Mantras in your life

Mantras have beneficial effects on the health of the body and positive effects at mental and emotional levels. The earliest mantras were composed in Vedic Sanskrit in India, and are at least 3500 years old. In the simplest form, the word ॐ (Aum, Om) serves as a mantra, it is believed to be the first sound which was originated on earth. Aum sound when produced creates a reverberation in the body which helps the body and mind to be calm.

Chanting mantra (japa)

Mantra japa is a practice of repetitively uttering the same mantra for an auspicious number of times, the most popular being 108.  Japa is assisted by malas (bead necklaces) containing 108 beads and a head bead, called 'meru'. Thumb and middle finger are used to count each bead while repeating the chosen mantra. After doing 108 repetitions, if another round of chanting has to be done, the mala is turned around without crossing the head bead and the cycle is repeated.

One or several mantras?

Even if one chants just one mantra throughout life with complete devotion, it is enough to uplift his/her life. But some people, like me, are drawn to several mantras. I feel strong connection to many mantras and got the clarification when I saw several past lives involved in spiritual pursuit. Each mantra activates a particular kind of energy in a different part of the body.

How to find time to chant many mantras?

If you are a one mantra person, there is no problem. But if you are attracted to many mantras and want to chant them all, there is problem with time management. I have found a way to do this. I have a mantra that I chant while cooking. Before starting to eat meals, I do Reiki and chant three mantras. In the morning and evening when I do puja, half an hour to forty minutes are spent in chanting different mantras. While doing yogasanas, during holding each pose, instead of counting minutes, I chant mantras. Then while performing routine duties, chanting will go on at the back of the mind.

I find this a very soothing practice. Our mind’s function is to think. Now a days there are too many stimuli around to give impetus for thinking to start, whether it is from the news paper you read, television shows or from Facebook and whatsapp messages. Instead of thinking about those things, which will only corrupt the mind, isn’t it wonderful to engage the mind in Divine mantras?

The purpose of different mantras

We can’t have a single program in the computer to accomplish different functions. With Word, you can have a word document, but to prepare a lecture presentation, you need to install Powerpoint in your computer. Each mantra has been chanted for millions of times by Sages and made powerful. They hold tremendous vibration that will be transmitted to your body while chanting, to bring about a particular result.

Ultimately, it must be your choice, according to your inner voice, whether you should adopt one mantra or many mantras, and which one.