By Alan C. Haras
©Natasha Phillips
In the 3rd and 4th
centuries, many spiritual seekers left Europe and traveled to the Egyptian
deserts to approach wise men and women who had been living prayerful lives
looking for God. When they finally
arrived at the cell of these wise men and woman (abba or amma), tradition
says that these seekers would ask: “Abba, speak to me a word, by which I might
have life.” They might then receive a “prayer-word” or some brief instruction. The pilgrim would take this “word” back with
them to their home country and build their spiritual life around this one
“word.”
In the yogic tradition, these “words of
power” are called mantras, and they
are traditionally whispered into the ear of the disciple by a guru.
The guru is someone who has realized the essence of a mantra. The Sanskrit word guru actually means “weighty one”.
These gurus have gravitas, and
their words carry a lot of weight.
Because the guru has yoked their mind and heart with Truth, when they
are approached by a seeker who is humble and sincere, the Truth emerges from
them as the perfect thing the student needs to hear to continue their
journey. Indeed, such words give life to
the soul who is thirsty for God.
Traditionally, at the time of
initiation one receives a mantra, a mala
(rosary) and a spiritual name. The
ceremony marks a new birth for that individual into their spiritual family. But in order to realize the full benefit of
the mantra it should be “awakened and put into action.”
Along with receiving the mantra comes both
the permission to us it, as well as transference of psychic power from the
master. The mantra contains within it
the enlightened wisdom of the spiritual preceptor, and like a zip file, must be
unpacked through continued repetition to reveal its full meaning and
power.
The
word mantra comes from two Sanskrit
roots – man or manas which refer to the mind/heart, and tra which means “to protect”.
The root tra also means “to
cross over” and comes into English words such as “travel” and “traverse”.
The practice of mantra protects the mind and heart from distraction, and helps us to cross over the discursive mind.
There are many types of mantras. Some are used to produce specific results - to
overcome illness or to achieve worldly success - while others are employed
solely for the purpose of Self-realization.
©Jeffrey Vock
Mantras sung in the spirit of devotion,
with melody and rhythm, are known as kirtan
– the foundational practice of bhakti
yoga. Other mantras are performed
silently, like the Hamsa/Soham mantra which is produced
effortlessly by the sound of the incoming and outgoing breath. But the Guru
Mantra is given special importance in the world of mantras.
The mantra given by one’s guru at the
time of initiation provides invisible protection for the disciple, and acts
like the “red phone” at the White House during the Cold War – it is a direct
line to the Supreme.
Swami Satyasanghananda says that “the
mantra is a link between you and the cosmos, between you and the deeper
mysteries of the universe.” The specific number of the syllables in the mantra
given by the guru is designed to make up for any deficiencies in the disciple’s
aura or energetic body. The more one
recites the mantra, the more one gains spiritual wealth.
By establishing the psychic link with
the guru through recitation of the mantra, one becomes receptive to spiritual
guidance across all planes of existence, and is able to stir the spiritual
awareness which resides in one’s spiritual heart.
As Sri Dharma Mittra says, the outer
guru shows you how to find the inner guru, situated in the right side of the
heart, in the center of the chest. The
practice of mantra is one proven method for gaining access to this sacred
chamber of the heart - the goal of all spiritual disciplines.
1. Yogi Gupta, Yoga and Yogic Powers (New York, Yogi Gupta, 1958), 52 - 62
1. Yogi Gupta, Yoga and Yogic Powers (New York, Yogi Gupta, 1958), 52 - 62
2. Swami Satyasanghananda
Sarasvati, Light on the Guru and Disciple Relationship, 101
3. Jonathan
Wilson-Hartgrove, The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, (Paraclete
Press) quote taken from Introduction.
4. Maha Sadhana bySri Dharma Mittra (DVD) – Spiritual Discourses, The Importance of a Teacher
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Alan Haras (Bhaktadas Om) is the owner of Hamsa Yoga in Lake Orion, Michigan. He holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Michigan State University, is finishing up a two-year training in Spiritual Direction from the Manresa Jesuit Retreat House, and is pursuing his Masters in Religious Studies at the University of Detroit Mercy. He has been blessed to spend three years studying Advaita Vedanta with Dr. John Grimes, ten years studying the Jivamukti Yoga method, as well as having spent time in India with the late kirtan-wala and bhakti yogi Shyamdas. In 2012-13, Alan completed the 200, 500 and 800-hour Dharma Yoga Life of a Yogi Teacher Trainings with Sri Dharma Mittra, made a 12-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and completed the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. As a teacher, he is deeply grateful for the opportunity to offer "the greatest charity of all" - sharing and promoting spiritual knowledge.
Hari Om!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this article. I have a doubt, though. The author says that the "word mantra comes from two Sanskrit roots – 'man' or 'manas' and 'tra'.".
As per what I know, the word mantra comes from the root man/manas plus the suffix 'tra', which has an instrumental role. So, mantra would mean: "instrument or tool for the mind".
Gramatically speaking, and as far as I been taught, Sanskrit cannot have two verbal roots forming a same word.
Could you please give me your opinion on that?
Thanks.