Mantra Meditation and Everything You Need to Know About It! Part III

This is the continuation of the previous blog- Mantra Meditation and Everything You Need to Know About It! Part II, and we talk about group mantras and spirituality.

We finish with namaha or swaha. Now, Namaha is two words again. Na Maha. Na is a negation. Maha is again a combination of two words, which is Mama is mine and Aham means I. So, the root cause of all our problems is when we get stuck with me and mine, which is our limited state.

So you're saying you are negating this mantra. You're saying I'm not in my limited state, and I am offering my limited body and mind to this grand vibration and grand archetype to raise me to that level. So, Na Maha, meaning I am sacrificing or I'm offering me and my principle. Namaha. Aham and Mama. Me and mine. 

And Swaha, again, is broken up into two words. Swa is I; Aha is I am, putting into the fire of knowledge. So Swaha is when you offer your ego so that your small limited body dissolves, and you become one with the universal vibration and principle.

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Now, we end with three Shanti's. Shanti, Shanti, Shanti encompasses the principle of as outside, so within. As above, so below. So if there is chaos and unhappiness outside, you can never hope to be happy and content inside. So, that is why you're saying that when you say the first principle is Shanti, you are asking for peace inside you. Second Shanti is invoking peace in your external environment. And third Shanti is invoking peace in the cosmic world; in the universe, all the natural laws should also be living in tranquility. So, these are the three reasons we say, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

Now the next thing we do in a mantra practice is invoked Lord Ganesha. Now we don't have time to go into great details about the imagery and the archetype of Ganesha, but suffice it to know that Ganesha stands at the gateway. He guards the gateway between the material world and the spiritual world. And if you go into how he was born and the story behind his archetype, this will become very clear.

So, before we start any mantra practice or any endeavor, for that matter, we invoke that energy, that archetype that takes us from the material world of limited 3D existence to the spiritual world of limitless being. So, that's why we invoke Ganesha, and we say Om Gam Ganapati Namah! 

So, Om, do you understand why? We are invoking all three states, plus the fourth Turia state. Gam is a seed sound, and each of these archetypes has elaborate definitions and descriptions and also a seed sound. So, Gam is the seed sound to invoke that principle that removes obstacles. So, we say, Om Gam Ganapata Namaha, I am offering my limited body and mind. Please remove the obstacles so I can move from this material 3d world into the energy world of limitless dimensions.

Then, typically, if you are doing a mantra by yourself, you can skip this one. It's called the group chanting mantra, but if you're doing it even with one other person, be that a guru or a fellow, a friend or somebody, if two people are practicing or chanting a mantra, it is a good idea to do this mantra, which is called the Sahana Vavatu Mantra.

So, it is called a mantra for group energy, and basically, it invokes ease, joy, and glory in the effort. When two people are getting together, they are setting the intention that we are invoking ease for both of us, joy for both of us, either both or as a group, and glory for each of us, so that we are not in tandem. In our speech, we say we are doing this together, but inside we have different goals. This is to synchronize our goals. 

So what do we do? Om Sahana Vavatu. Sahana, it is together now, is two. Both of us. And Avatu is protection. So we say, may we both, may he that universal energy, protect us both. That is the ease. Sahanou Bhunaktu. Saha is together, and Nou is both of us. Bhunaktu is to enjoy. So ease and enjoy. May he cause us both to enjoy.

Sahaviryam Karvavahi. So may we both exert together. Maybe we are sitting here to start an endeavor, maybe put in our best effort. Tejasvina Vadhi Tamastu. May our study or endeavor become brilliant. Tejasvi is brilliant. Ma Vidh Visha Vahi. So it says may we not turn against one another. Because very often, two people or two groups may start doing something together. But somewhere along the way, some misunderstanding develops, and animosity, hatred, and jealousy develop. So this is preventing that from the beginning wing asking the universal energy to give and protect us both, to help us both enjoy, to help us both exert ourselves so that our result is brilliant and maybe not turn against each other. 

So this is a powerful mantra. Anytime you do anything together, not just mantras, any activity, you can start with this group mantra. 

I will chant for you. 

Om Sahana Vavatu Sahaviryam Karvavahi Tejasvina Vadhi Tamastu Ma Vidh Visha Vahi.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

First, we do Om. Then we invoke Ganesha to go from material limited living to spiritual, unlimited living. Then we invoke this group mantra. 

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We’ll continue with Guru and other mantras in the next blog.