Re: Question about mantra
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté
I wrote above
The only suggestion I would make is on the number of syllables - I would recommend 8 syllables. This then stimulates the 8th house within ones janma kundali (birth chart).
Why the 8th house (rāśi). ? It is a natural mokṣa house and is the realm of yoga, tantra and siddhi (aṣṭa-siddhi or 8 siddhi-s).
Some call these 3 areas (collectively) para-jñāna. Learning is associated with the 5th house (a dharma house) , hence higher then
that (para-jñāna) we go to 8th house. We also note the 8 fold yoga practice called out in to Patañjali’s Yogadarśana¹ , a higher learning.
What then are these 8 syllables?
oṁ namo nārāyaṇaya - ॐ नमो नारायणय
Lets count the syllables (phonemes or akṣara¹
oṁ__na-mo__ nā-rā-ya-ṇa-ya
_1___2 - 3 __ _4- 5- 6 -7 - 8
I wish to add a few ideas on this prasiddha¹ mantra. This mantra is discussed in the nārāyaṇopaniṣad (nārāyaṇa upaniṣad).
It is called the aṣṭāṣara¹ of nārāyaṇa or the melodious flow of bīja's¹ found in the word form of nārāyaṇa.
nā +rā +ya+ṇa +ya ( these are the bīja's I have looked up or researched in other upaniṣad-s e.g. the yogatattva upaniṣad; I offer the 'lite' version for this particular post)
- nā - (3rd derivative) is knowledge; it is also 'unbroken' ; a jewel; welfare; it is another name for gaṇeśa
- rā - is brightness, splendor; it is the bījākṣara of agni. We find this sound in rāma defined as pleasing , pleasant , charming , lovely , beautiful
- ya - ( 4th derivative ) is meditation; it is also light, attaining; it is also a name of lakṣmī.
- ṇa - is also knowledge and also defined as gift. It is also a name for śiva
- ya - now 'ya' at the end can be defined as 'joining'.
So we see the beauty of this word-sound as I view it - this jewel ( nā) of unbroken knowledge that is brightness and splendor (rā), given as a gift (ṇa) that is approriate for meditation ( ya), which invokes/joins gaṇeśa ( nā), agni (rā) and lakṣmī (ya).
praṇām
words
- nārāyaṇa नारायण identified with brahmā , with viṣṇu or kṛṣṇa , yet in the bīja's we also see gaṇeśa , agni, and lakṣmī .
- akṣara - a syllable; also defined as imparishable, unalterable
- prasiddha - well known, celebrated; prá = brought about , accomplished rooted ( √ ) in pṝ or prā meaning filling , fulfilling
- aṣṭāsara - aṣṭan or aṣṭau or aṣṭā or aṣṭa - all meaning '8' + sara meaning water-fall, cascade - from √ sṛ a fluid , liquid.
So aṣṭāsara is the 'fluid flow' of these sounds fount in this mantra - melodious. - bīja - sound/ root syllable's which forms the essential part of the mantra of any deity ; any germ , element , primary cause or principle , source , origin
- sometimes this is written vīja or vījā ( femine gender) meaning seed of plants , semen of men and animals , seed-corn , grain.
Last edited by yajvan; 21 May 2010 at 07:12 PM.
यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
because you are identical with śiva
_
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