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Mantra-Yoga:
A Necessity for this  Age
By Stephen Knapp
This is the first chapter in his forth-coming book, "Prayers,  Mantras and Gayatris." A Collection for Insights, Protection, Spiritual  Growth, and Many Other Blessings. This should be published and available in  another few weeks.

Using mantras or prayers is a means of doing  a number of things, depending on our purpose. First of all, it is a method to  raise our consciousness and prepare ourselves for perceiving higher states of  being. It can also help us enter into the spiritual dimension, or to invoke the  blessings of the Divine. It is also a means to call on the positive energies to  help us overcome obstacles, enemies, or to assist in healing our minds and  bodies from disease or negativity. And this book has an assortment of mantras or prayers to do any of  these.

There are two basic  kinds of mantras, those for spiritual and inner progress, and those for outer or  more materia needs. You can find both kinds within this book. Concentrating on a  mantra is also called mantra-yoga, especially when it is for our spiritual  upliftment, or to unite us with the Supreme. Mantra-yoga, or the art of focusing  on the sound vibrations in mantras or prayers, is actually a mystical tradition  found in almost every spiritual path in the world. It may involve the softly  spoken repetition of a prayer or mantra for one’s own meditation, or it may be  the
congregational singing of spiritually uplifting songs, prayers, or sacred names of the Supreme Being. It all involves the same process, but in the Eastern  tradition it is called mantra-yoga because it is the easy process of focusing  our minds on the Supreme through His names, which helps spiritualize our  consciousness. Man means the mind, tra means deliverance.

Therefore, a spiritual  mantra is the pure sound vibration for delivering the mind from material to spiritual consciousness. This is the goal of any spiritual path. Although all spiritual traditions have their own prayers or mantras, the Vedic Sanskrit mantras are especially powerful and effective in uniting us with the spiritual realm. However, a complete yoga process is generally a blend of a few yoga systems, such as ashtanga-yoga with bhakti-yoga, and bhakti-yoga with mantra-yoga. Therefore, some yoga systems also include mantra-yoga, or the process of concentrating on the sound vibration within a mantra. This is especially important in this age of  Kali-yuga.

Many years ago the brahmana  priests could accomplish many kinds of wondrous deeds simply by correctly  chanting particular mantras. Many of these mantras still exist, but it is very  difficult to find those who can chant them accurately. This is actually a safety  measure because if the wish-fulfilling mantras were easily chanted, there would  no doubt be many people who would misuse them. But other mantras that are  available can easily help purify one’s consciousness, give spiritual  enlightenment, and put one in touch with the  Supreme.

In Bhagavad-gita (10.25) Sri Krishna  explains that He is the transcendental om mantra and that the chanting of japa  (chanting a mantra quietly for one ’s own meditation) is the purest of His  representations and sacrifices. It is understood that by chanting japa and  hearing the holy sounds of the mantra, one can come to the platform of spiritual realization. This is the process of mantra-yoga. However, even though the mantra  is powerful in itself, when the mantra is chanted by a great devotee, it becomes  more powerful.

This is also the effect when a disciple is fortunate enough to  take initiation or diksha from a spiritually potent master who gives him a mantra for spiritual purposes. Then the disciple can make rapid progress by utilizing the mantra.

Sanskrit mantras often consist of eternal sound  energies that have always existed, both within the universe as well as beyond  it, and before its manifestation and after its annihilation. Such special  mantras are part of the eternal sound vibration called  shabda-brahma.

When it comes to mantras,  the Vedas mention three types: vedic, tantric and puranic. These can be further  divided into sattvic, rajasic and tamasic. The mantras that are sattvic or in  the mode of goodness are chanted for light, wisdom, compassion, divine love, or  God realization. They help bring peace, destroy karma, and bring one to  perfection after death. The mantras that are rajasic or in the mode of passion  are chanted for material benedictions, like blessings for a healthy child,  prosperity, successful business, and so on. However, such mantras do not help  one rise above karma, but force one to take rebirth in order to acquire the  results of their karma. The mantras that are tamasic or in the mode of ignorance  or darkness are also called “black magic.” These are used for the deliberate manipulation of the material energy for one’s own purpose. Thus, they are what  could be called sinful, and are often used to call spirits or to assist one to  perform deeds that may bring harm to others for one’s own benefit.

Some mantras hold certain powers  in their vibratory formulas that are directly related to particular Deities,  divine personalities, or forms of God.

In fact, they may represent the Deity in  full. When they do, they are considered non-different from the Deity and the  sound vibrations arespiritual in nature. By the repetition of the mantra, the  person who chants it invokes the energy and mercy of that Deity. Thus, the Deity  reveals Himself or Herself to the sadhaka, who then overcomes illusion and  realizes the spiritual position of the Deity and his or her relationship with  the Deity. The six kinds of mantras used in this connection are:
1. Dhyana  Mantras–mantras  for meditation to mentally invoke the Deity’s form, abode  or pastimes.
2. Bija Mantras–the seed mantras or seed words that are used for meditation and purification of the articles used in worship. Mantras often begin with these. They include such bijas or seed mantras as Aim and Shrim, which are often connected to the feminine or Devi. Or Klim which helps arouse the force of  attraction to the object addressed in the mantra. Or Krim which is
often  connected to Kali or Devi, or Gum which is in association with Ganesh. The bija  or seed mantras are derived from the 50 prime sounds which invoke various levels  of energy and also the nature of the elements, such as water, air, earth, fire,  etc., and are related to om.
3. Mula Mantras–root mantras are the essence of  the Deity, used when offering certain articles during the worship to address the  Lord or Deity.
4. Stutis and Stotras–mantras or prayers chanted before,  during and afterthe worship to glorify the Lord’s name, form, qualities, and  pastimes.
 5.Pranama Mantras–prayers offering obeisances to great  personalities or to the Lord, often used at the end of worship.
6. Gayatri  Mantras–Vedic or Pancharatrika mantras used to worship or invoke the blessings  of the Lord, or to focus the mind on God, and for invoking different moods,  energies, or powers.
The Vedic mantras,  such as those coming from the four samhitas of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva  Vedas, are eternal or spiritual sound vibrations. They are not composed by any  man at some particular point in history. They are part of the shabda-brahma, the  eternal sound vibration. These mantras are like seeds of vast amounts of power  and knowledge that are held within
them. Thus, many scriptures explain that such  powers cannot be fully revealed to someone unless such mantras have been  received through the process of diksha or initiation from a spiritual  master.Besides this, the results of  chanting a mantra depend on the chanter’s conception or intent in the mind while  chanting it. Thus, one must know the meaning or purpose of the mantra while  reciting it. If one thinks the mantra is for attaining material goals, the  person may get that. But if the inner purpose of the mantra is known to deliver  one to the spiritual world, and a person chants it sincerely for that purpose,  then that will be the reward rather than something minor or material, as long as  the person does not prematurely give up chanting  it. Most Sanskrit mantras have  several principles that you find in them. First, they are often handed down or  revealed by sages or authorities who have attained self-realization by its use.  They also generally use a particular meter or rhythm while chanting it. Plus,  the mantra often represents a certain Deity. It also has a bija or seed word  that gives it additional power,and the sound formula it contains has a special  shakti or energy. And finally, constant repetition of the mantra will open or  activate the key of it which then can reveal pure consciousness in the one who  has been initiated
into its use. The practice of repeating or chanting it for  one’s personal use is called japa. The japa or chanting it a required number of  times is often what triggers its power within the nsciousness of the chanter  in which it reaches its siddha, or perfection and  goal.The mantra is thus a point of  meditation for the mind, but also a formula or transcendental sound vibration,  like the holy name of God, that releases its energy into one’s consciousness.  Thus it prepares one for perceiving higher states of reality. With constant  practice of the appropriate mantra, and with the proper pronunciation and  devotional mood, the mantra can reveal the Absolute Truth to the practitioner as  well as one’s own spiritual form and relationship that you may have with the  Supreme Being.

This is why it is best  that one should receive and be initiated into the chanting of the mantra by a  qualified guru. Then the mantra will be especially effective and powerful, and  carry special means of invoking realizations into the devotee who uses  it.

Mantras can be divided into two  additional categories, namely saguna and nirguna. Saguna mantras (those that  describe personal traits) often are like prayers that invoke certain Deities or  characteristics of the Absolute. Nirguna mantras (those that refer to the nature  of the Absolute without qualities) describe the person’s identification with the  Absolute.
Mantras can be used in  different ways. They can be chanted in whispers, or out loud, or silently within  the mind. Generally each mantra has a recommendation as to which way works best.  Some mantras, like the Hare Krishna mantra, can be used in any of these ways, as  well as sung as a song with a group or congregation. Generally, this is done  with a lead singer who sings the mantra in a particular melody, and then  everyone else sings it afterwards. Some mantras  are meant to be chanted only within the mind because their vibration or  wavelength is beyond ordinary sound. So the silent method helps invoke the  energy within the consciousness. However, to first whisper it or softly speak  the mantra correctly may help one be able to chant it silently and make a  stronger connection with the mantra.

The  repeated chanting of a mantra is called japa. It is explained in the Vedic texts  that in this age of Kali-yuga the process of chanting japa or mantra meditation  is much more effective than practicing other spiritual paths that include  meditating on the void or Brahman effulgence, or trying to control the life air  within the body as in raja-yoga. Plus, only a very few can become erfect at  raising the kundalini force up through the various chakras, or moving the life  air up to the top of the head for enlightenment, and then get it to leave the  body at the right time to achieve full liberation. And meditating on the void  becomes useless as soon as there is the slightest external distraction, which in  this age of Kali-yuga is a continuous thing. Therefore, the most effective means  of focusing the consciousness is to concentrate on the sound vibration of a  mantra.

Using a mantra for japa meditation is a  process to help rid ourselves of unwanted thoughts and to retain the one thought  upon which we are concentrating. It helps us purify the mind of that which  obstructs knowledge of our true self. As our concentration on the mantra frees  our mind from random thoughts, and as the sound vibration of it raises the frequency level upon which we operate, our consciousness can become clear to observe our real nature. In the word japa, the letter “pa” stands for that which  removes or destroys all impurities and obstructions. The letter “ja”
stands for  that which puts an end to the cycle of birth and death. Japa, therefore, is a  means of liberation when the proper mantra is used for destroying the mental impurities and negative and materialistic desires and impressions that exist in the mind and consciousness. There  are two mantras that are especially recommended in the Vedic literature to  accomplish this. One is omkara or the om mantra, and the other is Hare Krishna,  Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama,Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare  Hare, which is known as the maha or great mantra. It is explained that these two  mantras can deliver one to the realm beyond material existence. But there are  ways to use these mantras, which we will explain next. Many of the instructions  that we describe for these mantras also work most effectively for the others  that are included in this book.