Mantras.DOC

Sahaja Yoga

Mantras

Sahaja Yoga - Mantras

Mantras are used in Sahaja Yoga to stimulate and cleanse the various Chakras in our subtle instrument, and by so doing to fully realise the qualities of these centres. The use of these Mantras can be extremely effective during meditation, and can generate very strong vibrations throughout our subtle system.. For many people the use of Mantras is the single most effective method of gaining positive feedback of the working of the subtle system. They start to experience the vibrations in a much clearer way, and start to relate much more powerfully to the cleansing process of the Chakras.

In Sahaja Yoga, there are no rigid rules regarding the adoption of Mantras as an aid to meditation. They are not used in a mechanical or repetitive way, they are used gently and from the heart. It is only by understanding and respecting the authority of a true Mantra that we can experience the real power of this ancient tradition.

Types of Mantra

There are two main types of Mantra, English and Sanskrit. The English Mantras are also called Affirmations and have an important part to play in directing our Attention inwards during the early days of our meditation. The Sanskrit form of Mantra, however, provides a more traditional and direct way of communicating with our inner being. The Sanskrit language is generally considered to be the primordial language of human civilisation, and in the East it is believed to have direct connections with the Word of God. Tradition has it that the creation of the Sanskrit alphabet was in fact based upon the subtle sounds experienced by various sages meditating upon the Chakras, and this would seem to tie in with our understanding of the correlation between the alphabet and the number of petals in the seven main Chakras of the subtle body.

When we use Sanskrit therefore, we are adopting a methodology that is as old as Yoga itself, and which is therefore much less subject to the shifting interpretations of more modern languages. The Sanskrit words themselves provide their own vibrations with which we work on our system!

Perhaps the best known example of a Sanskrit Mantra is the word OM. Derived from the AUM, this is commonly considered to be the root word of the Creation. "In the beginning was the Word....".  In the Christian tradition this word has been transformed into Amen, although its proper use as a form of salutation seems to have become lost with time.   In fact we can understand that the AUM corresponds to the left, right and central channels of our subtle system, and that just by using the OM during our meditation we can cause vibrations to flow more strongly around this system. In fact this can be a very good exercise as a prelude to the full use of Sahaja Yoga Mantras.

Mantras are gentle yet powerful aids to our meditation. They are also an expression of our collective desire to realise our inner being, and used properly will produce incredibly beneficial results.

The Practical Use of the Mantra

Once we have raised our Kundalini and given ourselves a bandhan, we can sit down to our meditation as usual. At the start of our meditation we are in effect inviting the Kundalini to leave Her abode at the base of the spine and make Her journey to the Sahasrara at the top of the head. The Chakra which guards and protects the Sacrum bone is the Mooladhara, and so it is generally considered respectful to request passage for our Kundalini from the Deity of this Chakra by reciting to ourselves – either to ourselves or out loud - the Mantra to Shri Ganesha (see below). As there are four petals or portals at this centre, we normally repeat the Mantra four times at the start of the meditation.

Once we have done this, we can direct our Attention to the individual Chakras - either moving one by one up the body or by going directly to a particular centre where we can feel some obstruction – shown by a tingling or heat on the fingers or inside our body. Here we can say the relevant Mantra of the centre quietly to ourselves. We can continue this process as necessary, to clear the blockages in one or more Chakras. Note that it is not always necessary, or even desirable, to use Mantras during a meditation, so the practice should be done with discretion and with a deep respect for the process.

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At the end of our meditation, we can celebrate our Self-Realisation by saying the long Mantra (*) for the Sahasrara.

It is important to stress that you should only use these Mantras (and this format) if you feel totally comfortable with them. If you do not feel ready as yet for whatever reason, then simply continue to meditate in your usual manner. There are no mandatory rules in Sahaja Yoga - it is, after all, everyone’s own personal journey to fulfillment.

Mantra definitions
Format
Om Twameva sakshat ......(Deity name)................. sakshat, Shri Adi Shakti Mataji, Shri Nirmala Devi Namoh, Namah.

In the space above we insert the letter-form or name of the Deity that is related to the Chakra or Channel that we are working on.
 

Names
For the following Chakras we insert the following Names:
 

Mooladhara:                             Shri Ganesha
Centre Swadhisthan:               Shri Saraswati, Brahmadeva

Left Swadhisthan:               Shri Nirmala Vidya

Right Swadhisthan:              Shri Nirmala Chitta or Himalaya

Centre Nabhi:                             Shri Lakshmi Vishnu
Left Nabhi:                             Shri Gruha Lakshmi

Right Nabhi:                             Shri Shesha Lakshmana
Void:                                           Shri Adi Guru Dattatreya

Centre Heart:                             Shri Jagadambe Durga Mata
Left Heart:                             Shri Shiva Parvati

Right Heart:                             Shri Sita Rama

Centre Vishuddhi:               Shri Radha Krishna
Left Vishuddhi:                             Shri Vishnumaya

Right Vishuddhi:                            Shri Yeshoda Mata

Agnya:                                           Shri Mary Jesus
Left Agnya:                            Shri Mahavira

Right Agnya:                             Shri Buddha

Back Agnya:                             Shri Maha Ganesha

Sahasrara:                            Shri Kalki

So, for example, if we were working on the Vishuddhi Chakra we would use the Mantra:
 

Om Twameva sakshat Shri Radha, Krishna sakshat, Shri Adi Shakti Mataji, Shri Nirmala Devi Namoh Namah.

This mantra would sound like this in English:
OM (as in on) Twameva (Twa-Mare-va) Sakshat (saak-shaat) ...................Sakshat, Shri (shree) Adi (Aa-dee) Shakti (Shak-tee) Mataji (Maat-aa-jee), Shri Nirmala (Neer-ma-la) Devi (There-vee), Namoh (Na-more), Namah (Na-ma-ha).

Translation

Any translation is of course only half the story, as the sounds of the syllables themselves contain much of the resonance (or Vibration) which gives the Mantra its beneficial effect. In any case, here is the simple translation of the Mantra without specifying any particular Deity :-

OM                                 - The cosmic salutation AUM
Twameva:                   - You are
Sakshat:                   - Verily
Shri:                                 - Denotes respect (literally - the one             with the power and the virtue)
Adi Shakti Mataji:   - The Primordial Mother Energy.
Nirmala Devi:                    - The Pure Goddess.
Namoh, Namah:       - Salutations and praise to You.

In this way we celebrate the quality of each of the Chakras in a very direct and deliberate way each time we say the Mantra to ourselves in meditation. In fact the saying of the Mantra helps to accelerate our progress into the meditation. Similarly when we are inserting the relevant Deity name into the Mantra, we are focusing all of our Attention on that centre, praising the benevolence of its qualities and projecting Vibrations through our voice and Attention to help its nourishment.

(*) The Long Mantra.

The Long Mantra for the Sahasrara – also known as Maha Mantra – celebrates the joy of the Yoga which occurs through the opening of our Sahasrara Chakra.

It is in three parts:

The first celebrates the gentle power of the Kundalini energy and the importance of the three channels as represented by Shri Mahalakshmi, Mahasaraswati and Mahakali.

The second part acknowledges the important role of Shri Kalki on the Chakra.

The third part celebrates liberation (moksha) from identification with the cycle of birth and death, which is given to us once the Kundalini ascends through the ‘thousand petalled Lotus’ of the Sahasrara Chakra.

Om twameva sakshat Shri Mahalakshmi, Mahasaraswati, Mahakali, Trigunatmitka, Kundalini, sakshat Shri Adi Shakti Mataji, Shri Nirmala Devi, Namoh, Namah.

Om twameva sakshat Shri Kalki, sakshat, Shri Adi Shakti Mataji, Shri Nirmala Devi, Namoh, Namah.

Om twameva sakshat Shri Kalki, sakshat Shri Sahasrara Swamini, Moksha Pradayini, Mataji Shri Nirmala Devyai, Namoh, Namah.