Mantras

[aelis2004]

Chanting mantras creates vibrations that have a cleansing, purifying effect on your aura. The power of mantras lie in the healing property of sound.

In this thread I shall analyze some mantras. If you know of others, do post them!

I'll start with what os considered to be the simplest and most porwerful of all, OM.
First of all, I'd like to note that on the Sri Yantra CD booklet, they say that the Sri Yantra sound corresponds to the OM sound.

Ted Andrews in his "How to See and Read the Aura" book, analyzes some mantras. About OM, he says

It is also believed that there are several hundred ways of pronouncing and intoning Om - each with its own unique effect over the aura. When you emphasize and prolong the "O", you affect others and your owb auric field. When the "M" (humming sound) is prolonged, the entire effect is produced more internally.
(....)
It arranges all particles of your subtle bodies into allignment. (...) When these energies arealigned, you can more easily restore health and gain greater benefit through meditation."

[aelis2004]

AUM

A variation of OM is AUM. This form enhances your visualization of the aura and it enables your thoughtd to become more cystallized. It is an affirmation that your energies are at their highest and continually growing higher, as if you are saying to yourself on a primal level: "So let it be!" AUM also helps repair weaknesses and holes within your auric field.

[aelis2004]

OM MANI PADME HUM

Ted Andrews says of this mantra:

This mantra literally translates as "the jewel in the lotus". It is one of the most popular mantras, and it has a variety of meanings and significances (...) acts as a protective force within the aura. It strengthens all energy reserves and helps to prevent you from being drained or taken advantage of. This particular mantra is good to use before entering into emotional situations or places where you know tensions can run high. It makes the aura strong enough to prevent others from intruding upon you, physically or orherwise.

Mikio Sankey, in the Glossary of "Esoteric Acupuncture" says:

JEWEL IN THE LOTUS - This is a phrase used in the Ancient Esoteric Wisdom Teachings referring to the Electric Fire located in the very heart of our egoic lotus found in the third level of our mental plane. There are three lemon yellow colored petals surrounding this "Jewel" and at the base of these three petals are located the permanent atoms of the physical and astral planes, plus the permanent unit of the mental plane."

[aelis2004]

Ted Andrews writes:

OM - The totality of existence and of sound

MANI - "Jewel" - It refers to a kind of non-substance that is impervious to harm or change. It is a symbol of the highest value within the mind. It synbolizes enlightment with compassion and love. Just as a jewel can remove povery, this aspect of the mantra helps to remove discordant energies from your aura.

PADME - "Lotus" - It is a symbol of spiritual unfoldment and the awakening of finer energies within your auric field. It has a sound that helps to clarify the energy debris muddying your own aura. it helps you to soert it out ans assimilate its corresponding circumstances. It harmonizes your aura.

HUM - untranslatable per se. While Om represents the infinite sound within you and the universe, Hum represents the finite within the infinite. It stands for th potential of the auric field. It awakens your sensitivity to energies around you, and it increases your awareness of how they are affecting you. It awakens your perception of the physical aura and stimulattes harmony within it so you can understand yourself more effectivel as an energy system.

[aelis2004]

The last mantra I will examine is a mantra I found on Geshe Kelsang Gyatso "The New Meditation Handbook".

OM AH HUM

OM is the symbol of the body of all Buddhas

AH is the symbol of the speech of all Buddhas

HUM is the symbol of the mind of all Buddhas

There are many different mantras, but they are all contained within these three letters. All Buddhas are contained within these three groups: vajra bod, vajra speech, and vajra mind. The mantra of vajra body is OM, the mantra of vajra speech is Ah, and the mantra of vajra mind is HUM. Therefore if we recite these three letters with faith, we shall receive the blessings of the body, speech, and mind of all Buddhas.

[bloom]

Om mani Padme hum is used by Tibetan monks right? I like chanting the mantra internally..somehow all thoughts are set aside.and makes me focus on something..

[MissLilyBrown]

Hello there...  Has anyone had experience with the Gyatri Mantra?  Any information you could offer would be helpful

[MissLilyBrown]

I've been told that mantras ending in the "ah" sound are especially impactful.  Any thoughts?

[vivekvshetty]

I've been told that mantras ending in the "ah" sound are especially impactful.  Any thoughts?

Namaskaar,
if by "ah" you mean the 'visarga' like in Namah Shivaaya.
then i may be able to share my learning.
the sound 'ah' is a vowel in sanskrit and is called the visarga.
it has the effect of opening up our Heart chakra so that the Deity we are praying to can take a seat in it.
this has powerful effect if we add visualisation in addition to chanting the mantra.
Here we have to visualise the heart opening up at the sound of 'AH' and the deity taking her/his seat inside it.

vivek

[vivekvshetty]

Hello there...  Has anyone had experience with the Gyatri Mantra?  Any information you could offer would be helpful

Namaskaar,
I have been taught that Gayatri is the name of the metre in which a mantra is written.
This is one of the Chandas in which Vedic mantras are written.
A Gayatri metre consist of 3 padas (foot steps) and each pada is of eight letters (Sanskrit letters). Any mantra fulfilling this criteria is a Gayatri mantra. The Rig Veda is full of such mantras.
What is normally referrred to as the Gayatri mantra is actually the Savitur (Sun) Gayatri, Here the word Savitur means 'Prasava kaaraka Devata' or the deity which creats and this is the Sun in our physical universe.

The mantra was revealed to Rishi Vishwamitra and hence he is the Rishi for this mantra.
If you count the leters in Savitur Gayatri you will find only 23, whereas for it to be a Gaayatri it should be 24?

The best time for recitation of this mantra is during the Sandyaa (junction points during the day), the first is the junction of the night and morning, second is when it is mid-day. third when day and night meet in the evening and last is mid-night.
the fourth sandyaa is only for the SANYASIS and not for householders.

these four sandhyaas correspond to the four quadrants in the horoscope.

vivek

[the fool]

try to practice the five vocal realted to the chacras i,e,o,u,a (from head to coxy) at least one hour everyday

[bybybybyon]

Go check YOga's categories. There are some bija mantra for each of the seven chakras:

Lam, yam, vam.....

[MacLir]

About the Mantra OM, if you want to use it to raise your consciousness, pronounce it as OOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, short O with M prolonged. And to me, AUM is not a substitute of OM, because OM is the Mantra of Agya Chakra(6th) but AUM is the Mantra of Sahasrara Chakra(7th).
    For Aum Ah Hum, there's also another Mantra, that is Aum Hum Ah, pronounced : Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaum Hum Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh(the Ah must be said with great pressure, like you want to shout it(but don't shout or scream), that it makes your body shakes). It is a mantra for gTummo or Candali, a technique to produce heat or even fire from one's body and also known today as a form of Reiki(Reiki gTummo). To practice the Mantra, one must chant it 2.5 hours a day for 21 days, then the gTummo faculty would appear in the practitioner.

[Cascade of Light]

I think just using the mantra helps with meditation, you can feel when the sound created is right as the body does vibrate with the mmmmmmmmmm part