MANTRA

With kind regards, æ and prem

© Rikhiapeeth 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, transmitted or stored in a retrieval system, in any
form or by any means, without permission in writing from
Rikhiapeeth.

Published by Rikhiapeeth
First edition 2014
Second edition 2015

Publisher and distributor: Rikhiapeeth, P.O. Rikhia,

Dist. Deoghar, Jharkhand, 814113, India

Website: www.rikhiapeeth.in
Blogpage: www.rikhiapeeth.net

Printed at Aegean Offset Printers, Greater Noida

‘Mantra’ is an offering to Paramguru Swami Sivananda and

our beloved Pujya Gurudev Swami Satyananda. It is compiled,
composed and published by sannyasin disciples, devotees and
well-wishers of Paramahansa Satyananda as a part of nishkam
seva, selfless service.

Disclaimer

This book is intended for information only. For

any practices you should seek the guidance of a
qualified person. The publisher does not take any
responsibility for misuse of information contained in
this book.
MANTRA
 Offering

In humility we offer this compilation of teachings

on the subject of Guru to Sadguru Swami Sivananda
Saraswati, who initiated Pujya Gurudev Swami
Satyananda Saraswati into the secrets of yoga.
 Dedication

— ‡ãŠºããèÀªãÔã
Guru and Govinda are both before me, whose feet shall
I venerate first? Undoubtedly I shall choose my Guru,
thanks to whom I was introduced to Govinda.
— Kabir Das
 Although there are many books on mantra, this book is
unique as it is a compilation of teachings spanning the life of
Paramahansa Satyananda, a realised sage, who embodied the
wisdom, tapasya, austerity, and enlightened understanding
of the ancient Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas. More im-
portant than this was his personal and intimate experience
with each and every aspect of mantra. In fact, during his
final phase of life, he came to Rikhiapeeth for the perfection
of mantra.
On 8th September 1989, after hearing a very clear voice say,
“Perfect the unbroken awareness of your Guru mantra with
every breath and beat of the heart, this is your mission now.”
He arrived at Rikhia on 23rd September, 1989 and pledged…

Om Namo Narayanaya
O Lord Mrityunjaya!
I have worshipped you
As Kaal Bhairava with one tattwa
As Kamakshi with five tattwas
As Vishnu with flower, fruits, water and milk.
In many forms, in many ways
And in many places
I have worshipped whatever form
You have revealed to me as your own image.
And now, at your burial ground
I will worship you with every breath.
This I promise.

It was at Rikhiapeeth that Paramahansa Satyananda

brought the teachings of mantra into a modern context and
gave us the unique opportunity to participate in the sadhana
through the various yajnas he performed.
Section one of this book provides the reader a concise
understanding of the philosophy of mantra and section two
gives the reader a practical guide to the practice of mantra.
This book is a humble offering of our dedication and
devotion to yoga as a mighty culture in the making to direct
vi
 the events of the world and an attempt to explain mantra
and its practical techniques in a clear, practical and precise
manner.
It’s up to each one to take up this great science of mantra
with faith, love and sincerity.

Om Tat Sat

In 1943, my Guru Swami Sivananda gave me a mantra and told me

to practise five malas every day. The practice took me no longer
than three minutes in all. I practised five malas regularly every day
and during this period the most important link in my life was formed
in those three minutes. Had I renounced my link with the mantra,
I would never have achieved the position that I have today. These
five malas saved me, so today I can stand firmly as a swami, holding
the torch of a spiritual culture.
— Swami Satyananda Saraswati

vii
.
 Contents

Understanding Mantra
Creation 3
How does Mantra Work? 16
Mantra, Yantra and Mandala 32
The Power of Mantra 37
Symbols, Visions and Samskaras 50
Importance of Guru Mantra 58
Types of Mantra 66

Mantra Practice
Mantra Japa 83
Allow the Mind to Flow 96
The Mala 106

Epilogue 115

ix
.
UNDERSTANDING
MANTRA
 Creation

The transcendental universal mind

In the whole universe there is only one mind, but this mind
appears to be individualised in each one of us. So, your
mind and my mind are not two minds, our minds just
appear to be different manifestations of the same universal
mind. The truth is that the individual mind is part of the
homogeneous, universal mind. Therefore, the individual
mind can be connected with the universal mind if we know
how to connect it. We must remember this as a law, for it is
of utmost importance in spiritual life.

3
The limited individual mind
There is a mysterious power
at the core, at the base of
all existence. Realised souls
through the centuries have
experienced this power and
talked about it, but most
people have not yet been able
to grasp it. In the last few
decades, a tremendous spiritual
awakening has taken place all
over the world. Now more and
more people have accepted that
there is a power greater than
them, there is increased interest
in attempting to identify with
that power.
Our consciousness is
confined within a limited area,
the individual mind functions within a given space. The
capacity of the individual mind is defined and limited by the
abilities of the senses and sense experiences. For example,
you can only hear as much as your auditory system allows
you, you can only see as far as your optic system allows
you. This is the limitation of the individual mind. There are
minute forms in this universe which you are unable to see.
There are resonant waves of sound which you are unable
to hear. Thus the individual mind functions within a very
small, confined area.
How do we expand our mind, our consciousness? We have
to break the boundaries of the individual mind, only then can
it flow out of its confinement and experience infinity. But the
individual mind is dependent on the information supplied
to it by the senses. If the sensory channels are incapable of
supplying more information, then the mind is limited. To

4
break this limitation therefore, you have to look for ways to
expand the mind.
Certain tantric techniques allow you to isolate the
individual mind and separate it from the distractions and
limitations of the senses, thus allowing it to expand. If you
want to expand the mind and experience the mighty power
behind man’s existence, then mantra is the first step. It is
the most important aspect of the science and art of Tantra.

Expansion of consciousness
The whole process of yoga can be divided into two parts. The
first part is the negation of outer consciousness and the second
part is the expansion of inner consciousness. The first part of
yoga aims at shutting, closing the doors of perception and
the second part of yoga provides a direction to the released
consciousness which expands till it becomes infinite.
The second stage can be practised when the first stage
has been perfected. To make it more clear, when the
withdrawal of consciousness is complete, you should take
to the process of expansion of
consciousness. The withdrawal
and expansion of consciousness
can be achieved with the help of
a mantra. Every mantra has two
aspects, they are name and form.
The name or sound aspect will
withdraw your consciousness
from the external world. This is
a process of negation. The form
or symbol aspect will expand
your inner consciousness till it
merges in self-awareness. Thus
it must be borne in mind that
both the name and form aspects
of mantra are to be practised. If

5
you repeat only the mantra, but do not concentrate on a form,
you will enter into unconsciousness. And if you neglect name
or sound and concentrate only on the form or symbol, you
will have to struggle lifetime after lifetime.
As such, in the Yoga Sutras it is stated by Patanjali that
through repetition of name or mantra, you bring about
that state of withdrawal where you forget everything that
is taking place outside. That is, you transcend the outer
consciousness. However, when you have transcended the
outer consciousness, what are you going to do? You have
taken a jump into the ocean, but if you do not know how to
swim, you are going to drown.
Therefore, when you have withdrawn your consciousness
to one point through the name or sound aspect of mantra,
unless you take up the form or symbol aspect and allow your
consciousness to stabilise itself at one point, you will surely
land up in unconsciousness. There are many forms to choose
from. When your mind has become completely blank and
there is absolute emptiness inside, all persons should take up
a suitable form or symbol to meditate on. It is with the help
of that form that the expansion of consciousness takes place.

Creating an explosion
Mantra is a syllable which represents a sound. This sound can
completely control the mental fluctuations. As the sound has
waves it has frequencies, it has velocity. When you practise
mantra and the sound is ingrained in your mind, then the
consciousness undergoes great transformation. Therefore,
those people who want to practise meditation must first of
all find a mantra for themselves.
Mantra is a special science. When mantras are repeated
mentally or even verbally, they create a certain sound
vibration and you know that sound is a form of energy. It’s
not just A, B, C, D. Every sound has its own wavelength, its

6
own frequency. I am producing a sound now. It has its own
frequency. The same sound, when it is thought within the
mind, increases in frequency. The higher the frequency, the
more powerful is the sound. At a particular level, this sound
explodes and the explosion of sound creates an experience.
Now, coming to an important point, meditation is not
just a mental exercise. If you first close your eyes and try
to concentrate by force, to withdraw your mind by force,
again and again, that will not give you meditation. Before
meditation comes, you have to accomplish one stage, bring
about one experience, and when that experience takes place,
you get into meditation. Therefore, meditation is not an
effort. When you are practising mantra, you are creating a
certain frequency in the mind and at a particular point, you
are creating an explosion. When that explosion takes place,
an experience happens.

7
 If you are cooking two kilos of vegetables, you don’t put
in two kilos of salt or two kilos of butter. There is a correct
proportion. In the same way, in the practice of yoga there is
also a correct proportion and that is indicated in my books
because I have practised it.
There must be 70% karma yoga, 20% raja yoga, hatha yoga,
kundalini yoga, etc., 5% jnana yoga and 5% bhakti yoga. If
you try to practise 70% dhyana yoga, kundalini yoga, kriya
yoga, tantra yoga, you will go to the mental hospital. Or if you
practise 70% jnana yoga, then you become an intellectual giant
but remain a pygmy in other areas of your personality. Or if
you practice 70% bhakti yoga, you will be saying, “Oh God,
Oh God, this microphone is working because of God’s grace.
This flower is red because of God’s grace. Oh, today it is not
raining because of God’s grace.” You bring God everywhere,
even into the toilet. Too much bhakti is not good. It brings about
an imbalance. Too much raja yoga also causes an imbalance
and too much jnana yoga creates imbalance also. Because you
are gross, so you need a greater proportion of karma yoga.

8
The power of sound and vibrations
Vibrations have the power to affect the body, emotions and
mind because our bodies and our minds are essentially
vibratory in nature. The universe is a manifestation of
vibrations. Yogic texts talk of the power of AUM in manifesting
the universe, having pierced through bindu, the infinite point
or center of creation. If we can understand the science and
power of sound, we can master ourselves and the universe.
The power of sound to affect matter was demonstrated
by the great singer Caruso who could shatter a glass with a
musical note. To do this, he would strike the glass to discover
its resonant frequency. Then, standing in another part of
the room, he would powerfully intone the note that would
resonate with the glass, causing it to shatter.

Hippies and mantra

In 1968, I went to San Francisco. At that time the hippies, the
‘flower children’ were growing. I call it the ‘Hippie Age’ not
‘Nuclear Age’. When they heard that a swami or a Guru or
teacher had come, they came to see me, and some of them
were equipped with earphones and I asked them what the
earphones were. They call them the aquarius earphone.
The earphone was producing a sound…aum…aum… aum
aum… All the time I asked, “Why do you do all this?” They
said that by this sound they were able to control their brain
waves. The important point is – a sound has a definite effect
on the brain wave pattern and when the sound is produced
rhythmically for a period of time, then it creates an effect
on the brain cycles.
Not only a few hundred, but a few thousand studies have
been done on the effect of sound on the physical body, and the
conclusions are these. When you produce a sound, when you
practise a mantra, it alters the brain waves. It decreases the
necessity of oxygen consumption. It maintains a steady blood

9
pressure. It relaxes the sympathetic and parasympathetic
nervous systems and has an all-round beneficial effect on the
bio-chemical structure of the body. I have myself found that
when you are practising the mantra, when you are practising
one particular sound, at that time the behaviour of the heart
is very cordial and very healthy. This is a very short glimpse
of the experiments done in the United States.

Nada
Sound is the primordial form of energy, the original substance
and basis of the whole universe. This universe with its solar
systems, its invisible fields of energy, is an expansion of sound
energy. This sound is known as ‘shabda’ in yoga, ‘the word’
in the Bible, and ‘mantra’ in the tantric system. You must
understand that mantra is neither religious nor sectarian. It
is not Christian, Hindu, Islamic or Jewish. Mantra is a form
of sound.

10
 Sound has different stages
of manifestation. Every type of
energy from the primordial to
the manifest state undergoes
transformations, changes
frequency, velocity, etc. When
we talk about mantra, we
are definitely talking about
one of the manifestations of
this primordial energy. Each
letter and syllable of the
mantra penetrates deep down
into various levels of your
consciousness.
The word nada is derived
from the Sanskrit root nad,
meaning ‘to flow’. The
etymological meaning of
nada is process or a flow of
consciousness. Ordinarily the word nada means sound.
According to nada yogis and the scriptures dealing with
the subject of nada yoga, the nada brahma, or the ultimate
and transcendental sound, is the seed from which the entire
creation has evolved. A nada yogi believes that the entire
macrocosmic universe is but a projection of sound alone. The
Bible says, “In the beginning was the word, and the word
was with God.” This word is called the nada or the shabda.
The nada yogis believe that out of one eternal sound evolved,
– the five elements (tattwas)
– the five organs of action (karmendriyas)
– the five organs of perception (jnanendriyas)
– the fourfold mind (manas, buddhi, chitta and ahamkara)
– the gross nature, three gunas (tamas, rajas and sattwa).
This means that prakriti, the material, mental, psychic and
intellectual universe, is all an outcome of nada brahma. So

11
a nada yogi believes in a reality which has manifested itself
in the form of vibration, much of which is out of the realm
of normal perception. The eternal or original nada has the
highest rate of frequency and vibration. When any object
vibrates at a tremendous and unimaginable speed, it becomes
still. It means that the highest point of motion and vibration
is stillness. And that nada appears to be the creative principle
of all matter and the entire material substance.

The four stages of manifestation of sound

There are four stages of manifestation of sound according to
its frequency and subtlety or grossness. The four stages are
(i) para, (ii) pashyanti, (iii) madhyama and (iv) vaikhari. These
four stages of sound should be understood scientifically.

Para nada
Para means ‘transcendental, ‘beyond’ or ‘the other side’. It
is beyond the reach of the indriyas, or sense organs, and the
mind and other means of cognition. Hence para nada is the
transcendental sound. It is indicative of the truth that there
is a sphere of super-consciousness where sound is heard in
different dimensions.
Every note of the musical scale is made up of different
numbers of vibrations per second. They vary in length,
speed and pitch. In one second, a sound may vibrate
thousands of times. Above a certain frequency, sound
becomes inaudible and can only be perceived subjectively.
The ears cannot receive sounds that are vibrating at a very
high rate. Therefore, we are not aware of all the sounds
that are present in the cosmos. Sounds with a very high
frequency are transformed into silence because the ears have
the capacity to hear sounds only in a very limited range.
Para or transcendental sound has the highest frequency
of vibration. This intense vibration makes para inaudible.
Various texts mention that the para sound has no vibration.

12
It is a sound that has no
movement and therefore no
frequency. It is a still sound,
but we cannot conceive of a
sound that has no vibration,
no movements, no motion.
When a sound goes to its
maximum pitch, it attains
a sudden stillness, and that
is para nada.

Pashyanti
The second stage of
sound, which has a
lower frequency, and is
more gross than para, is
pashyanti. It is a sound
which cannot be heard, but
it can be seen. Pashyanti in
Sanskrit means ‘that which
can be seen or visualised’.
The ancient scriptures maintain that sound can also be
visualised. How does one see a sound? Well, have you ever
heard a piece of music in a dream? This particular dimension
of sound, as in a dream, is called pashyanti. It may be called
a mental sound, which is neither a conscious sound nor a
semi-conscious sound. It is a subconscious sound pertaining
to a quality of mind and not belonging to the quality of the
sense organs, like the ears.
When I say out loud “Rama, Rama, Rama, Rama,” it is
vaikhari, but when I close my eyes and mouth and go in and
repeat mentally the sound of “Rama”, visualising its color
and form with the inner eye, it is known as pashyanti. When
the word or the sound is heard in a sphere where one is not
aware of the outer surroundings, it is called pashyanti. When

13
every outer sound is extinct, and you hear a new sound
altogether, unlike the nature of audible sounds, know it as
a special sound or the nada of pashyanti.

Madhyama
Madhyama is a form of sound with lower frequencies
than para and pashyanti, but still subtler than the audible
vaikhari form of sound. Madhyama produces very minute
vibrations. The word madhyama means ‘in between’ or
‘middle’, so madhyama means a middle sound, or the sound
of a whisper.

Vaikhari
The fourth and gross stage of nada is called vaikhari. Vaikhari
sound is audible, it is the spoken sound. It is produced by
friction or by striking two things against each other. Its
frequency is even lower than that of madhyama. Audible
sounds have vibrations within a limited range.

14
 To sum up, vaikhari is the gross quality of the vocal organs,
madhyama is the subtler quality of the same physical organs,
pashyanti is the quality of the subconscious or unconscious,
and para is the quality of the soul.

The power of mantra – darshan of Swami Satyananda during Panchagni

of Swami Satyasangananda, 2014.

15
 How does Mantra Work?

How the mantras were revealed

There is a particular method by which the mantra always
originates. Unless it originates by that method, it cannot be
a mantra, it will be a sloka. In Sanskrit texts you will come
across these two words – mantra and sloka. Sloka means
a verse, such as a sloka of Gita, Ramayana, or any other
scripture. They are lines of poetry. So, the mantra is not a
sloka. It is not spoken, written or thought. It is revealed stuff
or sound.

16
 According to Vedic etymology, the literal meaning of
mantra is ‘that which was released in profound meditation’.
The word mantra is a composition of two roots, ‘man’ plus
‘tra’. Man means ‘profound meditation’ and tra means
‘releasing’, just as the power is released. So, mantra is a
revealed sound. How does this happen?
In the human conscious, subconscious and unconscious,
there are different images, forces, ideas and impressions.
In the subconscious and unconscious mind these take the
form of symbols. In dreams, in meditation and in general
behaviour, we express our subconscious mind through
symbols. This has been discussed in modern psychology
in great detail.
In dreams what we usually see and hear are said to be
symbols of the subconscious. There are also symbols of the
unconscious but they are not revealed to each and everyone.
They are only revealed to a
very few souls and they are
very powerful people, or I
should say very pure people.
These people are able to hear
the sound or the word of the
unconscious, and that word
is mantra.
Mantra is revealed in a very
deep psychic state, where the
individual is completely lost
to himself and to his worldly
experiences, and when
nothing but the inner light
shines in front of him. Those
sounds are called mantras
which are heard by him when
he is aware inwardly at that
time or maybe a little before

17
that. It is in this sense that we always say the Vedas, Bible
and Koran are the word of God, they are not written by man.
Always remember that if the conscious mind is completely
withdrawn and the subconscious mind is also completely
withdrawn, then a third power comes into operation within.
When you have no power over yourself, at that time, certain
revelations take place. These are usually known by rishis. In
Sanskrit the word rishi means ‘of inner vision’. So now you
see the difference between sloka, mantra and rishi.

Seers of the unconscious

The mantras which often occur in tantra shastra or in
mantra shastra are the mantras which were revealed to
different people at different times. Why so? Why was a
particular mantra not revealed to all? Why were different
mantras revealed to different people? The answer is very
simple. Always remember that the unconscious of each
person is different. It is only the superconscious that is the
same in everyone. Mantra is revealed by the unconscious
and everything in the unconscious mind – the unconscious
impressions, the unconscious emanations – are different.
Who are these people to whom the mantras were revealed?
The right word for these people is rishi. Rishi does not mean a
saint or even a mahatma. Rishi means a seer. Seer of what? A
seer of the unconscious. Do you know what the unconscious
is? It is not something that you would call completely
dead stuff. No, it is unconscious in the sense that the outer
consciousness is not there, but it is not a negative state. In
that sense, those people who have been able to see their own
unconscious are called rishis.
So, the unconscious is a force. It is not the void of
consciousness, it is not a state of negativity. It is more powerful
than this state where we are at present. It is a different state
of consciousness but this state of consciousness is not present
here. Therefore, we say that the unconscious is not the ordinary

18
state of consciousness. The rishis were those who entered into
this state and came in contact with the primal sounds of their
being in profound, deep meditation. They realised the sounds
they heard as mantra. Sometimes they also heard richa.
Richa means ‘a collection of mantras’. Later on these richa
were compiled and became the revealed books, not only of
Hinduism, but of other religions as well. The Vedas are said
to be revealed books, but then some people say that they
were written down with pen and ink, so how can they be
revealed? It is only the people who practise those things that
can understand them. Sometimes in profound meditation
a whole speech is given, which we remember, and in that
profound meditation a force emanates from the depths of
the ocean. You can see that. When that unconscious force
awakens, one is called a rishi.

Forms of thought
Always remember the state of rishi-hood is just before samadhi.
You will find it is not so difficult to attain this state. After some
practise you will be able to set aside the physical consciousness.

19
For the time being or maybe for a few minutes, different sounds
will be heard, and these sounds are not different from you. In
this context I can tell you that every thought has a form. It may
be either a geometrical form or a human form. Then again,
every thought has a pitch, just as in music there is pitch and
different ranges of sound.
There are some thoughts which are so subtle that although
they are there in your mind, you are not aware of them, and
there are certain thoughts which are so big, so loud and so
intense, but still you don’t see them. It is exactly like the range
of musical sound. Sound is perceivable within a certain range
and beyond that range it is imperceptible to human ears. In
the same way, the human mind is unable to conceive thoughts
beyond or below a certain level.
Therefore, thoughts are so subtle that we are unable to
know them, and they come in the form of symbols. The

20
Greeks used to feel that these thoughts have therianthropic
symbols, which are figures having animal and human bodies
combined, and they were right in a way. You see, it was not
just a mental configuration. All human thoughts have roots
in animal memories, in the memories of animal bodies. That
is why in many of the ancient symbols, you find figures
which, for example, have the upper body of a lady and the
lower body of a fish or a cobra, or the upper body of a man
and the lower body of a tiger or a goat. You must have seen
many such things, and that proves that the human mind has
evolved recently on the level of thinking and intellect, while
still retaining the animal instincts intact.
In India, however, the conception of thought was
anthropomorphic, which means we consider that thoughts
have human symbols. The Egyptians and some of the other
ancient races considered that the thoughts have geometrical
symbols, and that concept of geometrical configuration was
adopted by India in the tantra shastra. For instance, the first
symbol of the unconscious is the inverted triangle. These
geometrical symbols were
actually considered to be
figures of thought.

Mantra devata
Now, as I told you,
thoughts have colour,
form and pitch. If you
produce a particular
thought in your mind,
you are producing a
particular form also
of which you are not
aware. We have always
been thinking about our
thoughts in the context of

21
 the language which we have
learned in our motherland.
When I think about going
to Calcutta, it brings to my
mind thoughts of the ticket,
the money, the train.
Now, you should try to
observe the form of your
average thought for some
time every day, otherwise, it
will not be possible for you
to understand what exactly
is meant by the form of
thought. Every thought, even
this speech I am giving now,
produces certain forms within
the consciousness. These
are not merely ephemeral
bubbles, but actual forms.
From the sound a triangle is created or maybe a straight line,
and from there it might take another shape.
So these mantras also have forms which are known as
mantra devata. Here devata does not mean a God, although
in the dictionary you will find that meaning is given. The
literal meaning of the word devata according to Sanskrit
composition is derived from the primal sound ‘dyu’, which
means ‘to enlighten or illumine’. Primal sound is that which
is not composed by man, but by nature. Dyu is always used
in the sense of enlightenment or illumination.
Devata means ‘illumined stuff’. Any object which is illumined
in the darkness is devata. There is darkness everywhere, you
can’t see anything. The consciousness is like a torch light. It
just gives light to an object, it sees an object. The object which
is seen in the light of consciousness is devata. Therefore, in the
unconscious state, in samadhi, when everything is dark and no

22
object is experienced, and even the awareness of ’I’ is completely
cut off, then your consciousness expands. In the course of that
expansion you become aware of certain objects inside, certain
figures, and those are called devata.
When the rishis were in the depths of meditation, they
had the realisation of two things at the same time, mantra
and devata. They not only heard the sound, while hearing
the sound, they also saw a figure. Every revealed sound
has a revealed symbol. In samadhi, in the depths of the
unconscious, you hear and you see. When you are taking up
a particular mantra, you must have a very clear conception of
mantra, rishi and devata. You must know what mantra you
want, to which rishi it was revealed, and what is the symbol.

Rotation of mantra
When you have understood these three points, then you go
to the fourth point which is the rotation of mantra through
the centers. The centers are the thumb, second, third, fourth
and fifth fingers of both hands together. A certain mantra is
chanted while concentrating on a particular center. It is almost
like yoga nidra but with mantra. You have to circulate the
mantras through the centers.

Mantra Chakra Physical Location

Lam Mooladhara Perineum
Vam Swadhisthana Base of spine
Ram Manipura Navel center
Yam Anahata Heart centre
Ham Vishuddhi Throat pit
Om Ajna Eyebrow centre

How are these mantras revealed? In the beginning one

letter is revealed to the rishi. It is the first letter of the mantra,

23
for instance, the sound ‘Krim’. For days together he just
listens to that sound. He comes out of meditation and the next
morning again he sits, goes inside and follows that sound.
Ultimately the sound expresses itself in the form of a mantra,
for instance, the bija mantra is ‘Hrum’ but the mantra is ‘Om
Namah Shivaya’.
The seed mantra is seen by the seer first and then gradually
it begins to express itself in different syllables, maybe long or
short, and this is called mantra. There are some mantras which
apparently have a certain meaning when they are revealed,
and there are some which do not have any meaning at all.
We may call them literally meaningless.

Vibratory energy
Mantra is not the name of a God or Goddess or of a person.
It is not a holy word or part of a hymn. Mantra is not sacred,
nor is it a tool for concentration. It is a vehicle for expansion
of mind and liberation of energy.
Each mantra has a certain wavelength and frequency that
is able to penetrate the internal structure of the mind. If you
practice a mantra even without trying to concentrate your
mind, the sound waves that resonate during the practice
will still permeate your entire system. Obviously though,
concentration will increase the power of the mantra. The
different types of waves that you initiate while repeating
the mantra pierce and awaken deeper dimensions of your
consciousness that you have not experienced so far.
When you practice mantra, the sound and accompanying
vibrations move in a certain pattern. However, the sound
recorded by your consciousness is not exactly the same as
the sound heard through your ears. In the deeper mind,
the sound of each mantra has its own archetype. Because of
this connection between mantra and archetype, the sound
of mantra has a totally different effect on our consciousness
than all the other sounds which we produce.

24
 It is not the meaning,
but the sound waves
created by the mantras
that influence the cosmos
within and outside.
Therefore, an intellectual
understanding of the
mantra is not at all
necessary. There are some
mantras which don’t even
have a meaning. What is
important is the two basic
aspects, sound and form.
For example, when you
chant Om, it is a sound,
when you write Om in
script, it is a form. So
every mantra has a sound
and a form, but the most
powerful aspect is the
sound.

Prana shakti
The piece of bone, which appears to be dead matter, is not
really dead at all, it is just that our eyes are incapable of
detecting the energy within it. Scientists who have gone into
the study of energy fields now know that what appears to
be dead matter is also permeated with pranic energy. You
know the famous equation of Einstein, E=mc2, that is, matter
is energy in its potential state. There is a small scientific
experiment which we can use to illustrate this more clearly.
If you look at a piece of bone with your naked eye, all you
see is a bone. But if you look at the same piece of bone
under a powerful microscope, what do you see? First you

25
see molecules, then atoms, and later the nucleus of the atom.
Ultimately, you discover the fantastic behaviour of energy.
Prana does not only mean life, it means existence as well.
The etymological meaning of prana is ‘life in existence’. If an
object is devoid of prana, it will disintegrate.
Each mantra is the conductor of a certain type of energy,
it is infused with prana shakti. For example, there is a special
mantra for snake bite. When a person repeats this mantra
thousands of times, it becomes charged with a particular type
of energy. If someone has been bitten by a snake, a person
who has perfected the mantra can be called in. As soon as he
chants the mantra, the poison is dispersed without causing
any further pain or harm.
Most people do not understand the power of the mantra
and use any word or name for their mantra. For example,
you may admire a great man and make a mantra out of his
name, but that is not a mantra in the sense that we use the
term. If you think of that man as your Guru or your God,
then you have emotion for him, so you like the sound of
his name. That is a mantra of emotion, it is not a mantra of
prana shakti.

Akshara and varna

Mantras are a combination of akshara and varna. Akshara
is not a syllable, akshara means ‘imperishable vibration’.
Varna means ‘colour’. These mantras have a deity and also

26
a yantra. For example ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ is the mantra.
Its mandala is the Shivalingam. The devas and devatas,
according to the tantric tradition, are the mandala and
at the same time they have a yantra which you see in the
form of geometrical formations.They are not just lines and
circles, and they have a very powerful effect on the deeper
consciousness of man.
Each and every akshara in the mantra is the seed of
vibration. lt is repeated in the mind or verbally, or with
pranayama. Each and every akshara is so powerful that
in tantra there is matrika, nyasa, varnanyasa, where these
akshara are projected throughout the body. Their vibrations
are injected into each and every part of the body.
Each and every akshara is sound, every sound has
vibrations, and every vibration can be enlarged and made
very powerful. You must have heard some of the stories
about Tansen. He used to sing Raga Deepak and Raga Megha.
Lights used to burn and clouds showered rain, because the
sound vibration reached such a high pitch that the elements

27
of nature came under their influence, mind was connected
with matter. And when the mind is connected with matter,
if the man is strong enough, then matter is influenced. If the
man is weak then the mind is influenced, not matter.
For all of us now music is enjoyment, recreation, pleasure
and jumping. The very philosophy of music has been
destroyed by us because it exists today only on the level of
the senses. It cannot influence matter because there is no
science in it. However, when you sing a raga you are actually
producing vibrations that are the connecting link between
your mind and the elements of nature. There has to be a
medium between your mind and that part of nature which
you want to influence. So, in order to link yourself with that
particular item of nature, you create vibrations at such a high
frequency, like laser beams, that nature is affected, there is
rain and lamps are set alight. But this ability has been lost,
even though the mantras and ragas still exist.

External and internal

awareness
The mind has two levels
of awareness – external
and internal. When you
have sensual perceptions,
then you know that the
awareness is external.
When the mind becomes
extrovert, it experiences
the world through the five
different sense organs.
The sensual experience is
the game of the mind.
When you dissociate
the mind from the senses,
the awareness becomes

28
internal. The mind can turn
either way. If the mind is
introverted, the senses are
inert and lifeless. Then you
cannot hear, see, smell, speak
or touch. This withdrawal
is called pratyahara. When
the mind turns inwards,
you approach the barrier
between the individual mind
and the universal mind and
begin to get a glimpse of
the cosmos, which is an
infinite experience. It has no
beginning and no end, no
circumference and no center.
So awareness can be
external or internal, material
or spiritual. Material
awareness is an external
experience of the mind.
Spiritual awareness is an internal experience of the mind.
When the mind is barricaded, it is limited to material
experience, but when the barrier is broken it has spiritual
experience. In yogic philosophy, this barrier is known as
avidya (ignorance) or maya (illusion). This barrier can be
broken by the practice of mantra.

Man is limited – mind is not

Modern psychology says that mind has three dimensions –
conscious, subconscious and unconscious – and thousands of
year ago, an Indian tantric philosopher said that there are three
levels of consciousness – gross, subtle and causal. These three
classifications of mind are very broad and general. This mind,

29
 which you do not know,
has millions of layers
and during your lifetime,
during one day of your
life, you are functioning
on more than one level of
awareness. This you must
understand.
During the twenty
four hours of the day,
whether you are
happy or unhappy,
your consciousness
is functioning or you
are living in different
realms or layers of this
consciousness. You do
not exist on just one layer.
Not only you, but even
animals and vegetables are not functioning on one layer
of consciousness. Through practise and training you can
develop your awareness so that you are able to function on
thousands and millions of layers of consciousness during
your lifetime.
Objective awareness, subjective awareness and
transcendental awareness are the broad classifications of
awareness. You find it difficult to function on all levels at
the same time because you have limitations. Human beings
have limitations. You are able to function only within your
limited range of awareness and not beyond that. Through
the practice of yoga, you will have to overcome these
limitations so that you are able to function on unlimited
layers of mind and consciousness, but how do we break the
boundary? How can we break the confines of evolution? It
is possible by sound.

30
 Sound is an explosive force. Even the gross form of sound
can completely destroy big rocks. Mantra represents this
science. Because of religious training, when a mantra is given
to you, you feel that it is something akin to religion and in
order to practise it you must be very pious and virtuous, but
mantra is more than that.

Breaking the barrier between the individual mind and

the universal mind
When we begin to practise mantra, we create vibrations in
the individual mind. As the mind becomes calm, quiet and
concentrated, these vibrations are transferred to the universal
area of the mind. Then the barrier between the individual
and universal mind is broken. Because of this barrier, our
minds are cut off from one another, you don’t know what I
think and I don’t know what you think. But when this barrier
is broken, your mind and my mind become one mind, the
universal mind.

31
 Mantra, Yantra and
Mandala

The three tools of Tantra

Much of Tantra is concerned with worship in a ritualistic form,
using the three basic tools of mantra, yantra and mandala. This
ritual is not based on superstition or blind faith but has been
scientifically, systematically and practically designed to direct
the whole process of living towards transcendence. Ancient
religions used these methods, but now the aim of ritualistic
worship has been generally lost sight of, and has degenerated

32
into the performance
of mere automatic
and meaningless
actions which are not
understood by the
practitioner. When there
is no understanding, no
benefits will accrue.
Tantric rites are used
for tuning into different
levels of being which are
beyond normal perception. They are concerned with worship,
mantras, yantras, mandalas, mudras, etc., which make the
mind calm, receptive and one-pointed. This is conducive
to the experience of meditation that will transform one’s
understanding and relationship with life, with oneself, and
with other people. Tantra aims at transforming everything in
life into a ritual so that the individual performs every action
and thought with a feeling of worship and awareness. The
action of bathing, dressing, sitting for worship, offering various
symbolic sacrifices, the union of man and woman, the stages
of development from conception, birth, marriage to death, are
all transformed into worship.
In Tantra, one has to be continually aware of every action
and thought whether it is ceremonial worship, or an everyday
duty. Each act has to be performed with absolute attention,
not mechanically or unconsciously. This awareness and
concentration eventually prepares one for meditation. Tantric
worship is not confined to the temple. It is done from the
moment one gets out of bed in the morning to the moment
one returns to bed at night.

Mantra
Mantra, yantra and mandala are the most important aspects
of Tantra – its essence. Almost invariably, these three are used
in conjunction with each other to form powerful practices.

33
The mantra is the vehicle of consciousness, while yantra,
mandala or devata are forms of consciousness.
Mantra is the direct link with the ‘beyond’. The world
we know is materialised and shaped through mantra,
through sound at all levels and degrees of subtlety. Mantra
originates in the substratum of Shiva (consciousness), and
can be used to retrace the direction of manifestation so that
one again merges with consciousness. A mantra is therefore
a means to make a ‘U-turn’ and retrace one’s path back to
the source.

Yantra
A yantra is a specific form of mandala consisting of
geometrical shapes and figures, and often diagrams of deities
(especially in Buddhist Tantra). It is a particularly powerful
form of mandala and deep concentration upon it can lead to
the realisation of the higher nature. The word yantra means
‘instrument’, ‘machine’, ‘apparatus’, or ‘implement’. The
yantra is indeed an implement (or tool) because it acts as
an instrument for tuning in with consciousness, a spiritual
machine for inducing states of meditation.
The human brain consists of billions of archetypes, which
are symbols of man’s experiences from this incarnation and
previous incarnations,
from his fathers and
forefathers. Every
experience we perceive
through the senses is
registered within the
consciousness, not in
its original form, but
in the symbolic form
of an archetype. No
experience is ever lost
or left unregistered by

34
the human consciousness.
There is a constant
process of registration,
transformation and
storage, right from the
time of birth up to the
point of death, nothing
we experience through
our senses is destroyed.
Even experiences in
sleep, dream, deep
hypnosis and complete
unconsciousness take on a
symbolic form somewhere
in the physical, mental
or causal bodies. These
forms are known as
samskaras, the different
patterns of man’s karma. And these billions of samskaras find
their expression in this life of pain and pleasure, fulfillment
and failure, sickness and health.
Yantra is the science of geometric symbols. Yantras can
release the archetypes and samskaras which are deeply
embedded in the consciousness, either in the form of visions,
psychic experiences, psychic sensations, divine experiences,
dissipation or turbulence of the mind. By unburdening the
mind and the soul, the practices of mantra and yantra liberate
the potential energy in man.

Mandala
A mandala is a focus for cosmic powers. During tantric
worship and practices, the mandala becomes the symbolic
center of the universe. It is laid out according to a fixed
plan and its construction is a rite in itself. Everything in the
manifested world is a mandala in essence. Each and every

35
object is a focal point of consciousness, an expression of the
underlying consciousness. Thus, deep concentration on any
form can bring about a realisation of this consciousness. For
this reason, bhakti or devotion is an important part of tantric
meditation practices, because it supercharges the power of
concentration. This becomes more piercing when backed by
the emotion of reverence and love.
Every thought forms a mandala. A man and woman in
union form a closed unit or circle, which can also be a perfect
mandala for attaining higher states of consciousness. The
Guru is an extremely powerful mandala as he acts as a magnet
to draw down cosmic consciousness. He radiates and glows
with the light of this great force. It is through the Guru that
cosmic powers are unleashed and transmitted to the disciple.
This is the grace of the Guru mandala.

36
 The Power of Mantra

The value of a mantra

When one accepts a mantra from his Guru, he is receiving a
sound of great power. Whether the mantra is given by me or
by another Guru, you should be aware that you have in your
possession one of the most precious things in life. Everything
can fail you, but your mantra never will. Do not look at it
merely from the religious point of view. You must see the
mantra from the practical point of view.

37
 Just as you sow a seed, you must plant the mantra deep
within, so that in the course of time it will permeate your
whole being. Every morning, before you commence your
daily activities, and at night, before you retire to your bed,
you should repeat your mantra.
Those who suffer from nervousness, fear, anxiety and
other acute mental manifestations should always keep a
small mala of 27 beads with them. Whenever they are free,
even if it is just for a few minutes before lunch, after dinner,
while talking to someone, waiting for the bus or train,
or while watching television, they can repeat the mantra
mentally.
Practise the mantra whenever you are idle, during the
day or night, whether you are thinking sensible things or
useless things. You can even practise when you are eating
chocolate, drinking coffee or taking alcohol. If you keep your
mind busy with the mantra whenever it is free, in the course
of time, you will find that the mind no longer wanders like
a vagabond. The mind which had no base now has a point
to which it can return. Through this simple practice, those
suffering from nervousness, fear and depression will be
able to bring about a great transformation in their mental
state. Mantra is a very powerful tool for handling all the
manifestations of the mind.
Throughout our lives we have been thinking and thinking,
almost incessantly. Just imagine, what a huge book you would
fill if you were to register each and every thought you had
since the age of five! From today, keep a written account of
each and every thought you have. In a very short time they
will amount to millions. Then, one fine day, take your diary
and a red pencil. Sit down quietly and read each thought
you have recorded. Ask yourself, ‘Was that necessary?’ If the
answer is ‘No’, strike it off. If you are perfectly honest with
yourself, I’m sure you’ll find almost 99% of your thoughts
were unnecessary.

38
 This means that your mental energy was wasted on all those
thought processes. Every time you think, you are drawing a
lot of energy from your storehouse of prana. As long as you
are playing a transistor radio, it is consuming the battery, and
if you leave it on all day, the battery will soon be flat. In the
same way, if you squander away your prana shakti in
endless thought processes, your battery will soon be flat.
However, if you have a method by which you can conserve
your prana shakti, you will have a lot of vitality. Now if you
can understand that thinking consumes energy and mantra
conserves energy, then you will realise the secret of mantra.
Most of us would have strong willpower if only we had a
base on which to center our minds. Then we would not suffer
mentally or emotionally. Our sufferings are not due to any
divine curse. They are our own creation. They are the result
of our mismanagement of the great power that is in our
hearts and minds. We have misused it and today we lie here
impotent. Our minds are dull, our memories are cloudy and
our hearts are broken by anxiety.

39
 So, to all of you who have mantra and to those of you who are
thinking about it, I will remind you once again that everything
in life can fail, but the mantra never will.

Awakening spiritual consciousness

In tantric philosophy, mantra is a force which can be used
for the awakening of our spiritual consciousness. The basis
of mantra is sound, which ranges from gross to subtle.
Sound is a force which creates ripples in the vast ocean of
the cosmos.
Throughout the cosmos there are slow, medium and fast
sound waves. The medium waves are perceptible to us, but
the slow and fast waves are not. When the sound of mantra
is produced, it has a medium range of frequency which is
known as perceptible or gross sound. But when the mantra is
silently intoned, it has a faster rate of frequency and becomes
imperceptible or subtle sound.

40
 Therefore, a mantra works on the earthly plane and also on
the higher planes. When you produce a sound and accelerate
the frequency, it affects the inner realm of consciousness. Just
as when you pick up a pebble and throw it into calm, quiet
lake, the impact creates ripples which form circles which
expand wider and wider according to the force and weight
of the pebble. In the same way, when you repeat a mantra,
the sound hits the homogeneity of consciousness and creates
ripples which help to expand the mind.
Any thought force is material force, mind is matter and
is composed of twenty four tattwas or elements, just as any
motor car is composed of many parts. Now, if you know
a way to expand the mind, you can liberate the energy.
Liberation (moksha) does not imply a religious process. It
is a scientific process, just as is the release of energy from
matter by the process of nuclear fission and fusion. In the
same way, if you want to release the shakti (energy) which
is inherent in your mind, in your desires, in your passions,
ambitions, anger, greed, mean mindedness, petty thinking,
etc., there is a way – we call it expansion of mind.
What is expansion of mind? This is the subject matter of
Tantra. It is the subject matter of yoga, which Vedic dharma
has been teaching for over ten thousand years. When you
close the eyes, and you behold something in you that is
because the mind has expanded. When there is no sound in
this room and you can hear the bell within you that also is
because the mind has expanded.
When mind expands, either by sadhana or by the good
karmas of your previous birth, what happens? Surdas said,
“The blind can see, the deaf can hear, and the dumb can speak.”
The same idea is given by Tulsidas in the Ramacharitamanas,
“When expansion of mind takes place, a separate reality is
created, and this separate reality is known as darshan.”
The word tantra is derived from two roots – tan, ‘expansion
of mind’, and tra, ‘liberation of energy’. The latter refers to the

41
 awakening of kundalini
shakti. How? Tantra is
the theory and there are
practices. Hatha yoga is a
part of Tantra, as are kriya
yoga, mantra yoga, laya
yoga and others. They are
all branches of the tantric
system.
However, to be very
frank with you, the tantric
system was very much
misunderstood, because
this is the only science
which proclaims that, in
order to expand the mind
and release the energy,
you do not have to change
anything in your life. If you
are a householder, remain
a householder, if you are
a brahmachari, remain a brahmachari, if you are eating meat
and drinking wine, let it be.
On the other hand, all the religions and all the sadhanas
taught by different cults and sects say, ‘If you want to awaken
shakti and realise the divine, don’t do this, don’t do that.’
Tantra says, ‘No, you start the spiritual journey from your
own doorstep.’ If you want to go to New York, you start from
here, you don’t have to go all the way to London and start
from there. From each place, there is a direct road to the final
destination. That is the principle of Tantra.
It is also said in the Gita, ‘Whether you are a brahman, a
shudra, or whatever type of person you are, you can always
go ahead.’ Yantra, mantra, mandala, remember them. These
three are important aspects of Tantra. If you say, ‘I want

42
to practise tantra, what should I do?’ I would suggest you
practise these three.

Harmonise with cosmic forces

Man’s inner being is constantly in contact with something
much greater than the limitations of individuality, but the
average person is not aware of this. Mantra brings about a
state of resonance between an individual and the depths of
his being. It is the tool through which we can create harmony
with inner cosmic forces.

Eliminate karmas
The mind is much more than thought or feeling. The mind is
like an iceberg – only a small portion is visible, the remainder
lies submerged under the ocean. According to modern
psychology the mind exists at three levels – conscious,
subconscious and unconscious. In Vedanta we call them
sthula sharira, sukshma sharira and karana sharira.
The unconscious mind is very powerful. The word
‘unconscious’ should not be misunderstood. The unconscious
mind is like a storehouse. All disease, success and tragedy
in life originate in the unconscious mind. The experiences
that you have had in life, the important as well as the
unimportant, are all registered there. It is something like a
hidden camera in the streets. Everything that passes within
its range is immediately photographed. In the same way,
whatever experience you have is immediately transferred
back to the unconscious through the indriyas (senses) and the
mind. There they are stored in bija (seed) form. This process
starts from the fourth month that the child is in the womb of
the mother. From this point on, the child’s experiences are
embedded deep in the unconscious mind.
The unconscious body is called hiranyagarbha, the golden
egg. Through mantra sadhana (practice) we can penetrate it

43
deeply and eliminate all kinds of karmas, one by one. That
is why they say that by the practice of mantra one becomes
free from the entanglements of karma.

Tattwa shuddhi
It is very difficult to know which mantra is good for someone
and which mantra to give. Mantra is a very broad science.
Mantra is sound you repeat and a form which you see. You
keep on repeating it, for example, Om, Om, Om, Om… At
some point, the mind detaches from the senses. Just like
when a rocket is fired, at some point, the two parts separate.
I am just giving you an example. The mind is separated
from the senses by continuing on repeating that mantra. I
can’t predict when it will happen, but it will happen. This
is the scientific and etymological meaning of the mantra.
“Mannanattrayateiti mantra”. If you keep doing mannanan
the mind separates.
Everybody’s mind is plugged into the senses. Now your
mind is plugged to your ears. So you are listening, or your

44
mind is plugged to your eyes, so you are seeing me. The
sound, the touch, the form, the taste and the smell. These are
the outcomes of the relationships between the mind and the
five senses. Without mind, the eyes can’t see. Without ears,
the mind can’t hear. You know this, without the world of the
five senses, the mind cannot have experiences. So, the mind
is always plugged into the senses.
The mantra therefore, has to separate the mind from the
senses – shabd, sparsh, roop, ras, and gandh. These five, the
five tattwas – the akasha, vayu, agni, jal and prithvi, (the ether
element, the wind element, the fire element, the water element,
the earth element), these are five primordial elements. And
these five primordial elements can be understood through
your birth signs, Aquarius, Gemini etc. There are twelve birth
signs, and these twelve birth signs are related to a combination
of these five senses, the five
elements. Now, if you are a
Sagittarius, you belong to the
fire element. So the mantra has
to be a mantra which belongs
to the fire element.
There are special mantras
called bija mantra or seed
mantras. These are Aim,
Hrim, Klim, Shreem, Hrom,
Om, etc. These bija mantras
are elaborated on by the
Guru, they are developed like
you develop a photograph.
Om Namah Shivaya is a fire
mantra. I choose this because
I am a Sagittarian. If you are
also a Sagittarian, we can
share the same mantra, no
problem! The mantra can be

45
written, the mantra can be chanted loudly, or whispered, or
repeated mentally.

Chitta shuddhi
The mind is not one homogenous unit. Just as water is formed
by the combination of hydrogen and oxygen, the mind is a
combination of numerous formations or samskaras. Some are
weak and insignificant, while others have a powerful influence
on the character, habits and nature of the individual. Some are
casual and periodical, while others accompany you all the time.
It is understood that powerful thoughts like anger,
passion, jealousy or fear come into the mind from time to
time, but during meditation many insignificant thoughts
also keep coming and going. This happens because we have
not cleaned the samskaras. That is why the first prerequisite
to meditation is chitta shuddhi (mental purification). Chitta
shuddhi means cleaning the samskaras. Otherwise, when you
sit for meditation so many thoughts constantly come into the
mind, causing restlessness and disturbance. The practice of
mantra is one of the best methods of chitta shuddhi, if it is
done with awareness of all the thoughts that enter the mind
as the mantra is being repeated.

Alter brain waves

What happens when a sound is produced? Scientists have
seen that the brain wave patterns are altered. Tantrics also
say that when a sound is produced, it alters the frequencies of
the brain waves, making the mind calmer and more intuitive.

Mantra for healing

The body
The science of mantra is the science of sound. Sound waves
affect both the physical and the mental bodies. People seem

46
to think that only medicines, injections, tablets or herbs can
cure sickness. These things are fine, but there is definitely a
more powerful and effective formula available to man and
that is sound in the form of mantra. In mantra yoga you repeat
a particular sound, which is suitable to your personality and
your qualities. The mantra is then transformed into a form
of pure energy, which is responsible for the regeneration of
dead cells in the body.

The mind
If you practice mantra regularly, you will treat your own
mental problems, and correct your abnormal mental
behaviour. You will be your own mental doctor. Also, you
will develop an intimate friendship with the mind, and all
of its fantastic faculties will open up to you.
According to nada yoga, the structure of matter is
comprised of millions of sounds, both familiar and unknown.
Every object is a dense composition of sound particles, and

47
the aggregation of these particles is conceived by the yogis in
the form of a sound or mantra. When you recite the mantra,
you are actually working out the problems of your awareness
and your mind. This is a most powerful practice.

Mantra and anxiety

Michel Girodo, of the University of Ottawa, Canada, has
studied the effects of mantra japa on patients diagnosed
as “anxiety neurotics”. Each subject was instructed in japa,
repetition of mantra, in this case ‘Rama’. They were told to
expect relaxation, peacefulness and tranquility, if the practice
was performed regularly, for a 40 minute period twice a
day. After eight sessions, several patients showed marked
improvement and reduction of anxiety.

Mantra – mind over matter

People think that mantra is a kind of psychological balm. It
clearly does offer psychological consolation. It gives you hope
to live on, it gives you hope to work, it gives you some sort
of sympathy, some sort of optimism, some basis to live and
not commit suicide, but that is not all. Mantra has a definite
effect on the objective field. I used to say, and still do, that
‘mind can move matter’, but it can only move matter when
it is mounted on a mantra, yantra or mandala.

Discipline of the mind

The discipline of the mind begins with mantra. Just as a
soldier is brought to the parade ground and drilled, ‘left,
right, about turn, right turn’, likewise the mind too has to
be disciplined with mantra. Therefore every spiritual seeker
must obtain one mantra. A mantra is powerful. It is a strong
force that cures maladies of the mind. It completely overhauls
the entire structure of the mind. Those who want to go high,
who want to go deep must have a mantra.

48
Mantra is for everybody
Mantra is for everybody. Why did the tantric tradition give us
mantra? Tantric texts say that even a person who can’t walk,
talk, see, or hear, who is absolutely destitute, with everybody
against him, can practise mantra and become enlightened.

49
 Symbols, Visions and
Samskaras

Symbols
With mantra japa, you must have a symbol. This will serve
to fix your awareness, and also enhance the power of your
mantra. You have to identify a symbol for yourself. There
are three types of symbols – gross, medium and subtle.
Some use inverted triangles, others a flame, some have a
tiny little shining star, others concentrate on the heart, some

50
on the lotus – blue lotus,
red lotus, yellow lotus,
some on the cross, some on
Christ, some on Shiva, some
on their own Guru, and
so on. When your mantra
has unleashed visions, you
must immediately awaken
your symbol with your
eyes closed. For example,
suppose your symbol is the
flame of fire, even as you see
the flame of fire outside, in
the same manner, with your
eyes closed, you should be
able to see the flame of fire
within. And this experience
of the flame of fire should be abiding, it should continue,
it should be stabilised. Some people want to have this
experience in a particular zone of the heart, while others
would prefer it in the bhrumadhya, the eyebrow center.
It is an individual preference. However, the symbol must
never be changed.

Visions
When you try to become aware of your symbol, visions float
across the mind. What are you going to do with them? It is
very difficult, the more you are aware of your symbol, the
more the visions fly across, the more you have beautiful
dreams, like the visions of people who have taken LSD or
ganja.
Once maybe twenty or twenty-two years ago, I was
in the Himalayas, at Gangotri, the place where the river
Ganga originates. I was living there for a period of nine
months, with another sadhu. It was snowing continuously,

51
 and I used to stay in
the room all day and
all night, keeping
the fire going. I used
to have prolonged
visions, of big tunnels
and small tunnels, I
would see camels
going through those
small tunnels. Once
I had a wonderful
vision, it was fantastic,
you’ll like it. Please
understand that I
am talking about a
vision, something like
a dream, not reality.
It was in the
morning. I was
walking towards the
river with a pot, like
a tea pot or a neti lota
made out of copper.
On the way, I found that an elephant was chasing me.
Eventually he got close to me, because he could take such big
steps. Having no recourse to anything else, I had a bright idea,
I got into the pot to hide. The elephant approached, looking
for me everywhere. Then he looked into the pot and found
that I was there. He became very angry, and then he also got
into the pot. I was terribly frightened, and I got out through
the nozzle. The elephant knew how I had gone, and he also
tried to get out through the nozzle. What happened then, is
that his tail got caught in the nozzle, and wouldn’t come out.
I ran fast and, having no other escape, I climbed up a small
tree, about five feet high. The elephant had meanwhile got

52
his tail unstuck and was soon standing underneath the tree.
Now, so far you may have understood my story, but
beyond this point it is going to be a little difficult to follow.
The elephant started trying to climb the tree. I was incredibly
afraid. Out of terrible fear, I started to urinate. The elephant
was happy and started to climb up the urine as if it were a
rope. Again, out of horrible fear I got another shock, my urine
stopped and the elephant fell down because his rope broke.
That was a vision, but it was so real that I remember it to this
very day. Even as I was relating this to you, I could actually
feel myself entering the pot.

Visions – manifestation of samskaras

Vikshepa
Visions such as those that I have described are a result of
deeply embedded samskaras. These samskaras manifest
in three ways – vikshepa (distraction), vikalpa (one-
pointedness), and laya (total dissolution). The first occurs
when the mind is continually jumping from one point to
another and is never constant. For example, when you are
concentrating on the flame of a candle and a distracting
thought passes through your mind, it is called vikshepa.

Vikalpa
The second formation is called vikalpa. When you have
established pratyahara, dissociated your mind from the
senses, one-pointed awareness takes place. Then you begin
to see visions. You may be concentrating on the flame of
a lamp, but you begin to see the inner television! These
psychic formations of the mind are called vikalpa, and they
are extremely difficult to break. In dhyana yoga if a thought
comes to your mind, you can definitely force it out. But
when vikalpa comes, you are helpless. These are involuntary
expressions of the psychic formations and you have no

53
control over them. Now this kind of thing happens. These
experiences come up, whether induced by meditation, or
by using some kind of herb or medicine. These symbolic
manifestations of pranic energy in the mind are known in
the yoga shastras as vikalpas. They are the greatest barriers
to spiritual awareness. I can assure you it is very difficult to
fix these vikalpas.
I have told you about just one of my experiences. I have
had fantastic visions. During these visions I forgot all about
myself, all about my mantra, and all about the symbol on
which I was supposed to focus my mind. Sometimes these
visions would continue for hours together. During those
nine months at Gangotri, I tried my best to keep my mind
fixed on my symbol, but I found that I still was drifting far
away. I would often see beautiful rishis and munis with
beards over the snow-capped mountains, and the Gods and
Goddesses of Hindu mythology. I would never say that they
were hallucinations or imagination. I consider them to be the
most powerful expressions of the deeper states of my mind,
because fantasy is the mind, and is dormant in every being.
Every man tries to suppress his fantasies. We have locked
our brains with a big master lock to which the key is lost. We
never allow these suppressed fantasies to function, because
we have been taught that fantasies are bad. I say, fantasies
are good. You must use them. From the beginning you must
use the faculty of fantasising. Later on this will help you
to overcome the vikalpas, the psychic explosions, and the
psychic barriers.

Laya
There is a third and powerful formation of the mind
called laya which means dissolution, suspension. In laya,
consciousness is completely eliminated and there is total
shoonya (void). You have been concentrating on the flame
of a lamp and suddenly everything is switched off, there is

54
no flame, there is nothing, and you are totally helpless, lost.
This is a very obstinate formation.
So there are three types of samskaras – distraction, psychic
visions and suspension of consciousness. How are you
going to free yourself from these samskaras? Mantra is a
very valuable tool for this purpose. When you are practising
mantra, it is absolutely necessary to use a mala (rosary).
Mantra and mala together will fix the formations of the mind.
For example, while practicing ‘Om, Om, Om’ your mind
suddenly drops and visions appear. The turning of the mala
will interfere with the visions and revive your consciousness.
This is the importance of mantra in relation to dhyana yoga
and the awakening of spiritual consciousness.

Symbols are the inner guide

Meditation, the inward journey I have been telling you about,
carries you along many paths and through many experiences,
and the journey needs a guide. The outside guide is the
Guru, but who is the inner guide? If I am your Guru, I can

55
 guide you as long as you
are awake. But when the
sun does not shine, when
the mind, the senses and
the outer consciousness
are withdrawn, and the
awareness of time, space
and object is no more, who
is going to be your guide?
Who will lead you on?
The inner guide is
the symbol. Every yoga
aspirant, every student of
meditation must have a
symbol for himself, and this
symbol has to be fixed. It
can by anything. It can be
myself, it can be yourself,
it could be your heart or a
blue lotus, the cross, Christ or the Shivalingam. It could be
anything, everyone must have one. Your outer Guru may
be anyone, I don’t care, it is all the same. But your inner
Guru is the shining light of your symbol at a time when
you are completely and totally dead to the outer life, when
you are no more, when name and form are gone, when time
and space have been transcended. At that time the light
is needed. This is why sages have always emphasised the
need for a symbol.
During the inward journey, there comes a moment when
you are either completely lost in shoonyata, the void, because
you have no guide light, or you emerge, come up, and follow
that light. I hope this is very clear, for this is the secret. All
students of meditation, who have been and who shall be
treading the path, must remember that you have two possible
destinies – one is the path of light, and other is the path of void.

56
The path of void is shoonyata, complete and total annihilation
of consciousness. The path of light is where there is someone,
something, some experience, maybe a person, maybe a light,
maybe music. These are the two paths, you must be clear
about which path you are on.
I have spoken about visions, which are the manifestations
of samskaras. I have also spoken about two other things –
about the mantra, and about the symbol. The whole edifice
of meditation, the whole structure of dhyana yoga is built on
these twin pillars of mantra and symbol, so they have to be
very strong pillars.

57
Importance of Guru Mantra

Up to the point of initiation, you can practice any general

mantra, but once you have been initiated into a mantra, this
becomes your personal mantra. The mantra can be written,
the mantra can be chanted loudly, or whispered, or repeated
mentally.

58
Mantra diksha
When the mantra is given by a Guru, it is registered by your
atman. This is called mantra diksha. It is a seed which grows
as you develop your sadhana or spiritual practice. Mantra
should always be received from a Guru. This is the first form
of contact or initiation between the Guru and the disciple. A
disciple has to have a permanent relationship with a Guru,
through the mantra. Neither mantra nor Guru should be
changed. Before the Guru can pass on the powers of a mantra,
he must feel that the aspirant is strong enough and ready to
receive it. Many Gurus can transmit certain magnetic powers
to their disciples, but if the disciple is not ready it can disturb
his mental and nervous balance.
Initiation is something like an electric shock entering the
person’s mental atmosphere. Just as a cartridge needs to
be struck by the hammer of the gun in order to fire, so the
mantra needs to be struck by the hammer of the Guru in order
to explode the consciousness. The relationship between the
Guru and disciple is based on the mantra. With the help of
the mantra, the Guru is trying to fix the samskaras.
When a disciple accepts a mantra from his Guru, he is
establishing a relationship with the Guru, and he is also
receiving a sound of great power. A personal mantra is one
of the most precious things in life. Getting a mantra from
a Guru is very different from reading a mantra, knowing
about the mantra, discovering a mantra, or getting all the
knowledge about the mantra from a book. When a Guru says,
“Om Namah Shivaya”, he is sending energy. I’m sending you
energy. Speech is energy. Sound is energy. It is a current, it is
a wave, it is a frequency, it is a velocity. It has electrons and
protons. Many things are happening when I talk to you. So,
when the Guru says, “Om Namah Shivaya” in your ears, it
is completely different from the knowledge which you get
from the book. You know Om Namah Shivaya, you know
the Gayatri mantra, the Mahamrityunjaya mantra, etc. You

59
know all the mantras, but I am not telling you a mantra, I’m
sending energy into your brain.
So that’s important. “Uskokehtehain, kaanphukana”
that means “to blow into the ears.” Our ancient expression
in India is, “yaar, kaanphuka lo!”(Blow into the ears!) And
the kaan (ear) is not the right one, it is the left one. Now I
remember the song of the saint, “Murlikaunbajarahe ho,
gaganmandalkebeech?” Who is playing the flute in the
middle of the sky? “Gagankamandal” means depth of your
consciousness. “Uttar dishadhunihoye?” The flute doesn’t play
within the depth of your consciousness, it enters through the
uttar (north). The sound enters when the Guru whispers the
mantra, and immediately they put a cloth on the disciple. Now,
when the Guru whispers a mantra, it is called upanshu. That is
how the mantra is given to the disciple. And that mantra has
to be repeated. My Guru asked me to repeat five malas of “Om
Namah Shivaya” on the day of diksha, before sannyasa. He
said to do it in the morning the first thing after I left my bed.
After accepting the mantra, you become the disciple.
When you practise that mantra you strengthen the Guru-
disciple relationship and once this is established, you can

60
become the channel through which the Guru’s thoughts are
conducted. The disciple must be regular in his meditation.
If there is regular contact with the Guru, you can draw upon
his unconscious help and guidance. In this way maximum
benefits are derived from the sadhana.
The unconscious mind of the Guru interacts with the
unconscious mind of the disciple, not the conscious mind.
At this level we are all interconnected and related to each
other, permitting communion of thought and feeling. Because
of this interrelation, the Guru knows when a disciple has
become unsteady in his mind or when a calamity is going to
befall him. If the Guru is truly capable, he can even alter the
disciple’s destiny.
The Guru is concerned with only one thing – removing the
duality and distance that exists between the two minds of Guru
and disciple. The disciple may have certain worldly aspects,
heart, mind and intellectual
power of reasoning, but the
Guru is not so concerned
with these. He knows that
his disciple has to leave him
at some stage. Therefore
he must be sure that the
disciple is detached from
ego, and there is complete
unity and oneness in their
relationship.
When I took
brahmacharya diksha, that
is when I was admitted
in the ashram, I became a
disciple. My Guru gave me
diksha, five malas in the
morning and five malas
in the evening. So, in the

61
morning I did it, in the night also I did it. I can tell you very
frankly, I could never finish my malas. Either the mind
wandered here and there, or it just went into depression. The
mala fell down. It happens even today, at this age, when I
don’t have a mind at all. When you do the mantra of your
Guru with concentration, you are not able to complete it.
When your mind wanders, then the mala also goes wandering.
That is where the relationship between the Guru and disciple
begins and ends. Between the Guru and the disciple is the
connection of the mantra. Just like between a husband and a
wife, there is a connection of love. Between an indigent man
and a capable man is a connection of compassion. Between
a bhakta and God, is a connection of bhakti.

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Never change your mantra
I find that many people keep on changing their mantra,
but when they come to me for yet another one, I say, “No!
One mantra forever!” The mantra is not your wife whom
you can divorce at any time. The mantra is a part of your
consciousness, a part of your subconscious. Mantra is a part
of your soul, a part of your mind, a part of your spirit. How
can you renounce a mantra and accept another?
Analysing this psychologically, we will realise that
one mantra, which becomes a part of consciousness, will
always conflict with another mantra in deeper states of
meditation. Therefore, once you have a mantra, whether
it is Aum, Sham, Sri or Klim, from me, or from any other
Guru, stick with it. Never try to get a better mantra. Though
you might get a better husband, mantras are all the same.
To be very frank, when people come to me for a mantra in
the West, my first question is always, “Have you ever had
a mantra before?” “Yes.” “What is that?” I ask. They say
Aum, Klim, etc. “Where from?” “From some other sect.” I
say, “Okay, your mantra is the same, but now let it be from
me.” I don’t want to change anyone’s mantra, whether it is
Allah or Buddha or Jesus or Dam or Rama or Govinda or
Klim or Hrim or Aim or Shreem. I think anything can lead
you, provided you have faith in it. If you want to change
your current mantra, you are going to change the new one
also, because you have developed the habit of doing that.
So stick to one mantra.
Sometimes, a person becomes attracted to a mantra other
than the one he was given originally. He begins to feel that
another mantra is better than the one he is using, and so he
adopts a new mantra. This is a mistake, since it can create
more harm than good. It can cause much confusion in the
psyche. Such confusion, once created, is very difficult to
correct. I know this very well from personal experience.

63
 Never change your Guru
Don’t go on jumping from
Guru to Guru. There is only
one secret of success – stick
to something. If you are
practising my system stick
to it, and if you are practising
some other system stick to
that. One Guru, one mantra
– that is called spiritual
chastity.
Remember the words
‘spiritual chastity’. Don’t
go on with your old habits
of flirting, or at least don’t
project them into your
spiritual life. In material
life you may go from this
husband to that husband,
from this wife to that wife,
from this job to that job, from this flat to that flat, from this
country to another, and it may all work out alright. But in
spiritual life only one thing will work – one-pointed chastity
of spiritual purpose.
If you have faith, you have hope, and if you can strengthen
your faith you can do great things in life. The purpose of all
the different rituals we have in life is to strengthen, revive
and resurrect the faith. When you lose faith you lose hope,
then everything in life is lost. Those people who have broken
hearts, they have lost the vision of faith. When you practise
mantra, you are strengthening your faith. But to keep
your faith strong all the time, you must remain intimately
connected with your Guru. If you begin to doubt him and
if your mind is filled with negativity towards him, you are
assassinating your faith.

64
 Once you have a mantra which has been charged by a
Guru, it will immediately start to change the course of your
life if you accept it with your heart and mind and utilise it
daily. Each time you sit for practice, remember your Guru,
and at the end of the practice remember him again. Keep your
eyes closed throughout the practice and relax your body and
mind. Forget your name, forget your home and forget your
environment. Just repeat your mantra, immerse yourself in
it and become the mantra itself.

65
 Types of Mantra

Bija mantras
There are many, many different types of mantras. The most
important of these are the bija mantras or seed mantras. When
the yogis reached very high levels of consciousness, when
they transcended the physical consciousness, the astral being,
and when they broke through the barriers of the unconscious,
then these bija mantras were revealed to them.
The bija (seed) mantras are very powerful sounds which
have significant and instantaneous effects. These mantras

66
consist of a single syllable sound. There are millions of bija
mantras, but we only know a few of them, for example Aim,
Hrim, Klim, Shreem, etc.
Each bija mantra has its own element and each element
is associated with a chakra or center in the body. Om
belongs to ether, the most subtle element. The seat of ether
is ajna chakra. Therefore, Om is the mantra of ajna and is
considered to be the father, the most powerful of all bija
mantras. Those who are serious seekers of the absolute
reality use the mantra Om. Each chakra has an associated
bija mantra. The bija mantra Lam belongs to the earth
element, the seat of mooladhara chakra. Vam belongs to
the water element, swadhisthana chakra. Ram belongs to
the fire element, manipura chakra. Yam belongs to the air
element, anahata chakra. Ham belongs to the ether element,
vishuddhi chakra.
Bija mantras are extremely potent. Those aspirants who
have not fixed their samskaras should not practice a bija
mantra, they should practise something else. When you use
a bija mantra, the awakening of prana is uncontrollable. That
is why so many people have experiences within the second
day of practicing a bija mantra.

AUM
According to the Vedas, AUM is considered to be the creative
force of the universal mind. The concept of universal mind
is very difficult for us to comprehend. In the scriptures it is
called hiranyagarbha which is compared with an egg. In the
center of this egg is the point from which sound emanates.
Nada literally means sound, but here it refers to the ultimate
point of resonance. This point is a transcendental point
where the sound AUM is in unmanifested form. There is no
vibration, no rhythm, no wave, and everything seems to be
completely silent and in potential form. It can be imagined
as total inactivity.

67
 At opposite poles of this universal egg are the forces known
as time and space. Space is the positive energy force and time
is the negative energy force. When you produce the mantra
AUM with your mouth, or recite it in the realm of your mind,
these two psychic forces attain a state of polarity and try to
project themselves towards the central nucleus. When union
occurs, there is an explosion of force, which results in the whole
universal creation. Therefore, the mantra AUM represents the
creative force, the center in which time and space unite, and
where infinity is split into a multitude of infinities.
According to the science of mantra there are four kinds
of sound waves – standing waves, reverberant waves,
oscillating waves, and transcendental waves. The mantra
AUM produces all of these waves. AUM is a combination of
three sounds ‘A’, ‘U’ and ‘M’. ‘A’ creates the standing wave,
‘U’ the reverberant wave, and ‘M’ the oscillating wave. The
fourth wave, being transcendental and beyond the sense
of hearing or speech, is
created by meditating on
AUM at the heart center.
The first three sound
waves belong to the
three dimensions of
human consciousness
and are interconnected.
‘A’ represents the waking
or sense consciousness,
‘U’ the dream or
subconsciousness, and
‘M’ deep sleep or
unconsciousness. The
fourth wave represents
the unlimited dimension
of consciousness which is
beyond the mind and the

68
senses. Therefore, we can say that AUM has four bases, the
sensual world, the mental world, the terrestrial world, and the
ultimate state. AUM is the most powerful, the most benign
of all the mantras.
You must practice the mantra AUM in four stages. First,
aloud, either as Ommmmmm or Ooooomm, allowing the
sound to be registered by the brain, which in turn alters its
waves so that peace of mind and pratyahara (withdrawal)
occur spontaneously. After a few months, it should be chanted
in a whisper, then mentally, and finally in conjunction with
the breath. Pratyahara becomes successful if mantra is taken
as the basis of sadhana or spiritual practice.
When the sound AUM is produced by us, it resounds
through our physical, astral and spiritual existence. It not
only influences the alpha patterns in the brain, it also purifies
all the nadis, the channels through which energy flows. It
influences the microcosmic structure of the body, and charges
the atmosphere around us. We are in an age where we have
much scientific evidence for this.

69
 Concentrate on AUM, convert your consciousness into
AUM and then transmit the vibration and currents of AUM.
Your son, wife or husband in the next room will receive
these vibrations if they are ready for it. The power of mantra
is greater than the power of a nuclear weapon. There is no
comparison, because mantra power is a constructive power
and by practicing mantra we awaken unseen forces within
us. These forces are infinite.

Effects of Om Chanting
Conflict resolution
Although the use of pranayama and asanas has become well
known in all spheres of life, people don’t understand how the
chanting of ‘Om’ can influence their business relationships.
I quote the example of a well-known company in Germany.
Whenever their board of directors gathered for their meetings,
there were always major disagreements, conflicts and
problems, ultimately ending in bitter relationships and lack
of cooperation. To solve this problem, they introduced certain
practices of yoga into their program. Before the meeting began
they extinguished their cigarettes and closed their eyes for
five to ten minutes. First they chanted ‘Om’ several times
together with long ‘O’ and short ‘M’, then they concentrated for
another three to five minutes on the natural breath which flows
continuously, singing the mantra ‘Soham’. After finishing this
practice they began their business discussions. They found that
this short and simple practice of yoga helped them not only
in maintaining harmony and vitality in the meeting, but also
in tackling crucial business problems in a very efficient way.

Dynamic tranquility
‘Om’ is a powerful tonic for tuning the whole mind. In the
Medical University of Barcelona, doctors have conducted

70
research into the effects of Om chanting on the brain. Men
and women of all ages, executives, students, housewives etc.
chanted Om in a variety of ways. Short ‘O’ long ‘M’, long ‘O’
short ‘M’, equal ‘O’ equal ‘M’. A very sophisticated polygraph
machine that measured ECG, EEG, and GSR recorded the
results, simultaneously registering hundreds of impulses
taking place in the body. It also recorded alpha, beta, theta
and delta waves.
Apart from changes recorded in different parts of the body,
the most outstanding result was that the brain waves alternated
between alpha and theta. When ‘O’ was being pronounced
alpha frequency was registered, and theta frequency registered
when ‘M’ was chanted. A state of alpha intensity corresponds
to a deep state of relaxation, and theta intensity represents a
state of creativity and inspiration which is associated with
states of meditation. Now the effect of these alternating waves
in the brain is a state of dynamic tranquility. On the other hand,
the state of relaxation normally experienced by an executive
during a busy working day is one of passive tranquility, when
the mind feels lethargic and regresses into a state of tamas.

71
 Moving towards
transcendence
When the mantra Om
is written, it consists of
four curves, over which
there is a crescent moon
with a bindu or point.
Bindu is the center, or
focal point of Om. Each
curve represents infinity
in its different aspects of
time, space, object and
transcendence. Therefore,
Om has within itself the
force known as prakriti
or nature, as well as the
spiritual force.
The yogis meditate
on this symbol of Om
in order to develop the
spiritual and mental force
within them. There are two manifestations of this energy, one
is fulfillment which belongs to the material plane, the other is
transcendence belonging to the spiritual plane. Om is a very
powerful mantra for the purpose of transcendence.
In India, the path of sannyasa is traditionally associated
with the cosmic mantra Om. The main sadhana (spiritual
practice) of many sannyasins is continuous remembrance
of Om. The Narada Parivrajaka Upanishad says, “Apart
from Om no scriptures and religions need to be studied.”
The importance of Om in a sannyasin’s life is reiterated in a
large number of other scriptures, including the Mandukya
Upanishad.
The Mahanarayana Upanishad says, “The sannyasin should
concentrate all his thoughts on Om. This syllable is the essence

72
of the Upanishads and its secrets are carefully guarded from
those who are considered unfit by the devas (astral beings).
He who continually reflects on the meaning of Om after taking
initiation into sannyasa will attain the Supreme. This comes
through knowledge of the secrets of Om.”

Gayatri

The mantra Om was amplified in order to form Gayatri. The

twenty-four syllables which make up the Gayatri mantra are,
Om bhurbhuvah svah
Tatsaviturvarenyam
Bhargo devasya dhimahi
Dhiyo yo nah prachodayaat
The Vedas, the oldest books known to man, emanated
from the twenty-four syllables of Gayatri. The Gayatri
mantra is the symbol of spiritual consciousness in man. This
consciousness has three stages – the time when it dawns,
when it is fully fledged, and when it enters eternal space.
To start with, consciousness is in total darkness, as though it
were the dark hour of midnight. The sun rising at daybreak
symbolises spiritual life, and the sun setting in the evening
symbolises consciousness. When there is no sun, no light,

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this is the dark night of the soul according to the Bible, or
Shivaratri, the dark night of Shiva, to Hindus. Out of that
dark night comes the dawn of day, and inner vision, inner
perception or awareness begins to take place. This is the
concept of Gayatri.
Gayatri is best practised at sunrise, though it can also be
chanted at noon and at dusk. You can practise it together
with nadi shodhana pranayama, or alternate nostril
breathing.Being a Vedic mantra, it has to be enunciated
properly.
According to the Hindu system, those who are pure
vegetarian should practice Gayatri on a tulsi mala, and those
who are non-vegetarians should practice on a rudraksha mala.
For the practice of Gayatri, there are no restrictions concerning
diet, drinking or marital status. The only restriction is that
you must receive the mantra from a Guru.
The practice of Gayatri
is the roadway to spiritual
evolution. Those who suffer
from mental dullness and
want to brighten their
intellect should practice
Gayatri japa. At first this japa
was said to be for Brahmans
only, ladies could not recite
it, but now it is accepted as a
suitable mantra for all.
There are many Gayatris,
such as Brahma Gayatri,
Surya G a y a tri, Ru d ra
Gayatri and Vishnu Gayatri.
Gods are invoked through
these mantras. They are
objective experiences, not
subjective experiences.

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Om and Gayatri
Gayatri mantra has a powerful and simultaneous effect on
the body, mind, senses and spiritual life. Whenever you
practise Gayatri mantra, you should concentrate on the
form of Om. Gayatri and Om are equally powerful, but the
action of Gayatri is not as speedy as the action of Om. Om
is considered right only for a few, not for everybody. But
Gayatri is meant for the general masses because its purpose
is to create a process of expression, to illumine the different
states of human consciousness.
Hindus teach this mantra to their children at the age of 7, 8
or 9 years, before that they are not allowed to practise it. When
they have fulfilled all the obligations and desires of life, they
can begin to practice Om. The mantra Om is for yogis, because
it is the shortcut for the fulfillment of spiritual transcendence.

Other mantras
There are special mantras which can be used for specific
purposes such as influencing your destiny, or to overcome a
specific problem. These mantras are discontinued as soon as
they have fulfilled their purpose.
A very powerful mantra is the 32 names of Durga. It
has cured and solved many difficult problems which have
perplexed me. It is never done verbally, mentally or in whispers.
You have to chant it loudly and pronounce each name clearly.
Devi Atharva Shirsham is the only japa to be written and
not repeated. However, it is written only when there is the
particular planetary conjunction of Satavisha Nakshatra,
Bhauma Vara and Amavasya, which comes once in several
years. As long as the conjunction exists, you must do the japa
in writing, and it is very beneficial.
The Mahamrityunjaya mantra is a very powerful mantra.
It offers protection from disease or accidents. This is also
known as the moksha mantra.

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 Shiva is said to have disseminated the Ramataraka mantra
– Sri Rama Jaya Rama. It was the mantra of Samartha Guru
Ramdas. This japa can restore peace in a troubled home.
The Katyayani mantra is given to girls who are finding
it difficult to get married. This mantra brings about mental
changes in the girl, the results are positive.
When a person suffers from many ailments, his entire energy
is wasted in brooding over these things. I ask such people to do
Durga Path, Gayatri mantra, Mahamrityunjaya mantra, Rama
naam mantra and recitation of the Bhagavad Gita. You may
argue that you believe in one God and not in many Gods, but is
your faith strong? Will it give relief from the tensions of life? I am
not advocating faith, I am advocating that which is best for you.
When college students come to me and complain of certain
diseases, I ask them to read the Hanuman Chalisa. The results
are very positive. After reading it, a change comes about in
their body and mind.
Many people complain of quarrels in the home, the husband
or the wife does not listen, the in-laws cause trouble. Those
people who fear that they have many enemies, should do
the Devi Kavacham Path. This japa brings about a subjective
change in the practitioner. Whether the practitioner is freed
from the idea that he has enemies, or whether the mental
vibrations change the idea of the other party, I do not know. But
I am very clear about this. Loving and peaceful thoughts travel,
and evil thoughts also travel. If you think ill of a person for
fifteen days, he will become suspicious of you. If you think well
of a person, he will develop trust in you. Therefore, through
mantra japa, your bhavanas or feelings travel. It works.
In different parts of India people have perfected different
classes of mantra. In Tantra there are many traditions –
vedachara, vamachara, kaulachara. However, the mantras
have to be applied strictly in accordance with the tradition
and the system. For instance, if you follow vedachara, then
you cannot learn or be taught the Abhichara tantras. They will

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be handed down to you only if you belong to the kaulachara
tradition. A different class of mantra which is Abhichara
mantras are not written down but handed down from Guru
to chela (disciple). Mithila in Northern Bihar was, and still
is, famous for Abhichara mantras. They are used to cause
disease or kill someone.
The Abhichara mantra was directed at Adi Shankaracharya
by a great tantric of Mithila. In order to avert the effect of this,
Adi Shankara had to propitiate Devi. The mantras composed
by him are known today as ‘Ananda Lahari’ beginning with
the mantra:
Shivah shaktya yukto yadi bhavati shaktah prabhavitum
Na chedevam devo na khalu kushalah spanditumapi
By chanting this mantra, Adi Shankaracharya was able to
avert the Abhichara which was aimed to kill him.
A few more powerful systems are also known to us like
Bagala Mukti, Tara Yantra, Sri Yantra, but these mantras are
benign in nature. With them you can only create positive
effects, not malefic effects.

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 There is also another class
of mantra through which
a thought, a message can
be transmitted to another
person living anywhere, or
through which one is able
to read another’s thoughts.
Then there are minor mantras
for curing scorpion bites,
snakebites, jaundice, etc.
They are known to people
even to this day.

Mantras in Kali Yuga

It is true that through mantra
one can do many great things.
However we need to be
careful, because as time has
gone by, man has changed his
nature. He has become very
selfish. He has become very
emotional and sentimental.
He is prepared to kill and
destroy anyone for a bit of property, or because of some
jealousy! If these mantras were revealed to him now in this
Kali Yuga, you can just imagine the state of affairs there would
be. So the wise men have withdrawn these mantras from the
public. Only a few are now revealed, for example, the bhakti
mantras which help you to transform your nature. Then there
are those that help overcome some sort of difficulties in life,
worries, anxieties, passions, etc. These are mantras like ’Om
Namah Shivaya’, ‘Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya’, etc.
Although some people are still in possession of what we
call the ‘malefic’ mantras, when they use them for a selfish
purpose they rebound on them.

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Tantric mantras
Tantric mantras are carriers of pranic energy which must
be used according to the rules for specific purposes. Many
mantras are given in the tantra shastras, but it is necessary
to study them very carefully in order to use them properly.
Tantric mantras are those which influence the deeper nature
of the universe. They are also intended to fulfill certain desires
of man. Tantric mantras are very powerful and can unleash
enormous energy.

Misconceptions about mantras

Some people say that they worship the sun and recite Gayatri
mantra, therefore they will not recite the Vishnu mantra.
This is not faith but intellectual confusion. If you worship
many Gods and recite many mantras, you are helping your
inner personality which is full of conflicts. It is better if you
engage your mind in a variety of mantra recitations to keep
it occupied.

Mantra and yantra for children

The first thing you should teach your children is “Hari Om
Tat Sat”. Hari is the all-pervading, immanent reality. The
supreme reality is not only transcendent, it is immanent as
well. It is not only here, it is everywhere. So Hari represents
immanent reality that is everywhere. Om represents the
transcendental reality that is beyond attributes, beyond
gunas, beyond name and form, beyond maya. Tat is ‘that’.
Sat is ‘real’. That is real and this existence is real. We have
to see the reality on both planes, the immanent as well as
the transcendent. Therefore, I always say “Hari Om Tat
Sat.” When your children open their mouths, let them say,
“Hari Om”. When you bear them, always give them good
samskaras, good karma, ”Hari Om”. If you have missed the
great opportunities of spontaneous spiritual revelations,

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why should your children also miss out? You have been
making great efforts to spiritualise yourselves because your
parents failed to do so. Why should you fail your children?
They should grow up in such an atmosphere that spiritual
awareness is a spontaneous event in their lives. This is how
a new psychic race will be born. All of you should be the
harbingers of that psychic race.
Relaxing the brain through mantra is one of the methods
of increasing perception, but yantra is a more direct method
because it is not a process of relaxation like mantra is. It is
a process of awakening. Some systems use music to help
children relax. This is not bad, but it creates a certain amount
of inactivity. Most music makes the mind inactive, although
some types of music make it expressive, and other types are
very awakening for children.
Visualisation of yantra is, however, a totally dynamic,
activating method. When you practise awareness of the
yantra, your mind is continually generating higher wave
patterns, it never regresses. Concentration on a particular
yantra stimulates a similar archetype in the brain, which
creates an awakening at a higher level.

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Mantra practice
 Mantra Japa

Key guidelines for the practice of mantra japa

Gradually reduce the frequency of the brain waves
In the practice of mantra, first of all you have to decrease the
frequency of the mind waves, which are responsible for the
brain waves. In order to decrease the frequency of the mind
waves, you have to withdraw the senses. When the brain
is isolated and the senses cannot feed it with the necessary
sensorial impulses, then the frequencies decrease.

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 Now decreasing the frequencies of the mind is a process
which should not be done suddenly. It should be done
gradually, because when the mind undergoes a change of
frequency many corresponding changes take place in the
body. There is a change in the body temperature, in the oxygen
consumption, in the galvanic skin resistance, in the quality
and quantity of hydrochloric acid and enzyme secretions.
Therefore, in order to give the body time to adapt, the process
of decreasing the frequencies of the mind must be gradual.
If, for example, your mantra is ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ you
should practise it at a particular rhythm. You can focus your
awareness at the eyebrow center or at the heart, and then you
must fix the speed. Now this speed of repeating the mantra
should remain the same throughout at each practice. But you
can reduce the speed over time. For example, at the first stage
you can chant, ‘O-m Namah Shivaya’. And the second stage,
after one month, chant ’O-m Na-ma-ha Sh-iv-a-ya’ (slower).
Maybe, after one year, or one and a half years, you can say
‘Ommm-Naaa-maaa-haaa-Shh-ivaa-ayaa’ (very slowly).

Bring your awareness to the nosetip

First of all bring your awareness to the nosetip. This is very
important for two reasons. The first reason is that when
the eyeballs move, the rhythms of the brain are affected,
consciousness is not steady. Therefore, the eyes have to be
absolutely steady, and awareness has to be fixed at one spot.
That is point one. Secondly, the nose is directly connected with
the perineum, which is the seat of the most important center
in the body – mooladhara chakra. When you concentrate on
the nosetip, impulses keep moving from the nosetip right
down to the perineum.

Breath awareness
After you have been concentrating on the nosetip, become
aware of the breath, the natural breath which moves at

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the speed of about fifteen
rounds per minute. The
breath has to be felt at the
nosetip, flowing through
both the nasal orifices. Then
synchronise your mantra
with the natural flow of the
breath, either one mantra
with inspiration and one
with exhalation, or more
than one mantra with
inspiration and exhalation.
The number of mantras per
breath depends both upon
the length of your mantra,
and on your comfort level.

The flow of breath

When you practice japa,
your breath must always
be flowing from the left
nostril. If the breath is
flowing through both nostrils, that is alright, but the right
alone should not be flowing. If the breath is not flowing
through the left nostril, then there is a simple method of
changing the flow from the right to the left. In ancient times
they used a special kind of staff or armrest. It was made
of wood and was placed under the right armpit. A slight
pressure was applied under the armpit. After a short period
of time, the air stops flowing through the right nostril and
starts to flow through the left nostril. This is a traditional
method of swara yoga. There is a simpler method. Place
your left hand into the center of the right armpit and apply
some light pressure. You will soon find that the breath will
start to flow through the left nostril.

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 Remember to check the air
flow in your nostrils before
starting the practice of japa.
If the flow is wrong, that is,
through the right nostril, then
use the above technique to
bring about change.

Practise regularly
Mantra is so powerful that it can
change your destiny, economic
situation, physical structure,
etc. If you want the mantra to
change the whole structure of
your life, you must practice it
regularly, every morning and
evening. Practice for ten minutes early in the morning before
everyone gets up, and again at night just before you go to bed.

Pronounce mantra correctly

The purpose of a mantra is to make an impression on the
psychic superstructure of the mind. To get the right effect, the
pronunciation should be perfect. The correct articulation will
create the exact sound vibrations in the unconscious mind.
Incorrect pronunciation could possibly do harm if continued
for a long period, but more likely will bring about no effect at
all. Likewise, you should not change the pitch or intonation
of the mantra without good reason.
Bhaktas (devotees), however, are lucky – they do not need
this correct pronunciation of the mantra. All they have to
do is constantly remember the name of their chosen deity,
repeating it mentally or otherwise. Their bhava (strong feeling
of love) alone will take them to their goal. For them, there is
no need for correct pronunciation, a mala or anything else.

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Devotion is enough. But for those not inclined towards bhakti
yoga, pronunciation of their mantra is very important.
I have found that anyone who listens with awareness can
produce the correct sound of the mantra. At first you may
not be able to repeat the correct sound aloud, but you can
perceive it. After hearing a melody several times, you can
recreate it in your mind, even though you may not be able
to sing it. In the same way, if you listen to the pronunciation
of the mantra, even if you do not repeat it aloud, you will
conceive the correct sound in your mind, and this is enough.

Mantra can be practiced in four different ways

There are four ways in which mantra can be practised,
(i) baikhari – aloud, with the mouth
(ii) upanshu – whispering, with movement of the lips
(iii) manasik – silently in the mind, with no movement of
the lips or tongue, no stir in the throat
(iv) ajapa japa – spontaneously with the breath.
When sound is produced in these four different forms,
it produces different types of waves. When you chant Om
aloud or in a whisper, it creates a standing wave. When you
repeat it silently in the mind, it produces a resonant wave.
Spontaneous mantra synchronised with the breath creates
a continuous, rhythmic wave which has a long range of
vibration. When you chant the mantra with your mouth or
lips, it has a short range of vibration, a very quick rest period.

Follow a prescribed sequence of mantra chanting

For the best results, mantra should be practised in the
following sequence – first chant aloud, producing the sound
with your mouth. After a few months, just whisper it on the
lips, without producing any vibration. Then later, after a
year or so, fix a point at the eyebrow center, nosetip, or in the

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heart, and repeat your mantra silently there, synchronising it
with the pulse beat. Finally, practise spontaneous awareness
of the mantra with the rhythm of the breath. This is the
most important form. If the mantra is to penetrate the inner
consciousness, to reach the point where thoughts originate,
where consciousness emanates and evolution begins, then
this last form of spontaneous mantra awareness, ajapa japa,
must be practised. This doesn’t mean to say that you should
not chant aloud, but this is the lower form. Feeling the mantra
spontaneously is the higher form.

Mantra has to be repeated

The mantra has to be repeated thousands of times. Gradually,
as your mind becomes quieter and quieter, the vibrations
grow more powerful. The mantra then goes deeper into the
consciousness, pierces through the conscious mind and the
subconscious mind and penetrates the unconscious mind.
Once the mantra enters the unconscious mind, it destroys
all samskaras and mental formations. Therefore, the mantra
must be repeated regularly with the mala. If your mantra is
Om, practise five malas every day. If you don’t have time in
the morning, do it at night. Regardless of what sort of life you
lead, practise first and then sleep.
The mantra is a purifying force. Nothing in the world can
pollute the mantra, nothing can make it impure. Mantra can
purify all corruption. Om is the most powerful, the most
benign of all the mantras.

Mantra anusthana
Anusthana is a traditional practice in which a particular
mantra is chanted for a prescribed number of times. A
sankalpa or vow has to be made to complete them over
a given time period. There are many kinds of anusthana
but the two most important are sadharana anusthana and

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purashcharana anusthana. Sadharana anusthana is done on
all nine days of Navaratri. During this time, simple, bland
food is taken and no work is done. Purascharana is a long
anusthana in which the mantra is repeated as many hundreds
of thousands of times as the number of matras or letters it
contains. For example, if the mantra is Om Namah Shivaya,
it must be repeated 500,000 times – this means 5000 malas.
This can be completed in a short period of time or over a long
period at your convenience. If you do not want to undertake
the full number, then you can do only half or one quarter.
Anusthana is typically initiated on an auspicious day, for
example, the day of an eclipse.

Practise mantra whenever you are idle

Practise the mantra whenever you are idle, during the day or
at night, whether you are thinking sensible things or useless
things. If you keep your mind occupied with the mantra

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whenever it is free, you will soon find that the mind no longer
wanders like a vagabond. The mind now has a base, a point to
which it can return. Through this simple practice one can bring
about a great transformation in the mental state. Mantra is a very
powerful tool for handling all the manifestations of the mind.
Throughout your life you have been thinking almost
incessantly, and if you examine your thoughts, you will
find that 99% of them are unnecessary. Just imagine how
much mental energy is wasted on all those useless thought
processes. If you had a base on which to center your mind
you would have strong willpower, a one-pointed mind and
a lot of vitality.

Other rules for practise

• A mantra is absolutely personal and should not be revealed
to anyone.
• Mantra can be repeated at any time and in any place,
although it is best to practise at a regular time each day,
either early in the morning after asanas and pranayama, or
before sleep at night.
• Mantra can be practised with or without a mala and in any
posture, but when you are practising in the morning or before
sleep, it is best if you practise with a mala and in a meditative
posture with eyes closed.
• Clothing should be loose and comfortable. Many people
experience greater steadiness and tranquility if they place a
geru dhoti over their head and shoulders during their mantra
practice.
• Do not try to concentrate while practicing mantra, otherwise
you will create tension.
• Repeat the mantra quickly if the mind is disturbed and
slowly if the mind is more relaxed. If you are sleepy, repeat
the mantra verbally.

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• The mala which is used for
mantra sadhana should never
be worn around the neck or
lent to other people. When it
is not being used it should be
kept in a small bag of its own.
• The mala given to the
disciple by the Guru at the
time of initiation should be
used in preference to all other
malas and must always be
kept with reverence.

Common errors in japa

I have discussed the right way
to do mantra japa. However,
there are some common errors
made by spiritual aspirants.
These errors, in time, can have
adverse effects on the psyche.
• Firstly, the practice of japa should be done when alone.
If, however, five or ten serious people wish to practise as a
group, then that is different and acceptable. Otherwise you
should practise alone. There is a spiritual law that if yogic
practices are done in front of others, perhaps for show, then
they will lose their effect. This law applies to japa.
• Secondly, don’t try to explain your experience to other
people who are against yogic practices, they are not ready
to listen and will not understand. Instead they will probably
laugh at you and deplete your precious spiritual inspiration
and impetus. Practise alone.
• The third most common error is to practise too much. Some
people are over-enthusiastic for self-realisation and they

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practise for hours and hours every day. This can easily lead
to what is called, in the language of psychology, extreme
introversion and perhaps even a catatonic state. You should
not overdo japa. You know very well that any medicine which
is powerful should not be taken above the prescribed dose.
In the same way you should not take too much ‘medicine’
in the form of japa.
At the time of mantra diksha (initiation into the use of a
mantra) the Guru will usually prescribe the maximum limit
of daily practice. During my initiation from my Guru, I was
told to do five rounds of the mala when I went to bed at night,
five malas after waking up in the morning, five malas after
lunch and five malas after dinner in the evening. I knew that
five malas would take about twelve minutes and I wondered
why Swamiji had prescribed so little practice for me. I thought
that I should do about three hours of japa every day. The
one thing that he emphasised was that I should not miss my
practice for even one day. So I used to do my twelve minute

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japa practice four times per day. The forty-eight minutes
trained my psyche to such a degree that even now I can tell
the exact time of the day by the spontaneous need to do the
japa practice. This is called disciplining the psyche. Some
people say that it is not the quantity, not even the quality,
but regularity that is most important in japa yoga. Please
remember this point carefully.

Guided mantra meditation

Please be seated in a comfortable cross legged pose. Close
your eyes and chant Om with me three times.
Now focus your attention on the tip of your nose. When
you try to look at the nosetip with your eyes closed, this is
known as nosetip gazing. By fixing the mind on the nosetip
you are also steadying the eyes, and when the eyeballs are
still, concentration and meditation can occur more easily.
It does not matter if your mind wanders from its concentration
point every now and then, but the eyes should remain steady.
When your mind and your eyes are fixed on the nosetip, you
don’t have to make strenuous efforts to concentrate. Just bring
your awareness to the nosetip from time to time. Maintaining
awareness of the nosetip, follow the natural movement of the
breath.
Witness each inhalation and exhalation.
Without moving your awareness from the breath or the
nosetip, listen carefully to the instructions.
The natural breath is usually even, but sometimes it
becomes deeper, shorter or longer. It does not matter, the
important thing is to maintain awareness of the nosetip and
the breath at the same time.
Breathing generally continues involuntarily, but at times you
have to voluntarily breathe in and out. If the breath becomes
shorter or longer it does not matter. Don’t try to control the
breath, merely witness it.

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 In synchronisation with the breath, begin to mentally
repeat your personal mantra, or if you do not have one,
repeat the mantra So-ham. As you inhale use So, as you
exhale use Ham.
You have to maintain simultaneous awareness of the
nosetip, the breath and the mantra. Nosetip gazing helps to
stabilise eye movement, and breath awareness makes the
mind open and free, so that the mantra penetrates the deeper
layers of your consciousness.
Continue mantra repetition with the breath for 10 to 15
minutes.
The breath will become finer and finer, at times it will be
deeper and at other times it will be shorter. If you are able to
maintain constant awareness of the breath, it will become
deeper, but if you lose contact with the breath, due to the
fluctuations of the mind, then the breath will become shorter.
The nosetip is a very important center. If you are able to
keep your mind fixed on the nosetip, and at the same time
follow the breath, you can influence mooladhara chakra.
If you feel tension when you concentrate on the nosetip, it
means you are making too much effort and are not sufficiently
relaxed.
Nosetip gazing, breath awareness and mantra repetition
should be practiced simultaneously. Threefold perception at
one instance, this is one way of practising mantra meditation.
Now, for a few moments only, relax your mind – not the
body, only the mind.
No nosetip awareness, no breath awareness, and no
mantra awareness. Relax the mind completely. Let it go where
it chooses, let it think what it wants.
This relaxation of the mind is important if you practise your
mantra for a long time. But if you are only practising your
mantra meditation for 10 minutes, then it is not necessary.

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 If you can pause for a minute or two at the end of each
15 minutes of practice, or for 5 minutes at the end, it will be
very good.
The nose is shaped like a triangle, you can imagine it. When
you concentrate on the nosetip you are fixing your mind on
the lower middle point of the base of the triangle.
The right side and the left side are the channels where
you feel the inspiration and the exhalation. Again, for just a
few minutes, witness the breath. Focus your attention on the
nosetip and the ingoing and outgoing breath.
Keep going and centrally establish the nosetip as a point.
When you are aware of the breath in the proximity of the nosetip,
you get a better idea of the breath and also of the nosetip.
Begin to repeat the mantra in synchronisation with the
breath, So with inhalation, Ham with exhalation. Nosetip
awareness, breath awareness and repetition of the mantra.
Now chant Om with me three times. Hari Om Tat Sat. You
may open your eyes.

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 Allow the Mind to Flow

Do not try to control the mind

Tranquility is not necessary when you practice mantra, nor
is it the aim. Tranquility is an ideal. Man has to learn to live
with reality. Nature is living with stress. The universe is living
with stress. Learn to live with stress. That is the ultimate aim.
Stress is struggle, struggle is life, and life is progress. Forget
about control.
The science of mantra is not a branch of hatha yoga, it is a
part of Tantra. In Tantra it is said that mantras can influence

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the totality of human
consciousness and destiny.
The mantra you practise
creates a lot of force within
your inner self. Although
you can concentrate with
the help of a mantra,
mantra is not a tool of
concentration. The purpose
of mantra is to permeate
your whole body, mind,
and spirit with resonant
vibrations. Therefore, when
you are practising mantra,
even if your mind is not
concentrated, but is jumping
from thought to thought,
you are still getting the full
benefits of the practice. If
you want to think of a man
or a girl, go on. If you want to think about how to earn money,
millions, billions, trillions, do it! If you want to become the
prime minister of Australia or the secretary of the United
Nations, if you want to destroy Russia or America, if you
want to make the whole world Protestant or Catholic, or if you
want to break into houses or banks and take all the money,
go ahead and think about it.
Once I told my Guru that the mantra he had given me was
of no use because when I practised it, my mind would jump
about like a monkey. What is the value of repeating a mantra
if it doesn’t concentrate the mind?
He gave me some very practical advice, “You do so many
things in life which apparently have no value. So why don’t
you continue with the mantra for an extra five minutes.” I
repeated my mantra, as he ordered, for years together with

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 absolute regularity. Even
though I had no faith in it,
the mantra had very deep
and powerful effects on
the whole structure of my
consciousness. I practise it
even today.
Therefore, I cannot agree
with those people who say,
“Close your eyes, control
your mind and practice
mantra. You will come to
the light.” I have practised
not for one or two years,
but for a whole lifetime, and
I know this is not the way.

The mind is invincible

You talk about controlling
the mind, but what are you talking about? You can definitely
streamline and channel your emotions, the pattern of your
thinking and the structure of your ambition, the social mind.
But the real mind is invincible and is completely indomitable.
Therefore, you must realise that in order to understand and
control the thought process you have to go into the deeper
spheres of your mind. That is the science of mantra. The sounds
which you receive and the sounds you make, create resonant
waves both in the depths and at the surface of the mind. These
sound waves have various forms known as mandalas which
go deep and hit the depths of the mind.

The mental process is involuntary

The mental process is involuntary, and you cannot terminate
it at any point of your choice. You might think that you have

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created a vacuum in your mind – shoonya, void, a thought-
free mental area. But that’s all delusion, man can never be
free from the thought process. You not only think on the
conscious plane, you think even though you are unconscious.
When you are extrovert and preoccupied, an unseen, eternal,
unbroken and protracted process of thought movement
continues behind the mental curtain. You don’t see anything,
but there is constant movement.

Do not suppress thoughts

What happens when you practise mantra? More and more
thoughts express themselves. The mind becomes wild. As
long as you are occupied, you are quiet, your mind is peaceful.
But when you begin to concentrate on the mantra, everything
comes to the surface from the hidden depths. Does this mean
that you are not progressing? Is it a negative symptom? No!
During the period when you practice mantra, the wilder the
mind becomes, the better it is for you. You do not require
clarity, tranquility or passivity of mind. The most important
thing is to come face to face with the mind.
You should never try to reject a thought process. Every
thought that is suppressed comes back again even stronger,
especially if it is most horrible, obscene and sinful. Every
thought is power, every thought is like a bomb. The more
you suppress it, the more it comes out. And the later it comes
out, the more terrible it is.
You may be able to disassociate the mind from the sensory
channels so that the senses cannot supply stimuli, but what
about the inherent nature of the mind? Mind is a bundle of
samskaras, impressions. There are thousands of memories, of
experiences. How are you going to deal with this multifarious
nature of the mind? If you try to perform mental genocide,
you will have to pay horribly. How many impressions in the
mind are you going to suppress? You will just create internal
conflict, which could ultimately make you schizophrenic.

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 You must allow the mind to think without opposing,
abusing, or hating it. If there are any evil thoughts in the
mind, learn to accept them, do not suppress them. Whatever
thoughts arise, learn to face them with full awareness. They
are your inheritance from childhood, from your parents, and
from society. They are your personality, your structure. They
are ‘you’, and you must not try to kill yourself.

Don’t fight with yourself

Sit for one hour, try for two hours, and try to extend the
time so that eventually you can sit for three hours. Sit down
properly – Om Namah Shivaya…Om Namah Shivaya…Om
Namah Shivaya…You begin to think about your job…Om
Namah Shivaya…Oh my mind is so restless, I’d better do
some pranayama…No, I am too tired…
Okay. You see, this is what you have been doing all the
while, wrestling with yourself, with your mind. Who is
controlling whom? You are fighting with yourself. The right
hand is pulling the left hand, the left hand is pulling the
right. The entire atmosphere of antagonism is self-created.
You are creating a split in your own mind. One part of
the mind is fighting with another part of the mind. One
tendency of the mind is fighting with another tendency of
the same mind.
Therefore, when you practise mantra, please don’t quarrel
with yourself. If your mind is running into fantasies, let it go.
You expect the mind to be calm like a moonlit night, free from
clouds and thunder. That’s not possible. When you practise
your mantra, please remember that you are not practising it
to stop this eternal process, to crush the basis of your faculties,
your knowledge, and your enlightenment. To crush the mind
is to kill life. To suppress an emotion is to destroy the very
base of your ambition and desire. Man cannot be anything
unless he has the whole mind to work from. The greatest
discoveries in history, the greatest victories, the greatest

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paintings, compositions,
and realisations, they are
all products of the mind.
The mind is constantly
resonating, vibrating with
all kinds of impressions,
even now, but you don’t
see it, you don’t know it,
because your senses are
engaged. As soon as you
isolate your mind, you can
see the whole beautiful
game it constantly plays.
The more you evolve in
spiritual life, the more
you become aware of the
homogeneity of the mind.
So therefore, in Tantra,
do not aim at killing any
of the expressions of the
mind. Mind is not your
problem at all – you are
the mind’s problem, always wanting more experiences. So
whenever you practice mantra, yantra or kriya yoga, please
remember that you are not going to fight with the mind.

Encourage the mind to explore

When you practice mantra, the deeper you go, the greater areas
of the mind you explore. You will not only see the passions,
ambitions, dreams, and compassions, you will see horrible
fears, thoughts which you could never think on the mental,
psychic or para-psychological planes. That’s natural and, if it
doesn’t happen, you can be sure that you have a mental block
somewhere, and you must cure it. I repeat, a mental blockage
has built up, and you must find it, and get rid of it.

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 As you practise your
sadhana, you must not
interfere at all with the
mind and the experiences
that come to you. You have
to explode the karmas, the
impurities must come out
so that you can be free of
them. The dormant and
suppressed emotions and
desires, the karmas and
inhibitions buried deep in
your subconscious mind,
which you are escaping,
running away and hiding
from during the daytime,
must come out at the
point of concentration, at
the point of repetition of
the mantra.
People come to
me every day saying,
‘Swamiji, my mind is very restless and I am not able to
concentrate. Kindly give me a mantra.’ I have to tell them,
‘This is not possible. I don’t teach mantra for this purpose.
But if you want your unconscious to be exploded, if you
want the great treasure to reveal itself, then, I can give you
a mantra.’

Thinking is not a process, it is a panorama

Thinking is not a process, it is a panorama. The mind does
not move, it does not walk, it does not run. But you see the
mind in parts, therefore you think it is moving, just as you
see the sun moving but the earth not. This is one of the most
important things that all of us must understand. This idea

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is very important in yoga. It influences the whole mental
condition, the state of being. You feel thoughts moving,
emotions running wild, passions assailing you. But that’s
your experience, your feeling – that’s not a fact. You see the
whole thing, part by part, and therefore you feel that the
mind is moving from past into present and from present
into future, from future into past and from past into future.
But it is not like that. The universal mind is homogeneous,
it cannot be separated by time and space. Time and space
are in its womb.
Therefore, when you are practising mantra, you should be
happy when your mind is developing the areas concerning
the past, present and future. When evil and criminal thoughts
are awakened in your mind, or when you have thoughts of
God and compassion, it is all the same. If you want to crush
the evil idea, you must crush the good idea as well. This is
a very important point, and it is here that the whole process
of life, of evolution, is stuck. Those people who have been
able to transcend the barriers of life, have done it only after
realising this.

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Accept and observe each thought
When you sit down to practise mantra, all kinds of thoughts,
worrying thoughts, anxious thoughts, passionate thoughts,
anguished thoughts, etc., rush to the surface of the mind.
So when we are practising japa and a thought comes, we
push it out, another one comes and we push it out. But this
is incorrect. We must accept and observe each thought,
with detachment, without involvement, and let it pass of
its own accord.

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Antar mouna
Acceptance of the mind is a very important attitude, especially
during the practice of mantra. To live with our own thoughts
and feelings is very difficult. Whenever the mind is disturbed,
you must find out what is the cause of the disturbance. Try
to become a witness of all that is happening.
The process of witnessing is called antar mouna. Japa yoga
must be followed or accompanied by antar mouna. When we
are practicing mantra and a thought comes into our mind,
we must stop for a moment and see the thought, whatever
it is. Then continue the mantra until another thought comes.
During the practice of japa and antar mouna, significant and
insignificant memories of the past flash into our mind. These
memories should be seen very clearly if we want to purify
our mind. Every experience which we have during mantra
practice or meditation has an important bearing on our life.

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 The Mala

Why use a mala?

Most people think that they can practice japa yoga in any way
that they like. After all, it is only chanting a mantra (psychic
sound), so it matters little how it is chanted, it matters little
whether one uses a mala (rosary) or whether it is held in the
left hand or right. In fact, this is totally incorrect, japa has its
own special rules and regulations. If these are not followed
then japa will fail to bring results.

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 The purpose of japa is to awaken the psychic awareness.
To bring this about, it is necessary to use a mala. But why use
a mala? Surely the awakening of awareness can be achieved
without a mala. A mala itself doesn’t awaken awareness, so
why bother to use it?
Psychic awareness can be awakened without the use
of a mala, agreed, but the trouble lies with the human
temperament. The mind does not remain steady for any
length of time. Therefore it becomes necessary for us to choose
a medium through which we can know when we are aware
and when we are not. When you travel to a faraway place,
you pass many milestones on the way. Even if there were no
milestones you would be able to reach your destination. But
the milestones act as a check and show you that you are going
in the right direction. In japa, the beads are the milestones and
the mala is the road. The road and milestones are essential
in order to ensure that you reach your psychic destination.
The beads maintain awareness and keep the psychic system
in check.
Let us make this point more clearly for those who have not
been able to follow. We use a mala as a method for checking
and detecting those moments when we lose awareness and
forget what we are doing. It is also used to give an indication
of how far we have progressed in the practise. At a certain
stage in japa, when the mind becomes quite calm and serene,
it is possible for the fingers to become inert. They become
momentarily paralysed and you become completely unaware.
Sometimes the mala may fall to the ground. Then know that
you have strayed from the aim of japa, that is, you have failed
to maintain awareness. If you don’t have a mala in your
hand when you practice japa, how will you know what you
are experiencing? You might be under the impression that
you have experienced a state of spiritual ecstasy, when all
you have really experienced is total unconsciousness. That
happened to me once.

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 One evening at six o’clock
I sat with my mala for japa. I
sat in padmasana and used
a wall to support my back. I
finished my practice at about
four o’clock in the morning,
and except for terrible pains
in my knees and thighs, I felt
so happy. I was so overcome
with happiness that I went
directly to Swami Sivananda.
I said, “Swamiji, I have just
spent ten hours in samadhi.”
He just laughed at me and
said, “That is very nice.”
At another time, Swamiji
asked me if I was still
practising japa. By this time I
had given up using a mala and I said, “Yes, Swamiji, I’m still
practising.” “Do you use a mala?” he then asked. “I don’t
have a mala,” I replied. “Where is the mala I gave you?” he
asked. I told him that I didn’t believe in malas so I had given
it away. Swamiji then said, “You may believe in a mala or
not, that is only intellectual, this is not a question of belief,
but a question of need.” Then he reminded me of the night
I had spent ten hours in ‘samadhi’. “Do you remember that
night?” he asked. “Very clearly, Swamiji” I replied. “Well
then, can you be sure that you were aware throughout or
did your mind go blank?” I said, “I don’t know.” Then
Swamiji said, “There must be some method where we can
know and directly check.” I then asked, “What could that
method be, because in deep states of consciousness it is not
possible to remember anything.” Swamiji finally replied, “It
is the continuity of a mala that will tell you of your state
of consciousness. If you are conscious of the mala and the

108
fingers moving each bead, then you are aware. That night
you were not in samadhi but in a state of unconsciousness.
You were asleep.”
When japa is done correctly and concentration takes place,
the mala will continue to move almost automatically. At the
same time, the number of rotations of the mala should be
counted on the fingers of the left hand. A mala may not be
something that your intellect can accept, but for successful
practice of japa, it is a necessary tool for the mind.

Types of malas
For mantra meditation you should have a mala of 108 beads.
They must be strung on strong cotton thread which is knotted
between each bead. The most commonly used malas are
tulsi, rudraksha, sandalwood, coral and crystal. Tulsi beads
are made from the stems of tulsi plants which are highly
revered for their psychic properties. Tulsi has a strong and
purifying effect on the emotions and is soothing to the mind.
The sensitivity of tulsi makes it one of the best media for

109
practising mantra, however it should not be used by those
who consume alcohol or a non-vegetarian diet.
Rudraksha, the seed of a jungle fruit, is the second most
commonly used mala. It is not so sensitive to psychic things
and there are no restrictions regarding its use. Rudraksha
improves blood circulation and functioning of the coronary
system and reduces high blood pressure.
Sandalwood malas are sweetly scented and contain
pacifying and protective vibrations. They are cooling and
beneficial to those who have any type of skin disease. Coral
malas are used by those who have eczema, ringworm, scabies,
etc., or mental disorders like schizophrenia and neuroses.
Crystal malas have psychic properties and are used for higher
tantric sadhana.
It is best to use the mala given to you by your Guru at the
time of initiation. Wherever possible, use a mala made by the
disciples of your Guru, at his ashram.

Why 108 beads?

The fact that a mala has one hundred and eight beads needs
some explanation. Personally speaking, I’m not really
satisfied with the explanation I am going to give you. They
are explanations that I have heard from my elders and from
what I have read in the scriptures.
The digits of 108 have the following meaning, ‘1’ represents
the supreme consciousness, ‘8’ represents the eight aspects of
nature consisting of the five fundamental elements of earth,
water, fire, air and ether, plus ahamkara (individuality),
manas (mind) and buddhi (sense of intuitional perception),
and ‘0’ represents the cosmos, the entire field of creation. To
put it another way, ‘0’ is Shiva, ‘8’ is Shakti and ‘1’ is their
union or yoga.
There are some scholars who believe that 108 represents
the number of skulls on the garland worn by Kali, the Goddess
of destruction. It is said to symbolise the 108 reincarnations

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of the jiva (the individual
consciousness) after which
an individual will become
self-realised.
There are many more
explanations in different
books. However, the
meaning of these numbers
has significance at a deeper
psychic level. They are
numbers that are chosen to
help bring about auspicious
conditions whilst doing
japa. They are numbers that
have been found suitable by
the practical experience of
ancient rishis. Explanations
of these numbers are
merely for those who want
intellectual answers.

How to use a mala

Besides the 108 beads of the mala, there is also one extra bead
called the meru or sumeru. This bead can be considered to
represent the top of the psychic passage called the sushumna.
For this reason, the meru bead is also called the bindu. The 108
beads symbolise the 108 centres, stations or camps through
which your awareness travels up to the bindu and then back.
These centres are really chakras, though mostly minor ones,
and they represent the progressive awakening of the mind.
The bindu is the limit of this expansion of mind.
When you use a mala you should never cross the bindu.
Please remember this point carefully. When you begin your
practice at this point and return to it again, you will have
completed one rotation of awareness through the psychic

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passage called the sushumna. From this point you simply
reverse the mala and continue your practice.
Let me say that we rotate the mala in this special way in
order to revive our awareness, having become distracted from
the practice by thoughts and emotions. When we start the
rotation of the mala, there is no problem up to say, ten beads.
After that the mind becomes distracted by this or that, the
fingers move the beads automatically. But when the sumeru
bead comes, the consciousness is revived by the change in
the feel of the mala. This brings about a return of awareness
to the practice in hand.
Three fingers are used
for holding and rotating
the mala – the thumb,
third finger and fourth
finger. The second and
fifth fingers are not used
at all. Hold the mala in
the fingers as shown in
the diagram. It is very
simple. Join the tips of the
thumb and ring finger. In
the small groove formed
between the thumb and
ring finger, rest the mala.
Now with the third finger
you should begin to rotate each bead one after the other.
Remember, you should rotate the mala towards the palm of
the hand.
The mala which is used for japa should not be worn around
the neck. It should be put in a small bag. Malas that are used
for decoration are not really considered suitable for serious
practice of japa. Never lend your japa mala to other people.
You can still practise japa if you don’t have a mala, you
merely count on your fingers.

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Position of the right arm
The mala is always held in the right hand. Traditionally japa
is done while holding the right hand near the heart, with the
right forearm resting lightly against the body. The left hand
is cupped and placed in the lap facing upwards. It can be
used to catch the lower end of the mala to prevent it from
swinging to and fro and becoming entangled.
Those people who practise a large number of rounds of the
mala every day will find that their arm gets very tired. The
position is not suitable. Something must be used to support
the arm, but you should not use the other arm to support it.
Instead, take a piece of cloth and make it into a sling. Use that
to support your right arm. This is essential for those who do
hundreds of malas every day.

Use of a gomukhi
If you do long periods of
japa practice every day,
then the use of a gomukhi
is highly recommended.
The word gomukhi means
‘in the shape of a cow’s
mouth’. It is a small bag
which resembles the shape
of a cow’s mouth. The mala
and your right hand are
both placed inside the
gomukhi so that they are
obscured from view. With
your hand in the bag, you
then begin to rotate the
mala, the bottom of which
is supported by the bottom
of the bag.

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 A gomukhi is very light, doesn’t interfere with the practice
of japa and prevents other people interfering or becoming
curious about your practice. It can be used when you walk
along a street or when you leave your house. It is widely used
by those who do anusthana (sustained practice for long, fixed
periods of time), perhaps 50,000 to 60,000 beads per day. For
them it is almost a must.

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 Epilogue

The mantra is a purifying force. It is such a great purifier that

no matter what you eat, how you live, what you think, or
which religion you belong to, it will dominate and destroy
all the samskaras. When the samskaras are destroyed and the
veil is split asunder, you will see the divinity shining like the
sun before you. What you have been searching for is not far
away. There is only a veil between you and me, which has to
be destroyed by the mantra shakti, mantra yoga.

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 If you allow your mind
total independence and
liberty, it will transcend
itself even without your
knowledge. The path
of experience is not so
long and tedious. The
experience is here and
now. It is already in you,
so you don’t have to
develop it. It has always
been in existence, but you
are not able to experience
it, because you are bound
by certain limitations.
Allow your mind to flow,
to break its barriers, to
be anarchical, to wander
freely like a vagabond, to
commit crimes (inside, of course). Allow it to find itself, give
it space to run, and let it experience psychic forms. Don’t
worry about bad thoughts, or be happy about good ones.
Just see them as you see cars moving down the street. You
are aware of them, but you have no personal involvement.
There is endless traffic in the mind, and when you are trying
to practise mantra, the rush hour begins. Therefore, when you
practice mantra, please be aware of whatever comes to your
mind. Do not put things into categories and compartments.
The purpose of mantra is not to make the brain inactive, but
to increase its sensitivity and awareness. This is the tantric
system and it teaches you to face facts.
One day, all these energies will unite with the central
energy and suddenly, like Buddha, like Christ, like any
other sage, you will find things are melting and everything is
happening by itself. You will not know what to do. You will

116
not be required to know what to do, you won’t have to think,
“Now what am I to do?” It is as if you have been thrown into
the upper portion of Niagara Falls and you don’t know what
will happen next. You are just moving along with the flow
of consciousness, you can do nothing else, and you have to
become a part of that event.
Key guidelines for mantra chanting – get your mantra
from a Guru, never change your mantra, gradually reduce
the frequency of brain waves, bring your awareness to
the nosetip, simultaneously become aware of your breath,
practise regularly, pronounce the mantra correctly, follow a
prescribed sequence of mantra chanting, and practise mantra
whenever you are idle.
Never try to control or suppress the mind. Allow it to
flow, and become a witness to your thoughts. A mala must
be used for mantra practice. It helps to maintain awareness,
and also to measure the number of mantras that have been
chanted. Japa becomes ajapa (spontaneous) japa when the
mantra automatically repeats itself without conscious effort.

Mantra is so powerful that it can change your

destiny, economic situation and physical structure. If
you want the mantra to change the whole structure of
your life, you must practise it regularly, for a long and
interrupted period of time, every morning and evening.
— Swami Satyananda Saraswati

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