Mantra

[Eloriel]

I've used mantras off and on for several years. I've found them very powerful, and really should take advantage of them more. I posted part of the following in DesertRose's thread, but wrote so much more I realized I needed to start my own thread on the subject instead:

real handy whenever you encounter something that throws you into fear:

Shante Preshante Sarva Bhaya Upasha Mani Swaha

all of which is pronounced pretty much as it looks and means, according to the book I got it from, Healing Mantras by Thomas Ashley-Farrand:

The first two words relate to the Sanskrit word for peace, shanti. Sarva denotes the source of the condition we are addressing, and which is to be offered or given up. Upasha Mani means surrendering the smaller aspect of mind to the universal "mind without form." Swaha means "I offer with salutations." Thus, the surface meaning of the mantra is, "Invoking supreme peace I offer (surrender) the quality of ______ to its source in the higher and formless universal mind. Salutations."

Byaha is the word for fear in the mantra. There's a whole LIST of inner conditions you can use this mantra for (substituting the right word in the place of Bhaya) listed in this book.

However, when I went searching for this mantra the other day, I also came across this one, which the book says is another mantra for transforming anger and fear. This great mantra was practiced by Mahatma Gandhi from the time he was a young boy.

It is: Om Sri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama

I was drawn to it much more than the other -- this one makes my heart sing and puts a smile on my face. It makes me feel joyous. So this is the one I'm using. It also brings the image to mind of an Indian woman in a beautiful sari chanting/singing this mantra with tambourine in her hand. I love the sound of it and how it makes my heart dance. Continuing from the book:

This is called the Taraka mantra, which means "that which takes one across" the ocean of rebirth. The component sounds of the mantra are as follows:

Om is the mantra seed sound for the brow center located between the eyebrows and three quarters of an inch above. Sri is the mantra that both salutes and activates the feminine power located at the base of the spine. Rama refers to the seventh avatar of Vishnu in one context, and to the divine self located in all of us in another context. Jaya means victory.

As long as I'm on the subject of mantra, here's one I'm feeling pressed to include for physical healing. It's said to help you find a healing path for your problem, and also to aid in healing itself:

Om Sri Dhanvantre Namaha

(I think you're supposed to say Swaha instead of Namaha if you're over 29.)

The book says about this one:

The ancient Vedic records include detailed histories of shamans or medicine people. One such healer in the Hindu tradition was called Dhanvantre, "the celestial physician." His mantra is used to find a path to the appropriate healing method for any health problem.

In traditional households in southern India, women chant this mantra as they prepare food to infuse it with the powerful healing vibrations that ward off disease. In other households the mantra is chanted during preparation of food for the sick or infirm;

You can chant this mantra while concentrating upon any condition that you would like remedied or healed. Chant it for at least 12,500 times, then be open to the manner in which healing may manifest.

I have used this healing mantra in the past -- and didn't have to get to 12,500 repetitions before I found a healing path for the particular problem.

I've found mantra very powerful, and made sure I had a set of prayer beads (108 beads, twice as many as a Catholic rosary) for those occasions when I start a specific mantra practice.

This one is for removing obstacles, including between people. I've used it successfully when a family member and I had "a few words" or just some tension between us, and the tension evaporated like magic over the next few minutes or hours.

On Gum Ganapatayei Namaha

This is a terrific little book, filled with many wonderful things. Here's one for abundance:

Om Shrim Maha Lakshmiyei Swaha

And the book says this: Om, you may remember, is the seed sounds for the sixth chakra, where masculine and feminine energies meet at the center of the brow. Because Om represents a conjunction of will and sound, it is commonly used as a prefix to mantras of all kinds. Of the millions of mantras that have originated in the Far East over the past five thousand years, more than 95 percent begin with Om.

Shrim is the seed sound for the principle of abundance, which is personified by the goddess Lakshmi in the Hindu pantheon. She is often depicted sitting or standing on a lotus flower, beautiful beyond measure, with a stream of coins flowing from her hand. Behind the goddess, elephants are playing, with their trunks upraised. Elephants are a traditional symbol of good fortune, and the raised trunks indicate a propensity to retain he good fortune, rather than spilling it onto the ground.

Maha means "great." In this context it denotes both quantity and quality. When we speak of the quality of the abundance here, we are referring to its harmony with dharma or divine law. Abundance of any other kind is more of a burden than a blessing. Imagine, for example, that someone presents you with a large amount of money. Now you have abundant financial resources -- but if the money has been stolen you could be implicated in the crime. The prefix Maha is intended to prevent this kind of difficulty.

Lakshmi, again, is the principle of abundance. This goddess is such a powerful feminine force that continues use of her Sanskrit name generates great creative energy. But in the simplest terms, she is the personification of wealth. She holds aloft the torch of prosperity in all its forms and for all beings.

Swaha, in this context, means "I salute." It is also related to the manifestation of energy at the solar plexus chakra. Mantras exist in masculine, feminine and neutral forms. Here, Swaha provides a feminine ending.

This mantra can be used to attain abundance in almost any form. If you're able, commit yourself to a forty-day program. It's best to set aside thirty minutes or so each day to change quietly by yourself. At other times, say the mantra as often as possible.

When you face a problem related to abundance, remember that the general nature of the mantra will be immediately help the chakras to begin processing new levels of energy. The kundalini will start to send out energy related to the principle you are invoking with your mantra. You will be drawing in energy from your spiritual surroundings, but you must also focus your mental efforts to have a clear understanding of that which is desired. As the saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it."


Sanskrit is especially powerful because each word in Sanskrit carries the pure vibration of the thing which it identifies. I have rarely if ever used mantra without feeling a strong positive shift in my own energies during the repetitions, usually early on. Quite wonderful, quite powerful.

[yellowdawgdem]

1. nice mantras

Om Sri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama

i really like this one, too, and thankyou for posting.
One thing I wondered is, how do you pronounce sri.

[Eloriel]

2. I just pronounce it shree.

Whatever works -- I can't think sree would be that "off."

[yellowdawgdem]

3. shree

ok, thanks.

[Quakerfriend]

4. Wonderful post, Eloriel!

We need to remember mantras during these bizarre times in our world!

I needed this reminder!! Thank you so much!

Thought you might enjoy this link about the importance of mantras in making oak gall ink:

http://www.manuscriptarts.net/Ave_VIN1_spirituality%20of%20ink%20making.htm:

hug:

[Cathyclysmic]

5. thanks!

[Eloriel]

6. Another one I forgot -- VERY good

But before I mention it, I have been just amazed at what has occurred in my life in just a few short days. I'm basically using 3 mantras, twice a day (and whenver I think of it in the meantime) -- The Healing Path, the Jaya Rama, and this third one.

I want to remind people to PAY ATTENTION and to write flashes of insight down. I have been almost inundated with "To Dos" and insights about the several issues I'm doing these mantras for. AND my mood has lifted considerably -- not entirely due JUST to the mantras, but I'm equally sure they've played a part. (DR's good news helped, for example, and I'm still taking Flower Essences.) What has amazed me especially is that I've achieved some "breakthrough" insights -- the kind that are hard to explain, but push you to where you were going anyway, or nudge you all at once into a higher level of understanding. Very cool, very cool.


Om Gum Gurubhyo Namaha

This is: To ensure that your inner teacher has an unobstructed path to your conscious mind, the mantra (above) is useful. It is noteworthy that this mantra contains the seed Gum that is traditionally connected with Ganesha and the removing of obstacles. This mantra helps remove the obstacles between our own inner guidance and our conscious, wakeful mind.

And I would have to say, as I typed above, I've found it quite powerful. This is the 3rd one I'm doing and obviously, now that I review "what the book says" about it, this one has been extremely operative in my life -- in just a few short days!