Mantram

Wisdom Teachings
Fundamentals of Spiritual Life
Book: Mantrams - Their Significance and Practice

Even in the earliest ages, people had a knowledge of the effects of sound. Through long years of meditation, adepts penetrated the world of sound. They recognised the sound associated with God as well as the sounds associated with His variety of powers. They saw that sounds are the basis of creation and that the basis of all sounds is OM, the continuity of existence. They used mantrams to invoke and experience the Divine Presence. The sounds allowed them to approach the 'Unspeakable God' who is omnipresent but unknowable and has no form or name.

The initiates discovered that mantrams protect, guide and enlighten when practised correctly. Mantric seed sounds can create, transform and destroy. During the fourth wave of humanity, the time of Atlantis, the magic of sound was used for things unimaginable today. The sound key was increasingly misused for selfish and destructive purposes. The misuse of power and mantric formulas led to the sinking of Atlantis. As a result, the knowledge of the sounds fell into obscurity for most of humanity. In the Himalayan region, the mantrams remained in their original form.

Today, the Masters of Wisdom consider it appropriate to make the work with sound available again for constructive purposes. Mantrams can help us dissolve certain personality problems and bring about transformations in us that we cannot achieve on our own. Mantrams can be chanted by groups of goodwill to heal the sick or suggest relief. Mantrams can also be used to cleanse a place, to bring clarity at the mental level to the main participants during important conferences or peace talks, or to mitigate the damage to life and property during natural disasters. Thus, mantrams are important tools for performing white magic through clear mental application by groups of goodwill.

The most powerful mantrams are seed thoughts, which are generally not given to all, but by an adept (Master) to an advanced disciple. There are a total of 35 seed sounds that a disciple can work with to bring about the necessary fiery transformation within himself. In the book “Mantrams - Their Significance and Practice”, mantrams have been given by Master Kumar as gentler versions of the seed sounds, which do not need to be imparted through a process of personal initiation. For working with mantrams it is very important to intonate the sounds correctly. MP3 files are available on the World Teacher Trust website with the mantrams explained in the book.

Mantrams seem to be simple but practising them is often difficult. That is why it is said that mantrams are secrets, although they are open to all. We need to know how to work with the mantrams. Often the mind tries to escape the mantram and wanders in thought. If we chant mantrams while being mentally absent, they have no effect. Nor do mantrams work if we doubt them. Trust is very important. Another challenge is that we do not constantly use what we have learned. We work with a mantram for a while, then drop it and forget it again. Our mind constantly tricks us because it always wants something new and forgets the old. So the effect of the mantram will continue to be a secret to us. A mantram also does not work for people who indulge in gossip, tell untruths, speak critically and judgmentally about others, or hurt others with their sharp tongues.

If we utter mantric sounds with reverence correctly and persistently and follow the appropriate discipline, they develop their effectiveness. They contain no danger, but slowly develop inner joy and bliss. It is said that after 12 years of regular work with a mantram according to the prescribed discipline (tantra) and with the appropriate symbol (yantra), we come to enjoy the grace of the sound and realise its energies. Only occasional utterance of the sound will not bring such results. All mantrams have a good effect, and according to the inclination of our soul we can choose one mantram and work with it. We should then devote ourselves to the one mantram and not take up ten mantrams or change the mantrams.

It is essential that we listen carefully to each syllable and its intonation and memorise the syllables before we begin to recite a mantram. We should not be in a hurry. A precise and clear utterance of the syllables with the right intonation awakens the potential in us and helps us.

Subjective utterance leads us to the inner side. Through inner recitation of the mantram and careful listening, the mind acquires the habit of being with the sound and rhythm of the mantram, and the mind thus turns inward. When mantrams are chanted within, the tongue should rest on the upper jaw and not touch the teeth. In this way, the upper and lower teeth do not join up at the front teeth and the mouth has a relaxed posture. The mantram is also not chanted by the tongue, but by the consciousness or mind.

The silent practice of mantrams helps in meditation work. It need not be known to others that we are practising a mantram. Chanting mantrams quietly also purifies the inner planes within us. Chanting a mantram out loud helps to purify the atmosphere around us. In groups, mantrams can be recited aloud.

In India, it was traditional to chant the Gayatri inside, in secret. Master E.K. said, “Sing it aloud, because that was the old tradition. And chant it in groups.” Master EK also put aside the tradition that did not allow women to chant the Gayatri mantram; he knew that this tradition was a distortion of the truth.

In the Vedic system there are thousands of mantrams. OM or AUM is the greatest, followed by SOHAM (THAT AM I), the mantram of pulsation of breath. Gayatri is the greatest of the longer mantrams. It is considered the queen of mantrams; it has 24 syllables, with 3 lines of 8 syllables each. Gayatri is an invocation of our own higher self and the background light. Through Gayatri we relate to the Sun, the Central Sun and the Cosmic Sun. If we listen carefully to our utterance of the Gayatri in the morning and evening, it fills us with waves of light. We can imagine the light in our head, and this light transmits from the Ajna centre to every part of our body and radiates beyond. Thus, the process of enlightenment is very effective.

In the early 20th century, when the Aquarian energy descended from Brahman itself to help humanity evolve, Master CVV received the energy of the Supreme. Through the touch, a transformation happened and the one formerly known as Venkaswamy became the Master. Master CVV received the mantram 'Master Namaskaram' through which the energy can be transmitted. 'Master' means the omnipresent Divine, the universal energy. This is referred to by Master CVV as 'the Master'. When we say 'the Master', we are only referring to the omnipresent Divinity that pervades the Earth, the solar system and the whole universe. With 'Namaskaram' we offer our respect to the omnipresent Divine.

When we utter the mantram 'Master Namaskaram', the energies enter and fill us. After the utterance, we should observe the movements in the body. This is how the process begins. It is a direct process and has nothing to do with the practices and the mantrams of the past. This was confusing for some and they wondered how this can be. It can happen when it is decided by the Most High. The Master came out of all the traditions and gave everything new. He gave new mantrams in English instead of Sanskrit. When asked why, he replied, “Why not?” There are no rules for the meditation posture. What is important is that we align ourselves with the energy and adopt a comfortable posture. If we want, we can also lie down and connect with the energy that way.

Master CVV only gave the rule to sit down for prayer for at least 15 minutes in the morning and evening, and he promised to take care of the rest. He would harmonise the lives of those who invoke the mantram daily at 6am and 6pm. If we think we have more important work than prayer, we can simply connect to the mantram 'Master Namaskaram' at that time and do the prayer later. He instructed to utter the sound key once and then observe. Master EK advised to utter the mantram three times loudly and consciously so that it gets greater efficacy.

One year before Master CVV left the body, the Master Energy instructed him to add the mantram 'Master CVV Namaskaram' as he was the first medium on this planet. Thus the initials of his name in that incarnation, Canchupati Venkatarao Venkaswamy Rao, became the mantram. Even a disciple who had attained mastery in 5 years was told by the Master to use his name as a mantram: “Master MN Namaskaram”. The Master principle is ONE, while the Masters are mediums of that principle.

Sources used: K.P. Kumar: Mantrams - Their Significance and Practice; div. seminar notes. Dhanishta Publications, Visakhapatnam, India (www.aquariusbookhouse.com).