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yajvan
25 October 2007, 11:42 AM
Hari Om
~~~~~
Namaste satsangis [ companions of good company and truth]


This post offers a slightly different ( yet not opposed) view on the notion of mantra. Please keep an open mind on this post as it is different, but rewarding overall. I thought to share it with you for your consideration.

We have mentioned mantra as man+tra.
We have talked much about mantras. One only need to look in this folder and see the definitions that are offered and the discussions.
man in its most simple form is to think; see man as to think one’s self;
tra is protecting or defending

man-tra is "preserved or preserving thought", "cherished or cherishing belief", etc.; and "thinking oneself to salvation", or "a triplet, conceived or appearing or perceived or presented or passing as three".[ offered by sarabhanga ]

Another View
Now another complimentary view on this matter is offered by Swami Laksmanjoo. He suggests that this man is rooted in manana. He explains this manana as that which causes the native to reside in one's own pure consciousness... he uses the term God Consciousness.

And for 'tra' he also says this to protect and defend. Yet he goes a step further and says tra is rooted trana, to protect the native from the evils of the world.
So does he list out these evils? Nope. He says the evils are not 'sin' as we tend to think of them, but those things that bring you out of Pure consciousness/God Consciousness. What would be those things that would make one fall out of this pure consciousness? Diversity of life. When one is in meditation and has the opportunity of experiencing finer levels of consciousness and perhaps samadhi, one is in that pure state, undifferentiated Being.
Upon finishing ones sadhana and entering back into activity, the diversity comes back. Yet we bring some of that pure consciousness, some call restful alertness back with us into our activity and infuse it over time into our natural awareness.

Because of this view...
it now becomes a very interesting conversation on mantra. Swami Laksmanjoo says mantra is the Divinity in the mind. With Divinity in the mind, one does not fall out of this station, due to 'evils'. He says 'Aham' is mantra virya. So we know mantra as the definitions from above e.g., man+tra and manana. Now have virya.

Virya is rooted in vir or to be powerful. So this Virya is power + strength + zeal. Lets then put this together: Aham = man-tra + manana + virya. This Aham is that protection with power, that keeps one from 'evils' of differentiated/diversity of life events.

Aham as Supreme
And this Aham is the Supreme I. It is "I" awareness, in full blossom. What does that mean? Today i have I awareness, how is this different? Lets take a look at this Universal I awareness. It holds true no matter if you view it in the 1st person , 2nd person or 3 person points of view. [ now you are confusing me, hold on!]. Let me explain.

Universal 1st person is not individual 1st person . That is 1st person is I, 2nd person is you, and 3rd person is he or she. In this example I, you, he or she are still in the realm of individual consciousness. The native sees 3 distinct beings I, you and he or she. It is when these 3 are seen as I and I and I... this is Universal 1st person.
That I in me is the same I in you and I in him or her. It is the SELF with no boundaries. My SELF is the same SELF of everyone else's , because there is only One SELF. And when that is the experience of the native, then there is only one I. Only 1st person I exists everywhere and Supreme I is experienced.

So now this Aham is Supreme I, yet here is the deal. Yes, it is a sound, A+ha+m, yet this is not the point of Swami Laksmanjoo. It is the notion that Aham state of being is the perfect mantra. It protects one for all evils because it is Supreme I and there is no other, there is no differentiation.
One not falling out of this level of Being resides in mantra virya. It is the level of ones awareness established in Aham that makes one protected on all sides.


This post is inspired from Siva Sutras, The Second Awakening, first sutra that is cittam mantrah || or mind is mantra.


'All mantras live in and get life from that one mantra of Aham, of I Consciousness' - Spandha Karika 2.1

pranams,

Soul
07 November 2007, 06:09 PM
Namaste Yajvan,

Thank you again for a wonderful post...

You wrote...

"What would be those things that would make one fall out of this pure consciousness? Diversity of life."...

Also, is it the samskaras or vasanas which make one fall out of this pure consciousness... or , even truer, the identification with these vasanas?..

That is then what you point to when you wrote...

"It is the level of ones awareness established in Aham that makes one protected on all sides."

Totally agreed.

'All mantras live in and get life from that one mantra of Aham, of I Consciousness' - Spandha Karika 2.1

Some thoughts...
It is none other than consciousness, who we are, that gives rise to mantra...
There is no separate "i" that performs or does a mantra...
The mantra is our very Self...
Om is Self...


Hari Om,

Soul

yajvan
07 November 2007, 08:17 PM
Hari Om
~~~~~~


Namaste Yajvan,

Thank you again for a wonderful post...
You wrote...

"What would be those things that would make one fall out of this pure consciousness? Diversity of life."...

Also, is it the samskaras or vasanas which make one fall out of this pure consciousness... or , even truer, the identification with these vasanas?..

That is then what you point to when you wrote...

"It is the level of ones awareness established in Aham that makes one protected on all sides."

Totally agreed.

'All mantras live in and get life from that one mantra of Aham, of I Consciousness' - Spandha Karika 2.1

Some thoughts...
It is none other than consciousness, who we are, that gives rise to mantra...
There is no separate "i" that performs or does a mantra...
The mantra is our very Self...
Om is Self...
Hari Om,

Soul

Namaste Soul, thank you for pondering some of this info.

According to Yoga Vishista all 'this' we see is Consciousness itself.
Yes, no separate 'i' - yet when this is realized it becomes "I", just one SELF, one Universal Self. Om is the SELF, a nice way to look at it.

This Consciousness is the seer ( me), the object I am viewing (creation) , and the mechanics of seeing and perceiving ( the jnanendriyas + manas + buddhih + ahamkara). Its a continuum of Consciousness say the wise.


May we be blessed with this experience soon.


pranams,