A mantra is a phrase of divine truth or a sacred invocation that you repeat and use to reach a meditative state and/or invoke a certain deity or divine quality. 'Mantra' is also a yogic path, using the voice and sound to reach freedom and soul connection. It is linked to the throat chakra, or 'vishuddha' the 5th primary chakra in the body.
I love mantras as they align me with a higher consciousness and connect me with the energy of certain types of consciousness / deities / guides. As mentioned they also affirm divine truths, and are in general just beautiful to listen to when put to music.
Here are my favourite go-to mantras I've used since years for support and healing.
1. Om Mani Padme Um – Mantra for Divine Alignment
Meaning
Om mani padme hum is an ancient Buddhist mantra. It literally translates to “Praise to the Jewel in the Lotus.”
– Om refers to, like Brahma / Paramatman / Prime Creator / Source / The All That Is, to that which is behind it all, the unmanifest
– Mani means jewel or crystal
– Padme means lotus
– Hum means heart
Use
You can use this mantra to connect to the Divine Creator Consciousness, to Source, and align yourself with the beautiful, peaceful unfolding of life in divine truth and grace.
2. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo – Mantra for Libration
Meaning
This mantra loosely translates to “I devote myself to the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra”. The Lotus Sutra is said to contain the last teachings by Gautama Buddha before he 'dropped his body', and the core message taken from it is that every person can reach enlightenment in this lifetime. Enlightenment for a Buddha refers to freedom of suffering and the karmic cycle of life and death. “Myoho Renge Kyo” is the title of the Lotus Sutra itself, and adding “Nam” creates a mantra that, when chanted aloud, is said to invoke the entirety of the teachings within the sutra.
– Nam is a Sanskrit word, derived from “namas” which is taken to express devotion. It’s the same root of the more familiar “namaste”, or “I bow to the divinity within you”.
– Myoho translates roughly to “Wonderful Law”, “Mystic Law”, or the cosmic karmic law of cause and effect
– Renge translates to “lotus”. The lotus flower seeds and blooms at the same time, representing the simultaneity of cause and effect. The lotus flower is also known to bloom in muddy, dark waters. This represents the potential every person has within themselves to attain enlightenment in the “swamp” of human suffering.
– Kyo translates to “sutra”, “teaching”, or “the voice of the Buddha”.
Use
This mantra connects the chanter or listener with the karmic law of the universe. It supports you with cultivating spiritual grit, dedication to your stance and intense focus on achieving liberation from karmic ties and issues. I love that Tina Turner sings the mantra in the above video, as you can truly hear the deep concentration and dedication to libration in her voice (see also her bio – escaping the relationship with her abusive toxic partner, Ike Turner).
3. Gayatri Mantra – Mantra for Purification
Meaning
There are numerous mantras in the Indian Vedic Tradition, however there is said to be none greater than the Gayatri Mantra. Gāyatrī is the name of the Goddess, usually depicted with five heads and 10 arms, and with a swan as her vehicle. In the Hindu tradition, Gayatri is considered an expression of Parvati, the wife of Shiva. In some texts, she is mentioned as a form of Saraswati making her the second wife of Brahma, the Creator. The Gayatri Mantra is very complex and takes pages long to describe. All of wisdom, knowledge, and the entire Vedas are concealed in these 24 seed syllables.
Om Bhur Bhuvaḥ Swaḥ
Tat-savitur Vareñyaṃ
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyo Yonaḥ Prachodayāt
It is said that a whole lifetime is not enough to realize the hidden divine truths of any one of these seed syllables. In short: Bhuh, Bhuvah, and Suvah are referred to as the three worlds: earth, heaven, and inner space or existence (bhur); consciousness (bhuvah); and bliss (swaha). They serve as an invocation to Gayatri.
Use
Chanting this mantra or listening to it in meditation purifies you. It supports you by helping to burn away all the layers of lower consciousness accumulated throughout lifetimes, family history and societal programming, in order to come back to the true, authentic and natural self. "When your heart is completely open to the Gayatri, all the actions you perform in the world will be transformed into highly noble actions dedicated to the divine. All desires are effortlessly fulfilled and you attain complete union with the supreme goddess of divine consciousness."
4. Moola Mantra – Mantra for Expanding Your Consciousness (Invoking Spiritual Awakening)
Meaning
This mantra is a beautiful prayer to Source and sparks spiritual awakening in the chanter or listener. It puts us in a state of how it feels when higher consciousness, spiritual alignment and higher vibrational qualities are strongly present in our hearts, actions and minds. Here is the mantra more deeply explained:
om sat chit ānanda para Brahma
(Let our) pure consciousness be true and real. (Let us experience the) eternal happiness (of Source / Universal Energy).
purushot hāma param ātma (Let our) motivation for spiritual practice be fully developed. (Let us) renew our efforts as best as we can.
śrī bhāgavati sameta
(Let our heart) be perfectly guided by Deity (towards the spiritual Qualities). (Let our) higher self be fully restored.
śrī bhāgavate namaha
(Let us) honour and be dedicated to this radiance of the enlightened human being: the Presence of Deity, (in ourselves and others).
hari om tat sat
The presence ॐ that is real and true.
hari om tat sat The presence ॐ that is real and true.
"Hari Om Tat Sat" means "That is Truth". It is realising that in truth "that which I see with my eyes and that which is beyond my eyes are both the same". The Creator (formless) and the Creation (form) are not separated. All is one consciousness. The Creator has created creations as manifestations, expressions and extensions of itself. By forgetting it is both the Creation as well as the Creator, the Creator can experience the Creation in a new way. It's a cosmic hide and seek.
Use
This is a nourishing, loving mantra that nudges your spiritual awakening and embraces you with the energy of higher truths so that you might 'see'. The mantra helps us to connect ourselves with states of Divine Love and transport us to beautiful, deep feelings of joy.
5. Rudra Mantra – Mantra for Divine Destruction & Ego Purification
Meaning
Rudra is a being that is said to be an aspect of Shiva, one of the main deities in Hinduism. Shiva is known as "The Destroyer" within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity that includes Brahma ("The Creator") and Vishnu ("The Preserver"). In the Rigveda, Rudra is praised as the 'mightiest of the mighty'. The Rigveda is an ancient collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. Rudra refers to "who eradicates problems from its roots" and is said to rule storm and wind. To me Rudra is the counterpart of the Goddess Kali (Goddess of Destruction and Divine Rage).
Use
This mantra is a prayer to invoke the presence and support of Rudra to purify ourselves from built-up ego structures. The mantra can invoke strong divine forces that will destroy the parts of our ego construct that no longer serve us. When we let these aspects go we start to raise our vibration and can connect to the divine counter qualities we carry in ourselves (raising above duality, releasing judgement, embodying unconditional love towards ourself and others, etc.).
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