Mantras: Better to Listen or Chant?

[Guest guest]

Mantra & Meaning

 

Dear Respected J.P. -

 

Hearing and feeling good is like listening to the music that one can

enjoy. Yes, just listening can also invoke the deepest emotions in

saadhaka.

 

However, always remember the advice of paatanjalmumi, where he warn

that mantra must be recited with full understanding not just a

mechanical recitation

"tajjapastadrthabhaavanam .. samaadhipaada 28"

Meaning - recite the meaning of mantra.

 

There is a also a famous quotation that makes a strong statement -

 

"mantraartha mantracaitanya yo na jaanaati saadhakaH, shatalaxa

prjaptopi tasya mantro na sidhyati"

 

Meaning - A saadhakaa must understand the mantrartha and

mantrachaitanya. One who dose not understand this, even if he/she

recites the mantra for shatalaxa (100,000,000) times, the mantra will

never attain siddhatva.

 

Shankaraacharya in VivakachuDamaNi says -

 

arthacya nishcayo draShTo vicaareNa hiitoktitaH

na snaaena na daanena na praaNaayaama Shatena vaa ..VivakachuDamaNi

13 ..

 

Meaning - The knowledge of object is only gained by perception, by

investigation, but not by bathing or giving alms, or by hundred

retention's of breath.

 

It is vet simple - "You must know what you say because if you do not

know what you then what you say has little or no meaning."

 

My recommendation is understand the meaning of mantra and then your

enjoyment will elevate exponentially.

 

If you enjoy just listening then go ahead and enjoy. However

remember, Tukaraama gives a very interesting analogy he says -

 

"khaadalyaaci goDi dekhalyasi naahi" Enjoyment of person who "sees"

can not be compared to the one who enjoys by "eating"

 

Al mantra's have a meaning all you have to do is to understand it

from a knowledgeable person. A mechanical recitation of mantras

gives the sadhaka unnecessary "pride" that he recites mantra

for "XXXXX" number of time every day.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Regards and best wishes,

 

Dr. Yadu

 

=========================================

 

, "Jatin Prakash"

<jatinprakash> wrote:

> can anyone tell me differnce in effect of chanting the mantra

himself

> loudly or listening to the audio tapes of the mantra. i am noticing

> more benefits in listening to the audio tapes.

[Guest guest]

Regarding Mantra recitation.

 

Hope you won't mind a comment on this subject. I

believe that recitation of sacred mantras, sacred

syllables is certainly important. It is also

important to understand the nature of the sacred

words/syllables. Agreed that the sacred dieties/power

involved are invited to share grace when one

prays/chants with understanding.

 

However, tantric/yogic practice is also based upon

principles, I believe, of consciousness development

that were discovered of old and available to us today.

One principle, IMO, is that recitation of sacred

syllables--indeed, any text--can lead an aspirant to

deeper levels of consciousness experience. I believe

that some of what we understand as tantric praxis is

"mechanical" as it were. That is, perform the actions

and the performance will lead toward deeper levels of

relaxation and clarity of consciousness. An aspirant

need not necessarily understand all the principles

involved, nor the meanings of what he/she recites.

 

This is not to say that Grace is entirely separate

from the act of practice. That is a complex matter, I

think. Grace endows an aspirant with the capacity to

work toward achieving profound experiences in the

realm of inward-directed consciousness.

 

However, whether an aspirant is particularly religious

or not, certain varieties of practice can be used to

achieve related transformations of the experience of

consciousness. One may meditate and experience

profound awareness as one's practice deepens over time

without ever paying much attention to any religious,

spiritual or sacred aspect of one's meditative

practice. This goes too, I believe, with the practice

of recitation--or indeed, practices involving

meditative listening to mantra recitation or sacred

singing.

 

 

Rachel

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I always believe both are equally important. We have this as

inconversation before entitled : The Effects of Mantras. I think when

you chant the mantras ( knowing the meaning of the seed mantras etc )

and hearing it, brings in a ripple effect throughout our body. More

of like a vibrations and the effect of this vibrations causes other

chain reaction within our body. Different mantras have different

Vibration, even the most simplest mantras as OM can brings about a

very powerful effect on us. Mantras and Nyasa combine brings about

the stage of Divinity: "To Worship the Devi You becomes the

Devi"