To fulfill multiple purposes, mantras have been used successfully for thousands of years.
Its benefits range from supporting everyone who recites them in their process of enlightenment and spiritual awakening, to helping us in purely everyday matters, such as succeeding in a job interview or curing us of some disease.
What Are The Mantras?
We can define the word “mantra” as a sound or phrase that has spiritual and or psychological power.
In Sanskrit language, “man” means mind and “tra” vehicle, with the understanding that mantras are a means of transportation for our mind. Different religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism also use them, as well as in transcendental meditation through the practice of repetition, in order to evoke a higher level of consciousness.
The true purpose of mantras is to clear ourselves of obstacles in our process of spiritual growth and mark the beginning of enlightenment.
To commit to enlightenment is to commit to that deep healing that is so necessary to detoxify us at all levels (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual), and mantras can be of great help in this process.
Why In Scripture,If Nobody Understands It?
If you’ve ever been to a Yoga class where you sing mantras, you probably thought, “What the hell does this mean?” Or “Can we skip all this and go straight to exercise and postures?”
Because that was the same as I thought, I began to investigate the mystery (I am not an expert on the subject), after all those unpronounceable phrases. But believe me when I tell you, once you start studying and understanding something, little by little you find the meaning.
Why not Sing Mantras In Other Languages?
Sanskrit is considered a divine language in India (spoken by the gods), and that is why it is able to connect mere mortals with the Supreme Being.
We will understand the need for a tool capable of penetrating the depth of these levels, if we take into account that what it is about doing through the mantras is to access the levels of consciousness and healing, which are submerged in our subconscious (that part of the brain that “sleeps” while we are conscious, and also keeps the way we are “programmed” ).
Spanish, English and basically all languages of popular use, are tools of common use, so it would be almost impossible to penetrate the depths of our being, without the conscious part of our brain, to interfere and want to translate everything .
And for its part, Sanskrit is a language that has been built on deep levels of consciousness, typically available to advanced practitioners of yoga and meditation (not the general public).
These sounds are specially designed to penetrate the analytical mind and affect our nervous system very directly.
Mantras, repeated in Sanskrit, retain this power and have been preserved through millennia as an unbroken tradition of powerful and sacred sounds.
How the Mantras Work?
It is believed that there are approximately 70 million different mantras, each with its own particular sound and vibration and that work with repetition.
When we choose a mantra we send your message to our subconscious, which processes it and makes it one of our beliefs.
If you look at yourself in the mirror every morning, you say something like “I hate my hair” or “I am very fat,” or if you are working on a project, you constantly say that “it probably won’t work,” you are conditioning yourself.
Mantras work the same, but with the difference it is a totally positive approach. Feeding our minds daily with positive affirmations can make a big difference (we must remember that our thoughts create our reality).
Why Use Mantras?
It is thought that its vibrations have healing effects that also fill us with strength and energy.
Many studies have shown that the singing of mantras reduces stress levels and that, due to their repetition, they are basically a mini meditation.
On the other hand, they give us something to cling to and even many psychologists are using them to eliminate negative thoughts in their patients, replacing them in turn, with something positive to take hold of.
How to Sing Matras?
Mantras are a fundamental tool used in yoga and meditation, to help calm the mind. To sing it, you must choose a word or phrase and repeat it (the repetition can be mental, or loudly).
According to Hinduism, to obtain as many benefits as possible, mantras must be recited 108 times. For this purpose there are the “bad beads”, a kind of necklace with 108 beads in exact cycles with the sunrise and sunset.
In Vedic culture, mathematicians denoted the number 108 as the totality of existence, based on the fact that the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth, and the distance from the Earth to the Sun, is 108 times the diameter of the Sun .
For this reason, it is believed that by “singing” or repeating a mantra 108 times, we align with the energy of the Universe.
Mantras can be used by people of any religion or spiritual practice, and although they are often used during meditation and yoga, it is possible to repeat them during any other type of activity (as long as we are focused on the intention of your message).
While we walk, wash the car or clean the house, our mind flies to all the problems we have at that time. However, mantras give you the possibility of using that time for something more beneficial.
The Most Popular Mantras (Sacred):
Sanskrit mantras provide ancient wisdom, which helps us get a better connection with ourselves and with the world around us.
“OM” (AUM)
The sound of the Universe represents the three levels of consciousness: A (in vigil), U (dreaming) and M (in deep sleep), and that of vigil, is the only type of consciousness we recognize. But as we know, there are also “subconscious” and “super conscious” levels and this mantra helps us unlock them.
When each syllable is pronounced completely, you should feel the energy of the sound that rises from your pelvic floor to the crown of your head.
It is said that “OM” vibrates at 432 Hertz, which is the natural musical tone of the Universe (as opposed to 440 Hertz, which is the frequency of most modern music), and that this sound unlocks the throat chakra, which helps us to have a better communication with others.
“OM NAMAH SHIVAYA”
This is one of the most common mantras in Hindu and yogic traditions and in Vedic and tantric schools. Its origins date back to a Hindu prayer taken from the Yajurveda and is a greeting to Shiva, the lord of destruction, who in turn is a purifier and healer.
This mantra makes us see the good in every bad situation (in other words, see the destruction as “transformation”).
We have already defined the meaning of “Om,” but the second part of this mantra, which is “Namah,” means worship or respect. The third part, “Shivaya”, designates the “Absolute” (God) as the source of all existence.
Then, by singing “Om Namah Shivaya”, we build trust in ourselves and respect for others, by reminding us that we all come from the divine and, therefore, there is divinity within each one and it must be honored at all times.
“LOKAH SAMASTAH SUKHINO BHAVANTU”
It is one of the most beautiful mantras. “Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu” translates as “May all beings throughout the world be happy and free and that our thoughts, words and actions contribute in some way to that happiness and freedom.”
This mantra reminds us that we must live with compassion and in harmony with everyone and everything that surrounds us, and we can repeat it as an offering of compassion and love towards all living beings, towards ourselves and towards the environment.
“OM MANI PADME HUM”
It is the most famous song in the world, called “Compassionate Buddha” and originated in India, but soon became popular in Tibet, with a slight alternation of its sounds.
This mantra of the “Buddha of Compassion” is also known to the Chinese as the goddess Kuan Yin.
“Om Mani Padme Hum” translates as “The jewel in the lotus.” But in Tibet, the Dalai Lama indicated that there is a much deeper meaning and that it implies a complete transformation (of body, mind and speech), going from an impure state, to that of the pure qualities of a Buddha.
Therefore, this mantra focuses on the transformation and purification of human nature, calming our fears, concerns and our hearts.
Although easy to say, the mantra “Om Mani Päme Hum” is considered the most powerful, since it basically contains all Buddhist teaching.
“Om” frees us from pride, replacing it with generosity.
“Ma” frees us from jealousy and envy, and in return gives us ethics.
“Ni” frees us from lust and banal desires, replacing them with patience.
“Pa” frees us from ignorance and prejudice, changing them for perseverance.
“Me” frees us from attachments and gives us concentration.
“Hum” helps us, in the practice of wisdom, to achieve perfection by freeing ourselves from hate.
The recitation of this mantra helps us achieve perfection in the six practices.
Modern Mantras:
A mantra goes beyond an old phrase, being the power you give yourself to stay focused on the positive, influencing your thoughts and actions.
Now and on their spiritual path, Westerners also create their mantras and they can come from anywhere, from a phrase that inspires you to be better, from something a loved one (or a complete stranger) told you and simply resonated. in you, and even something you heard in a song.
You just have to be attentive to what reminds you of what is important to you, and that makes you feel with encouragement and joy.
Some Examples of Modern Mantras:
“May the space between where I am and where I want to be inspire me.”
“Everything I need is inside me.”
“Anxiety is contagious and so is calm.”
“I am a magnet for love, happiness and abundance.”
“May my heart be kind, my mind fierce and my spirit brave.”
“I will live less by habit and more by intention.”
“We are what we do repeatedly, which is why excellence is not an act, but a habit.”
“I don’t expect anything and I appreciate everything.”
“Relive your light. Show your dreams. Realize how much you’re worth. ”
“What consumes my mind, controls my life.”
“I am at peace with what it is, what it was and what it will be. I forgive you and I forgive myself. ”
“I am present within me. I can focus with the ease of my breathing. I feel strong, confident, dignified and complete. ”
“I inhale and send love, exhale and send love to someone who needs it.”
“I am grateful for my struggle, because without it I would not have found my strength.”
“I accept what it is, I let go of what was and I have faith in what will be.”