Each Mantra has a form. It has also its own inner significance. When chanting is done with the contemplation on the form, it leads one to the path of self-realisation. The Vedic seers declared; ‘Vedahametam Purusham mahantam Aditya varnam tamasah parastat.’ (I have seen the Divine Being who shines with the splendour of a billion suns beyond the realm of darkness). The seers and sages transcended the darkness of ignorance and visualised the effulgence of the Divine. They chanted the Mantra, contemplated on the form of the Divine, performed Yajnas and attained peace and bliss. They made use of Mantra, Tantra and Yantra in the performance of Yajnas which ensured peace and prosperity of the in Treta Yuga. With the help of the mantras, they quelled the Rakshasa and established the region of gods. (SSS Vol.37, pp. 99-100)
Mantra has two aspects. The first is Manana or what has been learned has to be taken into your mind. The second is the aspect of Trana that is what has been taken into your mind has to be established firmly therein. By taking the divine into your mind and firmly establishing it therein, if you can carry on your life and do the work that is ordained for you, then your life will be full of happiness. (SSB 1974, p. 22)
Vishnu, we call Suparna-vahana, He is Garuda-vahana. Garuda means mantras. Vrishabha stands for Dharma. Because of this, Suparna is the name given in the Vedas. Mantra is a great support even for the Lord. Without the carrier of the Mantra (Garuda) even God cannot move forward. This is the inner meaning of Garuda-vahana. (SSB 1974, p. 128)
Mantra means ‘potent formula’. Man makes yantras; Mantra makes man! The maker of yantras is called a scientist; the maker of mantras is called a saint. (SSS Vol.8, p. 71)
Mantra and Japa are essential for all types of men. ‘Ma’ means manana, and ‘Tra’ means saving; so Mantra means that which can save you if you meditate on it. Mantra will save you from being caught in the coils of this worldly life which is infested with death, grief and pain. Of all the mantras, the Pranava is the highest and best. It is the very head and crown of all of them. (P.Vah, p. 291)
The Vedic Mantra with which the offering is given to God is ‘Om Tryambakam Yajamahe Sugandhim Pustivardhanam’. propitiate the three-eyed One, the flagrant, the promoter of strength and sweetness, of light and happiness." The three eyes signify many things, which constitute the Divine: the Sun, Moon, Fire which symbolise heat and light; the Gross, Subtle and Causal, which symbolise the embodiments of the manifold manifestations of the One; Will, Work and Wisdom, which symbolise the operational channels of the One Sovereign Power; Doer, Deed, Duty symbolising the sense of I which is the shadow of the One in the many. (SSS Vol.7, p. 259)
What is a Mantra? Knowing oneself is the real Mantra. In fact you are yourself the very embodiments of Mantra, Tantra and Yantra. Your respiration itself is the Mantra of Soham or ‘I am that’. Your body itself is the Yantra and your heart is the Tantra. (L&L, p. 6)
Mantra is the exposition of the goal that is Sat; that is to say, it is that which prompts, and promotes manana or probing through the mind. ‘Man’ syllable indicates the process of probing and the syllable ‘tra’ means ‘the capacity to take across, to liberate, to save’. In short, Mantra is that which saves when the mind dwells upon it. While rites and ritual sacrifices are performed, the person has to remind himself constantly of their nature and signifance. The formulae, be has to repeat to achieve this end are mantras. But, today, those who perform these rites either recite them mechanically or allow them to role on the tongue. They pay no attention to the meaning of the Mantra. When mantras are uttered as rigmarole they yield no fruit. The person can reap full reward only when we recite them with the knowledge of the meaning and significance. (LKV, pp. 9-10)
Chanting holy names becomes a Mantra (‘man’ is mind; ‘tra’ is freeing it), freeing the mind of worldly worries and taking it to heights of divinity. (DG, p. 39)
He who has doubts will perish. He who has faith will attain wisdom. (DBG, p. 192)
Mantra is not a mere collection of words. It is a compounded set of words pregnant with enormous significance. It emanates from the inner power of man. Filled with such power, the Mantra (sacred formula), when it is pronounced properly, brings out the Divine power in man. The vibrations produced by the utterance of the Mantra, uniting with the Cosmic nada (primal sound) in the Universe, become one with the Universal Consciousness. It is these Cosmic vibrations which assumed the form of the Veda (sacred revelations of spiritual knowledge).
For all the mantras, the primary Mantra, which enshrines the attributeless, Omniself, is the Omkara. The Omkara embodies in the form of sound the Supreme Brahman. For this sound, the presiding deity is Saraswati. In common parlance Saraswati is regarded as the consort of Brahma (Demi God of Creation). It is the union of Brahma and Saraswati that accounts for all the knowledge in the world. Who is Brahma and who is Saraswati? Saraswati is commonly worshipped as the Goddess of Speech and as the deity who has to be propitiated for acquiring knowledge.
Sarasvati Namastubhyam
Varade Kamarupini
Vidyarambham Karishyami
Siddhir Bhavatu Me Sada
She is also described as Varade (the giver of boons) and as Kamarupini (one capable of assuming any form). But Saraswati is not one who conforms to these descriptions. Saraswati is present in all beings as the Goddess of Speech. (SSS Vol.17, pp. 162-163)
Lord Sridhara is the embodiment of Love,
He lives in Love, Love is His divine form
His Love is pervading everywhere in the Universe
Love is the ‘Taraka Mantra’ (holy formula for liberation)
God cannot be understood without Supreme Love
How can you get good Thoughts,
Without comprehending this,
Love, which is God?
(BBB)
Tyagaraja said, ‘For a man who has conquered his mind, is there any need for Mantra and Tantra – any strategies for attaining salvation?’ As said many times by Swami, ‘Oh, people of the world, develop love for Sai which will destroy all your worries’. Such love can help others also to win over their sorrows. Do not be bogged down by worries. With prayer to God, you can achieve anything. It is not only true of Indians but there are many men and women of other countries who have achieved this. There are many who have attained fulfilment in life by practicing the dicta of their mothers. Therefore, love your mother first and foremost. Then you automatically love your father and also your teacher. Before you love your mother you have to love your Self. One who does not believe in oneself cannot believe one’s mother. Faith in yourself and faith in God is secret of greatness. (SSS Vol.34, pp. 363-364)
God’s creation is wonderful and mysterious. Spiritual aspirants undertake various Sadhanas to have the vision of God. Every Mantra is a combination of words with profound inner meanings. It has myriad meanings, but we have to take that which is suitable to our place and circumstances. The Divine Dakshinamurti gave inner meanings of these mantras for the benefit of seekers so that they could understand them easily and experience bliss. He taught the Mantras to the world in a simple and lucid way. He laid special emphasis on three words representing Jiva (individual), Deva (God) and Manas (mind). What is the role of the mind which separates individual and God? God is the embodiment of Chaitanya (consciousness). Mind is assigned the task of bringing together Jada (inert) and Chaitanya. Individual. God and the mind in conjunction constitute a Mantra. Jiva-swara-prakriti is the term used to describe these three. The duty of mind lies in transforming individual into Divine. How does the mind perform this function? The individual is represented by the term Vyashti, whereas God is the embodiment of Samashti (Society). Mind is the combination Vyashti and Samashti. Hence, the mind is endowed with sacred power. In this modern age, the mind is described as mad monkey. It is not as mada monkey as people believe. Mind represents Mankind. It acts as a link between man and God. Hence, mind is highly sacred and powerful.
mana eva manushyanam
karanam bandha-mokshayoh
bandhaya visayasango
muktyai nirvisayam manah
mana eva manushyanam karanam bandha-mokshayoh (mind is responsible for both bondage and liberation). The power of the mind is unique. But people have not grasped the greatness and accorded due respect to it. They have not even understood the correct meaning of the word mind and are using for trivial worldly tasks. The mind is very intense and has several facets. It is endowed with purity, valour, courage, etc. No one is able to understand the nature and power of the mind. Without the mind the term, the terms Jiva and Deva will lose their significance. It is the mind that demonstrates the mighty power connecting the individual and God. One has to make efforts to understand the difference between the mind and the divinity therein.
As I told you yesterday, the mind represents Vishnu, the breath, Ishvara and the speech, Brahma. It is said that Brahma has emerged from the navel of Vishnu. Likewise, speech originates from the mind. Speech is endowed with immense power. The Vedas and the Upanishads contain many teachings, each consisting of three words. These words became Mantras themselves. Not all can comprehend the essence of these Mantras – Tat Tvam Asi (That Thou Art), Ayam Atma Brahma (this Atma is verily Brahman), Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma (verily all this Brahman), Brahmavid brahmaiva bhavati (the knower of Brahman becomes Brahman himself). All these teachings of the Upanishads are verily sacred Mantras. Even the divine names, which appear as mere appellations, are Mantras. They can be interpreted in many ways. There are four profound statements in each of the four Vedas, the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda Sama Veda and Atharvana Veda. These give the very essence of all the Mantras. Each Mantra contains the essence of all the Mantras. Hence, it is not necessary to know all the Mantras and their meanings. Take for instance, Tat Tvam Asi (That Thou Art) and Aham Brahmasmi (I am Brahman). When enquire deeply, you can very clearly see that both mean the same. The Mantra Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma (All this is verily Brahman) also conveys the same truth. In this manner, all the Mantras essentially proclaim the same truth. True spiritual practice lies in understanding this unity. Brahmavid brahmaiva bhavati (the knower of Brahman becomes Brahman himself). One who understands unity verily becomes God. This is the message of the Upanishads.
You are God. Understand this truth in the first instance. Every one is divine. Then, you may wonder where is the need to worship God? You have to worship Him till you understand and experience this unity You are leading a very ordinary life. Such being the case, how can you understand the transcendental divine principle? You are Vyashti Swarupa (individual self), whereas God is Samashti swarupa (Cosmic Form). Hence, it is not possible for Vyashti to understand Samashti. Neither spiritual practices nor chanting of Mantras can transform Vyashti into Samashti. Transformation is possible only when Vyashti identifies himself with Samashti. Vyashti should firmly believe, ‘I am God’.
A potter collects clay from the river bank, mixes water in it, puts on a wheel and makes pots. The pot cannot hold water unless it undergoes Agni Samskara (refinement through the fire). Just as a pot becomes strong when it is processed in the fire, man becomes God when he undergoes refinement in the fire of Wisdom. The pot which came from mud will ultimately disintegrate and become one with it. Likewise, every object and every being in this world will ultimately go back to its source of origin. Human being can be compared to a pot and God is the potter. If the ‘pot’ is not processed in the fire of wisdom, it will break when put to use. What is wisdom? Advaita darsanam Jnanam (perception of non-duality is wisdom). One should refine oneself in the fire of wisdom and experience non-dualism. Clay gains value when it is refined and made into a pot. The metal gold gains added value and strength when it is made into a beautiful ornament. Likewise, refinement manifests the latent power in man and increases his value. (DD on 13.10.2002 , pp. 2-4)