Mantras - 3

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Continued

 

Most of us belong to the third group. Even in this group there are

some who would like to acquire a specific power to help them. For

example Ayurvedic physicians worship Dhanvanthari or other gods to

help them acquire powers of intuition in diagnosis and the power of

healing. Poets and Musicians worship MAA RAJA MATHANGI to give them

Vak Siddhi. Some astrologers try to get the Siddhi of Karnapisasini

Mantra so that they can tell you your past in detail. But this Siddhi

does not help them in predicting the future. For all these Mantra

Siddhi means power.

 

For the others who practice soft core Tantra (no esoteric practices),

mantra is a means for happiness, salvation. They pray for Bhukthi and

Mukthi.Most of them use Devata Mantras. Bhukthi also includes Kariya

Siddhis.The warnings about Mantras do not apply to them. Mantra

Siddhi for Upasakas means God realisation though they do acquire the

Siddhis. For these people a Siddhi is a hindrance. Many people get

the Siddhi of Sooth saying by Tantric Sadhana. When people come to

know of this they go to them in droves and elevate them to the

position of Saints and Gurus. This fame, which they acquire, draws

them down and most of them never achieve what they started for.

Mantra Sadhana also automatically leads to the raising of the

Kundalini. People who do mantra sadhana gradually acquire power. But

you lose a part of your power whenever you get angry, when you hate

people etc. So to conserve the power you should conquer anger, hate,

jealousy and other negative feelings and thoughts.

 

This reaction to Mantras does not surprise me. When I stared taking

an interest in Mantra sashthra about 20 years back it was almost

impossible to get a book in English giving the mantras. The first

book that gave Mantras of different Deities came from Ramakrishna

Math in Tamil. Even books on mantra Sasthra give warnings. All books

on Tantra say in the beginning that the information is secret.

 

Since mantras are forms in which the Deity is worshipped many serious

Upasakas believe that they should not be said in vain or in jest.

They are also against printing of Mantras or publishing them over the

net. I myself have given Mantras on the net, to which some of my

friends have objected. But these mantras were given for the Devotees

to pray and not for attaining Siddhi (power) or doing Upasana. The

Dhyana Sloka and Nyasas are necessary only when you do Japa or

Upasana for getting Mantra Siddhi. But for getting Kariya Siddhi I do

not think these are necessary. This is only my opinion.

 

About pronunciation of Mantras, in India no two regions agree on

whose pronunciation of Sanskrit is correct. I find the pronunciation

of the people with Hindi, as their mother tongue is bad, as they do

not differentiate between Hindi and Sanskrit. My friends from the

Hindi land always believe that the pronunciation of South Indians is

bad and both of us agree that the pronunciation of people from

Eastern India is not correct. Then Sanskrit language is divided into

Vedic Sanskrit and Classical Sanskrit (of Panini). I met a highly

learned and evolved Siddha a couple of years back. After my

association with him for sometime I realised that the Dhyana Sloka

and Mantra of the Deity whom he has realised are wrong. He knew only

Tamil and these were taught by his Guru. But it did not match the

Dhyana Sloka and Mantra given in Rudrayamala. How do we explain this?

 

 

I give below the words of a Buddhist Lama Govinda

 

" If the efficacy of the mantras depended upon their correct

pronunciation, then all the mantras in Tibet would have lost their

meaning and power, because they are not pronounced according to the

rules of Sanskrit, but according to the phonetic laws of the Tibetan

language (for instance not: OM MANI PADME HUM but OM MANI Peme HUM)

 

This means that the power and the effect of the Mantra depend on the

spiritual attitude, the knowledge and responsiveness of the

individual. The sabda or sound of the Mantra is not a physical sound

(though it may be accompanied by such a one) but a spiritual one. It

cannot be heard by the ears but only by the heart, and it cannot be

uttered by the mouth but only by the mind. "

 

Filtered through Brooklynese, uttered as a Bronx cheer, whispered in

an East Texas drawl, OM is always OM - or it isn't.

 

I agree and endorse the above opinion.

 

Mantras are like weapons. You have a range of weapons from simple

knives to rocket propelled grenades. Weapons are both defensive and

offensive. You acquire the weapon you need for your purpose. But when

you acquire weapons like Uzi machine guns and bazookas you need

training. And you should know where and when to use them. You do not

use an Uzi for killing a cockroach in the bathroom. Similarly decide

the purpose of learning a Mantra. Depending upon your purpose you get

the appropriate Mantra. If the mantra is a powerful one you need

training in the use of the Mantra. The same simple Mantra is many a

time used for Mukthi as well as Marana depending upon the

pronunciation and some slight modifications.

 

Jai MAA KAALI !!!

 

Sankar Viswanathan