Mantra Magic

My favorite mantras, and why they are so good for you.

Originally published 2010

My Experience with Mantras

My first experience with mantra came in my martial arts practice of Jung SuWon. We called it “channeling” (as in channeling energy). I loved it. For a while, we were doing it every week. I looked forward to that. I could sing them by myself, of course, and I even had recordings of several, but somehow it was never quite the same as getting together in a group.

My next experience came from listening to a Krishna Das CD. A couple of the mantras really spoke to me, and I loved singing them in the car. (In particular, his ecstatic rendition of Om Namah Shivayah).

But I really learned about the power of mantras after my first Ipsalu Tantra course with Jan Robinson, in Berkeley. That’s when mantra became part of my life.

Nothing was said about mantra as part of the practice, but we heard and sang several over the course of the weekend, and as we were cleaning up, we heard the Gayatri Mantra over and over.

I was inspired, opened, and uplifted by that weekend that I didn’t watch TV for days. I turned off the radio in the car and at work — because I had the mantras in my head (one at a time, of course!), and I didn’t want to lose them. They reminded of the incredible experiences I had, and I wanted to stay connected as long as possible. So I kept everything turned off, and kept the mantras going in my head as much as I could, singing them whenever I could.

After a few days, I noticed that I wasn’t hearing them when working on the computer at my job, because I was thinking so intensely about my work. But as soon as I stopped, I heard the mantras. I found that when I went into a store, the Musac playing over the speakers would drive them out for a while, but when I left, they came back easily.

I found that I could keep them going when playing sports, and could even watch TV for 2 or 3 hours, and they would still be there. (After 5 or 6 hours, though, they would be gone, and I would have to work pretty hard to get them back.)

At times, I even had mantra in my head while watching TV. (I think that’s the best.) And someday, maybe I’ll find it’s possible to have a mantra going while carrying on a conversation. I’m not sure if it’s possible. But if it is, I’ll be connecting with another person by listening and talking, and at the same connecting with God/Shiva/Shakti/Universal Love Consciousness. Won’t that be grand?!

Why Mantras are So Great

Mantras are incredible, for a variety of reasons:

1. They’re musical.
   We love music! There is something about it that entrains our brains. Our heart beat falls into a rhythm, and everything in our mind and body synchronizes. When the pace is right, It seems to make every part of the body work together in a complementary unison, like the different sections of an orchestra, combining to make a wonderful symphony. (A metaphor I stole from The Awakened Mind: BioFeedback the Development of Higher States of Awareness, by C. Maxwell Cade and Nona Coxhead.) And with mantra, the pace is always just right.
2. They’re devotional.
   They put you in mind of the God/Shiva/Shakti/Universe connection we all long for. That’s a great space to be in. Joyful. Blissful, even.
3. They’re magical.
   When something comes along that upsets you, you naturally get upset. But as you return to the mantra, your attention moves away from the cause, and back to the present moment. So instead of going over and over the stressful event in your head, making it bigger and bigger, you release it and let it go. Result: Less stress. More calm. More relaxation. More happiness.

The end result is that you quite literally have a “song in your heart” all day — a song that makes you happy!

Gayatri Mantra

Videos that are accompanied by Deva Premal‘s rendition:

• Slideshow version — Pure beauty. Still pictures with moving camera.
• Movie version — Also beautiful, with entrancing videos.

This version by Peter Keogh and Serge Fiori is the I heard at the end of my blissful weekend training seminar in Ipsalu Tantra It has lingered for days, and is still going strong. It brings back so many wonderful memories:

• Gayatri Mantra CD
  (2 tracks. One spoken, with an explanation. One sung. Beautifully.)

The words:

OM  BHUR  BHUVA  SVAHA
TAT  SAVITUR  VARENYAM
BHARGO  DEVASYA  DHEEMAHI
DHI  YO  YONAH  PRACHODAYAT

As sung (bold=accent, underline=hold):

OM  BHUR  BHUVA-(h)A  S(v)WA-HA
TAT  SAV-I-TUR  VARE-(h)INY-AM
BHAR-GO…  DEV-AS-YA  DHEE-MA-HI
DHI  YO  YO…nah – PRACH-O-DAY-A(t)

Meaning (courtesy of Shakti Jan Robinson):

• OM – Higher consciousness and individual consciousness as one
• BHUR – Bhu Loka (Physical Plane) (The five elements this body is made up of)
• BHUVA – Bhuva Loka (Middle Plane) (The power that animates the body. This is actually the Prana Sakthi.)
• SVAHA – Swarga Loka (Heaven)
• TAT – “That”, refering to God, or Paramatma.
• SAVITUR – That from which all is born
• VARENYAM – Fit to be worshipped
• BHARGO – The Radiance, the Spiritual Effulgence, the light that bestows wisdom.
• DEVASYA – Divine Reality
• DHEEMAHI – We Meditate
• DHI YO – Buddhi, Intellect
• YO – Which
• NAH – Our
• PRACHODAYAT – Enlighten.

Translation:

• OM (OM) We meditate (DHEEMAHI) upon the Spiritual Effulgence (BHARGO) of THAT (TAT) Adorable Supreme Divine Reality (VARENYAM DEVASYA), the Source (SAVITUR) of the Physical (BHUR), the Astral (BHUVA), and the Heavenly (SVAHA) Spheres of Existence. May THAT (TAT) Supreme Divine Being enlighten (PRACHODAYAT) our (NAH) Intellect (DHIYO) (So that we may realise the Supreme Truth).

Namah Shivaya

This version by Robert Gass is subtle. It sneaks into your heart. (This is the version I heard during my my first weekend training session in Ipsalu Tantra. It helps to bring back the Magical Moments I experienced there.)

• Om Namah Shivaya

This version by Krisha Das has a varied collection of verses in a beautiful, soul-stirring expression of love and devotion that builds to an ecstatic climax. The CD comes with a warning: “Not responsible for traffic tickets if you listen while you drive.”

• Live On Earth (for a limited time only) (2nd CD, 4th track)

Meaning (courtesy of Shakti Jan):

• OM        – Seed sound for God
• Namah   – I invoke, I bow, I dedicate, I surrender
  • from the same root as Namaste, meaning “recognition of the divine we share”
• Shivaya – Shiva, divine consciousness

Note:
In Sanskrit, an “a” is pronounced “ah”, and a final “ah” vowel is understood when a word ends in “h”. So “Namah” is actually pronounced “Nah-mah-ha”. Many Western versions of the mantra don’t pronounce it right, but they’re still beautiful, and full of meaning! (But when I sing with them, I try to do the real pronunciation.)

Shambho Shankara

I’ve only ever heard this one time, sung by Gerald Trimble. Here’s a descrption of the experience, along with a downloadable MP3 of Shambho Shankara. it was so beautiful, I was in floating rapture for 8 glorious minutes.

I found some of the words on the web. He sings the first three lines as written, but does something different on the last line. (I’m trying to find out what it is!)

Here is another version I found on the web. It’s not quite as “magical”, but the recording is a lot better than the one I made of Gerald Trimble:

• Shambo Shakara Shiva Shambo Shankara

Lyrics

I found these lyrics at https://prasanthi-mandir-bhajan.net:

Shambho Shankara Shiva Shambho Shankara
Shambho Shankara Samba Sada Shiva Shambho Shankara
Parti Nayaka Paramesha Pahimaam (2)
Shambho Shankara Samba Sada Shiva Shambho Shankara

And this version at the Sai Baba site (similar wording, different spelling, with a variation in the first word of the next-to-last line):

Shambho Shankara Shiva Shambho Shankara
Shambho Shankara Samba Sadashiva Shambho Shankara
Parti Nayaka Paramesha Pahi Mam (3)
Shambho Shankara Samba Sadashiva Shambho Shankara
Parvati Nayaka Paramesha Pahi Mam (3)
Shambho Shankara Samba Sadashiva Shambho Shankara

Meaning:
Please protect me O Lord Shiva, the Lord of Parvati.
Please protect me O Lord of Parthi.

Gate Mantra (gah-tay) – aka The Heart Mantra

This one is moving up the charts. It was nice when I heard it, but not as rapturous as some I’ve heard, so I mentally set it aside. But the other day, I woke with it in my head, and sang it to myself all morning until I got to work. A nice pleasant way to start the day!

• Henry Marshall’s Mantra’s II, To Change Your World (track 1)

The words:

Gate gate
Paragate
Parasamgate
Bodhi swaha!

Phoentically, as sung :

GAH-tay GAH-tay …
Pah-reh-GAH-tay …
Pah-reh-SAHM-gah-tay
Bo-dee S(v)WAH-ha!

Meaning (courtesy of Richard Hayes):

• The key word is BODHI, a feminine noun in the vocative case, which means awakening. All the other words are also in the vocative feminine and therefore modify BODHI.
• GATE means gone.
• PARAGATE means gone to the further shore and is a stock Sanskrit expression used by Jains and Buddhists. (The word PARA means the bank of a river opposite to the one on which one is presently standing.)
• PARASAMGATE means completely gone to the further shore. (The prefix SAM is intensive in meaning: completely, thoroughly, altogether.)
• SVAHA is an indeclinable particle from Vedic Sanskrit. It is said to be the name of the wife of Agni, the god of fire. It is used at the end of a recitation that accompanies a burnt offering made at a Vedic sacrifice (rather as “amen” is used at the end of a prayer in Christian liturgy). It cannot really be translated, since it is a performative word rather than a word that conveys meaning.
• The whole mantra, literally translated, comes out a bit like this: “Oh awakening that has gone, gone, gone to the further shore, gone completely to the further shore. Amen.
• Allen Ginsberg’s translation: “Gone gone totally gone totally gone over the top, wakened mind, So, ah!”

Om Kriya Babaji Namah Aum

I first heard this in an Ipsalu Tantra workshop, but then forgot all about it until I found it mentioned in the Ipsalu Formula: A Method for Tantra Bliss. It rose quickly to number one on my list, mostly because it benefits the body, mind, emotions, and spirit, all at the same time:

• Body: It can provide a nice abs workout, at the same time! (plus diaphragm and pelvic floor)
• Mind: Synchronizing everything can be a challenge!
• Emotions: It awakens multiple energy centers, and connects to love consciousness.
• Spirit: It invites/pledges/surrenders to the Shiva/Babaji/Love Consciousness of the Universe
  (See Tantra Lessons, and Magical Moments, the Ipsalu Tantra section.)

I found several versions on the Web, but so far I haven’t come across one I really like. So I recorded one that’s fairly close to the version we chanted during the workshop. It will do until we get the band together! (Jan on the harmonium, me on the drum, and a few other wonderful singers!)

• Two-tone
  Alternating pitches. One rises up, one dives downward, in the spirit of Shiva and Shakti.

The words:

• OM
  –Vibration of the universe (the “word”)
  –The Shiva sound. “O” resonates in the solar plexus, “Mmm” in the center of the head.
  –It unites “I” (ego) consciousness in 3rd (power) chakra with universal consciousness, 3rd eye in 6th
• KRIYA — Conscious practice, Movement with presence.
• BABAJI — Being of light who can take form. A presence who will come, when the heart calls.
• NAMAH — I invoke, I bow, I dedicate, I surrender
• AUM
  –The Shakti sound. “Ah” resonates in the heart. “Oo” resonates in the sexual energy center.
  (the source of life energy). “Mmm” resonates in 6th. (And the root. See the tips, below.)

Tips for chanting:

• The “ah” sound opens the heart. Feel it resonate in your chest.
• The “ee” sound leads to a smile, which opens the 6th chakra, allowing the light of consciousness to enter.
• On “kriya” (kree–yah), feel an inner smile.
• On Babaji (bah-bah-gee), feel a large outer smile and expand the inner one. Feel the 6th chakra open.
  (See Tantra Lessons, and Magical Moments, the Ipsalu Tantra section.)
• The “oo” sound resonates in the sexual energy center (2nd chakra).
• It also resonates in the throat. A slight contraction of the abdominals helps to feel it resonating in the 2nd.
• That’s not hard to do, because the Ah-OO-Mmm comes at the end of the chant, when you’re starting to run out of breath.
• Squeezing the abdominals slightly uses the remaining air in your lungs. It clears everything out, so your next breath is more complete, more energizing. And it helps to activate the 2nd chakra. And it builds abdominal strength.
• On the final “Mmm”, do Moola Bandha (slightly lift the pelvic floor).
• Moola Bandha helps the “Mmm” to resonate in the root.
• Done rhythmically, it also helps to energize your being.
• Building strength in that area improves your breathing, your posture, and your tantra practice.
• Doing it at the end of the line of the mantra, you’re doing it rhythmically, and just often enough to build strength without straining.

Variations

After being engaged in something, I’ll listen to what’s in my head and find that some variation or another is going on. Here’s a couple of them:

• Om Babaji Aum Namah. in 4 descending tones.
• Om Shiva Babaji Namah Aum, in 4 descending tones
  (A week later, I read in Babaji and the 18 Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition, that he’s also called Shiva Baba! How cool is that?)
• One long drive, I chanted combinations of these lines, in 4-descending tones:
  • OM Kriya Babaji Namah AUM
  • OM Shiva Babaji Namah AUM
  • OM Shakti Babaji Namah AUM
  • OM Shiva Mataji Namah AUM
  • OM Sakti Mataji Namah AUM

  This was my favorite combination :

  • OM Shiva Babaji Namah AUM
    OM Kriya Babaji Namah AUM
    OM Shakti Babaji Namah AUM
    OM Kriya Babaji Namah AUM
    – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
  • OM Shiva Mataji Namah AUM
    OM Kriya Babaji Namah AUM
    OM Sakti Mataji Namah AUM
    OM Kriya Babaji Namah AUM

A couple of weeks later, I found another verse at the end of a Kriya Yoga book, __xxx__. It was from the last pose, where you chant words that mean “peace” in different languages. It became the 3rd line in this version, done in 4 descending tones (one tone per line):

Om Kriya Babaji Namah Aum
Om Shiva Babaji Namah Aum
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Sat Nam Sadhu
Om Kriya Babaji Namah Aum

That’s my favorite version of all!

Shivoham

Version by Manish Vyas

Sachara Chara Para Purna Shivoham Shivoham (x2)
Nityananda Swarupa Shivoham Shivoham (x2)
Sachara Chara Para Purna Shivoham Shivoham (x2)
Nityananda Swarupa Shivoham Shivoham (x2)

Anandoham (x16)

Namah (x2), Hiatuu
Shivoham(x32)

Om Namah Shivaya (x32)
Sachara Chara Para Purna Shivoham Shivoham (x2)
Nityananda Swarupa Shivoham Shivoham (x2)
Anandoham (x16)

Meaning of the Lyrics

Found the lyrics here:
https://www.spiritvoyage.com/mantra/Shivohum,-Shivohum/MAN-000451.aspx

Sachara chara para purna…Shivoham, Shivoham
I am that which prevails everywhere…complete in itself.

Nityananda Swarupa…Shivoham, Shivoham
I am Shiva; the deity of eternal bliss.

Anandoham, Anandoham, Anandoham, Anandoham
I am Joy itself…I am Bliss itself.

Jaya Jaya Shiva Shambo

Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejV6JtyZxpE&feature=related

Words:

Jaya Jaya Shiva Shambo-o-o (descending “o’s”),
Jaya Jaya Shiva Shambo.
Jaya Jaya Shiva Shambo-o-o (descending “o’s”),
Jaya Jaya Shiva Shambo.

(Repeat a fifth higher, then return to original tone)

Meaning:

…

{Kriya} Jaya Shiva Omkara

This mantra does not originally have a “kriya” in it. But it felt like a good thing to add it in the space between lines…

Shiva Shankara, Hara Mahadeva

Words:

Shiva Shiva Shiva Shiva Sha-nkara,
Hara Hara Hara Hara Ma-hadeva

Variations:

Shi…-va Shiva Shiva Shanka…-ra
Ha..-ra Hara Hara Mahade…-va

Shiva Shakara, Shiva Shankara
Shiva Shankara, Mahadeva

I Am One

I went to a “heart conference” over the weekend, and heard __??__ singing a song she wrote. I could only make out a few of the words, at the time. But a couple of days later I woke with the tune in my head. Different words kept occurring to fill in the blanks, until at least these arrived:

I AM ONE with the HEART of an-OTH-er.
I AM ONE with a HEART of LOVE.
I AM ONE with the HEART of a LOVE-er
I AM ONE with LOVE.

It was a beautiful tune.

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