May we review a mantra?

[Guest guest]

Latha, Pravati, Swamiji, anyone who has insight into this mantra ...

i realize it is probably in a book somewhere but am not sure

where ...

 

This is the mantra I am drawn to do:

 

Om Hrim Shrim Krim Parashwari Kaalike Svahaa

 

I don't know if I wrote it out right ... I am hoping to get a grasp

of the meaning of each word, in various shades and levels ...

 

I believe this is Kali's bija mantra ... I am wishing to know if

there are variants on this. I believe Latha mentioned Krim in common

to Kali mantras, and Hrim for Durga ... and that Swamiji says it

more like Hring, Shring, i think.

 

Latha, is there a Durga "version" of this mantra? Or other versions?

 

Is Durga's "Om Hrim Durga Namah" or "Om Hrim Shrim Kring Parameswari

Durga Svahaa"?

 

We talked about Hrim in the cyber meeting ... Svahaa means "I am one

with God" ... I have a sense of the meaning of Om ...

 

Any comments, any help appreciated ... thank you all,

 

steve

[Guest guest]

Jai Maa!

 

Steve was asking about a certain Kali mantra recently...I'm not personally

familiar with this mantra, but I've heard teachings on some of the specific

words or sounds contained within it, so I've collected those here.

> This is the mantra I am drawn to do:

>

> Om Hrim Shrim Krim Parashwari Kaalike Svahaa

>

> I don't know if I wrote it out right ... I am hoping to get a grasp

> of the meaning of each word, in various shades and levels ...

 

There are some special ways of writing Sanskrit when diacritical marks (the

dots and dashes) can't be used. One useful method is known as "Itrans", and

there is a program I use (Itranslator) that allows me to generate devanagari

and english transliteration when I enter Sanskrit in this Itrans code. In the

code, the mantra would be:

 

oM hriiM shriiM kriiM parameshvarii kaalike svaahaa

 

Here, "ii" means long-i sound, like "ee" in sweet. Also, "aa" would be

the

long-a sound, like "a" in father. The capital "M" stands for anusvara. Anusvara

is a tricky sound. In transliteration, it's an "m" with a dot above or below

it. In different parts of India, it will be pronounced differently. So you may

hear some people pronouncing something like "hriim", and some people

pronouncing more like "hriing". Anusvara changes its pronunciation according to

what sounds occur next to it. To make things simple, one should always

pronounce mantras in the same way one's guru does. Anusvara is a very

auspicious sound, as its vibrations reach the sahasrara chakra, the peak of

consciousness. It symbolizes the ultimate merger of Shiva and Shakti into

Supreme Oneness.

 

There is a lot of esoteric philosophy for anusvara, most of which I don't

understand! In devanagari, it looks like a half-circle (chandra) and dot

(bindu). The half-circle refers to a crescent-moon (chandra), and the dot is

the bindu. I think the chandra refers to nada, which is the subtle essence of

sound, and the bindu refers to undifferentiated awareness. So it has something

to do with the subtle energy of sound leading us to the undifferentiated

awareness of God. It's something I'd really like to understand some day.

> I believe this is Kali's bija mantra ... I am wishing to know if

> there are variants on this. I believe Latha mentioned Krim in common

> to Kali mantras, and Hrim for Durga ... and that Swamiji says it

> more like Hring, Shring, i think.

 

Bija mantras are generally one syllable sounds that correspond to a particular

aspect of Divinity. "Aim" is for Saraswati, "Shrim" is generally for Lakshmi,

"Hrim" is usually associated with Durga, "Dum" is also associated with Durga,

and so on. "Krim" is the main bija mantra for Kali. "Om Hrim Shrim Krim

Parameshwari Kalike Swaha" might be considered to be a "mula-mantra" for Kali.

Mula means root, so it would mean the main or primary mantra. I'm not sure,

though. Maybe someone has heard Swamiji comment on this?

> We talked about Hrim in the cyber meeting ... Svahaa means "I am one

> with God" ... I have a sense of the meaning of Om ...

 

There are many different ways to think about the meaning and significance of

Sanskrit mantras. Swamiji's translations are always very elevated and esoteric.

He really penetrates to the deep significance of the sounds and captures the

essence of the sound-energy. Many sounds and words in Sanskrit have multiple

meanings. Like in the Sri Suktam, the word "hariNiiM" is used to describe

Lakshmi Devi. This word can mean the color green, wave-like vibration, or

female deer!

 

In this Kali mantra, we have Om, then three special bijas, or seed-sounds, then

a statement of oneness with Kalika Devi. Taken individually, we have:

 

Om - This is known as "pranava mantra", because it is the main source of prana,

or life energy. Most mantras designed to take us to liberation will begin with

Om. If they don't, they generally have another powerful bija mantra, like hrim.

Hrim is sometimes referred to as the tantrika pranava, since Devi bhaktas hold

it on the same level as Om. Om is associated with the supreme Parabrahman, the

ultimate, formless Divinity. Sri Ganesha is the very form of Om, so when we

pronounce Om, we're invoking Ganesha at the beginning of our mantra, which is

very auspicious. A mantra that begins with Om will be very powerful, as it is

connected to the ultimate source of life-energy through the Om-vibration.

 

Hrim - This is most often associated with Durga Devi. It is a very important

sound for divine energy, or shakti. It is associated with "kriya-shakti", the

power to act in a positive, dharmic way. Also the power to overcome adharma

(that which is not conducive to universal welfare). There are many ways to

think of this bija. One way is that the "ha" sound is for Shiva (Hara), the

"ii" sound is for Devi, the "ra" sound indicates the subtle fire generated by

their joyous reunion, and the anusvara is the complete merger of the Siva and

Sakti energies. I have heard that hrim works especially to purify the area

around the heart.

 

Shrim - This is most often associated with Lakshmi Devi. It is the sound

corresponding to divine light. It is associated with "iccha-shakti", the power

of right motivation, of noble aspiration towards spirituality and liberation.

Lakshmi Devi is Mangala Rupini and Mangala Dayini. She is the very form of

auspiciousness and She gives us every auspicious thing in life. So shrim is the

sound of pure auspiciousness. I was once repeating a Lakshmi mantra that

repeats shrim 4 times, and I noticed that my throat, cheeks and inner ears

seemed to be filling with a gentle heat with a radiant quality. I later found

out that shrim has a lot of beneficial effects on the ear, nose and throat

area.

 

Krim - This is Kali's bija mantra. As in the name Kali, it begins with the "ka"

sound, which many associate with the supreme Parabrahman. Interestingly, the

Panchadashi Mantra, or main Sri Vidya mantra, also begins with the letter "ka",

as does the Lalita Trishati.

 

Parameshwari - This is the combination of two words, parama and ishwari. In

Sanskrit, when short "a" is combined with "i" in a word, they merge to become

the "e" sound (like "e" in "hey"). Parama means supreme, unexcelled,

unsurpassable. Ishwari is the feminine form of Ishwara, and it basically means

divine queen, or divine ruler. So Parameshwari has the sense of the Supreme

Queen of Existence. She is the supreme ruler of our hearts, and She is

enthroned there in the heart chakra.

 

Kalike - This is a form of Kali's name. I don't know why, but sometimes "ka" is

added to names. Sometimes we have Amba, or sometimes Ambika. Maybe it adds an

extra "ka" vibration to the mix. Or maybe it helps to create the proper rhythm.

Kalika becomes Kalike because of the rules of Sanskrit grammar (I don't know

which one applies here). Kaala means time, and also black, or dark. So some

associate Kaalii with the devouring nature of time, which churns all

experiences and seems to transform them into the nonexistent past. She is held

to be black or sometimes dark blue because these colors absorb all light. What

Kaalii Maa devours is all of our limitations and useless desires. She takes

away whatever is useless or unnecessary to our spiritual goal. She is capable

of absorbing any negativity into Herself and transforming it into pure

consciousness.

 

Sometimes, when I am experiencing some ego-crushing difficulty in life, I think

of Kaalii Maa and wonder if I am sensing Her hand in things. If I come through

the difficulty with enhanced humility or understanding or purification, I feel

that She has blessed me. People who have experiential awareness of Kaalii Maa

say that there is a dazzling brilliance within Her darkness. Whatever She does

is really done out of intense compassionate love, She only gives the appearance

of anger. Our job is to make ourselves as soft and pliable as possible, so that

She can easily mold us into divine, saintly beings.

 

Swaha - Essentially, this means "I am one with God". Because we have not

realized this, the swaha indicates that we are offering our ego to God. What we

get when we give up the ego, is the awareness that our true nature is that of

God, or the Supreme Self. Swaha is the main mantra used when making offerings

into the sacred homa fire. So we are offering our ego, our personal likes and

dislikes, our attachments and aversions, into the pure fire of divine wisdom.

By offering ourselves into the sacrificial fire of pure wisdom, we gain the

understanding that we are one with God.

 

Jai Maa!

Ekta

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Eleathea

 

This is so helpful! Just great! Thank you!

 

Steve

 

, Eleathea Barraclough

<eleathea> wrote:

> Jai Maa!

>

> Steve was asking about a certain Kali mantra recently...I'm not

personally

> familiar with this mantra, but I've heard teachings on some of the

specific

> words or sounds contained within it, so I've collected those here.

>

> > This is the mantra I am drawn to do:

> >

> > Om Hrim Shrim Krim Parashwari Kaalike Svahaa

> >

> > I don't know if I wrote it out right ... I am hoping to get a

grasp

> > of the meaning of each word, in various shades and levels ...

>

> There are some special ways of writing Sanskrit when diacritical

marks (the

> dots and dashes) can't be used. One useful method is known

as "Itrans", and

> there is a program I use (Itranslator) that allows me to generate

devanagari

> and english transliteration when I enter Sanskrit in this Itrans

code. In the

> code, the mantra would be:

>

> oM hriiM shriiM kriiM parameshvarii kaalike svaahaa

>

> Here, "ii" means long-i sound, like "ee" in sweet. Also, "aa"

would be the

> long-a sound, like "a" in father. The capital "M" stands for

anusvara. Anusvara

> is a tricky sound. In transliteration, it's an "m" with a dot

above or below

> it. In different parts of India, it will be pronounced

differently. So you may

> hear some people pronouncing something like "hriim", and some

people

> pronouncing more like "hriing". Anusvara changes its pronunciation

according to

> what sounds occur next to it. To make things simple, one should

always

> pronounce mantras in the same way one's guru does. Anusvara is a

very

> auspicious sound, as its vibrations reach the sahasrara chakra,

the peak of

> consciousness. It symbolizes the ultimate merger of Shiva and

Shakti into

> Supreme Oneness.

>

> There is a lot of esoteric philosophy for anusvara, most of which

I don't

> understand! In devanagari, it looks like a half-circle (chandra)

and dot

> (bindu). The half-circle refers to a crescent-moon (chandra), and

the dot is

> the bindu. I think the chandra refers to nada, which is the subtle

essence of

> sound, and the bindu refers to undifferentiated awareness. So it

has something

> to do with the subtle energy of sound leading us to the

undifferentiated

> awareness of God. It's something I'd really like to understand

some day.

>

> > I believe this is Kali's bija mantra ... I am wishing to know if

> > there are variants on this. I believe Latha mentioned Krim in

common

> > to Kali mantras, and Hrim for Durga ... and that Swamiji says it

> > more like Hring, Shring, i think.

>

> Bija mantras are generally one syllable sounds that correspond to

a particular

> aspect of Divinity. "Aim" is for Saraswati, "Shrim" is generally

for Lakshmi,

> "Hrim" is usually associated with Durga, "Dum" is also associated

with Durga,

> and so on. "Krim" is the main bija mantra for Kali. "Om Hrim Shrim

Krim

> Parameshwari Kalike Swaha" might be considered to be a "mula-

mantra" for Kali.

> Mula means root, so it would mean the main or primary mantra. I'm

not sure,

> though. Maybe someone has heard Swamiji comment on this?

>

> > We talked about Hrim in the cyber meeting ... Svahaa means "I am

one

> > with God" ... I have a sense of the meaning of Om ...

>

> There are many different ways to think about the meaning and

significance of

> Sanskrit mantras. Swamiji's translations are always very elevated

and esoteric.

> He really penetrates to the deep significance of the sounds and

captures the

> essence of the sound-energy. Many sounds and words in Sanskrit

have multiple

> meanings. Like in the Sri Suktam, the word "hariNiiM" is used to

describe

> Lakshmi Devi. This word can mean the color green, wave-like

vibration, or

> female deer!

>

> In this Kali mantra, we have Om, then three special bijas, or seed-

sounds, then

> a statement of oneness with Kalika Devi. Taken individually, we

have:

>

> Om - This is known as "pranava mantra", because it is the main

source of prana,

> or life energy. Most mantras designed to take us to liberation

will begin with

> Om. If they don't, they generally have another powerful bija

mantra, like hrim.

> Hrim is sometimes referred to as the tantrika pranava, since Devi

bhaktas hold

> it on the same level as Om. Om is associated with the supreme

Parabrahman, the

> ultimate, formless Divinity. Sri Ganesha is the very form of Om,

so when we

> pronounce Om, we're invoking Ganesha at the beginning of our

mantra, which is

> very auspicious. A mantra that begins with Om will be very

powerful, as it is

> connected to the ultimate source of life-energy through the Om-

vibration.

>

> Hrim - This is most often associated with Durga Devi. It is a very

important

> sound for divine energy, or shakti. It is associated with "kriya-

shakti", the

> power to act in a positive, dharmic way. Also the power to

overcome adharma

> (that which is not conducive to universal welfare). There are many

ways to

> think of this bija. One way is that the "ha" sound is for Shiva

(Hara), the

> "ii" sound is for Devi, the "ra" sound indicates the subtle fire

generated by

> their joyous reunion, and the anusvara is the complete merger of

the Siva and

> Sakti energies. I have heard that hrim works especially to purify

the area

> around the heart.

>

> Shrim - This is most often associated with Lakshmi Devi. It is the

sound

> corresponding to divine light. It is associated with "iccha-

shakti", the power

> of right motivation, of noble aspiration towards spirituality and

liberation.

> Lakshmi Devi is Mangala Rupini and Mangala Dayini. She is the very

form of

> auspiciousness and She gives us every auspicious thing in life. So

shrim is the

> sound of pure auspiciousness. I was once repeating a Lakshmi

mantra that

> repeats shrim 4 times, and I noticed that my throat, cheeks and

inner ears

> seemed to be filling with a gentle heat with a radiant quality. I

later found

> out that shrim has a lot of beneficial effects on the ear, nose

and throat

> area.

>

> Krim - This is Kali's bija mantra. As in the name Kali, it begins

with the "ka"

> sound, which many associate with the supreme Parabrahman.

Interestingly, the

> Panchadashi Mantra, or main Sri Vidya mantra, also begins with the

letter "ka",

> as does the Lalita Trishati.

>

> Parameshwari - This is the combination of two words, parama and

ishwari. In

> Sanskrit, when short "a" is combined with "i" in a word, they

merge to become

> the "e" sound (like "e" in "hey"). Parama means supreme,

unexcelled,

> unsurpassable. Ishwari is the feminine form of Ishwara, and it

basically means

> divine queen, or divine ruler. So Parameshwari has the sense of

the Supreme

> Queen of Existence. She is the supreme ruler of our hearts, and

She is

> enthroned there in the heart chakra.

>

> Kalike - This is a form of Kali's name. I don't know why, but

sometimes "ka" is

> added to names. Sometimes we have Amba, or sometimes Ambika. Maybe

it adds an

> extra "ka" vibration to the mix. Or maybe it helps to create the

proper rhythm.

> Kalika becomes Kalike because of the rules of Sanskrit grammar (I

don't know

> which one applies here). Kaala means time, and also black, or

dark. So some

> associate Kaalii with the devouring nature of time, which churns

all

> experiences and seems to transform them into the nonexistent past.

She is held

> to be black or sometimes dark blue because these colors absorb all

light. What

> Kaalii Maa devours is all of our limitations and useless desires.

She takes

> away whatever is useless or unnecessary to our spiritual goal. She

is capable

> of absorbing any negativity into Herself and transforming it into

pure

> consciousness.

>

> Sometimes, when I am experiencing some ego-crushing difficulty in

life, I think

> of Kaalii Maa and wonder if I am sensing Her hand in things. If I

come through

> the difficulty with enhanced humility or understanding or

purification, I feel

> that She has blessed me. People who have experiential awareness of

Kaalii Maa

> say that there is a dazzling brilliance within Her darkness.

Whatever She does

> is really done out of intense compassionate love, She only gives

the appearance

> of anger. Our job is to make ourselves as soft and pliable as

possible, so that

> She can easily mold us into divine, saintly beings.

>

> Swaha - Essentially, this means "I am one with God". Because we

have not

> realized this, the swaha indicates that we are offering our ego to

God. What we

> get when we give up the ego, is the awareness that our true nature

is that of

> God, or the Supreme Self. Swaha is the main mantra used when

making offerings

> into the sacred homa fire. So we are offering our ego, our

personal likes and

> dislikes, our attachments and aversions, into the pure fire of

divine wisdom.

> By offering ourselves into the sacrificial fire of pure wisdom, we

gain the

> understanding that we are one with God.

>

> Jai Maa!

> Ekta

>

>

>

>

>

>