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The Roots of Chanting and Mantra

A beginner's guide to the history of chanting.

By Richard Rosen

There's a long tradition in India of saluting the teacher or evoking divine power through a mantra to open a practice. Such a preamble helps the student to steady her resolve and to remind her of the goal of the work, which is always self-liberation. It also serves to signal the student's intent to humbly offer the upcoming practice as a sacrifice to the divine, which is the source of all true wisdom.

The recitation of mantra is known as japa, which literally means "muttering, whispering." According to schools such as Hatha Yoga and Mantra Yoga, the universe is created through the medium of sound, and all sound, whether subtle or audible, issues from a transcendent, "soundless" source called the "supreme sound" or "supreme voice" (shabda-brahman or para-vac). While all sounds possess some degree of shabda-brahman's creative force, the sounds of mantras are far more forceful than other sounds.

As a practice, japa is thousands of years old. In the beginning, mantras were drawn only from the thousands of verses in the Rig-Veda, Hinduism's oldest and holiest scripture. After some time, mantras were taken from non-Vedic sources as well, such as the numerous texts associated with the schools of Hindu Tantra, or those revealed to seers (rishis) in meditation. Mantra Yoga as a formal school is a relatively recent development, though "recent" in yoga years means between twelve and fifteen centuries. Instructional manuals commonly list sixteen "limbs" (anga) of practice. Many of them--such as asana, conscious breathing, and meditation--are shared with other yoga schools.

The building blocks of all mantras are the 50 letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. Mantras can consist of a single letter, a syllable or string of syllables, a word, or a whole sentence. Etymologically, the word "mantra" is derived from the verb "man,' which means "to think," and the suffix "tra," which denotes instrumentality. A mantra then is literally an "instrument of thought" that concentrates, intensifies, and spiritualizes our consciousness.

Tradition estimates that there are 70 million mantras. This number shouldn't be taken too literally; it simply signifies that there are lots of mantras. Yogis assert that, to be most effective, a mantra should be received orally from a self-realized teacher (guru), not merely learned from a book, so that it's infused with the teacher's spiritual energy. And to preserve its reservoir of power, a mantra should be kept in strictest secrecy, and not revealed to anyone else.

Mantra traditionally has two purposes, which can be called worldly and spiritual. We usually think of mantra solely as an instrument of self-transformation. But in ancient times mantra was also used for mundane and not necessarily positive ends, such as communicating with and appeasing ghosts and ancestors, exorcism or warding off evil forces, remedies for illnesses, control of other people's thoughts or actions, and the acquisition of powers (siddha) or magical skills. As for its spiritual purpose, mantra is said to quiet the habitual fluctuations of our consciousness and then steer consciousness toward its source in the Self.

We're accustomed to the idea that mantras are recited aloud. But mantras can also be "not-spoken" or "not-muttered" (ajapa). One old text, the Yoga-Yajnavalkya (2.16), maintains that a whispered mantra is a thousand times more beneficial than a spoken one, a mental mantra is a thousand times more beneficial than a whispered one, and finally meditating on a mantra is a thousand times more beneficial than its silent recitation. Some teachers mention a third subcategory of ajapa-mantra, which is writing (likhita) out the mantra.

Yogis also categorize mantras as either "meaningful" or "meaningless." Mantras in the "meaningful" category have an obvious surface meaning along with the esoteric one. Examples of meaningful mantras are the "great sayings" (maha-vakya) drawn from the texts known as the Upanishads, such as "I am the Absolute" (aham brahma asmi) and "You are That" (tat tvam asi). Meaningful mantras have two functions: to instill within the reciter a particular spiritual doctrine, and to serve as a vehicle for meditation.

It's rather misleading to call the second category of mantras "meaningless." Meaningless mantras are only apparently so to noninitiates, who don't possess the key to their understanding. Those in the know, who have undergone proper initiation, understand the mantra perfectly well. Besides, the purpose of these mantras isn't to impart a particular doctrine but to affect a certain state of consciousness in the reciter.

Nowadays it's not always possible to find a guru to provide you with a mantra and teach you the proper way to recite it. But if you're interested in learning about mantra, first check your local yoga school for a mantra class or workshop, or at least an asana class in which japa is a regular feature. The best way to learn mantra is still directly from a teacher, even though he or she may not be totally enlightened. Another acceptable way to learn about mantra is from audio productions; I've listed three (and there are many more) in the Resources section below. To get started, you can also listen to audio clips on YogaJournal.com.

There are a few important things to remember when practicing japa. Always pay careful attention to the speed and rhythm of your chanting, and the correct pronunciation, aim, and esoteric meaning of the mantra. It's claimed hat a mantra that's mispronounced and used inappropriately is "asleep" or totally ineffective. It's also recommended that you practice japa at the same time every day and place every day, facing either north or east. The most propitious time is called the "hour of Brahma" (brahma-muhurta), which is set at different times by different teachers, commonly either at sunrise or an hour before. Of course, this might not always be possible, so any time and place will do, as long as you practice regularly.

This article was shared by the courtesy of Yogajournal.com

This hymn (स्तोत्र, स्तुतिगीत) was written by Goswami Tulsidas (gosvaamee tulaseedaas; गोस्वामी तुलसीदास) in the sixteenth century. He is also called Mahakavi (mahaakavi; महाकवि) which means a great poet. He is one of the greatest poet of Old Hindi or Awadhi (Avadhee; अवधी; a root of Hindi). This hymn is simple and is utmost rhythmical poem. Even if you don't understand Hindi, you may enjoy hearing it.

Tulsidas wrote these forty verses in the praise of Lord Hanuman (_hanumaan; हनुमान). Forty in Hindi is called 'chaalees' (चालीस) and the hymn containing forty verses is called 'chaaleesa' (चालीसा). Since he wrote this hymn (containing 40 verses) others have written other chalisa_s for other gods and godesses! I am not sure but I think Tulsidas must have been the first one who wrote a chalisa! Verses in Hanuman Chalisa are called chaupai (chaupaaEE; चौपाई) which means four line stanzas.

Lord Hanuman was beloved of Lord Rama (maryaadaa puruShottam shree raam chandra; मर्यादा पुरुषोत्तम श्री रामचन्द्र). The greatest book of Tulsidas is the well known Epic called 'Ramcharitamanas' (raamacharitamaanas; रामचरितमानस).

Millions of Hindus recite Hanuman Chalisa on every Tuesday and Saturday. Lot of Hindus believe that chanting this hymn will solve their problems. They believe Lord Hanuman is mahaabalee (most strong and powerful). They lovingly call Him Bajrangbali (bajarangabalee; बजरंगबली). _bajarang means someone whose body (aNga) is like vajra (bajra). Often his statues are painted in saffron (bright red).

Generally he is visualised as a 'vaanar' (वानर; vernacular dialect - baanar, बानर). Most Hindus interpret the word 'baanar' as monkey-man. But some people say that the word _vaanar means a man (nar; नर) who lives in forest (van; वन).

Translations:

History of the Gayatri Mantra

The Gayatri Mantra is a highly revered mantra in Hinduism, second only to the mantra Om. It is created from the prefix formula taken from the Yajurveda, and the verse 3.62.10 of the Rigveda (which is an example of the Gayatri meter). The Gayatri mantra is found in all four of the Vedas. The deva invoked in this mantra is Savitar, and hence the mantra is also called Sâvitrî.

By many Hindus, the Gayatri is seen as a Divine awakening of the mind and soul, and within it a way to reach the most Supreme form of existence, and the way to Union with Brahman. Understanding, and purely loving the essence of the Gayatri Mantra is seen by many to be one, if not the most powerful ways to attain God.

The Goddess Gayatri

Originally the personification of the mantra, the goddess Gayatri is considered the veda mata, the mother of all Vedas and the consort of the God Brahma and also the personification of the all-pervading Parabrahman, the ultimate unchanging reality that lies behind all phenomena. Gayatri Veda Mata is seen by many Hindus to be not just a Goddess, but a portrayal of Brahman himself, in the feminine form. Essentially, the Goddess is seen to combine all the phenomenal attributes of Brahman, including Past, Present and Future [Bhuh BHuvah Swah] as well as the 3 realms of existence. Goddess Gayatri is also worshipped as the Hindu Trimurti combined as one [Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva], and the image of her portrays her carrying all the 'objects' in the hands of each God of the Trimurti, symbolising the Divine creation, preservation and destruction as one omnipotent force. There are references in the early Rig Vedic texts to suggest that Gayatri is the younger sister of Aditya or Surya. She was so bedazzled by the brilliance of her elder brother that she chose to lose her self and become a hymn to celebrate his brilliance. In turn Surya bestowed on Gayatri the status of Veda Mata or the ultimate Hindu prayer. Surya so loves his kid sister, it is said that unless one chants the Gayatri, Surya doesn't respond to any prayers. And if one chants the Gayatri, Surya responds immediately.

The Sooryopanishad states that the fondness between elder brother and younger sister is so personified in Aditya and Gayatri that there is no better example of attachment between brother and sister in Hindu mythology. It also says that for several Yugas, Aditya was without a wife or a sister and had to keep revolving around the world once daily. This made him hot and fretful and wild tempered. Brahma realised the reason for the agitation of Aditya and created Gayatri. This pacified Aditya. Soon thereafter, Aditya also married Samgnya and their combined influence calmed Aditya. It was the creation of Gayatri and marriage of Aditya to Samgnya that initiated the creation of life on Earth. Samgnya's marriage to the Sun God was a love marriage but Samgnya was soon terrified and shrivelled by the heat of Aditya. It was Gayatri who advised Samgnya to leave behind her shadow (Chhaya) to function as Aditya's wife and go back to her parents herself. While some texts hail this as an example of the cordial relations between sisters in law, some other texts take a more sinister view. Gayatri couldn't bear sharing her brother with her sister in law and so tactfully got rid of her. In Hindu mythology, there is only one creation who can withstand the brilliance of Aditya and that is Gayatri. Astrologically, the birth of a sister named Gayatri to a boy named after Surya, will calm and enhance the brilliance of the son. Gayatri is also sometimes referred to as Savitri since she adores Savitruh - the Sun. Many devout Hindus believe that if they have a son and a daughter, if one is named after the Sun, the other should be named after Gayatri. This encourages benovelence from the boy and devotion from the girl. The son (Sun) will forever remain the hero of the daughter. Unless she finds a man with the names Surya or Aditya for her mate, she will remain attached to her brother for life.

Gayatri is typically portrayed as seated on a red lotus, signifying wealth. She appears in either of these forms:

\  Having five heads with the ten eyes looking in the eight directions plus the earth and sky, and ten arms holding all the weapons of Vishnu, symbolizing all her reincarnations.

\  Accompanied by a swan, holding a book in one hand and a cure in the other, as the goddess of Education.