately using a set of mantras without a proper context neither builds confidence nor takes the user to a truly deep place. Following the principles and techniques described in subsequent chapters will help you derive unlimited power from the Yoga of Sound tradition.
We want to build a community of mantras, not a collection of mantras. To achieve this, keep in mind that all mantras should be used for a substantial period of time so that their effects can be absorbed. Consistent effort should be invested in the proper pronunciation of the mantra, which should be refined over time. Above all, proper preparation, a conducive environment, conscientious diet, and focused intention will reliably take you to the heights of the Yoga of Sound. Once again, you will find all this information in chapter eleven.
THE FOLLOWING SET of mantras will give you an idea of what it means to have a community of mantras. The meaning of these mantras and their pronunciation can be found in the appendixes, which will also explain their specific functions. You will, of course, evolve your own set of mantras that resonate with your personality. Your mantras may change with the phases of your life — roughly once in every seven years — but this change is not something you should deliberately seek.
Core mantra: Om Na-mah Shi-vaa-ya
Recovery mantra: Om Shaan-ti, Shaan-ti, Shaan-ti Om
To remove fear: Om Kshroum Na-ra-shim-haa-ya Na-ma-ha
To invite abundance: Om Shring Ma-haa Laksh-mi-ye Na-ma-ha
To clear obstacles: Om Gam Ga-na-pa-tai-ye Namaha
To enhance our relationships: Om Kleem Krish-Naa-ya Namaha
For inspiration and creativity: Om Aim Sa-ras-wa-tai-ye Namaha
For our professional lives: Om Namo Naa-raa-ya-naa-ya
For morning praise: the Gayatri mantra
For noon practice: Bija mantras for the chakras
For evening praise: Shri Raa-ma, Jai Raa-ma, Jai, Jai, Raa-mo
At night: So Ham
Most of these mantras are used only for short periods during the day; choose the timing and duration based on your needs to achieve specific goals or resolve particular situations. Throughout the day and night, we use our core mantra to stay connected to our essence, and whenever necessary we use our recovery mantra to reestablish that connection when dulled or broken. During times of illness or when disruptions occur, we may resort to therapeutic mantras that help remedy a particular situation. Like therapeutic diets, we don’t use these special mantras on a regular basis.
Awake! Arise! Strive for the highest and be in the light. Sages say that the path is narrow and difficult to tread — as narrow as the edge of a razor.
Katha Upanishad3