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Thread: Mismatched mantra?

  1. #1
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    Mismatched mantra?

    Namaste,

    I have a question regarding choosing a mantram. I am new to Hinduism and find myself drawn to Krishna, yet of all the mantrams, aum namah Shivaya seems to resonate the most for me.

    Is it uncommon/bad to choose a mantram of a different deity than the one you are compelled to pray to?

    Thanks!

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    Re: Mismatched mantra?

    Hari Om!

    You didn't mention whether the mantra was given by Guru or not. Is it in fact your Guru Mantra? If so, please do not abandon it under any circumstance.

    If that is not the case, I think that you will find many esteemed members of the forum who have had your same experience and have been drawn to Lord Shiva in particular. In my humble opinion, do in fact follow where you are being led. Why?

    First, another question. Is Krishna in fact your Ishta? How was He/was He chosen and how?

    Next, please realize that you may be drawn to several along the way before you "choose" One for lack of a better word or One "chooses" you. One many lead you to another as may be the case here. In my experience, Lord Ganesha took me to Lord Shiva and I now see Hanuman as the Heart of every God. Hanuman is my Ishta and I do japa of one of his mantras daily. This isn't to say that I don't do others as well including my Guru Mantra. Guruji has given His blessings on such. Being new as you are however, I might suggest a more simple approach and that you choose one and stick with it. See God as One. See God in everything.

    My friend, you will find your way if you follow your heart and pray for the blessings of the gods who are so very willing and able to shower their love and compassion.

    All the best to you.

    Om

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    Re: Mismatched mantra?

    Quote Originally Posted by sdevante View Post
    Namaste,

    I have a question regarding choosing a mantram. I am new to Hinduism and find myself drawn to Krishna, yet of all the mantrams, aum namah Shivaya seems to resonate the most for me.

    Is it uncommon/bad to choose a mantram of a different deity than the one you are compelled to pray to?

    Thanks!
    Vannakkam: I second the comments by C. Smith, and will add a little more.

    Mystically, the mantra is the deity, at the fundamental level of sound. If you could see the sound, it would, in some way, look like the deity.

    Just saying the names of a deity invokes that particular deity. So in pujas, if you care at all about getting it right, you offer flowers to Ganesha while saying His names, and you don't mix and match.

    But .... anybody can do anything they please. Whether or not it conforms to tradition is another matter.

    Aum Namasivaya

  4. #4

    Re: Mismatched mantra?

    Namaste
    Krishna mantras are mostly devotional, Shiva mantras are vibrational/tantrik. In other words Shiva mantras tend to resonate in the body, but Vishnu mantras are prayers.

    Many mantras are open to all people, om namah shiviya means I bow to the Brahman, each syllables represent consciousness and the five states of matter, ether/space, air/gas, fire/plasma, water/liquid, earth/solids...

    It is Shivas mahamantra open to all. Just like the hare Krishna mantra.

    Through logic it is reasoned that Siva, and Krishna are the same one true God.
    Siva - consciousness
    Siva - Brahman
    shankara - the deity Shiva, the "Avatar" used in temples

    Krishna - also consciousness
    Krishna - the personality of Brahman
    Krishna(the person) - the Avatar of Vishnu

    The only difference is vaishnavs tend to focus on the personal aspect of God, while Shiva people focus on the unchanging eternal aspect.

    It actually makes a ton of sense to say om namah shiviya as a meditation mantra, and pray to the murthi of Krishna, since to do so is to draw on the strengths of both of these vivid traditions.
    "Names and forms are like bangles and braclets and Vishnu is like the Gold." - Adi Shankara

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    Re: Mismatched mantra?

    Vannakkam: There is also the tradition of diksha to consider. Diksha is initiation into the mantra by a qualified teacher. Traditionally, that is what gives the mantra the power to change the person. Without that, it's not likely to cause much harm, but won't do much good either.

    Of course the trend in the west is just to do whatever you feel is right for you, and cast traditions by the wayside for being silly superstitions or irrelevant.

    Aum Namasivaya

  6. #6

    Re: Mismatched mantra?

    Dear sdevante

    Did you know that SadAshiva (eternally auspicious) is Himself very attracted to the Supremely Attractive Supreme Attracter KRshNa? And that Shri KRshNa also loves revers and worships SadAshiva equally?
    And also that they are philosophically (tattvena) the same Supreme Reality?

    Sadhu has made some good points.

    Shiva Himself is drawn to KRshNa. So, aum namah shivaya is a tAntric mantra that is supposed to make "you" shiva as in all-auspicious, pure, beyond the modes of material nature.

    Once you are shiva yourself, you can get the full potential happiness/benefit of devotion to KRshNa

    ameyAtmA

  7. #7

    Re: Mismatched mantra?

    Quote Originally Posted by Eastern Mind View Post
    Vannakkam: There is also the tradition of diksha to consider. Diksha is initiation into the mantra by a qualified teacher. Traditionally, that is what gives the mantra the power to change the person. Without that, it's not likely to cause much harm, but won't do much good either.
    **********A very very important point to consider (above) *********

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    Re: Mismatched mantra?

    Thanks for the responses everyone. I should point out that I live in the middle of the Bible belt. Thus far, the opportunity to meet a guru has not presented itself.

    Having said that, I guess I am not 100% sure that Krishna would be my ishta devata. I feel drawn to Shiva for His serene yogic concentration, Kali for Her radiant beauty and fierce loyalty, but I think it is Krishna that seems the most relatable to me for His friendly nature and sage wisdom. Also, (and I could be wrong), it seems like I know more about Krishna from reading the Bhagavad Gita than any of the other Hindu deities simply because I haven't found good translations of the puranas, etc.

    I feel the truth of Hinduism deeply - I just feel a little lost about how to put that into motion on the bhakti path particularly.

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    Re: Mismatched mantra?

    Quote Originally Posted by ameyAtmA View Post
    Dear sdevante

    Did you know that SadAshiva (eternally auspicious) is Himself very attracted to the Supremely Attractive Supreme Attracter KRshNa? And that Shri KRshNa also loves revers and worships SadAshiva equally?
    And also that they are philosophically (tattvena) the same Supreme Reality?

    Sadhu has made some good points.

    Shiva Himself is drawn to KRshNa. So, aum namah shivaya is a tAntric mantra that is supposed to make "you" shiva as in all-auspicious, pure, beyond the modes of material nature.

    Once you are shiva yourself, you can get the full potential happiness/benefit of devotion to KRshNa

    ameyAtmA
    Om Namah shivaya is a vedic mantra and not tantrik. It is found in Sat Rudriyam (Sri Rudram) and this hymm is mentioned in Kaivalya and Jabala Upanishad, both of which praise Rudra (Shiva).

    A simple thing to do is chant Om Namah shivaya for 15 min and then chant Shri Krishna sharanam mama. which ever mantra helps you calm down mind easily is the best for you. Perhaps OP is not responding to any of the good advices given by other members.

    Aum
    Only God Is Truth, Everything Else Is Illusion - Ramakrishna
    Total Surrender of Ego to SELF is Real Bhakti - Ramana Maharshi

    Silence is the study of the scruptures. Meditation is the continuous thinking of Brahman which is to be meditated upon. The complete negation of both by knowledge is the vision of truth – sadAcAra-14 of Adi SankarAcArya

    namah SivAya vishnurUpAya viShNave SivarUpiNe, MBh, vanaparva, 3.39.76

    Sanskrit Dict | MW Dict | Gita Super Site | Hindu Dharma

  10. #10

    Re: Mismatched mantra?

    Namaste Amrut
    Quote Originally Posted by Indiaspirituality Amrut View Post
    Om Namah shivaya is a vedic mantra and not tantrik. It is found in Sat Rudriyam (Sri Rudram) and this hymm is mentioned in Kaivalya and Jabala Upanishad, both of which praise Rudra (Shiva).
    Of Course! It is. Thank You

    That was really dumb of me to say "tAntric mantra"
    -- perhaps because the earlier posts about 'tantric vibrations' by sadhu et al were swimming in the head.

    Jokes apart, what was meant was, that Shiva mantra are usually associated with tAntric sAdhanA, which by the way are merely practical aspects of following vedic injunctions at times (not always), and are incorporated by vedic worshippers and bhakti yogi as well, thru' pancharAtra, tantra and Agama.

    Here is something about the relation between vedic mantras and tAntric upAsanA
    http://hinduism.about.com/od/tantra/..._is_tantra.htm
    The Atharva Veda is considered to be one of the prime tantrik scriptures.


    - Wikipedia:
    The earliest documented use of the word "Tantra" is in the Rigveda (X.71.9).


    http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas24.htm
    The textual source of Mantras is to be found in the Vedas (see in particular the Mantra portion of the Atharvaveda so associated with the Tantra Shastra), the Puranas and Tantras.
    The latter Scripture is essentially the Mantra-Shastra. In fact it is so called generally by Sadhakas and not Tantra Shastra. And so it is said of all the Shastras, symbolized as a body, that Tantra Shastra which consists of Mantra is the Paramatma...


    ameyAtmA

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