A mantra is a sacred word, sound or phrase, often in Sanskrit, recited within a wide variety of religious and spiritual traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Yoga.
The word mantra is derived from two Sanskrit roots; manas meaning ‘mind’ and tra meaning ‘tool’ or ‘Vehicle’. As such, mantras are considered to be “tools of thought,” used as a means of harnessing and focusing the mind.
Mantra is a sound, a certain utterance or a syllable. Today, modern science sees the whole existence as reverberations of energy, different levels of vibrations. Where there is a vibration, there is bound to be a sound. So, that means, the whole existence is a kind of sound, or a complex amalgamation of soundz – the whole existence is an amalgamation of multiple mantras.
Of these, a few mantras or a few sounds have been identified, which could be like keys. If you use them in a certain way, they become a key to open up a different dimension of life and experience within you.
Mantras always come from a Sanskrit basis, and the basic aspects of Sanskrit language is that it is so sound sensitive. But when different people speak, each one says it in their own way. If the Bengalis say a mantra, they will say it in their own way. If the Tamil people say it, they say it in another way. If the Americans say it, they will say it in a completely different way.
Mantra can be highly beneficial for the brain. The primary effect of chanting mantras is in our mind and nervous system, not on the brain. It is found that certain parts of the brain are activated when we recite mantras. Mantras give peace of mind. It is a positive vibration that eliminates negativity from our mind. It relaxes mind and body, It decreases stress from mind, It improves attention and It helps alot to increase concentration.
You can check whether “AUM” is root sound or not with a simple experiment: without the use of the tongue, there are only three sounds you can utter: “aaa”, “ouuu”, and “mmm”. Even if you cut off your tongue, you can still utter these three sounds. For any other sound, you need the use of the tongue. You are using the tongue only to mix these three sounds in many ways to produce all the other sounds. There are so many millions of sounds you can create with your mouth, but a person who is mute can only say “aaa”, “ouuu”, and “mmm”. He cannot say anything else because he is not able to use his tongue.
If you utter these three sounds together, what do you get? AUM.
AUM is not some religion’s trademark. It is the fundamental sound in existence. It is said that Shiva can create a whole new existence just by uttering three AUMs. This is not a fact, but it is a truth. What is the difference between a fact and a truth? Let us say you are a woman. Does that mean your father made no contribution towards you? Does that mean your father does not exist within you? No. So the fact is, you are either a man or a woman. The truth is you are both. It is not that Shiva is sitting somewhere and uttering AUMs. That is not the point. What is being said is that everything is just a vibration.
