We explain what a mantra is, the different meanings of this term and some of the most popular mantras.
What is a mantra?
A phrase or word is known as a mantra that, whether or not it has a literal meaning, contains a mystical, spiritual or psychological power which can be triggered by repeating it successively, inducing the mind to a trance-like state.
The term “mantra” comes from Sanskrit, an ancient and ceremonial language, still used in rituals in various regions of India and Nepal and is made up of the voices man– (“mind”) and the suffix –tra of an instrumental type, so it could be translated from Sanskrit as a “mental tool.” Hence, its repetition during rituals and physical practices (such as yoga) is intended to generate a certain effect on the psyche.
This term appears in the texts of different Eastern mystical traditions, such as the Hindu one (in the Rig-veda, the oldest sacred book) as an instrument of thought, that is, prayer, supplication, hymn or song.
In Tibetan Buddhism, on the other hand, each mantra is understood as representing some specific aspect of enlightenment, which must be recited to assimilate or train in said aspect of the enlightened mind. In this tradition, the mantra can also be written or flown on a flag and have the same effect as if it were pronounced.
Finally, in Western psychology, the neurotic repetition of some subjects is called a mantra, the purpose and consequence of which is to strengthen circular or repetitive behavior. This meaning comes precisely from the mystical idea of the repetition of the mantra, used in this case as a metaphor for a pathological mental process.
See also: Allahu akbar
Some well-known mantras
Some of the most popular mantras:
- Om mani padme hum One of the most famous in the religion, linked to compassion and the deity Avalokiteshvara, whose reincarnation would become the Dalai Lama.
- Nam Miojo Rengue Kio Referring to the law of cause and effect, with which the reciter commits his life.
- Om Namah Shivaia Dedicated to the god Shiva, it embodies the virtues of an enlightened life: truth, simplicity and love.
- Majá-mritiun-yaia Coming from Sanskrit and Hinduism, it is the prayer to Conquer the Great Death, and appears in the Rig-veda. It is also addressed to Shiva, god destroyer of the universe.
- Om aim sárasuatiai namah. Dedicated to the Hunduist goddess of wisdom, Sarasvati, one of the three main goddesses of the religion along with Laksmí (beauty and good luck) and Durgá (motherly love and violent justice).
