A mahamantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation”. Its use and type varies according to the school and philosophy associated with the mantra. Mahamantras originated in the Vedic tradition of India, later becoming an essential part of the Hindu tradition and a customary practice within Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. The use of mahamantras is now widespread throughout various spiritual movements which are based on or off-shoots of, the practices in the earlier Eastern traditions and religions.The Aum syllable is considered a mahamantra in its own right in Vedanta mysticism.
In the context of the Vedas, the term mahamantra refers to the entire portion which contains the texts called Rig, Yaju, Sama and/or Atharvana, that is, the metrical part as opposed to the prose Brahmana commentary. With the transition from ritualistic Vedic traditions to mystical and egalitarian Hindu schools of Yoga, Vedanta, Thantra and Bhakti, the orthodox attitude of the elite nature of mantra knowledge gave way to spiritual interpretations of mantras as a translation of the human will or desire into a form of action.
For the authors of the Hindu scriptures of the Upanishads, the syllable Aum, itself constituting a mantra, represents Brahman, the godhead, as well as the whole of creation. These sounds are manifestations of ultimate reality, in the sense of sound symbolism postulating that the vocal sounds of the mantra have inherent meaning independent of the understanding of the person uttering them.
Nevertheless, such understanding of what a mahamantra may symbolize or how it may function differs throughout the various traditions and also depends on the context in which it is written or sounded. In some instances there are multiple layers of symbolism associated with each sound, many of which are specific to particular schools of thought. For an example of such see the syllable: Aum which is central to both Hindu and Buddhist traditions. However, written mantra-repetition in Hindu practices, with Sanskrit in any number of scripts, is well-known to many sects in India as well.Mahamantras, the Sanskrit syllables inscribed on yantras, are essentially 'thought forms' representing divinities or cosmic powers, which exert their influence by means of sound-vibrations. The Sanskrit word mahamantra consists of the root man- "to think" (also in manas "mind") and the suffix -tra, designating tools or instruments, hence a literal translation would be "instrument of thought.” The Sanskrit grammar defines mantra as “mananaththrayateithimantraha,” which means if anyone thinks of the mantra, it saves the person.
Manthras are inherently "true" (aša), and the proper recitation of them brings about (realizes) what is inherently true in them. It may then be said that mantras are both an expression of being and "right working" and the recitation of them is crucial to the maintenance of order and being.
The most basic mahamantra is Aum, which in Hinduism is known as the "pranava mantra," the source of all mahamantras. The Hindu philosophy behind this is the idea of nama-rupa (name-form), which supposes that all things, ideas or entities in existence, within the phenomenological cosmos, have name and form of some sort. The most basic name and form is the primordial vibration of Aum, as it is the first manifested nama-rupa of Brahman, the unmanifest reality/unreality. Essentially, before existence and beyond existence is only One reality, Brahma, and the first manifestation of Brahma in existence is Aum. For this reason, Aum is considered to be the most fundamental and powerful mahamantra, and thus is prefixed and suffixed to all Hindu prayers. While some mantras may invoke individual Gods or principles, the most fundamental mantras, like 'Aum,' the 'Shanti Mantra,' the 'Gayatri Mantra' and others all ultimately focus on the One reality.
In the Hindu Thantra the universe is sound. The supreme (para) brings forth existence through the Word (Shabda). Creation consists of vibrations at various frequencies and amplitudes giving rise to the phenomena of the world. The purest vibrations are the var.na, the imperishable letters which are revealed to us, imperfectly as the audible sounds and visible forms.
Varnas are the atoms of sound. A complex symbolic association was built up between letters and the elements, gods, signs of the zodiac, parts of the body – letters became rich in these associations. For example in the Aitrareya-aranya-Upanishad we find that the mute consonants represent the earth, the sibilants the sky, the vowels heaven. The mute consonants represent fire, the sibilants air and the vowels the sun. The mute consonants represent the eye, the sibilants the ear, the vowels the mind. In effect, each letter became a mahamantra and the language of the Vedas, Sanskrit, corresponds profoundly to the nature of things. Thus the Vedas come to represent reality itself. The seed syllable Aum represents the underlying unity of reality, which is Brahman.
There are several forms of Mahamantra as follows:
Bhajan: spiritual songs.
Kirtan: repetition of God's name in songs.
Prayer: a way of communing with God.
Guru mahamantra: the first initiation (Diksha) given by the master to the disciple.
Bijamahamantra: a bijamahamantra represents the essence of a mahamantra (e.g. Om).
The chanting of Mahamantra is called as Mahamantra Japa.Mahamantrajapa was a concept of the Vedic sages that incorporates mahamantras as one of the main forms of puja, or worship, whose ultimate end is seen as moksha/liberation. Essentially, mahamantrajapa means repetition of mahamantraand it has become an established practice of all Hindu streams, from the various Yoga to Thantra. It involves repetition of a mantra over and over again, usually in cycles of auspicious numbers (in multiples of three), the most popular being 108. For this reason, Hindu malas (bead necklaces) developed, containing 108 beads and a head bead (sometimes referred to as the 'meru', or 'guru' bead). The devotee performing japa using his/her fingers counts each bead as he/she repeats the chosen mahamantra. Having reached 108 repetitions, if he/she wishes to continue another cycle of mahamantras, the devotee must turn the mala around without crossing the head bead and repeat.To attain single-pointedness of mind, repetition of mahamantra's can be done in the following ways:
Mahamantra Yoga (chanting), Japa Yoga: VaikhariJapa (speaking), UpamsuJapa (whispering or humming)
ManasikaJapa (mental repetition), and LikhitaJapa (writing).
It is said that through japa the devotee attains one-pointedness, or extreme focus, on the chosen deity or principal idea of the mahamantra. The vibrations and sounds of the mahamantra are considered extremely important, and thus reverberations of the sound are supposed to awaken the Kundalini or spiritual life force and even stimulate chakras according to many Hindu schools of thought. Any shloka from holy Hindu texts like the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutra, even the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Durgasaptashati or Chandi are considered powerful enough to be repeated to great effect, and have therefore the status of mahamantra.The use of Mahamantras is described in various texts which constitute Mantra Shastra (shastra, sastra: law-book, rule or treatise).Some of the major books which are used as reference for MahamantraShastra areParasuramaKalpa Sutra, SharadaTilakam, Lakshmi Thantra, and Prapanchasara.
It is very hard to select the mantra by an individual. One mantra, which is considered as the best one for one person may not be so useful for the other one. So, before selecting a mantra, the horoscope is to be checked by a Guru, who is well versed in Atharva Veda and Atharva Vedic Astrology. Only after analyzing the planetary positions of an individual the mantra and the methods of chanting the mantra are to be decided. Contact 1-888-808-1418 to get all kinds of clarifications to begin a Mahamantra Japa and have the best in your life by the blessings of Atharva Veda Yaksha/Yakshini Devathas.
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