Researches in Sahaja Yoga. No. 5.

Bīja Mantras
Latest Update – March 2021

‘Researches in Sahaja Yoga’

‘Researches in Sahaja Yoga’ (RiSY) is a series of books on Sahaja Yoga
topics, researched through Shri Mataji’s talks and other scriptures, and
through meditation.
Books published or planned in the series so far include:-
1. Om Namaste Ganapataye -
A detailed translation of the Ganesha Atharva Sheersha.
2. Shrī Lalitā Sahasranāma -
The Thousand Names of the Supreme Goddess – with commentary.
3. The Three Worlds - An Investigation into the Three-fold Nature of Creation.
4. Shrī Chakra - The Symbolism of the Great Yantra of the Supreme Goddess.
5. Bīja Mantras
6. Navarātri - A Collection of Praises for Worship during the Nine Nights.
7. The Ten Primordial Masters.
The books can all be downloaded free at symb-ol.org.
Some are available to order as print books from Lulu.com

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This book is surrendered at the Divine Lotus Feet of
Her Supreme Holiness Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
in the hope that, in some small way, it may help
to enhance our recognition of Her Divinity.

2
 Contents
Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Introduction – Bīja Mantras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Shri Mataji’s quotes about Bija Mantras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Sanskrit Pronunciation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1. How Bījas work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2. How to use Bīja Mantras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3. Om . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4. Vowels, Consonants and Nasals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5. Bīja Mantras of the petals of the chakras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
6. Bīja Mantras of the Elements and Planets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
7. Bīja Mantras of the Deities (Ganesha and Devi) . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
8. The Nine-syllabled Mantra ‘Aīm, Hrim, Klīm, ....’ . . . . . . . . . . . 34
9. Names of the Deities as Bija Mantras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
10. The Fifteen-syllabled Mantra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
11. The Kuñjikā Stotram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
12. Bijas from the Kuñikā Stotram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
13. Mahā-vakyās –‘great sayings’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
14. Sahaja Yoga Mantras. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
15. Some meanings of the Devanagari Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
16. Devanagari Letters as Bīja Mantras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
17. Other Mantras using Bijas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
18. Bīja Mantras from the Koran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Appendix 1. Om. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Abbreviations:
BoAS –‘Book of Adi Shakti’- Shri Mataji’s book on chakras, etc.
“Shri Mataji’s speeches and writings are all in Maiandra font
with double quotation marks and referenced in the text.”

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 Prologue
This existence is full of wonders; and, turning from the outer world of
the senses to the inner world of the Subtle Body and the Spirit, we
find an even greater trove of joyful mysteries. The language of bīja
mantras can help us to experience and explore this realm.
Mantras help to focus our attention, activate certain energies, clear
blockages, and give that unruly animal, the mind, something
constructive to do. We are fortunate that when the Kundalini rises
strongly it pulls the attention up with it, as Shri Mataji used to
demonstrate by draping Her upraised finger with Her sari. However
we have to struggle through the mud for a while until this happens.
Human attention is ‘hopelessly bad’ (29-02-84) so it is possible to be
saying mantras mechanically and still be planning one’s latest building
project! It seems to be worthwhile to spend some time saying
mantras if we then enjoy a deep and blissful meditation.
Most of us would attest to the efficacy of worshipping Shrī Ganesha
first, usually by saying His mantra, often four times. It can also be
powerful to say it seven times; the attention being automatically
taken up through the chakras1. The mantra recognises Shri Mataji as
the Incarnation and the authority to say the mantra; but it is also
good to express our recognition of Her by saying the Three Great
Mantras, the Short Mantra (see p.40) or the Sahasrāra Mantra2.

1
Shrī Ganesha is the ‘vice-chancellor sitting on all the chakras’ (07-09-86),
the controller of the whole Subtle System. The name Ganesha can mean
‘master of the Subtle System’ [gaṇa –‘group, series’ ie. the Subtle System
as a ‘series’ of chakras, etc., Īśha –‘Lord, master, controller’].
2
The third part of the Three Great Mantras.

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 Bīja Mantras
Bīja means ‘seed’ and bīja mantras are single-syllabled sounds
which have resonance and power in our Subtle System. Shri Mataji
has encouraged us to develop our knowledge and expertise of bīja
mantras.
“Bîja mantra means the Vaikharî –‘utterance’. Vaikharî is the
power of speaking. This power of speaking is made into
mantras by the people who have the power of realization. So,
for them to improve, supposing they want to improve their
centre, or they want to improve left or right, they have to say
the bîja mantras. Then the bîja –‘seed’ has to sprout and has to
grow. So the first step is to say the bîja mantra and then to say
the different mantras of the different chakras. So first is the
bîja and then is the tree. So you can implant a bîja into
yourself by saying that, and then you start saying all other. So,
that’s how you make it grow.”Comments on Devi A.S., Pune, 17-10-88
The Devanāgarī script used for Sanskrit has fifty letters which are
the bīja mantras of the lower six chakras; being the sounds that the
Kuṇḍalinī produces on the petals1 of the chakras as She rises.
“Sanskrit has come out of Kundalinî’s movement, when She
makes a sound, all was recorded by the great saints and like
that every chakra has got vowels and consonants according to
the number of sub-plexuses they have - you can say petals they
have - and all of them make the alphabets of Sanskrit
language.” Pune, 17-10-88

1
The petals of the lower chakras number 4+6+10+12+16+2 = 50.

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 Then there are composite consonants such as Śhra, Kla, Tva, etc.,
which have correspondences with particular chakras or Deities. The
vowels are all associated with the Viśḥuddhī Chakra and give the
power, quality or direction (ā is Left Side, ī - Central Channel, etc.).
The consonants are said to be of Śhiva –‘Spirit’ (ie. principles) and the
Vowels of Śhakti –‘energy, power’ (ie. manifestation).
Bīja mantras have power but, generally, not specific meaning as
words. As well as the fifty letters of the alphabet, there are bīja
mantras for the elements and deities of the chakras. The power of
bīja mantras is also used by tāntrikās (practitioners of black magic)
for negative purposes which will not be discussed here.
The science of bīja mantras developed mostly in later Indian
philosophy, particularly in the Tantras1 (c.500 CE onwards), although
their roots go back to the Vedas and Upaniṣhads.
We still have much to learn about bīja mantras, and this book can be
taken as a mere introduction to what is potentially a vast subject.
All this knowledge should be verified by personal experience of the
practitioner, and the following are suggestions only. This book does
not purport to be a manual for using bīja mantras to treat problems
of the Subtle System, although one could adapt some of its findings
to that purpose.

1
The Tantras are discourses where Lord Śhiva explains to Shri Pārvatī the
nature of the Divine and the technique of achieving first-hand knowledge
of It. There are 24 main Tantras, mostly of pure knowledge, but some
veering towards the Kaula –‘left–hand’ path, the worship of the Goddess
in the lower chakras involving sensual indulgence.

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 More quotes by Shri Mataji
From ‘Shri Mataji’s comments on the Devi Atharva Shîrsha’
Pune, 17-10-88

• Sanskrit is made holy; this language was made holy; first it was
one language, out of which two languages were born, one was
Latin and the one which was made holy was Sanskrit.
• This Sanskrit language comes from the saints, who heard all
those things and they made this and this is the energy of the
Vaikharî. Now the script is there, the Vaikharî is there. The
energy is there and this is the way you should say the
instrument, but to make it work in a Divine way, you have to
make it into a mantra. To make it a mantra, any mantra you
want to do, you must know first the bîja mantra. Supposing
you want to raise your Kundalinî, then the bîja mantra is
‘hrîm’ and from ‘hrîm’ you should go on to ‘Om Twameva
sâkshât Shrî Hrîm’. Then you should go on saying the
mantras of all the deities that are there.
• Now you try to understand that how this Vidyâ -’knowledge’
has been penetrating into you slowly. Not with any teachers or
anybody sitting with a stick in the hand. The whole Vidyâ is
exposed from within and without. Whatever I say, you can
tally it on your vibrations. So it goes into your hand. You don’t
accept it because I am saying but it is so, that’s why you accept
it. Supposing I say, this is water, then what, you will drink the
water and you will see if it quenches your thirst. Then only are
you going to believe that this is water, otherwise you are not
going to believe. In the same way it is.

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• ‘Ra’ is the energy, Râdhâ. The one who sustains the energy is
Râdhâ. She is Mahâlakshmî that is why she sustains the
Kundalinî.
• ‘Ī’ is the primordial Mother and ‘Ra’ is the energy that is
Kundalinî. So the ‘Hrîm’ means that you have the energy
passing through the Mahâlakshmî tattwa which is Ra. You see
the energy is passing through the thing towards the Primordial
Being. So Hrîm. That is why the Yogis - because they believe
only in connection. Yogis believe in Yoga and so they have to
look after the energy and also the Primordial Mother. This is
very important because that is how energy should be there -
Kundalinî as well as Primordial Mother. Fourteen thousand
years before they have written all this which is the truth, which
you know now. Now when you read this book (Devi
Mahātmyam), you will understand.” Pune, 17-10-88
“The specialty of Sanskrit language is that every letter of
alphabet is a mantra. In Devanâgarî script each alphabet
(akshara) we have, like a, ksha; what we pronounce as a, â, i,
î, etc. etc. they are all the letters of alphabets [Sanskrit] that
move within the Kundalinî, which emanates out from there.
We have learnt these alphabets, letters and syllables in our
meditative contemplations and then inscribed them in scripts.
We have learnt language from the flow of sound notation
emanating from Kundalinî within the human beings. When
Kundalinî moves like this it emit sound notes like Sha, Ṣha, Sa,
here in the middle [Shri Mataji points to Mûlâdhâra Chakra].
At every place (chakra) it emits different notes, different
sounds.

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Like, here at this place [Âgñyâ Chakra] two syllabic letters have
emerged as `Ham' and `Ksham' it happens. The syllabic word
that we pronounce as Om; that which we inscribe as Om, like
we write as `A' what you inscribe in script as Om, you can
visualise the word `Aura' [in Sanskrit] here, when the
Kundalinî is awakened then its light falls on this particular
chakra exactly the word Om is inscribed here as a script, as
you write it...... is also reflected on this chakra.
And whatever the letters of alphabet a, â, i, î, etc. is written...
as you write them in Devanâgarî script in Sanskrit language...,
that too, when the Kundalinî strikes there [chakra], within us
and when its Ninâd –‘sound, reverberation’ is produced, it is at
that moment of time that simultaneous happening of that
Ninâd along with its inscription [of that alphabet] takes place.
It is so subtle, you should understand what is your heritage and
from where they have come. They have all come up and
originated through meditative contemplations. It is nothing
artificial that we learnt from outside but, in fact here, the
Sanskrit language has become like the language of the pandits
[erudite], fools and donkeys, who even do not know its proper
pronunciations and also do not understand the essence of it,
because we have all become English people as we study Shelly
and Keats.
This language is generated and also gets inscribed within us.
Each and every individual alphabet and in its inscription holds
its own meaning. How was the word Om created? How was its
creation done? What is the mechanism of creation of this word
Om? Inscription of the letter is expressed exactly as the word
Om only. Look, I am moving My finger and your Âgñyâ is also
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moving. It is so scientific because, it has relation with the reality.
What could be more scientific than this? My chakras do not
respond until you recite the couplets (shlokas) in Sanskrit. It is
indeed surprising! If you recite in English it does work but only
in the Âgñyâ, where Îsa Massiah [Jesus Christ] had Himself
written it. Because, here in this chakra, it is His place and on
that whatever He wrote is in Hebrew script as Lord's Prayer.
However, recital of the same in English also works out, yet, it is
Kṣhamâ Swarûpinî –‘embodiment of forgiveness’. Here, one has
to pronounce the syllabic word `Kṣhamâ' only, because this
place has the note `Ksh' here. For that reason one has to
forgive, pronounce the word Kshama. In spite of pronouncing
or reciting all these one has to say Kshama –‘forgive’. Just see
our Sanskrit language and its foundation, how deep and subtle
it is.
Now regarding these three that I told you, Mahâkâlî,
Mahâlakṣhmî and Mahâsaraswatî, which are there within us.
These three likewise have three powers within us, which we call
as Aim, Hrîm and Klîm. Because, their corresponding sound
notes (Ninâd) are Aim, Hrîm and Klîm.
`Hrī'... R... R is the word of energy. `R' like Râdhâ, `Ra'
means Energy and `Dha' means `Dharan' [supporting,
sustaining], Râdhâ, Râm. Kriṣhṇa. The word Kriṣhṇa as I told
you comes from word Krishi [farming]. Just, with the initiation
of pronouncing the word Kri of Kriṣhṇa, at once it starts
working on the Viśhuddhi Chakra.
So Kriṣhṇa is the word one has to say as Shrî Kriṣhṇa has His
connection exactly at this place. It has a connection with the
Viśhuddhi Chakra only. So `Kriṣhṇa' can only be His name.
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 Just imagine how scientific it is and how subtle is the subject.
But Sahaja Yoga is basically our path of love. And in love there
is no need to fathom [analyse] or go into that much of depth.
‘Just by muttering of a single letter of word love (prem), one
can become a Pandit –‘learned’.’ `Ek hi akshar prem ka
padhe so pandit hoye*'; this is our Sahaja Yoga.
There is no need for you to become a great pandit
[intellectual]. `Padhi padhi pandit murakh bhaye'; ‘with too
much of reading, an intellectual (pandit) becomes a fool
(murakh)’ (also from Saint Kabîr). Therefore, may God save
from the pandits, may God rescue us from those pandits
[intellectuals] who have come here after a lot of reading and
studies." 03-02-78, Delhi

* ‘Reading books everyone died, no-one became wise; Only one who reads
the words of love becomes wise’. A couplet by Saint Kabīr.

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 Sanskrit Pronunciation
This guide is relevant to bīja mantras and a fuller explanation can be
downloaded from the symb-ol.org website. We recommend
listening to Shri Mataji whose Sanskrit pronunciation is excellent.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols are in square brackets [ ].
1. Vowels

All vowels are lower in the mouth and more closed than English.
The symbols ā, ī and ū are used for long vowels as in cart (UK style),
keen and pool. a, i or u written without a line on top are short.
Long ā and short a are different sounds, whereas long ī and ū are
the short sounds lengthened.
Short a [ə] (which is really a closed –uh) is like the u in but [bət] or the
a in local [ləʊkəl] and never hard as in bat (this hard ‘a’ sound (mat,
flat) does not exist in any Indian language). Short ‘a’ is the shortest
possible vowel and is close to saying the consonants without any
vowel sound. Gaṇapati, for example, would be pronounced ‘g-n-p-
ti’, roughly like ‘gunner-putty’.
Long ā [ɑː] is like ‘fāther’ (UK style [fɑːðər]) or the German ‘aa’ in
‘Aachen’ [ɑːkən].
Short i - as in bit [bɪt]. Long ī - as in beet [biːt].
Short u - as in put [pʊt] and not as in fun (which is a short a, unless
you come from Yorkshire). Long ū - as in boot [buːt].
o and e are always long; med- is like English ‘maid’ [meɪd] and mod-
like ‘modem’ [məʊdem] and never short as in ‘modern’. Om rhymes
with ‘home’ but said in a Scottish manner or like the French ‘eau’
but longer, with the lips pouted. Final e is pronounced long é.
au and ai are diphthongs -’double sounds’ -’a-oo’ and ‘ayee’, so
praud is like English ‘proud’ [praʊd] and praid like ‘pride’ [praɪd].

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 Consonants
2 The letters with dots under: ṭ, ṭh, ḍ, ḍh, ṇ, ḷ and ṣh - are
‘retroflex’ or ‘cerebral’ (in the head), and are pronounced with the
tip of the tongue curled back against the roof of the mouth, eg. Iḍā
Nāḍī has both ḍ’s retroflex and sounds a bit like ‘Irā Nārī’.
3 There are no real labial fricatives (th, f, v) in Sanskrit. Th is not like
‘the’ but is an aspirated t, as in ‘boat’house’; ph is not f but an
aspirated p, as in ’top’hat’.
4 Both v and w are used to write Sanskrit but are the same letter.
Normally v is used when on its own (Śhiva, Viṣhṇu) and w when
compounded (twam, swāmī). The sound is like ‘vw’ i.e. tvwam.
One writer suggests pronouncing ‘w’ with the upper teeth touching
the lower lip.
5 There are three sibilants in Sanskrit.
(1) śh has a soft h formed in the front of the mouth with the tip of the
tongue just behind the teeth, as in ‘sure’ rather than ‘shore’ (Śhiva,
Gaṇeśha, Śhrī).
(2) ṣh is retroflex -’with the tongue curled back’ and is usually found
joined with other retroflex consonants (Viṣhṇu, aṣhṭa), and almost
never starts a word, except when meaning ‘six’ (ṣhad).
(3) s is always unvoiced, like ‘hiss’ and not ‘his’.

6 The aspirated word ending visarga, written -ḥ, e.g. namaḥ, has an
echo of the final vowel sound with the aspiration, but is not a full
syllable. It is described as a ‘very short ha (as in ‘hull’ but shorter)
after a, ā, u, ū, o and au, and a very short hi (as in ‘hill’ but shorter)
after i, ī, e and ai’.
7 ṛ is a vowel, written ṛi, as in ṛitam, Kṛiṣhṇa, Sanskṛit or ṛu, as in
amṛut, gṛuha. There is no full vowel sound after the ṛ. Both the
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 vowel ṛ and the consonant r are retroflex (with the tongue curled
back) and should be rolled in the Scottish manner and not with the
English tendency to elongate the vowel and drop the r; eg. ‘dark’
being pronounced ‘daak’.
8 The composite letter jñ is written and pronounced gñy (the ñ is a
nasalization of the g) as in gñyāna -’knowledge’ or Āgñyā -’Control
Chakra’.
9 g is always as in begin and not as in vegetable, which is j (dʒ).
10 Other consonants are pronounced roughly as in English.

Chapter 1. How Bījas work

The consonants have qualities and are manifestations of Lord Śhiva.
The vowels have energy and power and come from the Ādi Śhakti.
(consonants are useless without the vowels!)
Most bījas are said with a nasal at the end, eg. Gaṁ. The nasal
sound ṁ, called anuswāra -‘after-sound’, is a combination of bindu -
‘dot’ and ardhendu -‘crescent’, and so represents the Union of Śhiva
and Śhakti (Ātmā –‘Spirit’ and the Kundalini) in the Sahasrāra,
conferring Bliss and Self-realization. There are subtle powers in the
anuswāra which manifest silently after saying it.
So single syllable sounds (such as gaṁ, hrīṁ, etc.) consisting of a
consonant, a vowel and a nasal, are a combination of Śhiva, Śhakti
and their Union.
Bījas are sometimes said with an aspirated ending instead of the
nasal (eg. Bhrāḥ, Bhrīḥ, Bhrūḥ, etc.). Visarga -‘aspirated ending’,
written -ḥ, is associated with Lord Shiva (Hara) and the
Destructive/Dissolution Power connected with the Heart.
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Chapter 2. How to use Bīja Mantras
Saying bījas on one’s own is usually done as japa –‘mumbling’, a kind
of low tone which is just audible and almost under one’s breath.
Traditionally japa is intoned on or around the note Ga (third note of
the Indian scale around Db) but for collective chanting a louder tone is
appropriate and a slightly higher note (Eb).
The bījas are usually preceded by Om and are intoned with a nasal
ending, eg. bhrāṁ. Repeating the bīja four times after Om seems to
work well and can be done in one breath. For example:-
‘Om Bhrāṁ Bhrāṁ Bhrāṁ Bhrāṁ’
Om may also be added at the end;
‘Om Bhrāṁ Bhrāṁ Bhrāṁ Bhrāṁ Om’
The bīja may also be continuously chanted on its own. The main
point is to experiment and see what works.
Also effective in exploring the power of a consonant is to say a gaṇa
–‘series’ of bījas which consists of the five long vowels and visarga -
‘aspirated ending’ –aḥ. For example, a widely-used series of Gaṇeśha
Bījas is:
Om gām gīm gūm gaim gaum gaḥ Om.
or for dha- say:-
‘Om dhām dhīm dhūm dhaim dhaum dhaḥ Om’.
As always one may try saying any of these continuously for a minute
or two and then meditate on the result.
Shri Mataji is our authorising power to use bīja mantras and it is
always wise to add Her name; one way is by finishing with:-
‘sākṣhāt Śhrī Ādi Śhakti Mātājī
Śhrī Nirmalā Devyai namo namaḥ’
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 Chapter 3. Om
The primordial bīja mantra Oṁ is the seed of the
whole creation, the original sound which emerged
when the Brahmāṇḍa -‘Egg of Brahman’ broke open giving birth to
this Universe. As the first manifestation of the Divine in the creation
of this universe, Oṁ is the closest thing we have to the name of God
and the most apt form of address to the Divine as the Creator.
‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God’. Bible, John 1:1
‘Repeating the Om continually is the true worship. It is not a
word, it is God Himself." Swami Vivekananda

“ ...this special Incarnation (Jesus Christ) which is nothing but

Pranava1, the Om, the Logos –‘word’ as you call it, the sound of
the All-pervading Power.” 06-10-81, Houston

Ik Oṅkār Satnām Kartā Purakh

‘The One whose True Name is Om,
Creator of everything’ Mool Mantra, Guru Nānak
Om may be considered as the pathway by which
the Divine descends to the material plane, so it ‘1 Om’ - The
can also be the pathway by which we can ascend representation
Ik Oṅkār,
of

from the material plane to the Divine. the first words

of Guru Nānak’s
Shri Gaṇeśha is Oṁkāra2 Swarūpa -‘embodiment of Mool Mantra

Om’ and saying Oṁ particularly activates the Mūlādhāra Chakra.

1
Originally Om was referred to as Praṇava -’reverberation’ and only later
called Oṁkāra.
2
Letters are named by adding kāra –‘making’, so a-kāra –‘letter a’, ga-
kāra –‘letter g’, etc. Also; ahaṁ-kāra –‘’I am’-ness, ego’ (ahaṁ -‘I am’)
16
 The three letters A-U-M of Om are the three Śhaktis, Mahākālī,
Mahāsaraswatī and Mahālakshmī followed by a ‘silent half-syllable
known only to Yogis1’, which is the Kuṇḍalinī (Ādi Śḥakti).
“These Three Primordial Syllables AA, OO and MA represent the
three powers of the Primordial Mother: AA represents the
Existence and Destructive Power of Mahākālī. OO represents the
Creative Power of Mahāsaraswatī. MA represents the Sustenance
or Evolutionary Power of Mahālakshmī. These three Primordial
Syllables later on form the Primordial Words - bīja mantras -
Aîm, Hrîm and Klîm. All together these comprise the phonetic
words of the Devanâgarî script (Sanskrit).” BoAS. Ch 1. ‘ Creation’
“She represents the Âdi Shakti, the half mâtrâ –‘syllable’ of the
Om. Like three and a half mâtrâs are there in the Om word,
meaning the half moon, half circle. So as you know there are
Mahâkâlî, Mahâsaraswatî, Mahâlakshmî, three powers and
above them is the Âdi Shakti.” 21-05-88, Spain
Om said on different notes, or with different tones, has different
effects. Gñyānadev (Gñyāneśhwari. Ch.7) describes the qualities of
the different notes (like a peacock, elephant, etc.). Oṁ may be
chanted and meditated on for all Divine knowledge.
The three channels Īḍā, Piñgalā and Suṣhumnā all start at the
Mūlādhāra Chakra1. Saying ‘O’, which is a combination of A (Left
Side) and U (Right Side) has the effect of pulling down Left and Right
1
Mārkandeya Puraṇa, Ch.42. See p.96
1
This is the traditional view of Indian scriptures; in Sahaja Yoga we
sometimes say that Piñgalā starts at Right Swāḍhiṣhṭhāna and
Suṣhumnā at Nābhī. There is a break in the Suṣhumnā between the
Kuṇḍalinī and the Nābhī chakra which has to be bridged. In Her
drawings on the next page Shri Mataji depicts the Left and Right
Channels starting at Mūlādhāra Chakra.
17
Side into the Mūlādhāra; ‘ṁ’ raises the attention up the Central
Channel, and the Kuṇḍalinī ascends through the Suṣhumnā.
It can be good to start meditation by saying Om seven times – it
seems to automatically take the attention up through the chakras;
or one may say it continuously for a few minutes. If we believe that
we should start meditation (and everything else) by saluting Śhri
Gaṇeśḥa then saying Om is one way of doing that.
In Indian culture a way to self-realization is to say a mantra
continuously throughout the waking hours and Oṁ is the most
commonly used mantra. After a while it becomes automatic and the
mantra becomes part of ones being. When we become one with
Oṁ we become one with the All-pervading Spirit.

Two drawings by Shri Mataji

showing the Left and Right
channels starting at
Mūlādhāra Chakra.

18
 Pronouncing Om
“When you say Om in a proper way, you find the Kundalinî
rises.” Heart Chakra, 02-77
O is always long in Sanskrit and Om rhymes with ‘home’ said in the
Irish manner or like the French ‘eau’, but longer. The lips pout
forming a circle (perhaps why it is written O?)
This sound is more closed and lower in the mouth than English, as
Indian vowels tend to be, and is no longer used in BBC (Queen’s)
English. It is still retained in northern English and Celtic accents and
in French.
The way Oṁ is normally said is to start with a very short A which
quickly becomes the O sound. It is said that the A is one instant1, the
O is two instants and the M three instants long (Maṇḍukya
Upaniṣhad).
A-O-O-M-M-M

There is more information about Oṁ, including some extracts from

the Purāṇas, in Appendix 1, p.89.

1
An instant is the time it takes to say a short vowel. A long vowel is two
instants long.

19
Chapter 4. Vowels, Consonants and Nasals
Vowels are a flow of air through the open vocal channel and
consonants are stops or modifications of the flow. Hence it is said
that the vowels are the Śhakti –‘energy, power’ and the consonants
are of Śhiva –‘spirit’. The nasal sounds (ṅ, ñ, ṇ, n and m) represent
the union of the two.

(1) The Vowels

The three basic vowels a , u and i are the powers of the three
channels of the Subtle System, Śhrī Mahākālī, Mahāsaraswatī and
Mahālakṣhmī (Left, Right and Centre Channels).
a – a is the primordial vowel, the essential energy of the letters,
coming from deep in the throat. It is the first syllable of the A-U-M
of Om representing Śhrī Mahākālī as the left side power of desire,
existence and destruction; so it also represents the past,
emotional nature and the material plane. It is the power of the
Agni Maṇḍala –‘circle of fire’ which is the lower three chakras also
known as Bhūr -’Earth Realm’ (See Appendix 1, p.91).
A is the vowel form of the guttural consonant h. Ha is Lord Śhiva
(Hara from Hṛ -‘remove, destroy’) whose Śhakti is Śhrī Mahākālī.
Haṁ is also the bīja of the Viśhuddhī and the element of ether,
the subtle fluid which creates and pervades space and carries
sound, so a is the most fundamental vowel form and the most
commonly used. Ādi –‘first, primordial, beginning’ starts with a.
Short a is a very short ‘uh’ like the a in ‘local’ or the u in ‘but’. The
hesitations ‘um’ and ‘er’ both contain that sound.

20
i – I is the power of the central channel, giving ascent and having the
power of clearing obstructions. i means to ‘go, move’.
i is formed in the middle of the mouth (palatal/cerebral) and is the
vowel form of Ya, the bīja of the air element in the Heart. It is
associated with the central (evolutionary) channel of the Subtle
System (Suṣhumnā Nāḍī).
u – u is formed in the front of the mouth and is the right side power
(U of A-U-M). So it also represents the mental plane, ego and the
future. So it is the power of the Sūrya Maṇḍala.
It is the vowel form of v or w (the same letter in Sanskrit). Vaṁ is
the bīja of the Swādhiṣḥṭhāna, the root of the right side. Śhrī
Saraswatī is known as Vamā.
ṛ – ṛ (usually written ṛi (ṛiṣhi) or ṛu (amṛut)) is the vowel form of the
consonant r. Raṁ is the bīja of the fire element whose subtle form
is the Kuṇḍalinī, so ṛ is the power of pure desire. There is also a
longer vowel ṛṛ which is hardly ever used.
lṛ – lṛ is the vowel form of the consonant l. Lam is the bīja of the
earth element at Mūlādhāra, so lṛ has a solidifying, grounding
power. It is very rare (Klṛipta –‘satisfied’ is the only common word)
and the longer version lṛṛ is never seen.

The Long Vowels

The long vowels have similar powers to the short ones but more
potent. Long ā (aah) is a different sound to short a (uh) but long ī
and ū are the short sounds lengthened.
ā is the desire power of the Left Side (Śhrī Mahākālī). It also activates
the Pure Desire of the Kuṇḍalinī.

21
ī is the Mahālakshmī power giving ascent through the Suṣhumnā
Nāḍī and Bliss in the Sahasrāra (Spiritual Knowledge). It has the
property of cutting through, clearing and expansion. Words like
Śhrī and Devī clear the relevant granthis.
The Ṛig Veda mentions a ‘mantra containing three īṁ’s which
confers enlightenment’. Several well-known mantras contain three
īṁ’s such as ‘Aīṁ Hrīṁ Klīṁ....’ (p.32) and Sahaja Yoga mantras.
The three īṁ’s seem to clear the three Granthis allowing the
attention to enter the highest Divine realm.
ū is the Right Side Power of the Sun, centred in the Right Heart. (Shri
Mahāsaraswatī).

Diphthongs –‘double sounds’

Guṇa vowels (guṇa –‘secondary quality’)

Adding a short a before i and u creates e and o, which are called
diphthongs but are effectively single sounds.
e is the combination of a and i – desire
and ascent. This is the Kuṇḍalinī –
‘pure desire to ascend’ (The letter e in
Devanāgari is triangular (see box)).
e is always long, like the a in ‘page’
and eṁ sounds like English ‘aim’.
o is a combination of Left and Right powers (a-u), so, as when saying
Om, it clears these sympathetic channels and brings the attention
into the centre and generally down into the Mūlādhāra Chakra.
O is also always long, as in ‘modem’ and never short as in
‘modern’.
22
 Vṛiddhi –‘mature’ vowels
Adding a long ā before i and u (which are also lengthened like ī and
ū) creates genuine diphthongs ai and au.
ai (‘ayee’, like the i in ‘light’) is the upward principle of Expansion. As
the combination of a and i, the desire power added to the
evolutionary power gives spiritual ascent, and the long ī seems to
be able to clear obstructions and cut through Granthis. For
example, saying Devī in the Sahaja Yoga mantra works on the
Āgñyā Chakra (see Ch.15) where Dev gives thoughtless awareness
and ī clears the Rudra Granthi, giving us connection to Shri
Mataji’s Feet in the Sahasrāra. Saying ‘Devyai’ in the mantra
seems to be even more effective at opening the Rudra Granthi.
au (‘aa-oo’. Like the ou in ‘proud’) is the downward principle of
Contraction (gravity). As in Om, the combination of A and U, left
and right channels are drawn down into the Mūlādhāra chakra.
The power of the vowels can be experimented with by saying them
on their own or one may add a nasal; so ‘āṁ, āṁ, āṁ, āṁ’; or ‘ūṁ,
ūṁ, ūṁ, ūṁ’, etc..

Using the long vowels

A common practice, known as a bīja gaṇa –‘series of seeds’ is to take
a consonant with the five long vowels and the aspirated ending; eg.
Śhrāṁ, Śhrīṁ, Śhrūṁ, Śhraiṁ, Śhrauṁ, Śhraḥ
As Śhra is a bīja for the heart, this takes the attention to left, centre
and right heart, upwards (Sahasrāra) downwards (Mūlādhāra) and in
the middle (Centre Heart).

23
 (2) Consonants

The fifty letters of the Devanāgarī alphabet are divided into:

Fourteen vowels, plus anuswāra –‘unmodified nasal’(ṁ) and visarga –
‘aspirated ending’ (-ḥ).
Five groups of consonant stops (four stops and a nasal in each)
Five semi-vowels (consonant equivalents of the vowels – ya, ra, la, va,
ha)
Three sibilants (śh, ṣh, s)
The composite letter kṣha. (added because, with haṁ, it is the bija of
Āgñyā Chakra)
Chapters 5, 12 and 13 give some meanings and correspondences of
the simple consonants. Many bījas utilise compound consonants
(Hrīṁ, Klīm, etc.) and some of these are given in Chapters 6, 7 and 16.

(3) Nasal sounds

A nasal stops the flow of air but does not stop the sound and can be
made with various parts of the tongue in the guttural ṅ, palatal ñ,
reflex ṇ and dental n; or with the lips as m. The nasal is both a stop
and a continuous sound (somewhat of a paradox!) and is considered
to be the union of Śhiva and Śhakti, so a bīja consisting of a
consonant, a vowel and a nasal (gaṁ, hrīṁ, etc.) is Śhiva (consonant),
Śhakti (vowel) and their union (nasal).
The nasal used for most bījas is ṁ, known as Anuswāra –‘following
sound’ which can be written as a dot, or dot and crescent, over a letter.

Eg. !-‘Oṁ’, kM –‘kaṁ’.

24
Technically anuswāra is whatever nasal sound is appropriate to the
situation, so if it comes before a guttural consonant it is the guttural
nasal (so Oṁkāra can also be spelled Oṅkāra), before reflex
consonants it is the reflex nasal (as in Maṇḍala), before vowels, semi-
vowels, sibilants and as a word ending it is m (samanta, samrāt,
samsara, etc.).
There is a point of view which considers it more potent to use the
guttural nasal -ṅg in a bīja. So, instead of closing the lips to make the
nasal, the back of the tongue closes to the roof of the mouth. This
sends the sound up into the head more. So, rather than ‘Aiṁ Hrīṁ
Klīṁ .....’, one would say ‘Aiṅg Hrīṅg Klīṅg Chāmuṇḍāyai vichche’.
As usual one can experiment with this and see how it feels. Personally
I would recommend starting with the labial ṁ and only try the
guttural -ṅg once one had attained a certain degree of practice.

25
Chapter 5. Bīja Mantras of the Petals of the Chakras

The Devanāgari letters, including the vowels, are systematically

arranged in the order of the parts of the mouth where they are
produced, starting at the back of the throat with gutturals (in the
throat), palatals (back of the mouth), cerebrals (retroflex – top of the
mouth), dentals (behind the teeth) and labials (at the lips).
There is an alternating ‘in’ and ‘out’ quality of the short and long
vowels, and the un-aspirated and aspirated consonants. Short
vowels/unaspirated consonants are ‘inward’ (Right Side) and long
vowels/aspirated consonants are ‘outward’ (Left Side). The nasal
sounds have an upward quality (Central Channel).
Starting at the Viśhuddhi Chakra, the fifty letters correspond with
the fifty petals of the lower six chakras (4+6+10+12+16+2). The
letters are said with an ending, usually the nasal sound –ṁ or
sometimes the aspirated ending -ḥ. The first letter is for the top or
front petal and go clockwise viewed from the front or above.
Oṁ adds auspiciousness and may be taken before each bīja mantra
ie. ‘Oṁ aṁ, Oṁ āṁ…’.etc.
Viśhuddhi - (16 petals - 14 vowels + anuswāra -‘nasal sound’ and
visarga -‘aspiration’)
aṁ, āṁ, iṁ, īṁ, uṁ, ūṁ, ŗṁ, ŗŗṁ, lŗṁ, lŗŗṁ,
eṁ, aiṁ, oṁ, auṁ, aṁ, aḥ.
Note: aṁ is pronounced ‘um’ (as in ‘locum’) and uṁ is ‘oom’ but short.
- e (as in ‘same’) and o (as in ‘home’) are always long in Sanskrit.
- aiṁ and auṁ are diphthongs- ‘ayeem’ and ‘aa-oom’.
- The vowel ṛ is sometimes written ṛi as in Kṛiṣhṇa or ṛu as in Amṛut.
The next vowel ṛṛ is the same sound but longer and, like lṛ and lṛṛ, is
hardly ever used.
26
 Anahata (Heart) - (12 petals - 5 guttural and 5 palatal consonants +
first two cerebrals) Note: Cerebrals or retroflex - letters with dots under-
are said with the tongue curled back, touching the soft palate.
kaṁ, khaṁ, gaṁ, ghaṁ, ñgaṁ,
chaṁ, chhaṁ, jaṁ, jhaṁ, ñaṁ, ṭaṁ, ṭhaṁ.
Maṇipūra (Nābhī) –
(10 petals - last 3 retroflex + 5 dentals + first 2 labials)
ḍaṁ, ḍhaṁ, ṇaṁ, taṁ, thaṁ, daṁ, dhaṁ, naṁ, paṁ, phaṁ.
Swādhishṭhāna - (6 petals - last 3 labials + 3 semivowels)
baṁ, bhaṁ, maṁ, yaṁ, raṁ, laṁ.
Mūlādhāra - (4 petals - last semivowel + 3 sibilants)
vaṁ, śhaṁ, ṣhaṁ, saṁ.
Āgñyā - (2 petals) - haṁ, kṣhaṁ.
In Sahasrāra all the sounds combine to produce Oṁ.

The order of the letters - starting at Viśhuddhi, going down to

Mūlādhāra then up to Āgñyā - might seem strange at first, but in a
way this is the route that our attention takes in meditation. In
normal mundane thinking our attention is at Viśhuddhi, although
we experience our consciousness generally as being in the middle of
the head1. Our attention has to go down inside, right down into
Mūlādhāra Chakra to get in touch with reality, from whence we can
rise up through the chakras to Āgñyā, get thoughtless and enter
Sahasrāra.
1
Descartes, for one, thought the Pineal gland in the centre of the head
was the seat of the soul.

27
Chapter 6. Bīja Mantras of the Elements and Planets

The Bīja Mantras of the five elements are the semi-vowels (liquids).
These are the consonant equivalents of the main vowels A→H, I→Y,
U→V, Ṛi→R, Lṛi→L.
Semi-vowel. Element. Name of Corresponding Deity
Viśhuddhi- Haṁ Ether Hari (Vishnu/ Krishna)
Anahata- Yam Air Yama (God of Death)
Swādhiṣhṭhāna- Vam Water Vāmā (Shri Saraswati)
Maṇipūra- Ram Fire Ramā/Rāma Shri Lakshmī/Vishnu)
Mūlādhāra- Lam Earth Lambodara (Shri Ganesha)
Āgñyā- Om – with the ‘o’ sound extended.
Sahasrāra- Om – with the final ‘m’ sound extended.

Bījas of the Planets

Hra Sūrya (Sun) Heart (Hṛiday)

Śhra Chandramas (Moon) Goddess (Śhrī) Nābhī
Kra Mangal –‘auspicious’ (Mars) Mūlādhāra (Gaṇeśha/Kārttikeya)
Bra Budha –‘intelligence’ (Mercury) Swādhishthān (Brahmā)
Gra Guru (Jupiter) Void (Guru)
Pra Shani (Saturn) Viśhuddhi (Pradyumna)
Bhra - Rāhu Stra - Ketu (Rāhu and Ketu are the Moon’s nodes, the
intersections of the Sun’s and Moon’s orbits, where eclipses may occur).

28
Chapter 7. Bīja Mantras of the Deities

Śhrī Ganeśha Bījas

Gam
Gam is described in verse 7 of the Ganesha Atharva Shīrsha.
G is Mūlādhāra Chakra, A is the Central Channel, M is the Union of
the Kuṇḍalinī Shakti with the Ātmā in the Sahasrāra, conferring
Bliss on the devotee. So the mantra worships Shri Ganesha as the
support and opener of the Suṣhumnā.
Ga is ‘knowledge, wisdom’ so saying the mantra gaṁ is asking for
wisdom.
‘Gam’ may be said alone or ‘Om Gam’ or ‘Om Gam Gaṇapataye
namaḥ’.

Glaum
Ga is Shri Ganesha, La is Mother Earth (bīja of Mūlādhāra) A, U and
M are the three Shaktis and three channels (as in Oṁ) which all
start at Mūlādhāra. So Glaum is worshipping Shri Ganesha as the
support and balance of the whole Subtle System.

29
 Devi Bījas

Śhrī
After Om, Śhrī is the most sacred and auspicious bīja. It is glorious
and uplifting being the name of the Supreme Goddess Herself. Her
Yantra –‘sacred diagram’ is the Śhrī Chakra and Her mantra
knowledge and worship is called Śhrī Vidyā. Śhrī Mataji’s name
starts with Śhrīṁ, as do the first three names of the Lalitā Sahasra-
nāma (LSN) –‘Thousand Names of the Playful Goddess’; ‘Śhrī-mātā,
Śhrī-mahā-rajñī, Śhrī-mat-siṁh’āsan’eśhwarī’.
Śhrī is the bīja of the Heart and Sahasrāra and confers a sense of
expansion, love and radiant glory in these areas.
Śhrī, meaning ‘splendour, light, radiance, glory, beauty, grace,
prosperity, royal dignity’, refers to Śhrī Lakshmī, Mahālakṣhmī or
Śhrī Durgā and denotes ‘prosperity, well-being’.
Many Devi mantras incorporate Śhrīm such as:
Om Hrīm Shrīm Krīm Parameśhwarayai svāhā
Om Āīm Hrīm Śhrīm namah
Śhrīṁ is the sacred sixteenth syllable which creates the sixteen-
syllable mantra (see Ch.9 p.31). This is one of the three main forms of
worship of the Goddess. The other two are reciting the Lalitā
Sahasranāma –
‘Thousand Names’
and worshipping
the Śhrī Chakra
(see the RiSY book
‘Shri Chakra’ for
details).
30
 Other Bījas of the Goddess
One could say that all sounds are bījas of the Goddess in one aspect
or another. The Kuṇjika Stotram (Ch.11, p.56) mentions many. These
are a few bījas not mentioned elsewhere.
Sauḥ- In the worship of the Shrī Chakra ‘Aim Klīm Sauḥ’ is used in
the outer levels known as the Tripura-sundarī mantra (‘Goddess
who is the beauty of the Three Worlds’). The 15 or 16 syllabled
mantra (see Ch.11) is used at the centre point (Bindu).

Sauḥ (सौः) is known as parābīja, hṛidayabīja or amṛutabīja, and is

associated with Lord Śhiva and the heart.
Phaṭ -pronounced ‘P‛hut’- has a connection with the Heart and Lord
Śhiva. This bīja is also used in the worship of the Śhrī Chakra.
Om Hrīṁ Strīṁ Hūm Phat is the mantra of Tārā –‘carrying
across, saviour’ Devī (destroyer of the demon Hayagriva).

Bīja Mantras of other Deities

See also Ch. 11 (p.35) for bījas of Deities addressed in the Kuñjika
Stotram which are mainly aspects of the Goddess.

Aīm Vāg-bhava –‘speech’ (Brahma/Saraswati)

Bhram Bhairava
Dam Vishnu
Dum/Dūm Durgā
Dram Dattātreya
Dham Kubera (Dhanya –‘wealth’)

31
Drīm Kinkini –‘sound of bells’, dispelling negativity
Gam Gaṇeśha
Glaum Gaṇeśha
Hram Hanumān
Hraum Śhiva
Hraim Mahāpātaka-nāśhinī –‘destroying sins’ (Durgā)
Hrīm Māyā – Mahāmāyā. Bhuvaneshwarī –‘Mistress of the
(three) worlds’
Hrūm Kālarātri –‘dark night’ (Durgā)
Hum (‘hoom’ –short) Kavach –‘armour, protection’. Agni –‘fire’.
Hūm (‘hoom’ -long) Mahākāla –‘destructive power of Shiva’.
Works on the Heart. The Hindi affirmation Shri Mataji
used for the heart is: ’Meñ* Ātmā hūm’ – ‘I am the
Spirit’. This is a powerful mantra for the Left Heart. (*ñ
is a nasalisation and meñ is like ‘may’ but nasalised)
Krīm Mahākālī (dwelling in cremation ground)
Klīm Kāma –‘desire, love’. God of Love (deluding). Mahākālī
Krom Krodhīśha –‘controller of anger’ (Kārttikeya)
Krūm Kārttikeya (Kumāra)
Phat (pronounced ‘P’hut’) Pralaya –‘final dissolution’ (Sadāśhiva)
Phraum (P’hraum) Hanumān
Sauḥ Heart. Nirvāṇa dīkshā –‘initiation for liberation’.
Śhrīm Lakshmī. Mahālakshmī.
Swāhā Vahni-jayā –‘victory of fire’ (havan).

32
 Bījas of Energy
Om - pranic (life-force) energy

Aim - energy of sound

Hrīm - solar energy

Shrīm - lunar energy

Krīm - electric energy

Klīm - magnetic energy

Hūm - power of fire

Hlīm - power to stop

Strīm - power to stabilize

Trīm - power to transcend

33
Chapter 8. The Nine-syllabled Mantra
One of the most powerful mantras is the Nav’ārna –‘nine-syllabled’
mantra:-
Aīm Hrīm Klīm Chamundāyai vichche
We approach that Goddess, the destroyer of demons,
who is the three Śhaktis and the Kuṇḍalinī
Om may added at the beginning and namaḥ at the end (this is how
Shri Mataji described it in Her book ‘Creation’).
Om Aīm Hrīm Klīm Chamundāyai vichche namaḥ
This mantra is described in the Devi Bhagavatam, the Devi Atharva
Shīrsha and the Kuñjikā Stotram. These are bījas of great power.
Traditionally this is said during Navarātri, at least a thousand times
every day (ten thousand times over the Nine Nights!)
Aim, Hrīm and Klīm are evolved from Om:-
“These Three Primordial Syllables (of Om) AA, OO and MA
represent the three powers of the Primordial Mother:..... These
Three Primordial Syllables later on form the Primordial Words
(Bîja mantras) Aîm, Hrîm and Klîm.” BoAS. Ch 1.
Aīm, Hrīm and Klīm have the same associations as the A-U-M of Oṁ
with the three worlds Bhūr, Bhuvaḥ and Swar, governed
respectively by Shri Brahmā, Vishnu and Śhiva. Some associations
with the names are:-
Aīm = Aindrī (Right Side Power – Creative Goddess) Mahāsaraswatī
Brahmādeva. Bhūr –‘Earth Realm’ (lower three chakras)
Hrīm = Hari (Vishnu - Central path - Evolutionary) Mahālakshmī Viṣhṇu
Bhuvaḥ -‘Atmospheric (middle) Realm’ (Heart, Viśhuddhī, Āgñyā)

34
Klīm = Kālī (Left Side Power – Destructive Goddess) Mahākālī Śhiva
Swar –‘Heavenly Realm’ (Sahasrāra and above). Kāla –‘black, time,
destruction’ Bhairava is Śhrī Śhiva’s fiercest form.
So, Aīm, Hrīṁ and Klīṁ are the three Shaktis and Chāmuṇḍā is the
Ādi Śhakti, the ‘silent half-syllable’ of the Oṁ, which is manifested
as the Kuṇḍalinī, the upwelling desire for re-absorption into the
Divine. [Cham –‘absorption’, uṇḍa –‘upwelling’]

The Bīja-śhodaśha-stotram describes Aīm as the Bīja of Speech

(Brahmadeva and Saraswatī are both called ‘Giver of Speech’), Hrīm as
the Bīja of Modesty (also called lajjā, a name for the Suṣhumnā,
Mahālakshmī-Viṣhṇu) and Klīm as the Bīja of Desire (Mahākālī-Śhiva).
The Kuñjikā Stotram calls Aim ‘Creation’ (Goddess Aindrī), Hrīm
‘Preservation’ (Hari) and Klīm ‘Destruction’ (Kālī), corresponding
with Brahmā, Viṣhṇu and Śhiva.
Also Aīm is explained as Ātma-tattwa - the Principle of Self. Hrīm is
Vidyā-tattwa - the Principle of Knowing. Klīm is Śhiva-tattwa - the
Supreme Spirit. Combining these three; the Individual Soul knowing
the Supreme Spirit, grants self-realization.
The Three Granthis
īṁ has the power of clearing the Granthis. One may feel this mantra
as being;
A-īṁ - A is Shrī Brahma (see Om, p.16) and aīṁ clears Brahma
Granthi allowing the Kuṇḍalinī to rise up to Nābhī Chakra,
enlightening the Earth Realm ( whole abdomen, lower three chakras)
Hr-īṁ - clears the Viṣhṇu (Hari) Granthi at the top of the Void
allowing the Kuṇḍalinī to rise into the Heart Chakra, enlightening
the Atmospheric Realm (Heart, Viśhuddhī and Āgñyā). As the

35
expression of the Mahālakshmī Shakti the nasal ṁ particularly
works on the Āgñyā Chakra.
Kl-īṁ - clears the Rudra (Kāla) Granthi, allowing the Kuṇḍalinī to
enter Sahasrāra and above (Heavenly Realm)

Chāmuṇḍā – is the complete Goddess as the Kuṇḍālinī from

Mūlādhāra up to the top of the head, full of bliss and spiritual
knowledge. Like Her consort Shrī Kāla Bhairava, She is described as
wearing a snake and a garland of skulls and having four, eight, ten or
twelve arms, holding:

• skull-cup (kapala), filled with blood.

• panapatra (drinking vessel, wine cup);
• severed head ;
• thunderbolt;
• skull-topped mace (khatvanga);
• snake;
• sword;
• trishula (trident);
• damaru (drum).

-yai – like ī, ya and ai are clearing and removing obstacles, mostly

the Rudra Granthi, so that one enters into the Heavenly Realm and
gets completely absorbed in the Divine Nature.
Also aya means ‘move, come’ and ī is the Sushumnā Nāḍī, so ayai
can mean ‘rise up the Suṣhumnā’.
Vichche – ‘I approach’

36
 Om
Om takes the attention to Mūlādhāra Chakra. It is always good to first
address Shri Ganesha, who is Oṁkār-swarūpa –‘personification of Om’.
As before (p.12) O sucks in the left and right channels and M
establishes the Suṣhumnā (Mahālakshmī).
Aīm
Aīm (pronounced ‘ayeem’) activates the Mūlādhāra Chakra and
awakens the Kuṇḍalinī, clearing the Brahma Granthi and putting the
attention in the Bhūr -‘Earth Realm’ (lower three chakras).

Hrīm
Hrīm is sometimes called the ‘Om of the Tantras’ as within it is all
knowledge and power for the awakening and worship of the
Goddess. As Shri Mataji explains below, Hrīm is the energy rising up
the Sushumnā Nāḍī into the Sahasrāra. It activates the Bhuvaḥ -
1
‘atmospheric, middle realm’ and is centred in the Hridaya –‘Heart’
chakra. It is called the Māyā –‘illusion, creative energy’ mantra.
Ha is Lord Śhiva, Ra - the Kundalini Śhakti, ī - rising up the
Sushumna Nadi and m - the union in Sahasrāra.
“To make it a mantra, any mantra you want to do, you must
know first the Bîja Mantra. Supposing you want to raise your
Kundalinî, then the Bîja Mantra is ‘Hrîm’ and from ‘Hrîm’
you should go on to ‘Om Twameva sâkshât Shrî Hrîm’.
Then you should go on saying the mantras of all the Deities
that are there.
‘Ee’ (Î) is the Primordial Mother and ‘Ra’ is the energy that is
Kundalinî. So the ‘Hrîm’ means that you have the energy

37
passing through the Mahâlakshmî tattwa which is Ra. You see
the energy is passing through the thing towards the Primordial
Being. So Hrîm.” Comments on the Devi A.S. Pune, 17-10-88
Hrī means ‘modesty’, like lajjā, and is a name of Śhrī Lakshmī and of
the Sushumnā Nāḍī. Hri denotes ‘joy’ (hṛiṣhi); the Heart is hṛid or
hṛidaya –‘giving joy’ and the senses are called hṛiṣhika –‘creating joy’.
So Hrīm is very much connected with the central portion of our
subtle system (Heart) and the evolution from physical into spiritual
beings.
Hrīm is also called the Bhuvaneshwarī –‘The Goddess as the ruler of
the world’ mantra and is associated with the sun (the middle realm is
the Sūrya Maṇḍala –‘Orb of the Sun’).

Klīm
Klīm is Bliss in the Sahasrāra (Shrī Mahākālī). The attention goes
into the Chandra Maṇḍala -‘Moon Realm’ also called Swar –‘Kingdom
of Heaven’, at Sahasrāra and above, beyond the illusions of worldly
life. It clears the Rudra Granthi between Āgñyā and Sahasrāra giving
the quality of ānanda -‘bliss’ associated with Lord Śhiva.

Chāmundāyai (dative case ‘to Chāmuṇḍā)

Chāmuṇḍā is the fierce aspect of the Goddess who destroys the
demons Chaṇḍa -‘passion, anger’ and Muṇḍa -‘bald head’, signifying
the removal of passions, anger and ego in the devotee. The name
works powerfully on the Āgñyā Chakra and clears the head.
Chāmuṇḍā can also mean ‘The upwelling of peace and bliss through
absorption (in the nature of the Goddess)’. Chām means
‘absorption’ but also, like Śham, is ‘peace and bliss’ (cf. Śhānti –

38
 ‘peace’). Uṇḍa is ‘flow, upwelling, bathing’. The addition of yai
(dative ending) gives the cutting power to break through the Rudra
Granthi between Āgñyā and Sahasrāra and the name gives a
drenching fountain of bliss pouring from the Sahasrāra as the
ascending Kuṇḍalinī unites our attention with the Feet of the Divine.
Ayai, the feminine dative case ending, can also be taken as: aya –
‘going, moving’, ī – Suṣhumnā, and so can mean ‘rise up the
Suṣhumnā’.

Vichche- ‘I approach, surrender to.....’

This may* be the same as vichchhe –‘I approach’ [from vicch –‘to
approach’] and infers surrender (vi –‘without’, iccha –‘desire’) and has
a sense of bowing at the Feet of the Goddess, with a sense of
‘victory to..’ (like vijaya).
The Kuñjikā Stotram describes vichche as ‘conferring fearlessness’,
Vichche may also be taken as a request to break open the Rudra
Granthi (vichcheda –‘cutting, breaking’), opening the Sahasrāra and
giving us connection to the All-pervading Spirit.
One may also feel it as asking for any separation from the All-
pervading [vich = vichi –‘separation’] to be removed [che = cheda –
‘remove’] so that we get immersed in the Divine Nature.
* No dictionary or Sanskrit scholar has been able to fully explain what part
of speech vichche is so far.

Namah - ‘Salutations to.....’

As well as ‘salutations, obeisance’ (from nam –‘to bend, bow’)
namaḥ is taken na –‘not’, maḥ -‘me, I’ and so is an ego-negating

39
mantra and can be asking for our limited ‘self’ to be merged into the
Mahat-ahaṁkāra –‘great ‘I am’’, the All-pervading Supreme Spirit.

Brief summary
Om – Mūlādhāra. O sucks in the left and right channels and M opens
the Suṣhumnā (Mahālakshmī).
Aim – Kundalinī awakening from Sacrum, rising to Nābhī and flooding
the abdomen with peace and satisfaction (A – desire power, ī – rising,
m – Suṣhumnā).
Hrīm – Kundalini breaking through Vishnu Granthi and rising to Heart
and opening the chakras above. (Hr-Heart, joy, ī – rising, m –
Suṣhumnā)
Klīm – Breaks through the Rudra Granthi and opens Sahasrāra (Kl –
Sadāśhiva, ī,m as above) giving tingling feelings in the
Brahmarandhra.
Chāmuṇḍā – Kuṇḍalinī (upwelling desire for unification).
Ayai – ‘Rise’
vichche – Remove separation from the Divine.
namaḥ - taking away my sense of separate identity and allowing me
to merge into the unlimited All-pervading Consciousness.

40
Chapter 9. Names of the Deities as Bija Mantras
As bīja mantras the names of the Deities have deeper significances
and powers, which may be explored by chanting them on their own.
The following is by no means an exhaustive list and it would be
possible to discover subtle meanings of all the names of all the
Deities. For example, Bhāskararāya, an 18thc. commentator on the
Śhrī Lalitā Sahasranāma, gives up to seven interpretations for each of
the thousand names.

Mūlādhāra
Gaṇeśha/Gaṇapati
(1) ‘Lord of Shri Shiva’s servants’. [Gaṇa – ‘group, troop, follower,
multitude, people’, īsha – ‘controller, Lord’, pati – ‘Lord, protector,
husband’]
(2) ‘The people’s God’ [gaṇa -‘people’, īśha –‘God’] The Indian political
system is called Gaṇa-tantra –‘control by the people, democracy’.
(3) ’Attained through the bīja mantra Gaṁ’. [Gaṇ = Gaṁ, the bīja
mantra of Mūlādhāra, eṣha –‘approached, obtained’]
(4) ‘Lord of Wisdom’ Gaṁ is the bīja of ‘knowledge, wisdom’, Īśha –
‘Lord, controller’.
Ekadanta
(1) ‘One-tusked’ [eka – ‘one’, danta – ‘tusk, tooth’]
(2) ‘Removing obstacles to the rising of the Kuṇḍalinī’ [e – ‘Kundalini’
(see p.21), kad – ‘what?, bad, obstacle’, anta – ‘ending, removing’]

Lambodara
(1) ‘Having a big belly’ [lamba –‘protruding, hanging down’, udara –
‘belly’]

41
(2) ‘The Earth element which awakens the Kundalini’ [Laṁ* - ‘Mother
Earth’, bodha – ‘awakening’, ra –‘ Kundalini Shakti’] (‘Like the Mother
Earth sprouting a seed’).
* Laṁ is the bīja mantra of the earth element at Mūlādhāra Chakra.
Vakratunda
(1) ‘Having a curled trunk’ [vakra – ‘curled, curved’, tunda - ‘trunk, snout,
beak’]
(2) ‘The flow of speech and enjoyment’ [vak – ‘speech’, rata –
‘enjoyment, pleasure’, unda - ‘flow, spring’] (Right Side quality).

Kārttikeya
(1) ‘Belonging to the Kṛittikas (six celestial maidens)’,
(2) ‘Born in the month Karttika (November)’.
(3) ‘Offspring of the Destroyer (Śhiva)’ [Karttā –‘destroyer’, keyu –‘to
mate’]. The intensely hot seed which gave birth to Śhrī Kārttikeya
came out of Lord Shiva after His marriage to Śhrī Pārvatī.
(4) ‘Removing those who disturb the Divine order of the Universe’
[Ka –‘creation’ Ṛt –‘truth, Divine order’ tik –‘move, attack, disturb’,
eya –‘gone’]
Other names: Skanda –‘offspring’, Subrabhmaṇya –‘loved by realised
souls’, Kumāra –‘boy, prince’, Murugan –‘youth’ (in South India)
Kuṇḍalinī
(1) ‘The Coiled Goddess’ [Kuṇḍala –‘coil, rope, ear-ring’, -inī -
‘possessing, having the quality of...’, feminine ending]
(2) ‘Hidden in the water-pot’ [Kuṇḍa, like kumbha, means a ‘water-pot’
indicating the Sacrum, and also a ‘bowl or pit’. Līna –‘hidden, concealed,
resting’] In the past the Kuṇḍalinī, the ’Holy of Holies’, was always a
well-kept secret.

42
In the Lalitā Sahasranāma –‘1000 names’ the Devas -‘Gods’ performed a
Havan from whose flames the Goddess rose to help them defeat the
demon Bhaṇḍa. The second line runs:
Chid-agni kuṇḍa saṁbhūtā, deva-kārya saṁudyatā (LSN, v.1)
‘Born from the fire-pit of consciousness, emerging for the purpose of the Gods’
An alternative translation is: Chid-agni kuṇḍa saṁbhutā –‘The flame of
consciousness (Kuṇḍalinī) arising from the water-pot (sacrum)’: Deva-
kārya saṁudyatā -‘whose rising has a Divine effect’. [Deva –‘Divine’, kārya
–‘work, purpose, effect’, saṁudyatā –‘risen, emerged, engaged in’].

(3) ‘A shield against negativity’ [Kuṇ = Kuṁ -‘negativity, bad, evil,

impurity’; ḍhalinī –‘having a shield’.]

Gaurī
In the Central Channel the Goddess is Gaurī (1) –‘fair, golden,
beautiful, pure’; on the Left Side She is dark - Shri Mahākālī,
Pārvatī, etc.
Gaurī (2) -‘Mother Earth supporting the Kundalini in the Central
Channel’ [Go -‘cow, the Earth, Sushumnā Nādī’, ra –‘Kuṇḍalinī’, ī –
‘Central Channel’]

Swādhiṣhṭhāna
Saraswatī
(1) ‘Lake-like’: [saras –‘lake’, vatī –‘having the quality of, possessing
(fem)’] Saras can also mean ‘speech’ as Śḥrī Saraswatī is the Goddess
of Speech, Learning, Arts and Music. Saraswatī is also the name of the
third great river of north India which originally flowed through the
Punjab, but was diverted underground and joins the Gañgā and
Yamunā at Allahabad (Prayāg). It represents the Suṣhumnā Nāḍī.

43
(2) ‘The power of the three channels, who carries us across to the
Ultimate Reality’ [Sa –‘left side (Śhakti), ra –‘bīja of fire, right side’,
swa –‘self, ātmā, central channel’, tī – ‘across (tiras)’]
(3) ‘Giving Self-realisation, joining of Kundalinī and Āṭmā’ [Sa –‘with’,
ra –Kuṇḍalinī, swa –‘self, ātmā’, tī –‘carrying across’]

Hanumāna
(1) ‘Having a prominent jaw’. [Hanu – ‘jaw’, māna –‘proud’] As in English
‘proud’ means both ‘protruding’ and ‘thinking highly of oneself’.
(2) ‘The Remover of Ego and Pride’. [Han – ‘removing, destroying’, u –
‘Right Side, Ego’, māna –‘pride’] In the A-U-M of Om, U is the Right
Side.

Nābhī and Void

Lakṣhmī
(1) ‘The Goddess of Wealth’ [Lakṣha – ‘Lakh, a hundred thousand’ is
associated with money (in Hindi a lakhpati – ‘Lord of 100,000’ is a
rich man) –mī – ‘possessing, having the quality of..’]
(2) ‘Having all auspicious marks’. [Lakṣhmā – ‘auspicious mark’. There
are several physical marks and attributes which demonstrate a
person’s Divine quality: She has them all.]
(3) ‘The ever-patient Mother Earth who supports and nourishes us’.
[La – ‘Mother Earth’, Kṣham –‘Forbearing, forgiving, patient,
enduring’, ī – ‘having the quality of’]
* La is the Bīja Mantra of the Earth element at Mūlādhāra Chakra.
(4) ‘By whose worship one obtains peace’. [Lak – ‘obtain’, śhamī –
‘peaceful, tranquil’]
(5) ‘The Power of Love of the Mother Earth’. [La – ‘Power of Love’;
Kṣhma – ‘Mother Earth’] “When the Power of Love becomes active, it

44
 becomes La Shakti. In La Shakti You should enjoy the bliss of love,
by forgetting yourself.” The Meaning of Nirmala, Rahuri, 30-12-79

Viṣhṇu
(1) ‘All-pervading’
(2) ‘Destroyer of wickedness, hatred’ [viṣh –‘hatred, wickedness’, nu –
‘destruction’]
(3) ‘Worshipped by the whole world’ [viṣh=viśhwa –‘world, universe’,
nu=nuta –‘worshipped’]

Guru
(1) ‘Teacher, heavy, serious’. The root meaning of the word Guru is
‘heavy, large, serious’ and hence means a person who has gravity, is
serious-minded and respectable.
‘Guru means `the weight', the weight. We get our weight from the
magnetic forces of the gravity of the Mother Earth. So Guru
means gravity, the gravity in a person.’ 08-07-79, London
The word ‘gravity’, meaning ‘depth, seriousness’, was coined by Isaac
Newton for the force of attraction between all matter giving rise to
weight.
(2) ‘One who elevates us into the Divine Presence’. Gur or gurv means
to ‘lift up’.
‘Guru means a person who helps souls to evolve.... who makes you
meet God.’ 30-06-77, Caxton Hall/ 19-09-86, Holland.
(3) ‘Illuminating the darkness’ [Gu –‘darkness (guha)’, ru –‘illuminating
(ruchi)’]. ‘A Guru should enlighten and give realization to people’.
09-04-90, Kolkata
(4) ‘Bestowing the formless state beyond the three Guṇas’.

45
 ‘I meditate on the letter Gu, the state beyond the three Guṇas and
Ru, the formless form; who bestows on us the form which is beyond
the three Guṇas.’ Guru Gita; recited at Guru Puja, 28-07-91, Cabella
Dattātreya
(1) –‘Son of Atri’ [Datta -‘given’, Ātreya -‘to Atri’] Shri Ādi Guru
Dattātreya was born to Sage Atri and his wife Anasūyā -‘without envy’
who had a boon that Shri Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva would be born as
their children. Dattātreya had the qualities of all three Gods but mainly
of Shri Vishnu.
(2) ‘Granting the state beyond the three Gunas’ [Datta –‘given,
granted’. As Shri Mataji explains, Atreya (a-‘not, without’, treya –
‘three-fold’) means ‘beyond the three attributes (Tamas, Rajas and
Sattva)’]

Heart
Durgā
(1) - ‘Destroying the demon Durgama – ‘invincible’. A descendent of
Hiranyaksha (a demon destroyed by Shrī Viṣhṇu in His Varaha –‘boar’
form) Durgama was given the Vedas as a boon by Śhrī Brahmadeva
causing humanity to forget worship and dharma. By destroying him
Śhrī Durgā restored spirituality and well-being.
The name Durgā has many meanings stemming from the roots; dur,
duḥ – ‘hard, difficult, bad, wicked’. Gā, gam – ‘to go, cross, remove,
approach, attain’.
(2) ‘Carrying us across difficulties’. ‘Durgā, the boat that takes men
across the difficult ocean of worldly existence’. Devi Mahatmyam, ch.4,
v.11. She is ‘Durgati harinī’ –‘destroyer of hardships’.
(3) ‘Hard to approach’. She can only be attained by the wise and the
brave and those devoted to spiritual life.
(4) ‘Our Fortress’. As an ‘inaccessible place’ Durgā means a fortress.
46
‘In thoughtless awareness nobody can touch you, that is your
fortress.’ 16-09-84, Italy
(5) ‘Destroyer of wickedness’. She forgives us our mistakes if we humbly
repent and showers us with Her Grace.
(6) ‘Living in an inaccessible place’. One of Her nine names is Shaila-putrī
–‘Daughter of the mountain’ and She resides on Mount Kailāśh with
Shrī Sadāśhiva.
(7) ‘Remover of misery’. Dur=duḥ=duḥkha –‘distress, sorrow, trouble’,
ga –‘gone’. She is our Comforter and Protectress.
(8) ‘Tormenting the violent and passionate’. [Du –‘torment, burn’, Ṛghā
–‘violence, passion’. Rākshasas are naturally violent, egotistical and
passionate. She torments and destroys such characters]

Śhiva
(1) ‘Auspicious, happy, benevolent, kind, bliss, liberation‘.
(2) ‘Ocean of tranquillity’. [Śhi –‘tranquillity, peace, well-being,
auspiciousness’, va –‘ocean’]
(3) ‘Cool breeze’. [Śhi = Śhītala –‘cool’, va = vāyu –‘breeze, wind, air’]
The Ātmā –‘Self’, embodied as Shri Śhiva, is the subtle form of air, the
element of the Heart Chakra.
Lord Śhiva is also known as Śhaṅkara and Śhambhu, both meaning
‘creating peace, beneficent’. [Śham -‘peace, equanimity, tranquillity’,
kara –‘making, doing’, bhu –‘becoming, being, born’]

Pārvatī
(1) ‘Daughter of the mountain’. [from Parvata -‘mountain’. Lengthening
the first vowel and adding –ī or –ya gives the sense of ‘of, coming from,
belonging to’. (as in nāgarī –‘from the nagara –‘city’’)]
(2) ‘Embodying the Supreme’. [Pāra –‘supreme, beyond’, vatī –‘having
the qualities of’]

47
(3) ‘Manifesting as the subtle system’. The chakras can be called parva
–‘nodes, sections, vertebra’ on the tī –‘stalk, stem, rod’ of the
Suṣhumna Nādī.

Ātmā
(1) ‘Self, Spirit’
(2) ‘Stillness’ [At –‘movement’, ma –‘not, without’]

Viśhuddhī
Kṛiṣhṇa
(1) ‘black, dark, dark blue’; Shri Vishnu and His incarnations are said to
have dark skin – ‘the colour of dark rain-clouds’. Shyâma is also a name
of Shrī Krishna meaning ‘dark-skinned, black’.
(2) ‘The one who sows the seed’. Shri Mataji mentions that the name is
connected with Kṛiṣhāna –‘farmer’ (Kissan in Hindi).
‘Krish word means the farming. That means Krishna came on this
Earth to sow the seed.’ 01-04-81, Australia
‘These tricks of Krishna do not immediately work out. He could
only sow the seed of Sahaja Yoga, His name meaning `the one
who sows'. (Krishi).’ BoAS. Ch.2.
(3) ‘The Lord of Creation’. [Kṛ -‘to create’, Īśhana –‘Lord, controller’]
‘In Sanskrit language the names of the days tally with the stars, so
Saturday is the day of Shrî Krishna, Śhani, is Saturn’ (Shanivâr is
Saturday in Sanskrit and Hindi). 04-04-81, Australia.

Rādhā
(1) ‘Prosperity, beauty, splendour’
(2) ‘The Support of the Kundalini, Shri Mahālakshmī’
‘His power was Râdhâ, Ra is the energy; Dha is the one who
sustains. The one who sustain the energy is Râdhâ. She is
Mahâlakshmî that is why She sustain the Kundalinî.’
17-10-88, Pune.
48
 Chapter 10. The Fifteen-Syllabled Mantra
Pañcha-daśh‛ākṣhara [pañcha-‘five’, daśha-‘ten’, akshara-‘syllable’]

Traditionally the worship of the Goddess has three forms – worship

of the Shri Chakra1, saying the Lalitā Sahasranāma –‘thousand
names’ and reciting the fifteen-syllabled mantra which is described
in many scriptures including the Devi Bhagavatam, Saundarya
Laharī2, Devi Atharva Shīrsha, the 300 and 1000 Names of Shri
Lalitā, etc. (all of which were recommended by Shri Mataji).
The mantra is composed only of Bījas:-
Ka e ī la hrīm, ha sa ka ha la hrīm, sa ka la hrīm3.
The three sections of the mantra are creation, preservation and
destruction, the three Śhaktis, Mahākālī, Mahāsaraswatī and
Mahālakshmī, and the three maṇḍalas -‘circles, areas’ of Fire, Sun
and Moon respectively.
1
Some details are given in the RiSY book ‘Shri Chakra’ on symb-ol.org.
2
The word Laharī -‘wave, billow’ in the title ‘Saundarya Laharī’ is a pun on
the fact that each section of the fifteen-syllabled mantra ends with ‘La
Hrīm’. So Saundarya Lahari would have a secondary meaning of ‘the La-
hrīm (mantra) of the Supreme Beauty (Goddess)’. The first verse of the
Saundarya Lahari has 16 words indicating the 16-syllabled manta
starting Shiva (Ka) Shaktya (e) yukto (ī) yādi (la) bhavati (hrīm), etc.
3
This version of the mantra is known as the Kādi -‘starting with Ka’. There
is also a version known as Hādi -‘starting with Ha’ in which the first
section is replaced with Ha sa ka la hrīm and the rest is the same.

49
The addition of Śhrīm at the end as a fourth (or three and a halfth)
section creates the Sixteen-syllabled Mantra which is very secret and
can only be imparted by a Guru (although we are telling you).
However without proper instruction it may not be effective. I have
experimented with this mantra over a number of years and have only
started getting results quite recently!
The mantra takes the Kuṇḍalinī and the attention up through the
chakras. Each section ends with La Hrīm; the la is one of the Granthis
–‘knot, difficulty’ and Hrīm breaks through the obstruction
(Hṛi/Hara/Hari means ‘removing, destroying’). The final obstruction is
the barrier between our individual Self and the Supreme
Consciousness. When this is removed we enter the Turiya -‘fourth’
State beyond the Three Attributes, where we become the pure
consciousness as the witness.
The mantra is divided into three Kūtas- ‘horns, peaks or projections’, or
Khaṇḍas- ‘portions’, which are mentioned in the LSN (names 85-88).
These are called Sṛiṣhṭi -‘Creation’, Stithi -‘Sustenance’ and Praharana -
‘Dissolution’ representing Śhrī Brahmā, Viṣhṇu and Śhiva, and the
Three Worlds Bhūr, Bhūvaḥ, Swaḥ, etc. As with all praises and
mantras the important thing is to use them and discover the effect on
our Subtle System rather than delve into intellectual explanations.

The first section is Vāg-bhava Kūta ‘becoming speech’, which is

described in the LSN as being the face of the Goddess. Then the
Kāma-rāja Kūta- ‘desire as king’- from neck to waist. The third section
is called Śhakti Kūta- ‘Peak of Energy (Kundalinī)’ below the waist. We
might expect them to be the other way round but Shri Mataji often
mentioned that Her face was a source of māyā and Her Feet were the
reality.
50
The significance of the Bīja mantras

Section 1. Ka e ī la hrīm
The Sṛiṣhṭi –‘Creation’ section is the Bhūr-‘Earth’ realm and consists of
the lower three chakras and the Kuṇḍalinī. The lower three chakras
are the roots of the Three Channels.
Ka –‘creation, desire’. Creation starts with kāma-kalā –‘atom of desire’
a tiny imbalance of desire in the perfect equanimity of the Supreme
Brahman. This is the desire of the Supreme Consciousness to become
aware of Itself. This creates the Left Side, the Mahākālī Shakti, the
Earth element and the Mūlādhāra Chakra. In the ‘1000 Names of Śhrī
Mahākālī’ Śhrī Mahākālī is described as Ka-kāra-varṇa-sarv’āňgi –
‘whose whole body resounds with the letter Ka’.
e - This desire gives rise to Creation. The letter e in Devanāgarī
is written as a triangle, symbolizing the Womb or Sacrum. This
gives rise to Śhrī Mahāsaraswatī, the Right Side -‘action’ and
Swādhiṣhṭhāna Chakra.
i –Śhrī Lakshmī/Mahālakshmī, Nābhi Chakra, the root of the Central
Channel.
la -is the Mother Earth (The Kuṇḍalinī as the Evolutionary Power).
Planet Earth is the Kuṇḍalinī of the Universe.
hrīm - is composed of:
• ha- Śhrī Śhiva (Hara)
• ra- the Kuṇḍalinī Shakti rising through;
• ī - the central channel, to give;
• m – anuswāra, union of the Self with the All-pervading.

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Hrīm raises the Kuṇḍalinī up the Sushumna to the Sahasrāra. The
root is Hṛ -‘Remove, destroy’ and this removes the blockage of the
Brahma Granthi.

Section 2. Ha sa ka ha la hrīm-
Ha is Lord Śhiva (Hara-‘destroyer’) the attention moves into Centre
Heart. Sa is Śhrī Pārvati (Sa-‘Shakti’); the attention moves into the Left
Heart. Ka takes the attention up to Vishuddhi Chakra (Śhrī Krishna?)
Ha is Hamsa Chakra. La is Agňya Chakra/ Rudra Granthi. Hrīm breaks
through this and the attention moves into Sahasrāra inside the head.

Section 3. Sa ka la hrīm
Sakala takes the attention into Sahasrāra above the head where the
Divine Lotus Feet of the Goddess rest. We get the Bliss of connection
to Her. This is Praharana -‘dissolution’ as all illusions drop away and we
approach the Ultimate Reality. Sakala means ‘everything’ and implies
the Sahasrāra which encompasses the integration of all the Chakras
and Deities.
Sakala also means ‘having parts’ denoting the manifested Universe (as
opposed to Nish-kala -‘without parts’, the indivisible Formless
Consciousness) which is destroyed (hrīṁ) as we are immersed in the
Divine Nature.

The Sixteen-syllabled Mantra

The Ṣhoḍaśh’ākṣharī –‘Sixteen-syllabled Mantra’ is the Fifteen-syllabled
Mantra with the addition of the bīja ‘Śhrīm’ at the end. Śhrīm is the
Bīja Mantra of the Supreme Goddess in the Heart and Sahasrāra.

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This makes 3½ Kūtas –‘peaks’, like the 3½ syllables of Om (‘The final
silent half-syllable is known only to Yogis’) and 3½ manifestations of
Ādi Śhakti (Śhrī Mahākālī, Mahāsaraswatī, Mahālakshmī and the
Kuṇḍalinī Śḥakti).

Table of the Bijas of the 15-syllabled Mantra.

The 15-syllabled mantra is given in the Devi Atharva Sheersha and the
Saundarya Lahari using code-words to represent each Bīja. These can
give us a clue to the significance of the bīja.

Bīja Code-word in Code-word in the Association with the Subtle

the Devi A.S. Saundarya Lahari System
Section 1. – Sṛishti – ‘creation’. Vāg-bhava Kuta – ‘creating speech’. Face
of the Goddess.
ka Kāmo- Śhiva- ‘Spirit’ Śhrī Mahākāli – root of Left
‘Desire’ Side - Mūlādhāra
e Yoni - ‘womb’ Śhakti – ‘Power’ Śhrī Mahāsaraswati –
creation- root of Right Side-
Swādhiṣhṭhāna. (Śhrī
Brahmādeva is Hiranya
Garbha-‘golden womb’)
ī Kamalā- Kāma- ‘God of Śhrī Mahālakshmi – root of
‘Lakshmī’ Love’ Central Channel – Nābhi.
la Vajra-pāni- Kshiti- ‘Earth’ Viṣhṇu Granthi (between
‘Indra’ (Lam is Earth bīja) Nābhi and Heart)
hrīm Guhā- ‘Secret’ Hṛillekhā –‘Heart Breaking. Hari –‘remover’.
writing’ Breaks through the Viṣhṇu
Granthi; Kuṇḍalinī rises to
Heart.
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Section 2. Stithi – ‘Sustenance’. Kāma-raja Kuta – ‘’desire as King’. Neck
to waist of Goddess.
ha Hamsā- Ravi- ‘Sun’ Śhrī Śhiva (Hara) – Centre
sa ‘Swan’ Śhīta-kirana- heart
‘Moon’- Śhrī Pārvati (Sati) – Left Heart
(Ātmā)
ka Māta- Smara- Śhrī Krishna – Viśhuddhi. Part
‘Creating’ ‘Kāmadeva, God of Śhrī Krishna’s incarnation
of Love’ (Pradyumna) was as
Kāmadeva.
ha Riśhva- Hamsa- ‘Swan’ Hamsa/Agnya.
‘Destroying’
la Indra- ‘Indra’ Śhakra- ‘Indra’ Rudra Granthi
hrīm Guhā- ‘Secret’ Hṛillekhā –‘Heart Breaking the Rudra Granthi.-
document’ Kuṇḍalinī enters Sahasrāra
inside the head.
Section 3. Paharana- ‘dissolution’. Shakti Kuta- Body of the Goddess
from waist down.
sa Sakalā- Parā –‘Beyond’– Sahasrāra – above the head.
ka ‘Everything’ sa The Feet of the Goddess rest
la Māra – ‘Death’– here.
ka
Hari – ‘Remover,
Śhrī Viṣhṇu’ -la
hrīm Māya- Hṛillekha- Breaks the barriers between
‘Illusion’ ‘Knowledge’ Ātmā and Paramātmā –
‘Individual and the Supreme
Spirit’

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Chapter 11. Śhrī Kuñjikā Stotram
Kuñjikā -‘a shady bower, murmuring’

The Kuñjika Stotram (not to be confused with the Kubjika Tantra!) is

one of the praises used during Navarātri. It is mainly composed of
Bīja Mantras with some explanations.
The prayer addresses the Left Side aspects of the Goddess, Shri
Chandī –‘ Destroyer of Demons’, Bhairavī, Pārvatī, etc.

Om Śhrī Ganeśhāya namaḥ Om Salutations to Shri Ganesha

Asya Śhrī Kuñjikā Stotra-mantrasya Of these Kunjika Stotram mantras

Sadāśhiva ṛiṣhiḥ The Seer is Shri Sadāśhiva
Anuṣhtup chhandaḥ The Metre is Anushtubh,
Śhri Triguṇātmika devatā The Deity is the Three-braided Goddess,
Om Aim bījam Aim is the Seed,
Om Hrīm śhaktiḥ Hrīm is the Power,
Om Klīm kīlakam Klīm is the Root Mantra.
Mama sarv′ābhīshṭa-siddhy‛arthe For the fulfilment of all my desires
Jape viniyogaḥ This recitation is undertaken.

Śhiva uvācha Shri Shiva said-

Śhṛiṇu Devi pravakṣhāmi kuñjikā stotram uttamam
Listen, O Devi, while I recite this excellent praise of Kunjika.
Yena mantra prabhāveṇa Chaṇḍī jāpah śhubho bhavet (1)
By recitation of these most excellent mantras, may Shri Chandi be pleased.

Na kavacham n’ārgalā stotram kīlakam na rahasyakam

No prayer for protection, no introductory praise, no secret mantras,
Na sūktam n’āpi vā dhyānam na nyāso na vārchanam (2)
No eulogies or meditations, no attention exercises or worship,

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Kuñjikā pāṭha-mātreṇa durgā-pāṭha-phalam labhet
Only by reciting this Kunjika may one attain the fruits of worshipping Durgā,
Ati-guhya-taram Devi devānām-api dur-labham (3)
The most secret, O Devi, which is hard for even the Gods to attain.

Gopanīyam prayatnena swa-yoniriva Pārvati

With diligent effort by oneself one may become protected, O Parvati,
Māranam mohanam vaśhyam stambhanoch-ch‫׳‬āṭanādikam (4)
Death, illusion and domination by others can be arrested and destroyed.
Pāṭha-mātreṇa sam-siddhyet kuñjikā stotram uttamam
Only by practising this excellent Kunjika Stotram may one succeed.

Om Śhrūm Śhrūm Śhrūm Śham Phaṭ

Om Śhrūm Śhrūm Śhrūm hear this and peace will be,
Aim Hrīm Klīm jvala ujjvala prajvala
Aim Hrīm Klīm - flame (Kundalini) igniting, blazing up,
Hrīm Hrīm Klīm srāvaya srāvaya śhāpam nāśhaya nāśhaya
Hrīm Hrīm Klīm, listen, listen, all curses are destroyed, destroyed,
Śhrīm Śhrīm Śhrīm jūm saḥ srāvaya ādaya Swāhā (5)
Śhrīm Śhrīm Śhrīm, he who listens receives good fortune quickly.

Om Śhlīm Hūm Klīm Glām

Jūm saḥ jvala ujjvala mantram prajvala
Om Śhlīm Hūm Klīm Glām, saying these mantras, quickly the flame blazes up
Ham Sam Lam Kṣham Phaṭ Swāhā (6)
Shiva Shakti Mother Earth bearing up. So, well-said!

Namaste rudra-rūpāyai namaste Madhu-mardini

We bow to You of Fierce Form, O Crusher of the demon Madhu,
Namaste Kaiṭabha-nāśhinyai namaste Mahiṣh‫׳‬ārdini
Salutations to You, O Destroyer of Kaitabha and Tormentor of Mahishasura
Namaste Śhumbha-hantryai cha Niśhumbh‛āsura-sūdinī (7)
Prostrations to You, O Slayer of Shumbha and Nishumbha.

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Namaste jāgrate devi jape siddhim kuruṣhva me
Salutations to You O awakened Devi, may this recitation bring success to me,
Aim-kārī sṛiṣhṭi-rūpiṇyai hrīm-kārī prati-pālikā (8)
The sound Aim is the form of Creation, Hrīm is the Preserver.

Klīm kālī kāla-rūpiṇyai bīja-rūpe namō-‘stu te

Klīm is Shri Kālī of the Seed Form of the Destroyer, Salutations to You.
Chāmuṇḍā chaṇḍa-rūpā cha yaiṅkārī vara-dāyinī (9)
O Goddess Chāmundā, the form of anger, by which sound, boons are granted.

Vichche tw’abhaya-dā nityam namaste mantra-rūpiṇī

Vichche gives freedom from fear always, Salutations to You,
who is of the form of mantras,
Dhām Dhīm Dhūm dhūrjaṭeḥ patnī Vām Vīm vāgīśhwarī tathā
Dhām dhīm dhūm O Wife of Lord Shiva of matted locks, (10)
Vām Vīm O Goddess of Speech.

Krām Krīm Krūm Kuñjikā Devi

Śhrām Śhrīm Śhrūm me śhubham kuru
Krām krīm krūm O Devi Kuñjika, śhrām śhrīm śhrūm, make me auspicious,
Hūm Hūm Hūm-kāra-rūpinyai, Jrām Jrīm Jrūm bhāla-nādinī
Hūm Hūm, of the Form of the sound Hūm, (11)
Jrām Jrīm Jrūm, resonating on forehead.

Bhrām Bhrīm Bhrūm bhairavī bhadre

Bhavānyai te namo namaḥ
Bhrām bhrīm bhrūm we bow to You,
O fierce and auspicious One who is all existence.
Om Am Kam Cham Ṭam Tam Pam Sām
The first letters of the eight groups, (the seventh- Yam- is missing)
Vidurām vidurām vimardaya vimardaya
Wise, wise, destruction, destruction.
Hrīm Kṣhām Kṣhīm Srīm jīvaya jīvaya troṭaya troṭaya
Hrīm Kṣhām Kṣhīm Srīm, soul, soul, destruction, destruction,
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Jambhaya jambhaya dīpaya dīpaya mochaya mochaya
Crushing, crushing, light, light, liberation, liberation,
Hūm Phat Jrām vauśhat
Hūm Phat Jrām, thus it goes auspiciously,
Aim Hrīm Klīm rañjaya rañjaya sañjaya sañjaya
Aim Hrīm Klīm, worship, worship, Creator, Creator,
Guñjaya guñjaya bandhaya bandhaya
Humming, humming, binding, binding
Bhrām Bhrīm Bhrūm Bhairavī bhadre
Bhrām Bhrīm Bhrūm, Fierce and Auspicious Goddess,
Sañkucha sañkucha troṭaya troṭaya mlīm swāhā (12)
Modesty, modesty, destruction, destruction, mlīm swāhā-‘well spoken’

Pām Pīm Pūm Pārvatī pūrṇā

Pām Pīm Pūm, the complete Shri Parvatī,
Khām Khīm Khūm Khecharī tatha
Khām Khīm Khūm ‘flying’- Shri Kartikeya is thus.
Mlām Mlīm Mlūm mūla-vistīrṇā kuñjikā stotra hetave,
Mlām Mlīm Mlūm extended roots on account of this Kunjika praise,
Abhaktāya na dātavyam rakṣha Pārvati
This protection should not be given to a non-devotee, O Pārvatī,
Vihīnā kuñjikā devyā yastu sapta-śhatīm paṭhet
Without this Divine Kunjika one may recite the Devi Mahatmyam
Na tasya jāyate siddhir-hyaraṇye ruditam yasyā (13)
Without victory, succeeding only in weeping.

Iti Śhrī Ḍāmara-tantra Īśhwara Pārvatī samvāde

Kuñjikā Stotram sam-pūrṇam
Here ends the Kunjika Stotram recited by Lord Shiva to Śhrī Pāŗvatī
in the Shri Damara Tantra.

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Chapter 12. Bījas mentioned in the Kuñjikā Stotram

The Kuñjikā Stotram explains or hints at certain correspondences

that the bījas have with aspects of the Subtle System These may be
said alone or as a gaṇa –‘series’ with the long vowels, as explained
on page 19. (eg. Bhrāṁ, bhrīṁ, bhrūṁ, bhraiṁ, bhrauṁ, bhraḥ) The
following are some pointers (in western alphabetical order).
Previously mentioned bījas (Śhrīm, Aīm, Hrīm, etc.) have not been
included:-

Bhra- Shri Bhairavī - Fierce Form of the Goddess destroying

negativity. This works powerfully on the Heart.
Dha- Wife of Shri Shiva with matted locks; a more ascetic,
meditative aspect. This seems to work on the Void -
Dharma?
Gla- Left Mūlādhāra/ Left Swādhiṣhṭhān.
Ha- Super-ego (Back Āgñyā) ‘Ham‘
Hra- Hanumān - many praises of Shri Hanuman use Bīja
Mantras, the most common being the bīja gaṇa:
Hrām, Hrīm, Hrūm, Hraim, Hraum, Hraḥ.
Jra- Bhāla-nādinī -‘reverberating on forehead’. This works on the
Agñya Chakra and Ekādaśha Rudras.
Ka- Ka is the sound of Desire (Kāma) which gives rise to
Creation (Kara). Associated with Shri Mahākālī.
Kha- Shri Kartikeya- War-like Destroyer of negativity. Right
Mūlādhāra.

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Kra- Kuñjikā- an aspect of Shri Chandī- Protectress against
demons. Like Klīm, Krīm is associated with Shri Mahākālī.
Ksha- Ego – kshamā - ‘forgiveness’.
La- Mother Earth / Earth element / Mūlādhāra
Ma- Śhri Lakshmī- Void and Nābhī Chakra.
Mla- Mūla -‘root’ connected with Mūlādhāra Chakra and Shri
Ganesha.
Pa- Shri Pārvatī- A sweeter form of the Goddess as Mother. A
more gentle working on the Heart.
Śhra- Sahasrāra- Auspiciousness. Shrīm is the bīja of the Goddess
at the Heart and at Sahasrāra.

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Chapter 13. Mahā-vākyas
–‘great sayings, mighty words’
Mahā –‘great, mighty, higher’
Vākya –‘saying, proposition, what is to be spoken’

The Mahāvākyas are short sayings which encapsulate fundamental

truths about God and this Creation.
These mantras are taken from the Upaniṣhads which are extracts of
the Vedas. The Upaniṣhads form the basis of Vedāṇta –‘final
knowledge’, the philosophical foundation of Hinduism. These sayings
may therefore be considered to be the essence of Vedānta
philosophy. Chanting or meditating on these Mahā-vākyas can lead
to Supreme Knowledge. They can be said in a single breath and may
be mumbled continuously (japa).
Some of the most widely used Mahā-vākyas are:

Om Tat Sat
Om, That (Brahman) is the one true Reality.
[Explained by Shri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, Ch.17 v.23-30]
Tat –‘that’ denotes the Supreme Formless God, Brahman (as
opposed to idam –‘this’ which is the world of the senses, the material
creation). Brahman is neuter being the Supreme Spirit before any
division into male and female principles.
Sat –‘existence, truth, reality, goodness’ [from as –‘to be’] Existence
is a fundamental quality which even a rock has. It may not have

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consciousness (chit) or joy (ānanda) but it is a manifestation of the
Supreme Spirit, so Sat –‘being’ is the primary quality of God. In many
religions the name of God means ‘He who causes existence’ such as
YHWH (Yahweh/Jehovah – Jewish), Ahura Mazda (Zoroastrian), etc.
Alternative Translations: ‘God is’, ‘Om is God’, ‘Om, Supreme Spirit
and ‘The Truth’ are all one’.
“OM, TAT and SAT are the threefold representations of the Brahman
and from That alone Vedas, Vedic scholars and sacrificial rites have
originated. Hence, during the acts of sacrifices, gifts, austerities
approved by scriptures and during Vedic recitations, OM is uttered in
the beginning. TAT is recited by those who aim for liberation while
performing sacrificial rites, austerities and charities without intent on
the fruits of these actions. SAT is recited by those who perform the
above acts with faith and on behalf of the Brahman.”
Bhagavad Gītā (XVII. 23-26)

Brahma satyam Jagan mithyā

(jivo brahmaiva n’āparaḥ)
Brahman is real; the World is unreal.
(The Individual soul is not different from Brahman.)
[Brahma Jnānāvali Māla v.20 by Shri Ādi Śhankarāchārya]

Brahma means the Brahman, Attribute-less All-pervading Supreme

Spirit. (Note: Brahma (neut.) is the Supreme Spirit, Brahmā (mas.) is
the God who creates the illusory universe)[from brihm –‘to expand’]
Satyam –‘reality, truth, name of seventh world (Sahasrāra)’

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Satyam-eva jayate –‘the truth will prevail’ is the Indian national
motto, taken from the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣhad.
Jagan (Jagat in composition) –‘what moves, the world, the universe’.
[from ga –‘to move’] This illusory world is created by Śhakti –‘energy’
whose main form is movement; electrons spin around nuclei, heat is
stored as atoms’ kinetic energy, the universe is expanding, etc.
Mithyā –‘unreal, illusory, wrongly’.

Ekam ev’ādvitiyam Brahma

One indeed, without a second, is Brahman.
[Chhandogya Upaniṣhad / Sama Veda]

Eka(m) –‘one’
eva -‘indeed’
advitiyam –‘undivided, unequalled, without a second, peerless’ [a
-‘not, without’, dvitiya –‘second, equal, companion’. from dvi –‘two’]

Advaita Vedānta –‘non-dualistic sacred knowledge’ proposes that

everything is Brahman (Supreme God). Dualistic philosophies
believe that some parts of creation are manifestations of God but
are not God. One argument for this is that out Ātmā –‘Spirit’ may be
a reflection of the Supreme Spirit but it is not the Supreme Spirit as
we do not have the all-powerful, all-knowing and all-pervading
nature of the Divine.

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 Pragñyānam Brahma
The Supreme Knowledge is Brahman.
[Aitareya Upaniṣhad / Rig Veda]

Pragñyāna(m) –‘wisdom, intelligence, discrimination, enlightened

knowledge’ [pra –‘forward, enlightened, higher’, gñyāna –‘knowledge’]
The knowledge of God is the only knowledge of real value. All other
knowledge may be given up to acquire this one gem of infinite
worth.

Tat tvam asi

That (Formless God) and You (Personal God/ Guru) are (the same).
[Chhandogya Upaniṣhad / Sama Veda]

Sometimes translated ‘That Thou art’, this is one of the greatest of

Mahāvakyas and is referred to in most Hindu philosophical texts.
The Gaṇeśha A.S opens by saying ‘Twameva pratyaksham tat-
twam-asi’ –‘You are the manifestation of ‘That-Thou-art’.
Tat –‘that’ is Brahman, the Formless Impersonal Supreme Spirit, the
source of all existence, whose knowledge is the ultimate truth.
Twam –‘Thou’ can mean the personal aspect of God as the Mother
who knows us intimately, has compassion for our suffering (in spite
of them being illusory) and reaches out to save us. This personal
Mother aspect of God is embodied within us as the Kuṇḍalinī. She
expresses the highest form of love which is the desire for our
spiritual ascent, and is constantly guiding us in that direction. The

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Kuṇḍalinī responds to the bīja mantra ‘twam’ (see ‘Sahaja Yoga
mantras’ p.45)
asi – ‘Thou art’ [2p. pres. of as –‘to be’]
Also: Tattwam-asi –‘You are the Truth’. Tattwam (like satyam) –
‘truth, reality, principle, quality’ The Sāmkhya Philosophy proposes
25 Tattwas –‘principles’ which create the world we experience.
In the Viveka-chūḍāmaṇi –‘crest-jewel of wisdom’ Śhrī Ādi
Śḥankarācharya explains that Tat is Brahman (Formless All-
pervading God) and Twam is the Ātman (Spirit residing in the heart),
so Tat-Twam-asi is stating the identity of the two. This idea is the
essence of Advaita –‘non-dualistic’ Vedānta (Hindu philosophy).

Ayam Ātmā Brahma

This Self is the Supreme Spirit.
Ayam –‘this’, Ātmā –‘self, soul’, Brahma –‘Brahman, Formless God,
Supreme Spirit’. [Mandukya Upaniṣhad/ Atharva Veda]

Ayam –‘this’, like idam –‘this’, is used to denote the material

creation, so an alternative translation is; ‘This material (outer) world
and our soul (inner world) are both manifestations of the Supreme
Spirit’; or ‘This physical world, our Spirit and the All-pervading
Formless God are one’.

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 Ahaṁ Brahm’āsmi
This ‘I’ is indeed Brahman.
Aham –‘I am’, Brahma –‘Brahman, Formless God’, asmi –‘I am’
[1p.pres. as –‘to be’] [Brihadaranyaka Upaniṣhad/ Yajur Veda]

Aham can also mean the Aham-kāra –‘ego’, our illusory sense of
‘self’ which identifies with our body, our name, our social status,
what we think, feel, like, etc. as opposed to Āṭmā –‘Spirit’ our real
Self. So it can be translated ‘My illusory self and my essential self are
both the Supreme Spirit’.

Sarvam khalv’idam Brahma

Everything, even this (manifest universe), is Brahman.
Sarvam –‘all, everything’, khalu –‘indeed, truly’, idam –‘this (physical
world)’. [Chandogya Upaniṣhad/ Sama Veda]

Like ‘Tat-twam-asi’, this Mahāvakya also appears in the first verse

of the Ganesha Atharva Shīrsha, but the addition of Twameva –‘You
are indeed’ before and asi –‘You are’ after it alters the meaning to
‘You are everything, both this material world and the Supreme
Spirit’.

So-’ham (Saḥ-aham)
My Self is Him (Brahman)
Saḥ -‘He (Brahman)’, aham –‘I am’. [Īśha Upaniṣhad/ Yajur Veda]

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 Satyaṁ gñyānaṁ anantaṁ Brahma
The Eternal, Infinite Brahman is Truth and Knowledge
Satyam –‘truth, reality, goodness’, gñyāna –‘knowledge, self-
realization’, ananta –‘infinite, eternal’ [an –‘not, without’, anta –
‘end’], Brahma –‘Supreme Spirit’.
[Taittiriya Upanishad / Yajur Veda]
Alt. Trans. ‘The true knowledge is the eternal Spirit’.

Om namaḥ Śhivāya
Aum, salutations to the Blissful Lord.

While not strictly a Mahā-vakya, this is one of the greatest of

mantras. It is sometimes referred to as the Pañch’ākṣhara –‘five-
syllabled mantra’ (Om is not counted).
As well as the literal translation above, it may be interpreted in
other ways:-
Om – Om is the original sound that emanated from the Divine, and
may be considered as the name of God, or at least the most
appropriate form of address to the Divine. As the bīja of creation
associated with the Mūlādhāra Chakra this enlightens the physical
(Earth) realm.
namaḥ - ‘salutations, bowing, adoration’ [from nam –‘to bend, bow’]
can also be taken as na-maḥ -‘not I’ [na –‘not’, maḥ -‘I’] an ego-
negating mantra taking us beyond the mental plane (Subtle Body).

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 Śhivāya – The name Śhiva means ‘happy, benevolent, auspicious,
blissful, gracious, kind, liberation’ [from Śhi –‘in whom all things lie’].
It is the name of the Lord of Destruction1 who represents the Ātmā -
‘Spirit’ within us. He resides in the Causal Body, the Ānanda-maya
Kośha –‘Sheath of bliss’ (Sahasrāra and above) so this takes the
attention to the top of the head.
–āya is the dative ending ‘(salutations) to...’ but also means ‘come
Thou’ [2p impv. of i –‘to go, come’].
One may therefore interpret Om namaḥ Śhivāya as meaning:-
‘O Divine, remove my ego and come Thou, O gracious blissfulness’.
Or as the Christian prayer:- ‘Not me, but God in me’.
The mantra may also be said:
Om namo Śhivāya
In which case namo –‘salutations’ can mean ‘this world is not real’,
[na –‘not’, mo = moha –‘worldly illusions’] so an alternative
translation is:-
‘O Divine, not these worldly illusions, but the Pure Spirit is the
Reality’.

1
Coming from a materialistic culture we think of creation as good and
destruction as bad. However what is created can only be that which is
temporal and impermanent, ie. this illusory world. Destruction removes
the ‘seven veils of ignorance’ to reveal the Infinite and Eternal which is
what we are seeking. Destruction can therefore be seen to be the highest
form of love. Śhrī Śḥiva is often referred to as Hara –‘the Remover’.

68
Another powerful mantra which addresses Śhrī Viṣhṇu is:
Om Śhrī Viṣhṇave namaḥ
Om, we bow (surrender) to the All-pervading Spirit
Viṣhṇave is the dative case of Viṣhṇu as required by namaḥ
(salutations to...).
Shri Viṣhṇu is the form of the Supreme Being who takes incarnation
to establish dharma and direct humanity towards the ultimate goal.
Among other things Viṣhṇu means ‘all-pervading’ but can also be
taken as ‘destroyer of wickedness, hatred’ [viṣh –‘hatred, wickedness’,
nu –‘destruction’] or ‘worshipped by the whole world’ [viṣh=viśhwa –
‘world, universe’, nu=nuta –‘worshipped’]

69
 Chapter 14. Sahaja Yoga Mantras

Shri Mataji has given us many techniques and pathways by which

we can approach Her and obtain that greatest of blessings – to be
connected to Her, becoming the detached witness and feeling the
bliss of the Divine Nature coursing through us. Mantras are some of
the most perennially effective.
As we might expect, Sahaja Yoga mantras have many intricacies and
correspondences with the subtle system. They may be considered as
a series of bīja mantras for the chakras.
The ‘Short Mantra’1, which Shri Mataji recommended for Sahasrāra
and described as the ‘greatest of mantras’, has the simplest
correspondence.
Om Twameva sākṣhāt2 . Earth Realm (lower 3 chakras)
Śhrī Nirmalā Devyai . . . . Atmospheric Realm (middle 3 chakras)
namo namaḥ . . . . . . . . . . . . Heavenly Realm (Sahasrāra and above)
Oṁ – Mūlādhāra Chakra.
Om may be considered as the name of God (see p.21) and Śhrī
Gaṇeśha is Oṁkāra-swarūpa –‘the embodiment of the Om’. Oṁ is
the foundation of all creation, containing the three guṇas –‘moods’
of the three channels and activates the Mūlādhāra Chakra .
1
One of the three traditional paths to worship the Supreme Goddess is
with the sixteen-syllabled mantra (see p.32). The Short Mantra also has
sixteen syllables and confers a great sense of holiness and purity.
2
Another way of saying the mantra, often used in India, is to keep Shrī as
the end of the first phrase, so ’Om Twameva sākṣhāt Śhrī’ is one breath
and ‘Nirmalā Devyai namo namaḥ’ is a second breath.
70
 As we say the ‘O’, which is an elision of A and U, it draws in the
Left and Right Side activity, giving power to the Mūlādhāra Chakra
to keep us in the ‘here and now’ without desires and thoughts.
The ‘ṁ’ activates the Suṣhumnā (Central Channel) and the
Kuṇḍalinī rises up to Sahasrāra. (see p.16 for a fuller explanation)
Twam – ‘you’. Twam activates the Kuṇḍalinī.
As explained on p.36, Twam is the personal aspect of God, the
Divine Mother who knows us intimately and cares for us and for
our ascent, embodied within us as the Kuṇḍalinī.
eva – ‘indeed, truly, really’: Eva1 is the Kuṇḍalinī rising to Nābhī
Chakra. E is the Goddess in the Sacrum (see p.34), va is ‘to go,
move’. Eva also means a ‘path, course’ and this activates the
Suṣhumnā Nāḍī as the ‘path of the Kuṇḍalinī’ and helps the
Kuṇḍalinī to bridge the gap in the Suṣhumnā between the Sacrum
and the Nābhī Chakra and cross the Bhava-sāgara –‘ocean of
worldly existence’.
Eva –‘really, truly’ – the quality of the Nābhī Chakra as the root of
the Central Channel2, is to be in reality, to witness the present
moment, so eva implies this quality.
1
Eva, especially if written ‘ewa’, sounds like ‘Aiwa’ the name of the
Mother Goddess in the movie Avatar. Avatār –‘coming down (to the
physical plane), incarnating’ is itself a name of Shri Viṣhṇu.
2
The qualities of each chakra may be said to follow the pattern ‘Left,
Right, Centre’ so Mūlādhāra is essentially left-sided (concerned with
the inner being), Swādhiṣhṭhāna is right-sided (dealing with the outer
world) and Nābhī is centred (pure witness state, peace). Heart (inner
being), Viśhuddhī (outer world) and Āgñyā (witness, discrimination)
follow a similar pattern. For more information on this idea see the RiSY
book ‘The Three Worlds’ available to download free at symb-ol.org.
71
 Also eva, evaka –‘moving, quick’ is a name of Śhrī Viṣḥṇu, the ruler
of Nābhī chakra and controller of the Suṣhumnā channel.
sākṣḥāt –‘perceptible, actually present, really’: sākṣhāt works on the
Swāḍhiṣhṭhāna Chakra.
Sākṣhāt –‘with the eyes, with the senses’ [sa –‘with’, akṣha –‘eyes,
senses’, āt –‘with’ (ablative ending)] indicates the sense of sight,
associated with the fire element and the Swāḍhiṣhṭhāna Chakra.
Knowledge, the quality of this chakra, is gained through our sense
experience.
“Sâkshât means felt through your five organs of perception.”
16-11-80, UK
Sā works on Left Swad, and kṣḥa on Right Swad; āt puts pressure
on the Viṣhṇu Granthi which is cleared by Śhrī. Sā –‘She’ is the Ādi
Śhakti (pure knowledge) and kṣha is ‘forbearance, destruction,
burning’. While saying ‘sākṣhāt’ one feels the attention being
pulled down into Mūlādhāra Chakra as Shri Ganesha sucks in the
Swāḍhiṣhṭhānas which are the energies and powers of the left
and right channels, keeping us in the Centre (present moment).
Sākshāt means ‘actually present’.
An explanation of how sākṣhāt works on the Granthis –‘knots’
which separate the sections of the Subtle System is given on p.60.
Śhrī –‘glorious, gracious, respected’: Śhrī is the bīja of the Heart and
Sahasrāṛa; after Om, it is the most holy of words. Śhra is the bīja
for Heart and ī is the Central Channel, so this works powerfully on
Centre Heart (see p.23 for a fuller explanation).
Nirmalā –‘immaculate’: Nirmalā activates and clears the Viśḥuddhī
Chakra. Like Viśhuddhī –‘complete purification’, Nirmalā means
‘pure’. [nir –‘not, without’, mala –‘dirt’]. We accumulate mental and

72
 emotional dross such as anger, sadness and guilt which
accumulates in the Viśhuddhī.
The three syllables of Nir-ma-lā work on the Right, Centre and Left
Viśhuddhī. [nir = nirahamkāra –‘ego-less’ –Mahāsaraswatī, ma –M of
A-U-M, Mahālakshmī, lā –Mahākālī (Lalitā, power of love)] (See: The
Meaning of Nirmalā, 31-12-80)

Devyai –‘to the Goddess’: Devyai activates the Āgñyā Chakra and
clears the Rudra Granthi.
Devī is the feminine of deva –‘shining one, God’ from div –‘to shine’,
like the Sun in Āgñyā Chakra. –yai is the feminine dative case
ending (to...).
Deva may be taken as Da-iva –‘giving reality’ [da –‘give’, iva or eva
–‘truly, really, indeed’]. When the Kuṇḍalinī passes Āgñyā Chakra
we enter a state of heightened reality, seeing everything clearly
and thoughtlessly without the filters of ego and conditioning. By
surrendering everything to the Goddess we let go of past and
future, and forgive everyone. ‘To err is human, to forgive Divine’.
Ī, yai. Either ending (Devī or Devyai) has the quality of breaking
through and rising up the central channel, in this case splitting the
Rudra Granthi above the Āgñyā Chakra and opening the ‘Doors of
Heaven’. The fact that we can spend some time in heaven every
day is surely a blessing that one would imagine every soul would
want.
namo –‘salutations’: namo clears the Back Āgñyā, the repository of
our conditionings. As well as ‘salutations, surrender’, namo can be
taken as na –‘not’, mo –‘illusions (moha)’.
Note: Mokṣha –‘liberation’ [from much -‘release, liberate’] can similarly be
taken as meaning ‘destroying delusions’; mo = moha –‘delusion’, kṣha
–‘destroying’)
73
 Moha is specifically the delusion that this world is the reality.
From the moment we are born we develop mental ideas of the
world around us; of cause and effect, good and bad, right and
wrong. Our conditionings are a filter through which we experience
life, so that we do not really see a table or a cup; but judge and
interpret them in terms of what we know about ‘table-ness’ and
‘cup-ness’.
namaḥ -‘salutations’: namaḥ takes the attention to the Sahasrāra
above the head. As well as ‘salutations’ [from nam –‘to bend, bow’]
namaḥ is na –‘not’, maḥ -‘I, me’, an ego-negating mantra. In the
second level of Sahasrāra we lose our sense of separate identity.
Clearing conditionings and ego takes us out of our limited selves; the
attention rises above the head to Shri Mataji’s Lotus Feet, which rest
gently in the petals of our Sahasrāṛa, pouring coolness and bliss over
the subtle system. Namo takes us beyond the physical body; namaḥ
takes us beyond the subtle body, into the causal body, the Ānanda
Kośḥa –‘sheath of bliss and joy’, where we connect to the Divine.
Silence: After saying the mantra we should find ourselves in a silent
state. If we consider there to be three levels of Sahasrāra (making
the nine chakras in total) the first level (namo) is where we
experience thoughtless awareness (Nirvichāra) but are still aware of
the body and the senses, which become heightened; entering the
present moment we seem to see and hear things with great
immediacy, as if awakened for the first time, viewing reality without
the filter of conditionings.
At the second level (namaḥ) the attention becomes absorbed inside
and we experience the Divine Bliss drenching our Subtle System. In
this Nirvikalpa –‘doubtless awareness’ we are ‘doubtless’ as we are
experiencing the truth of the Divine Nature without any mental
74
barriers. In the third level (silence) we lose all sense of physical or
individual identity and become fully at one with the All-pervading
Consciousness.

Alternative meanings
Some of the ways that the three sections can be taken as meaning:-
Section 1. Om Twameva sākshāt. Earth Realm – Physical world.
Alt.trans: ‘O Supreme Spirit (Om), You are indeed (Twameva) the
Reality (sākṣhāt)’.
Alt.trans: ‘O Divine (Om), what we experience through the senses
(sākṣhāt) is indeed Your manifestation (Twameva)’.
Alt.trans: ‘O Divine (Om), You (Twam), by the rising of the Kundalini
(eva), give us the witness state of ‘just being’ in the present
moment (sākṣhāt).
Section 2. Śhrī Nirmalā Devyai. Atmospheric Realm – Subtle Body.
Alt.trans: ‘O Goddess (Śhrī), who is beyond all mental and
emotional dross (Nirmalā), the Giver of reality (Devyai)’.
Section 3. namo namaḥ. Heavenly Realm – Causal Body.
Alt.trans: ‘Who takes us beyond the illusions of this material world
(namo) and any sense of separateness from the All-pervading
Consciousness (namaḥ)’.

75
 Practice
It is not necessary to think about the meanings as we say the mantra
but it can be good to keep the attention on the relevant chakra.
Hopefully the effect of the words will keep the attention focussed
anyway.
So:- Om –Mūlādhāra, Twam –Kuṇḍalinī, eva –Nābhī, sākṣhāt –left and
right Swād being sucked in to Mūlādhāra, Śhrī –Heart, Gaṇeśha –
Vishuddhi (or chakra of Deity), sākṣhāt –Āgñyā, Śhrī –Sahasrāra; and
then again Ādi –Mūlādhāra, Śhakti –Kuṇḍalinī, Mātājī –Nābhī,
Swādhiṣhṭhāna and Void, Śhrī –Heart, Nirmalā –Viśhuddhī, Devyai –
Āgñyā, namo –first level of Sahasrāra, namaḥ -second level of
Sahasrāra, silence –third level of Sahasrāra.
Another way to explore this power and correspondences of the
mantra is to chant it progressively. Keeping the attention in the
Mūlādhāra Chakra, say Om continuously for a while. It does not
have to be all on one note and one may allow the note to fluctuate
up and down a bit musically as mantras do normally.
Once you feel that you have established some connection with the
mantra, say ‘Om Twam’ for a while and see what effect that has.
Then move on to ‘Om Twam-eva’ keeping the syllables well-
separated. When that seems to be established say ‘Om Twameva
sākṣḥāt’, again noting what each syllable is doing. It can be good to
repeat the new word a few times ‘Om Twameva sākṣhāt, sākṣhāt,
sākṣhāt,’ etc. to feel the effect.
Continue adding one word at a time; so ‘Om Twameva sākṣhāt
Śhrī’; then ‘Om Twameva sākṣhāt Śhrī Nirmalā’; etc. repeating each
phrase as many times as you like until saying the complete mantra.

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 Correspondence of the Full Mantra

Om Twameva sākṣhāt Śhrī (Gaṇeśḥa) sākṣhāt Śhrī

Mūlādhāra to Sahasrāra (first time)
Ādi Śḥakti Mātājī Śhrī Nirmalā Devyai namo namaḥ.
Mūlādhāra to Sahasrāra again.

‘Om Twameva sākṣhāt Śhrī’ is the same as the Short Mantra;

taking the attention from Mūlādhāra through the Void up to the
Heart Chakra.
(Gaṇeśḥa) As well as the chakra being addressed, the name of the
Deity being worshipped works on Viśhuddhī. The fourth stage of
speech Vaikharī –‘utterance’ corresponds to Viśhuddhī and
actually verbalising the name (with respect) clears this chakra.
sākṣhāt –‘really’: works on Āgñyā Chakra. (Sa-‘with’, akṣha –‘eyes or
senses in general’, āt –ablative ending). The eyes (akṣha) are
associated with Āgñyā Chakra.
When we become thoughtless we are very much in the present
moment (sākshāt) and become the witness (sākshī). Sā –‘She’ (Ādi
Śhakti) clears Left Āgñyā and Kṣḥa –‘forgiveness’ clears Right Āgñyā
(like Ham and Kṣham); āt puts pressure on the Rudra Granthi (see
p.52) which is cleared by Śhrī.
Śhrī –‘holy’: activates the Sahasrāra, being the name of the Goddess
and the bīja mantra of the Heart and Sahasrāra (see p.24).
Ādi Śḥakti Mātājī Śhrī Nirmalā Devyai namo namaḥ.
This part of the mantra again takes the attention from Mūlādhāra to
Sahasrāra; or may be used to work on the chakras in the Sahasrāra.

77
Ādi –‘first, primordial, lowest’ - Mūlādhāra Chakra.
Śḥakti –‘energy’ - the Kuṇḍalinī.
Mātājī –‘Holy Mother’ activates Nābhī, Swāḍhiṣhṭhān and Void.
- Mā is Śhrī Lakṣhmī (Nābhī).
- tāj = tejas –‘light, fire’ (element of Swāḍhiṣhṭhāna connected with
the sense of sight).
- ī is the Suṣḥumnā Nāḍī.
The Kuṇḍalinī rises first to Nābhī then spreads out through the Void
enlightening the Swāḍhiṣhṭhāns before recollecting in the Nābhī
and rising up the Suṣhumnā to Centre Heart.
Śhrī – Heart. As explained in the Short Mantra above.
Nirmalā – Viśhuddhi.
Devyai – Āgñyā.
namo – First level of Sahasrāra (inside the head) - clears Back
Āgñyā and removes the illusion of worldly reality, giving direct
knowledge of the higher reality of the Supreme Spirit (nirvicharā).
namaḥ - Second level of Sahasrāra (above the head) - removes the
sense of separation and gives connection with the Divine,
experiencing liberation and bliss (nirvikalpā).
Silence – after finishing saying the mantra there is a moment of
intense silence as one enters the third level of Sahasrāra, becoming a
part of the body of the Goddess. (nirānanda)

Another way of feeling it

After the Three Great Mantras, the Sahasrāra Mantra or the Short
Mantra, ‘Śhrī Nirmalā Devyai namo namaḥ’ is often repeated three
times, taking the attention from Heart to Sahasrāra. As in ‘raising the
78
Kundalini’, when one takes the attention to a point three times it
tends to stay there.
Namo –‘without delusions’ and namaḥ -‘without ego’ can be taken as
describing Shri Mataji Herself; so
‘Śhrī Nirmalā Devyai namo namaḥ’ can also mean:
‘(We bow to You) O Immaculate Goddess, who is beyond worldly
illusions and without ego’.

Connections within the mantra

Sākshāt
Sākṣhāt followed by Śhrī appears twice in the full mantra, in both
cases at the point of a granthi –‘knot, obstruction’.
The first time is for Swādhiṣhṭhaṇa and the attention is taken down
into Mūlādhāra as the left and right Swādhiṣhṭhaṇas (which are the
driving forces of the two channels) are sucked in by Śhrī Ganesha.
The second time is for Āgñyā where the Superego and Ego (the
culminations of Left and Right channels) are sucked in by Lord Jesus,
who is the incarnation of Shri Ganesha.
In both cases sā pulls in left and ksha pulls in the right channel,
awakening us into the present moment of the Centre Channel. As
explained above, sākshāt means ‘actually present, experienced with
the senses, in the here and now’. In both cases āt puts pressure on
the granthi (see next section) which is released by the following Śhrī,
allowing the Kuṇḍalinī to enter the next level.

79
Śhrī appears twice in the Short Mantra and three times in the full
mantra. The first (and third) time is for the Goddess in the Heart and
the second time is for the Goddess in the Sahasrāra. As Shri Mataji
often explained, Sahasrāra is the Heart at the higher level.
In the heart the Goddess Śhrī is more of a personal mother but in the
Sahasrāra is the Supreme Goddess beyond all worldly illusions.
Also for the Sahasrāra, namo namaḥ negates both the illusion that
the world of the senses is the ultimate reality and the illusion of our
having a separate identity from the All-pervading Consciousness.
Ideally we would be fully identified with the Supreme Spirit.

80
 The Three Granthis*
In both cases sākshāt occurs before a granthi –‘knot, obstruction’
which, when cleared, allows the Kuṇḍalinī to rise into the next section
of the Subtle System, and is followed by Śhrī which gives a joyful
expansion into the next section.
The first ‘sākshāt Śhrī’ clears the Viṣhṇu Granthi above Nābhī and one
feels joy in the Heart; the second one clears the Rudra Granthi above
Āgñyā and one feels bliss in the Sahasrāra.
Sā and ksha suck in left and right sides, and āt puts pressure on the
Granthi - perhaps because āt indicates the Ātmā (from āt –‘to move’);
in the first case as the Ātmā in the Heart and in the second case as the
Param-ātmā –‘Supreme Spirit’ in the Sahasrāra, which are striving to
be known.
The lowest Granthi (Brahmā Granthi; just above the Sacrum) is opened
by Om. This Granthi opens when we recognise that ‘there is such a
thing as Spirit’ – not just the world of the senses.

‘This knot first starts at the Mûlâdhâra, because this one is made of
Earth element, once this knot is released, then only the Kundalinî
starts. When your attention goes to your Spirit there is a very big
detachment that comes to you through your ascent into that realm
where your attention has felt, definitely, that oneness with reality.’
Knots on the Three Channels. 02-10-78

* The Granthis separate the three sections of the Subtle System. The first
knot, the Brahma Granthi, has to open for the Kundalini to bridge the gap
in the Suṣhumṇā Nāḍī, rise up to Nābhī and enlighten the lower (Earth)
section (abdomen). The Viṣhṇu Granthi is between Nābhī and Heart and
the Rudra Granthi between Āgñyā and Sahasrāra. continued on next page.....

81
 Chapter 15. Some meanings of the letters
For correspondences rather than meanings see the next chapter
(Ch.16, p.85).

Many letters have meanings, sometimes as the root or short form of

a word. Where the syllable is an actual Sanskrit word the meaning is
given quotation marks.
a A of A-U-M – Left Side, Mahākālī, Brahmadeva. ‘not, without’
ā Left Side, Iḍa Nāḍī. ‘near, up to’. Kāmadeva –‘God of love’
i ‘this (idam)’, ‘to go’
ī Ādi Śhakti, Mahālakshmī, Sushumnā Nāḍī
u U of A-U-M. Right Side, compassion.
ū Right Side, Piñgala Nāḍī. Protection, compassion.
ṛ Move, rise.
e Kuṇḍalinī. ‘come, approach’.
ai Calling (Ai Giri Nandinī –‘O Daughter of the Mountain’).
o Addressing.
au Sheśha.
ṁ M of A-U-M, Mahālakshmī, Yoga (Sahasrāra).
ḥ Śhiva, heart.

continued.... For a more detailed explanation of the Granthis listen to Shri

Mataji’s talk ‘Knots on the Three Channels’ 02-10-78 or see the RiSY book
‘The Three Worlds’ available to download free at symb-ol.org, which
includes an edited version of Shri Mataji’s talk.

82
1. Gutturals -
Ka Creation (kara). Desire (kāma). ‘What?’
Kha Breaking, destroying. Sun, sky, air.
Ga Going, moving, residing. 3rd note.
Gha Striking, killing. (also Ghna [from han –‘kill’])
ṅa Sensual desire.
2. Palatals -
Cha ‘and’. Moving (char).
Chha ‘Pure, clean’.
Ja ‘Born’. Swift, victorious (jaya).
Jha Playing music.
ña Singing.
3. Cerebrals (Retroflex)
Ṭa Sound
Ṭha Loud noise
Ḍa Sound
Ḍha Loud drumming sound. 6th note.
Ṇa Knowledge
4. Dentals
Ta Quality of, -ness (tā, twā). Past Participle ending, eg.
krita –‘done’. Carrying across, saviour (tara).
Tha Mountain
Da ‘giving’ (vara-da –‘giving boons’)
Dha ‘support, holding, wearing’ (Dhara), meditating (Dhyān)
83
 Na ‘Not’. Present participle ending, eg. charana –‘moving’.
5. Labials -
Pa ‘Protect’, ‘drink.’ 5th note.
Pha Fruit, result (phala)
Ba Child (bāla) strong (bala)
Bha ‘shine, illuminate’
Ma Mother, Mahālakshmī. ‘not’. 4th note.
Group 3 – semi-vowels
Ya – ‘whoever’
Ra – Protect (raksha). Re – 2nd note.
La – Shri Lalitā (Supreme Goddess – Power of Love)
Va – ‘or’. Go, move, path.
Group 4 - Sibilants
Śha – Sleeping, abiding
Ṣha – Six (Ṣhad)
Sa – ‘that’, Śhakti, feminine power, first note of Indian scale.
‘with’ (sam, saha)
Su – ‘Good, beautiful, auspicious’.
Swa – ‘self’
Other
Ha – Destroy (Hara). Śhiva, Viṣhṇu (Hari)
Kṣha - Forgive (Kṣhamā). Destruction (kṣha). Earth (Kṣhā)

84
Chapter 16. Devanagari Letters as Bija Mantras
Abbreviations: - DAS – Given in the Devi Atharva Sheersha

Group 1 - Vowels – Expressions of Śhakti –‘energy’.

Note: The vowels are the bījas of the Viśhuddhi Chakra and the areas
associated with them are all parts of the Viśhuddhi, mostly
connected with the five senses.
a Back of head root of guttural consonants
ā Face Nārāyana (Vishnu) (DAS)
i Left Eye root of palatal consonants

ī Right eye
u Left ear root of cerebral consonants

ū Right ear
ṛ Left nostril root of dental consonants

ṛṛ Right nostril
lṛ Left cheek
lṛṛ Right cheek
e Upper teeth
ai Lower teeth Speech (DAS)
o Top lip Viśhva (soul in waking state)
au Bottom lip
ṁ Tongue -anuswāra – dissolution (destruction)

ḥ Neck -visarga – emanation (creation)

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Group 2. Consonants. Emanations of Lord Shiva – ‘principles’.
1. Gutturals - Five gross elements
Ka Earth
Kha Water
Ga Fire
Gha Air
ña Ākāśh -‘Ether’
2. Palatals - Five subtle elements
Cha Smell
Chha Taste
Ja Sight
Jha Touch
Ṅa Sound
3. Cerebrals - Five instruments of action
Ṭa Organ of Speech
Ṭha Hands
Ḍa Feet
Ḍha Organ of Excretion
Ṇa Organ of Reproduction
4. Dentals - Five organs of the senses
Ta Eyes
Tha Ears
Da Nose
Dha Tongue
Na Skin
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5. Labials - Antaḥkarana - inner faculties
Pa Manas –‘heart/mind’ Left armpit
Pha Ahamkāra – ‘ego’ Right armpit
Ba Buddhi –‘intellect’ Touch
Bha Prakṛiti –‘Nature’ Navel
Ma Puruśha –‘Spirit’ Heart
Group 3 – semivowels (liquids)
Ya – rāga –‘attachment’
Ra – vidyā –‘wisdom, knowledge’
La – māyā –‘creation/magic/illusion’
Va – kalā –‘art, skill’
Group 4 - sibilants
Śha – Mahāmāyā –‘great illusory creation’
Ṣha – Śhuddha-vidya –‘pure knowledge’
Sa – Īśhwara –‘controller’ Integration (Sarva)
Other
Ha – Sadāśhiva –‘Eternal Spirit’. Destruction (Hara)
Ksha -

Bījas of the Elements of the chakras

Ha Ether element / sky Viśhuddhi
Ya Air / wind Heart
Ra Water/fire (Lakshmī) Maṇipūra – Nābhī
Va Fire/water (Saraswatī) Swādhiṣhṭhāna
La Earth Mūlādhāra
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The names of the Deities of the Elements are code-words for the
bījas of that element so:
Vāyu (Lord of wind/air) Ya
Sūrya (Sun) Ma (DAS)

Agni (Fire) Ra

Bījas of the Notes of the musical scale

Sa Ṣhaḍjā -‘six-born (Karttikeya)’ Mūlādhāra
Re Ṛiṣhabha –‘bull’ Nābhī
Ga Gāndhāra –‘Jasmine’ Swādhiṣhṭhāna
Ma Madhyama –‘middle’ Heart
Pa Panchamī –‘fifth’ Viśhuddhi
Dha Dhaivata –‘Intelligent, meditative’ Āgñyā
Ni Niṣhāda –‘sitting’ Sahasrāra

Long Vowels - As used in a gaṇa –‘series’ of bīja mantras – eg.

Hrām, Hrīm, Hrūm, Hraim, Hraum, Hraḥ
ā Left Side
ī Central Channel
ū Right Side
ai Ascending (up to Sahasrāra)
au Descending (down to Mūlādhāra)
aḥ Heart/middle

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 Chapter 17. Other Mantras using Bījas
There are a huge number of mantras using bījas and a few of
interest are mentioned only. For example every level of the Shrī
Chakra has a different series of bījas to activate it (given in the book
‘Shri Chakra’ by Shankar Narayanan, Somata Books).

Hanuman mantra
Om Aim Hrīm Shrīm
Hanumate Rāmadūtāya Mighty-jawed Servant of Śhrī Rāma
Lankā-vidhvamshanāya Destroyer of Lanka city
Anjanī-garbha-sambhūtāya Born of Anjani’s womb
Kilikili bubukārena Vibhīṣhaṇāya Sound expressing joy, like
bubbling water to Vibhīṣhana
Hanumad-devāya To the Divine Hanuman
Om Aim Hrīm Shrīm Hrām Hrīm Hraum Phat Swāhā

Guru mantra
Om jhrām jhrīm jhraum saḥ gurave namah

Śhrī Mahāgaṇeśha mantra

Om śhrīm hrīm klīm glaum gam Gaṇapataye
Vara varada sarva-janam me vaśham-ānaya swāhā
Om Shrim, Hrim, Klim, Glaum, Gam, to Shri Ganesha
Most excellent giver of boons, bring all people into my control, well spoken!

This version, which has been checked from several sources, differs from the
Mahāgānesha mantra in the Sahaja Yoga Mantrabook which is from the
commentary on the Srimad Devi Bhagavatam by Swami Vijnanananda
(1921)

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Chapter 18. Bīja Mantras in the Quran

Chapters Bīja Mantra

Al Baqara, Aal-i-Imraan, Al-Ankaboot,
Alif Lam Meem
Ar-Room, Lugman, As-Sajda
Al-A'raaf Alif Lam Meem Sad
Yunus, Hud, Yusuf, Al-hijr Alif Lam Ra
Ar-Ra'd, Ibrahim Alif Lam Meem Ra
Maryam Kaf Ha Ya Ayn Sad
Taa-Haa Ta Ha
Ash-Shuaraa, Al-Qasas Ta Seen Meem
An-Nami Ta Seen
Yaseen Ya Seen
Saad Sad
Ghafir, Fussilat, Ash-Shura, Az-Zukhruf,
Ha Meem
Ad-Dukhaan, Al-Jaathiya, Al-Ahqaf
Ash-Shura Ayn Seen Qaf
Qaaf Qaf
Al-Qalam Nun

"Even in Koran, if you read, the few words before starting every
chapter nobody understands. They are all nothing but mantra bījas.
But they put it there. They knew people won’t understand, but He
(Mohammad) put it there because people would understand"
02-02-83, Delhi.
These are letters of the Arabic alphabet (Alif = ā, lam = l, meem =
m, etc.). Islamic scholars have argued over the meaning of these
letters ever since.
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 Appendix 1. Om

Om -’Amen’- Several large dissertations could be

written about the great sacred syllable Om. It is used
in almost every Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist prayer, as
well as by Christians and Jews as ‘Āmen’ and by Muslims as ‘Āmīn’.
It is an indispensable salutation to the Divine and may be
considered as the Name1 of God. It is the primordial sound from
which all creation flows, ‘The Word’ of St. John’s gospel, which
creates, sustains and pervades the whole universe.
‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God’. Bible, John 1:1

Ik Oṅkār Satnām Kartā Purakh

‘One Creator of Everything whose True Name is Om’
Mool Mantra, Guru Nānak
Since ancient times Om was referred to as Praṇava -’the
reverberation’ and only later called Oṁkāra (kāra –‘making’).
“ ...this special Incarnation (Jesus Christ) which is nothing but
Pranava, the Om, the Logos –‘word’ as you call it, the sound
of the All-pervading Power.” 06-10-81, Houston

Shrī Gaṇeśha is Oṁkāra-swarūpa -’the embodiment of Om’.

1
In a recent internet discussion about the real name of God, some were
advocating the Jewish YHWH (Yahweh or Jehovah, meaning ‘He who
causes existence’) or Allah (Arabic, al –‘the’, illah –‘divine’) but the
statement that the Kuṇḍalinī responded to most was ‘The name of God is
Om’ (‘... and the Word was God’). People from many cultures who have
deep experiences of the Divine hear the sound Om, such as Dr Eben
Alexander, author of the book ‘Proof of Heaven’.

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 “The Essence of Shrî Ganesha is Pure Love. The Pure Love of
this Mother Earth created Shrî Ganesha, but surprisingly Shrî
Ganesha was created before the Mother Earth, so how is it?
First He was created only as the Logos -’word’, as you call it,
or we call it the Brahma-nâda -’reverberation of the Supreme’
– Omkâra. So first He was created only as the sound Omkâra,
then this Omkâra was covered with the Mother Earth to make
Shrî Ganesha.
Omkâr is so important because it has got
in it all the three powers, ah-oo-mm.
A-U-M stands for the Mahâkâlî,
Mahâsaraswatî and Mahâlakshmî
powers. All three powers exist in this
Omkâra. So in a dormant form, we
can say, these three powers exist in Shrî
Ganesha.” 15-09-96, Cabella

The sound Oṁ1 issued forth when the Brahmānda -’Egg of Brahman’
cracked open and the Creation emerged.
“Pranava's sound is generated when the Primordial Cell breaks
like the hatching of an egg.” BoAS. Ch1. Creation

1
Oṁ is properly written with a dot above ṁ according to the newer ISO
15919 transliteration system or below ṃ in the IAST system. The above
version seems preferable as that is how it is written in Devanāgarī.
This anuswāra –‘following sound’ represents whichever nasal sound ṅ, ñ,
ṇ, n, or m is appropriate for the following letter. So Oṁkāra can also be
written Oṅkāra (guttural ṅ before k, a guttural consonant) which would
sound like Oṅgkāra (see p.70). As an unmodified word ending it is m.

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 Oṁ is composed of three and a half syllables. The three syllables A,
U and M are associated with the three Śhaktis -‘feminine powers’ (as
above). The final half-syllable called Ardha-mātrā (ardha –‘half’,
mātrā –‘syllable’) is silent and is ‘known only by Yogis’ (Mārkandeya
1
Purāna, see p.218). It is experienced as a welling-up of vibrations
after pronouncing Oṁ and is the final unmanifested form of the Ādi
Śhakti as the Kuṇḍalinī.
“She represents the Âdi Shakti, the half mâtrâ –‘syllable’ of the
Om. Like three and a half mâtrâs are there in the Om word,
meaning the half moon, half circle. So as you know there are
Mahâkâlî, Mahâsaraswatî, Mahâlakshmî, three powers and
above them is the Âdi Shakti.” 21-05-88, Spain

“The ardha mâtrâ, the half mâtrâ, which is the Âdi Shakti
Herself.” 17-12-85, Nasik

Before the Creation Shrī Sadāśhiva -’Eternal Formless Spirit’ was in a

state of pure being without desire or action. The perfect balance of
the Guṇas had to tip for Creation to take place. An imbalance was
created by a desire arising in the Supreme Consciousness to become
aware of Itself. This caused the separation of the Ādi Śhakti –
‘Primordial Energy’ (described very deeply in Shri Mataji’s book)
which gave rise to the creation of this material Universe.
This Kāmakalā –‘small portion of desire (or love)’ is therefore the seed
of all creation and is the A of AUM – manifesting as Shrī Mahākālī,
the Iccha Śhakti –‘desire power’, which gives rise to the Bhūr Loka -
’Earth (physical) realm’ and the Īḍā Nāḍī –‘left channel’.
1
As the Kuṇḍalinī passes through Āgñyā Chakra, some Yogis hear a
rumbling sound in the head, described by Sant Gñyāneśhwara as ‘the
rumbling of distant thunder in the hills’ (Gñyāneśhwarī, Ch.6).

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 Out of this desire manifests Shrī Mahāsaraswatī, the Kriya Śhakti -
‘power of creation, action’. This is the U of AUM creating the Bhuvaḥ
-’Atmospheric (mental) realm’ and the Piñgalā Nāḍī –‘right channel’.
The Universe is programmed to bring forth life and for higher and
higher consciousness to evolve until creatures are capable of
becoming aware of their own identity with the Divine; thus fulfilling
the purpose of existence. This Evolutionary Power is the M of AUM
manifesting as Shrī Mahālakshmī, the Gñyāna Śhakti –‘power of
knowing’ which forms the Swaḥ -’Heavenly (spiritual) realm’ and the
Suṣhumnā Nāḍī –‘Central Channel’.
The Sound of Om
In Sanskrit, o is always long and Om rhymes with ‘home’1 but more
closed and lower in the mouth. As A-U-M it starts with the A in the
throat, travels through the mouth as O and ends with M at the lips
thus covering the whole range of letters, like ‘Alpha and Omega’ the
first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.
“When all these sounds (the bîja mantras of the chakras) are
sounded together and brought through the spiral of the body,
in the body it makes a sound. The sound that comes
out of the synthesis is Om; like the seven colours of the Sun
ultimately become white rays.” Bija Mantras, 14-10-78
1
The long ‘o’ of Om has dropped out of use in Queen’s English but is
retained in Northern dialects and Celtic languages such as Welsh or
Scottish, or the French ‘eau’ but longer. The lips pout forming a circle
(perhaps why it is written ‘o’?) and the sound is lower in the throat.
Before the ‘Great Vowel Shift’ of the English language 300-500 years
ago it would have been the same but all the long vowels moved upwards
and forwards in the mouth, giving rise to this oddity of English that
many words are not pronounced the way they are spelled.
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The shape of the Devanāgarī letter
is a visual representation of the
three Śhaktis emerging from the
central point, with the Kuṇḍalinī
(crescent) and the witnessing Param-
ātma -’Supreme Spirit’ (dot) above.
“The Sacred Syllable `Om' is written in the Devanâgarî script with
three and a half coils.” BoAS, Ch1. Creation

“If you take the complete Universe into a circle, then you make
three portions of that, you get three arches - first arch is bent
like this Ah. Ooh, second one, like that, and the third one is
Ma. And the dot on that is the centre point of the circle, which
is the God1 Himself.” Heart Chakra. 02-77

Om in different scripts
Even written in Latin script Oṁ has significance; O is God Almighty,
infinite, eternal, giving rise to ṁ representing the three-fold Creation
- three channels, three worlds, etc..
”As evolution goes up Om was brought to the level of Amen.
Ah became Aah and Ooh became Ma, and Ma became Na. As
I told you that Christ came as a human being, but He was
Ganesha. And the Swastika became the 1Cross. The same way,
Om is Amen. that’s why He is the Omkâra Himself, because
He is Ganesha, and Ganesha is Omkâra personified.

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In this sound of Omkâra, the complete sounds of the words are
there, all the permutations and combinations, the complete
melody of this Universe within these three sounds, ah, ooh, ma.”
Heart Chakra, 02-77

Om and the Creation

The Śhiva Purāna says;
‘The five-faced Śhiva spoke thus:
The syllable A came first from the northern face, the syllable U from
the western; the syllable M from the southern and the Bindu -’dot’
from the eastern face. The nāda -’mystical sound, crescent’ came from
the middle face. Thus the complete set emerged in five-fold form.
Then all of them united in the syllable of ‘Oṁ’. The two sets of
created beings- nāma -’name’ and rūpa -’form’ are pervaded by this
mantra. It indicates Śhiva and Śhakti. From this also is born the five
syllabled mantra –(Om) namaḥ Shivāya. It indicates all knowledge.
The syllables ‘na’ etc. follow the order of the syllables of the ‘Oṁ’.
Different things are achieved by different mantras but everything is
achieved through Omkāra alone. The Supreme Brahman, the Truth,
the Bliss, the Amṛuta, the greatest of the great and the ultimate
cause can be expressed by the single-syllabled mantra.
The single syllable A is the source of the Lord Brahmā. The single
syllable U is the source of Viṣhṇu, the ultimate cause. The single
syllable M is the source of Rudra. The Creator is expressed by the
letter A. The Enchanter is expressed by the letter U. The being
expressed by the letter M blesses always. It is all-pervasive and
progenitor.

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The letter A is the seed. The being expressed by the letter U is
Viṣhṇu. It is the source, the receptacle, the Lord of primordial nature
and primordial being, the progenitor, the seed, source and sound. All
these constitute Lord Śhiva. The progenitor is stationed after
dividing itself. From the Liṅga of the progeniotor, the Lord, arose the
seed- the syllable A. The bija -’seed’ being deposited in the Yoni -
’womb’, the letter U began to increase all round. It became a golden
egg (Hiranya-garbha). It was something known which could not be
delineated. The divine egg floated in the waters for many years.
Then at the end of a thousand years it split into two giving birth to
Brahmā. The egg floating in the waters on being hit by Īśhwara split
into two. The auspicious upper lid became the upper region and the
lower one became the
Earth of five
characteristics. From the
inner part of the egg was
born the four-faced Lord
Brahmā expressed by the
letter ka.
Śhiva Purāna, Vayaviya
Samhita, 6.23-6.30

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 Exposition of the Sacred Syllable Oṁ
Chapter 42 of the Mārkandeya Purāṇa

Dattātreya spoke;
‘The yogi who lives thus, rightly busied in religious devotion, cannot
be turned away even by hundreds of other lives. And when he has
beheld the Supreme Soul, visible, existing in all forms, whose Feet
and Head and Neck the Universe composes, the Lord and Creator of
this Universe, let him in order to attain thereto utter the one mighty
and holy syllable Oṁ! Let it be his study as he listens to its true form.
A and U and M are its three letters; these are its three instants;
they are characterised by goodness, passion and ignorance. And
another, a half instant, which has its seat on the top of the head is
without quality and can be understood by yogis only.
It is called gāndhāri, as it is to be uttered in the gāndhāra note
1
(Ga). Being pronounced it reaches the head and it conveys the
feeling of ants moving (on the top of the head).
As the syllable Oṁ being pronounced reaches the head, the yogi
who is lost in meditation of Oṁ should become united with
Brahman, the Supreme Soul. Life is his bow, the soul is his arrow,
Brahman is the target sublime. It is to be pierced by the heedful
man; he should be united with Brahman, as the arrow becomes
embedded in the target.
The syllable Oṁ, consisting of three and a half instants, should be
known in its true sense as the three Vedas – the Ṛig, Sāma and Yajus
1
Ga is the third note of the scale, sa, re ga, ma, pa, dha, ni, sa. Sa is the
fourth note up from the lowest note you can sing and is one’s normal
talking pitch. Sa is usually around Bb, which makes Ga around Db.
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– the three worlds (Bhūr, Bhuvaḥ, Swaḥ), the three fires (Fire, Sun,
Moon), and the three deities Viṣhṇu, Brahmā and Śhiva. And the
yogi who is absorbed in religious meditation thereon, may obtain
extinction therein.
Moreover the letter A is designated the Bhūr-loka (Earth Realm),
and the letter U the Bhuvaḥ-loka (Atmospheric Realm) and the letter
M with its nasal mark is decided to be the Swaḥ-loka (Heaven).
Now the first instant is called the discrete (manifest, physical), the
second the indiscrete (unmanifest, mental), and the third instant is
the intellectual faculty (buddhi –‘witness state’); the half instant is the
highest abode (final emancipation from existence). In this very order
must these stages of religious meditation be known.
By uttering the word Oṁ everything both existent and non-existent
may be grasped. Now the first instant is short, the second
is long (two instants) and the third is prolated (three instants) and
the half instant is not cognisant to speech.
Such is this word; Brahman is designated the Supreme Oṁ. The man
who truly understands it and further meditates on it, escaping the
circle of mundane existence casts off the three-fold bonds, and gains
sublime extinction in Brahman, the Supreme Soul. And he who is
bound with the unconsumed results of his actions, after experiencing
death through ill omens, and recollecting it at the time of his
departure, attains to a yogi’s condition again. Hence by means of
imperfect religious devotion, or again by perfected religious devotion,
are always to be known the ill omens so that he does not sink into
despondency at the time of his departure.’

End of chapter 42

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 Mandukya Upanishad (c.750BCE)
1. Oṁ! This Imperishable Word is the whole of this visible universe. Its
explanation is as follows: What has become, what is becoming,
what will become – verily, all of this is Oṁ. And what is beyond
these three states of the world of time – that too, verily, is Oṁ.
2. All this, verily, is Brahman. The Self is Brahman. This Self has four
quarters.
3. The first quarter is Vaiśhvānara –‘Universal’ (soul in the waking state,
connected with the body and the senses). Its field is the waking state.
Its consciousness is outward-turned. It is seven-limbed (arms, legs,
head, reproduction and excretion) and nineteen-mouthed (nine
openings of the body plus five senses and five organs of action). It
enjoys gross objects.
4. The second quarter is Taijasa –‘Light’. Its field is the dream state. Its
consciousness is inward-turned. It is seven-limbed and nineteen-
mouthed. It enjoys subtle objects.
5. The third quarter is Prāgñya –‘Wisdom’, where one asleep neither
desires anything nor beholds any dream: that is deep sleep. In this
field of dreamless sleep, one becomes undivided, an
undifferentiated mass of consciousness, consisting of bliss and
feeding on bliss. His mouth is consciousness.
6. This is the Lord of All; the Omniscient; the Indwelling Controller; the
Source of All. This is the beginning and end of all beings.
7. That is known as the Turīya –‘fourth’ quarter: neither inward-turned
nor outward-turned consciousness, nor the two together; not an
undifferentiated mass of consciousness; neither knowing, nor
unknowing; invisible, ineffable, intangible, devoid of characteristics,
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 inconceivable, indefinable, its sole essence being the consciousness
of its own Self; the coming to rest of all relative existence; utterly
quiet; peaceful; blissful: without a second: this is the Ātman, the
Self; this is to be realised.
8. This identical Ātman, or Self, in the realm of sound is the syllable
Oṁ, the above described four quarters of the Self being identical
with the components of the syllable, and the components of the
syllable being identical with the four quarters of the Self. The
components of the syllable are A, U, M.
9. Vaiśhvānara, whose field is the waking state, is the first sound, A,
because this encompasses all, and because it is the first. He who
has this knowledge, obtains all desired objects and attains the
Primordial State of Pure Consciousness.
10. Taijasa, whose field is the dream state, is the second sound, U,
because this is an excellence, and contains the qualities of the other
two. He who knows thus, gains an exalted flow of knowledge and
becomes even-minded; he joins the family of the Knowers of
Brahman.
11. Prāgñya, whose field is deep sleep, is the third sound, M, because
this is the measure, and that into which all enters. He who knows
thus, measures all and becomes all.
12. The Turīya –‘fourth’ is soundless: unutterable, a quieting down of all
relative manifestations, blissful, peaceful, non-dual. Thus, Oṁ is the
Ātman, verily. He who knows thus, merges his self in the Self – yea,
he who knows thus.

Om Śhāntiḥ, Śhāntiḥ, Śhāntiḥ. Om Peace! Peace! Peace!

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