Mantra

There is evidence for the use of 'mystical sounds'in worship dating back to Vedic times. Tantrism including Buddhist and Sivaistic practitioners of the period elevated mantra giving it the potential to offer spiritual salvation.

There are two parts leading to understanding the value of mantra, first, phonemes as aids to concentration and second (peculiar to tantrism) a gnostic like system built around practices of archaic traditions of the value of 'mystical sounds.'

Dharani

Again dating back in use to Vedic times the dharani are used as instruments for concentration. We are told that the common man saw a dharani as a talisman to ward off evil, and diseases and curses.

It is thought the dharani may have found origin in helping with concentration in pranayama and respiration. Some dharani - amale, vimale, hime, vame, kale - are chopped up longer words. But it seems the majority arephonmes - hrim, hram, hrum, phat - that have no direct linguistic meaning. It is thought that a creative process within a pranayama based meditation, led by necessity to the derivation of these very short phonetic dharani. The limited syllable count creates an inner spiritual reaction. The dharni seem to have the value of a secret, initiatory language. The sounds reveal their value only in meditation. The uninitiated could define no meaning from the dharani since they are not part of any language used to communicate between people. Both dharani and mantra would yield up their meaning only if used following rules outlining their use in practice thus leading to their inner awakening in use.

In the Vedic period a 'cosmic' consciousness became part of the belief system. It is thought that in the origins of the Tantric period the 'tantric 'yogin's effort is expended upon reawakening this primordial consciousness and rediscovering the state of completeness that preceded language and consciousness of time.'The phonemes discovered in meditation express a consciousness that results from such a'cosmic' experience or an ecstasy. In effect this led to the creation of a secret language born out of the revelations experienced working with these phonemes in meditation.

The dharanis it seems were learned directly from a sage or guru, therefore differ from the phonemes in that they are not part of anything linguistic but have to be administered and thus empowered through education from master to student.

OM Mantra

The Mandukya Upanishad tells how the four states of consciousness relate with the mantra OM. Om represents Brahman - therefore everything in the form of a mantra. There are four syllables A U M and then the value of the whole in the sound OM. The composition is as follows:
'
First quarter: A called vaisvanara, 'what is in the waking state.'

Second quarter: U called taijasa, 'what is in the dream state.'

Third quarter: M called prajna, ' what is in the state of deep sleep,' ( when one is asleep and desires no desire and sees no dream)

Fourth Quarter : syllable OM " that which is cognitive neither outwardly nor inwardly, nor the two together,nor is undifferentiated cognition, nor knowing, nor unknowing: which is invisible, ineffable, intangible, indefineable, inconceivable, not designable, whose essence is the experience of its own Self, which is beyond diversity, which is tranquil, benign, without a second. This is the Self, which is to be known."

Healing: The Celestical Physician

Ancient Vedic records detail shamanic and medicinal instruction and name cetain shaman and healers. In the Hindu tradition Dhanvantre is the 'celestial physician.' Using his mantra helps to find the path to healing a particular health problem.

OM Sri Dhanvantre Namaha
(OM SHREE DON-VON-TREY-NAHM-AH-HA)

(Salutations to the being and power of the Celestial Physician.)

How to use the mantra

A healing mantra needs to be practiced for forty days. Set down in the Eastern texts this process pre dates the earliest chapters of the Old Testaments in its origin. A mala is used in yogic mantra to count the repetitions. This is a beaded
string of 108 beads. Vedic teachings state that there are 108 major astral channels leading from the heart in the subtle body to the rest of the subtle body, therefore each channel receives the benefit of the mantra with a chant. One bead sits proud of the string. Called the Meru this bead is alwats reached at the end of the 108th count. The bead is never crossed, so if the mantra is to continue you would count backward to 1 reversing your journey of beads through the fingers. Symbolically the meru being last bead receives the accumulation of the mantra and stores great spiritual power.


Quotations from 'Yoga Immortality and Freedom' by Mircea Eliade Bollingen Series Princeton ISBN 0-691-01764-6

''Healing Mantras' Thomas Ashley-Farrand Ballantine Wellspring 1999 ISBN 0-345-43170-7