Power & Chanting of Mantras

In my previous article, I wrote about the Mantras and in this article, I am going to tell about the power of mantras. As noted earlier, I am always in search of the facts about the ancient knowledge of Hindu Religion, so whenever I found any new definition or any kind of other facts from any place, I will publish them. So, please do not go on the repetition of the Titles and see only the facts published under the articles. There will always be the new facts about one. So, in this series, now I am lying down the facts about the Power of Mantra and Chanting of mantra, which are searched from internet. After that with the spiritual help of my Gurudev, little-little knowledge from the scriptures will also be published.

Power of Mantra

Mantras are powerful sounds and when chanted with devotion produce enormous effects. Mantras are well-off in their meanings and their meaning can be meditated while chanting. As the mind concentrates more and more on mantra and its meaning, it conditions the mind and takes up to the higher states and forms the path to salvation - the eternal bliss. Read on to know about the significance of mantra…

The Vedas are full of mantras, therefore, have been kept for ages in their raw form to use in the different practices like patha, karma, jata, gana, patas. It has been done to ensure that the chanter clearly interprets the correct letters and sound for each letter (svara). People are advised to chant the mantras only when they know the correct pronunciation of it. That is how mantras are kept against deterioration with time.

Mantras Are Energy-Based Sounds

Sound is the foremost content of the creation. Mantras are divine sounds. Saying any word produces an actual physical vibration. Over time, if we know what the effect of that vibration is, then the word may come to have meaning associated with the effect of saying that vibration or word. Mantras appear really powerful when this sound effect reaches the mind and the surroundings.

Mantras Create Thought-Energy Waves

Mantra, when chanted sincerely produces a state where the organism vibrates at the rate completely in tune with the energy and spiritual state, represented by and contained within the mantra.

Mantra Have Fire-Like Energy

Mantras have fire like energy which can bring a positive and beneficial result, or it can produce an energy meltdown when misused or practiced without some guidance. There are certain mantra formulas which are so exact, so specific and so powerful that they must be learned and practiced under careful supervision by a qualified guru.

Mantras Eventually Quiet the Mind

At a deep level, subconscious mind is a collective consciousness of all the forms of primitive consciousnesses which exist throughout the physical and subtle bodies. Sincere use of mantra can excavate into subconscious crystallized thoughts stored in the organs and glands and transform these bodily parts into repositories of peace.

A mantra is a powerful word or phrase that may or may not have meaning in the same way as a sentence. Mantras can only be experienced, there is no proper term to define them and phrase them. That is why; they get passed from generation to generation.

Chanting of Mantra

Chanting of mantra was a concept of the Vedic saints that includes mantras as one of the main forms of worship, whose end is seen as salvation. Basically, Mantra Jaap means repeating the mantra. Reciting Mantra has become an established feature of the Hindu practices. Mantra Japa involves repetition of mantra again and again, usually 108 times completes one cycle. Due to this, the rosary (mala) used for mantra jaap has 108 beads in it.

It is believed that through mantra jaap, the devotee attains concentration and focus on the chosen deity or the main idea of the mantra. One can attain peace of mind quickly by chanting mantra. With prolong and constant practice, the inherent power of the Mantra (Mantra-Shakti) will be awakened, which will fill your very existence with the Divinity of the Mantra.

Practical Aids to Japa

• Select any Mantra and repeat it from 108 to 1,080 times daily (one to ten malas).
• Take a bath or wash your hands, feet, face and mouth before sitting for Japa in the morning.
• Sit facing east or north during the practice. This enhances the effectiveness of the Jaap.
• Sit on a rug to conserve body-electricity. Sit in a separate meditation room or in any suitable place, such as a temple, on a river bank or under a banyan or peepul tree.
• Maintain a steady pose. You can sit in Padmasana, Siddhasana or Sukhasana. Resolve to complete a certain minimum number of malas before leaving your seat.
• Use a rosary of 108 beads. Do not allow the rosary to hang below the navel. The rosary (mala) must not be visible to you or to others, so cover it properly. Use the middle finger and the thumb of the right to roll the beads. The use of the index finger is not allowed. Do not cross the meru (main bead) while rolling the beads.
• Do mental Jaap for sometime without a rosary or mala. When the mind wanders, do the Japa aloud, or whisper the Mantra for some time and come back to mental Japa again as soon as possible.
• Do not chant mantra in haste. Do it slowly with feeling, concentration of mind and devotion.
• Try to associate the chant with the rhythm of the breath and meditate in the form of your Deity. Keep a picture or idol of the Deity in front of you. Think of the meaning of the Mantra while repeating it.
• Observe silence and avoid distractions, calls and engagements. It is important not to leave the place at once after the Japa is over and mix with everyone or get into worldly activity. This keeps the spiritual vibrations intact.

One can leave the place after a dedicated prostration, with a feeling that everything belongs to that almighty. The Puja, Sadhana, Meditation and Jaap etc, any kind of prayers offered to the Almighty must be done with a sincere heart. The Supreme Being answers all the questions and doubts of the devotee, sooner or later. One must understand that the ultimate purpose of life is the realization of divine.

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