Thread by @poonamdut

Mantras: Busting Myths, Removing Confusion
There are many myths about mantras, and many confusions as well. Will attempt to Bust Myths, Dispel wrong notions prevalent since ages in a couple of threads. Here goes Thread I.
#Spirituality
#mantra

To understand about mantras lets first understand what is not a mantra. Common prayers are generally mistaken as mantras. Most common of these are Gayatri mantra, Mahamrityunjay mantra, Hare Krishna mantra and so on.
#Spirituality
#mantras

Let’s understand what these prayers mean. Gayatri Mantra simply means, O Almighty, grant me wisdom. Its a simple prayer to the Almighty to grant one wisdom. Mahamrityunjay mantra literally means, O Shiv, please grant me freedom from the fear of death.
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#mantras

In case of Hare Krishna mantra, its not even a prayer. I doubt if the people chanting it even understand its meaning ? Har means Ishwar/God. So Hare Krishna mantra simply means, O Lord Krishna, nothing else. That is why I said, it is not even a prayer.
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#mantras

Another common mistake people make is to confuse beejakshars with beej mantras. For example Om, Hreem, Kleem. Now all these are again no mantras. These are beejakshars / root syllables. They themselves are no mantras.
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#mantras

Beejakshars are sometimes used in mantras with other syllables but they themselves are no mantras. Om is again no mantra. It is used in a process called Pranav but again it is used with other syllables.
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#mantras

Another common myth is that there are different vedic, tantrik and aghori mantras. A mantra is a mantra, it has nothing to do with vedic or tantrik traditions. What has happened is, our priests since hundreds of years have taught people simple prayers in the name of mantras.

They gave people small stutis or shlokas from vedas calling them mantras because they themselves never knew any mantra. This is the core reason of this confusion.
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#mantras

No mantra is written anywhere in vedas or in any other scriptures. What is written there are simple prayers in different forms. Mantras since time immemorial have been passed through oral traditions only to the deserving ones.
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#mantras

Another common myth is about mantra siddhi, that once you have repeated the mantra 125000 times, you get the siddhi of that mantra. Whosoever says that doesn't know anything either about the mantra or about siddhi.
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#mantras

Siddhi simply means complete trust. Now if one is doing 1000 repetitions of a mantra, he can easily complete this number in four and half months. Now can anyone say that after four and had months of repetitions , he can do anything with that mantra ?
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#mantras

don’t think so. Had this been the case, every other human being would have been doing miracles on street just after four and half months of practise.
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#mantras

There are two things. One is Riddhi & other is Siddhi. Riddhi is accumulated self power which ascends one to the level of Siddhi, complete trust. It may take you lives to reach the level of Siddhi forget about months and years. Without Riddhi, no one can ever attain Siddhi.

End of Part I, more in Part II. Credit: Aghori Bhadra.
Request: Would love a discussion on points raised hee based on logic as a debate based on emotions becomes an argument. Not advisable for those who believe in Sanatan Dharma, whose foundation is logic.

Mantras: Busting Myths, Removing Confusion - Thread II
Continuation of the thread - WHAT'S A MANTRA, truly!
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#mantras

Let's first understand what is a mantra then we’ll understand how it works. A Mantra is a combination of certain syllables which have no meaning. A mantra simply doesn't mean anything. However every combination of these syllables/ mantras follow certain rules.
#Spirituality

Simply put, a mantra is a complex set of pranayama repeated on one’s breath. A mantra is never chanted, is simply repeated on breath. This is why I say its a pranayama. For example, as I said earlier, beejakshars are sometimes used in mantras. Let me give you two examples here

Let’s say Hreem is the beejakshar used in a mantra with other syllables. Now try to repeat Hreem on your breath - you exhale when you repeat Hreem on your breath. Now in a mantra with Hreem, there’ll be other syllables with which you’ll inhale also. This makes a pranayama.

Same is with Kleem. If you try to repeat Kleem on your breath, you’ll realise that you’ll inhale with Kleem. Now in a mantra which has Kleem, there ‘ll be other syllables with which you’ll exhale. This is how a mantra works.
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#mantras

Now this inhaling & exhaling in case of a complete mantra is very complex. It is not that you’ll inhale once and exhale thrice. It is very complicated. It may have multiple numbers of inhaling, holding and exhaling for different durations. But it’ll always follow certain rules.

Don't try to make your own mantra simply using inhaling & exhaling beejakshar combinations, it won't work. Neither you can ever get to know a mantra unless you are eligible for one.
By repeating mantra on your breath, you actually do certain pranayama.
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#mantras

By repeating the mantra on your breath, you actually do certain pranayama . Praan and breath are synonyms. This is why we call our breath, Praan Vaayu. This is why when someone dies they say, Praan Pakheru ud gaye/ His Praan bird has flown away.

Praan and breath are synonyms. This is why we call our breath, Praan Vaayu. This is why when someone dies they say, Praan Pakheru ud gaye/ His Praan bird has flown away. Through mantras we actually first stabilise our praan and then we uplift it.
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#mantras

This body and everything associated with it ends with life, only the praan continues. It never dies. It keeps on taking different bodies at different times as per one’s karmas.
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Sadhna means Saadh Lena/ to perfect . So through sadhna we actually try to make our praan perfect again to be able to immerse with ultimate consciousness.
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#mantras

A mantra will have no effect unless you have been initiated into that by a worthy Guru. Guru gives you the mantra along with his own energy.
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#mantras

You’ll be surprised to know that if the Guru is a real one, He’ll give you mantra & along with the mantra a few ethereal bodies for your protection. If you ever get into trouble with other ethereal bodies during your sadhna, the bodies given by your Guru will protect you.

Trust me it happens. Once you have opened the gates of other worlds , anyone can come anytime.
Credit: Aghor Bhadra
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#mantras