A mantra is a sacred syllable, word or verse, which has been revealed to a sage in deep meditation. A mantra, when recited with devotion, concentration and understanding, revitalizes the body and mind with mystic power, and harmonizes thought and action. A mantra, when repeated constantly during meditation, first loudly and then through silent and mental chanting, changes the consciousness. Prayer is uplifting inspiring and fascinating for the mind and it has great power. Therefore, it is very important that each of you learns to pray. Through prayer you purify your mind and gain spi ...

See also:

Some Hindu mantras, Some Hindu mantras - What is Dharma?, Some Hindu mantras - The Significance of the Symbol Om, Some Hindu mantras - Mantras and Prayers, Some Hindu mantras - Kirtan and Bhajan

Read more here: » Some Hindu mantras: Encyclopedia II - Some Hindu mantras - Mantras and Prayers

See also:

Some Hindu mantras, Some Hindu mantras - What is Dharma?, Some Hindu mantras - The Significance of the Symbol Om, Some Hindu mantras - Mantras and Prayers, Some Hindu mantras - Kirtan and Bhajan

Read more here: » Some Hindu mantras: Encyclopedia II - Some Hindu mantras - The Significance of the Symbol Om

The meaning of the Namah Śivāya mantra was explained by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami: "Namah Śivāya is the most holy name of God Śiva, recorded at the very center of the Vedas and elaborated in the Śaiva Agamas. Na is the Lord's concealing grace, Ma is the world, Śi stands for Śiva, Va is His revealing grace, Ya is the soul. The five elements, too, are embodied in this ancient formula for invocation. Na ...

See also:

Aum namah Sivaya, Aum namah Sivaya - A Hindu Śaivite view on the Aum namah Śivāya mantra

Read more here: » Aum namah Sivaya: Encyclopedia II - Aum namah Sivaya - A Hindu Śaivite view on the Aum namah Śivāya mantra

The Mantra-Samhitas : The Rig-Veda Samhita is the grandest book of the Hindus, the oldest and the best. It is the Great Indian Bible, which no Hindu would forget to adore from the core of his heart. Its style, the language and the tone are most beautiful and mysterious. Its immortal Mantras embody the greatest truths of existence, and it is perhaps the greatest treasure in all the scriptural literature of the world. Its priest is called the Hotri.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Mantra-Samhitas: The Mantra-Samhitas in the Hindu Scriptures

The Mantra on Lord Vishnu - a Hindu Prayer.

From Hindu Fasts & Festivals by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Hindu Prayers: The Mantra on Lord Vishnu - a Hindu Prayer

The Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra.

From Hindu Fasts & Festivals by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Hindu Prayers: Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra - a Hindu Prayer

Is the memorization of slokas and mantras essential to being a good Hindu?

Most mantras and slokas are in the Sanskrit language, and your knowledge of Sanskrit is probably like my own. Nil! We must realize that slokas are like affirmations and are spoken in the language the speaker understands. Though Sanskrit has a tremendous value because it is a spiritually powerful language, we should combine two languages, English and Sanskrit, when we are learning slokas.

Read more here: » Hinduism: Is the memorization of slokas and mantras essential to being a good Hindu?

The chanting of the Divine Name or nama japa has an important place in bhakti tradition. Nama japa can be in the form of japa or stotra. Japa is silent repetition of a mantra while stotra is uttered out loud.

The sahasranama stotra is perhaps the most popular of all stotras. There are sahasranamas of most of the deities of the Hindu pantheon of which two have attained great popularity. These are the Lalita Sahasranama in praise of the Divine Mother and Vishnu Sahasranama in praise of the Lord conceived as Vishnu.

(See also: Sahasranama, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

According to the Hindu view of creation, it was sound and not light that appeared first. In Vedic parlance it is called Nada Brahma or the Sound Celestial. Vedic rishis believed that the evolution of the Brahmand or universe was caused as a result of Bindu Visphot or an atomic explosion, that produced infinite waves of sound, which represent cosmicascent and expansion.

The sound was a monosyllable: Om . Since Om is related to the beginning of the universe, Hindus consider it the most sacred syllable with which Vedic mantras commence.

(See also: Sangeet Marga, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Gayatri Japa Day:

The Gayatri Japa Day is one such very holy and glorious day intended to remind all of the greatest and most glorious of all Mantras, the sacred Gayatri Mantra.

From Hindu Fasts & Festivals by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Gayatri Japa Day: Hindu Rituals - Gayatri Japa Day

Nine Questions About Hinduism

Prepared for the July 4th, 1990 meeting of the youth of the Hindu Temple of greater Chicago, by Gurudeva, Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

1) What is the Hindu definition of God-monotheistic or polytheistic?

2) Could you describe the process of reincarnation?

3) What is karma?

4) Why do Hindus regard the cow as sacred?

5) Are Hindus idol worshippers?

6) Is there a rule about Hindus eating meat?

7) Why do Hindu women wear the dot on the forehead?

8) Is the memorization of slokas and mantras essential to being a good Hindu?

9) How can we use scriptures and the Bhagavad Gita or religious books as a practical guide to growing up in the United States?

Read more here: » Hinduism: Nine Questions About Hinduism

To think wisely, the mind needs to undergo a purification process. Mantras help us to purify the mind and make full use of the intellect.

Once, an oyster tried to distract a pearl diver. With great effort, it placed a loose pearl on a leaf on the ocean bed. The pearl diver, however, did not see the pearl - he caught the oyster. We don't know where to look and we become a victim of our limited knowledge.

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

In Hindu devotional practice, three kinds of external symbols are used for worship of the Supreme Being, who is actually formless and nameless. The most external is that of divine images cast in human form, with paraphernalia symbolising supra-human divinity.

The most subtle is that of the mantras or divine names with certain sounds. A mantra is divine power clothed in sound. Between these two come the yantras or chakras , representing the deity in geometrical diagrams. Worshippers of Shakti consider the Srichakra the holiest and most significant of divine symbols.

(See also: Srichakra, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Shodoshi: The Holy Mother's Mission of Grace

According to a tantric school, Shodoshi is the highest manifestation of Divinity. In tantra, each deity has a mantra or mystic formula which represents her nature.

In Shodoshi, it is the Trikuta mantra and it has three parts: Vagbhavakuta signifying speech and knowledge through worship of Saraswati , Kamarajakuta representing human will or Kali and Shaktikuta or Durga , the supreme manifestation of divine power and energy.

Read more here: » Shodoshi: The Holy Mother's Mission of Grace

Meditation Experiences by Sarasvati Buhrman PhD - Part I

Sometime after 350 B.C. a great yogi sage wrote the "Yoga Sutra". This brief translation should wet your appetite. This describes the transformation of mind that will unfold over a course of sadhana (spiritual practice), focusing on the relationship between the mind and the object of meditation.

Read more here: » Meditation: Meditation Experiences According to the Ashtanga Yoga Tradition with Commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutra

A mantra is a religious syllable or poem, typically from the Sanskrit language. Their use varies according to the school and philosophy associated with the mantra. They are primarily used as spiritual conduits, words and vibrations that instill one-pointed concentration in the devotee. Other purposes have included religious ceremonies to accumulate wealth, avoid danger, or eliminate enemies. Mantras originated in India with Vedic Hinduism and were later adopted by Buddhists and Jains, now popular in various modern forms of spiritual practice which are loosely b ...

Including:

• Mantra - Introduction
• Mantra - Mantra in Hinduism
• Mantra - Mantra Japa
• Mantra - Some Hindu mantras
• Mantra - Lead me from Ignorance to Truth
• Mantra - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra
• Mantra - The shanti mantras
• Mantra - Universal prayer
• Mantra - Other examples
• Mantra - The Hindu Bija Mantra
• Mantra - Remarks
• Mantra - What is Dharma?
• Mantra - The Significance of the Symbol Om
• Mantra - Mantras and Prayers
• Mantra - Kirtan and Bhajan
• Mantra - Vedic Conception of Sound
• Mantra - Mantra in Buddhism
• Mantra - Mantra in Shingon Buddhism
• Mantra - Mantra in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism
• Mantra - Om mani padme hum
• Mantra - Some other mantras used by Tibetan Buddhists
• Mantra - Mantra in other traditions or contexts

Read more here: » Mantra: Encyclopedia - Mantra

Aum namah Śivāya (IAST transliteration, refer to Sanskrit for pronunciation) is among the foremost Vedic mantras. Its general translation is "adoration (namas) to Śiva", preceded by the mystical syllable Aum. It is called Panchakshara, or "having five syllables". Śaivite mystics hold that within its celestial tones and hues resides all of the intuitive knowledge of Śaivism. The Aum namah Śivāya mantra apears for the first time, yet without the Aum, in a traditional Vedic prayer to Rudra called Śri R ...

Including:

• Aum namah Sivaya - A Hindu Śaivite view on the Aum namah Śivāya mantra

Read more here: » Aum namah Sivaya: Encyclopedia - Aum namah Sivaya

Hinduism (हिन्दू धर्म; also known as Sanātana Dharma - सनातन धर्म, and Vaidika-Dharma - वैदिक धर्म) is a worldwide religious tradition that is based on the Vedas and is the direct descendant of the Vedic religion. It encompasses many religious traditions that widely vary in practice, as well as many diverse sects and philosophies. An array of deities, all manifestations of the one supreme monistic Ishvara, are venerated. Beliefs, codes and principles vary fr ...

Including:

• Hinduism - Core Concepts
• Hinduism - The Eternal Way
• Hinduism - Basic beliefs
• Hinduism - Practice Yoga Dharma
• Hinduism - The four objectives Of Life
• Hinduism - The four stages of Life
• Hinduism - The four classes of the society
• Hinduism - Nature of God
• Hinduism - Denominations
• Hinduism - Hindu sacred texts
• Hinduism - Shruti
• Hinduism - Bhagavad Gītā
• Hinduism - Smriti
• Hinduism - Origins and society
• Hinduism - Origins of Hinduism
• Hinduism - Etymology
• Hinduism - Vedic religion
• Hinduism - Hindu nationalism
• Hinduism - Temples
• Hinduism - Current geographic distribution
• Hinduism - Hindu philosophy: the six Vedic schools of thought
• Hinduism - Pūrva Mīmāmsā
• Hinduism - Yoga
• Hinduism - Uttara Mimāmsā: Vedānta and its three main schools
• Hinduism - Alternative cultures of worship
• Hinduism - The Bhakti schools
• Hinduism - Tantra
• Hinduism - Important symbolism and themes in Hinduism
• Hinduism - Tilaka symbol on forehead or between eyebrows
• Hinduism - Ahimsa non-violence vegetarian diet and the cow
• Hinduism - Hindu symbolism
• Hinduism - Murtis icons
• Hinduism - Sanskrit
• Hinduism - Mantra
• Hinduism - Criticism
• Hinduism - Hinduism
• Hinduism - Related systems and religions

Read more here: » Hinduism: Encyclopedia - Hinduism

Aum (also Om, ॐ) is the most sacred syllable in Hinduism, first coming to light in the Vedic Tradition. The syllable is sometimes referred to as the "Udgitha" or "pranava mantra" (primordial mantra); not only because it is considered to be the primal sound, but also because most mantras begin with it. As a seed syllable (bija), it is also considered holy in Esoteric Buddhism. In Devanagari it is written ॐ (Unicode U+0950) and in Tibetan script ༀ (Unicode U+0F00). Aum - The ...

Including:

• Aum - The Significance of the Symbol Om
• Aum - Aum in Hindu tradition
• Aum - Origin
• Aum - Philosophy of AUM
• Aum - Om in Jain tradition
• Aum - Om in Buddhist tradition
• Aum - Om in Sikh tradition
• Aum - When you pronounce AUM:
• Aum - Some quotations from Hindu scriptures regarding AUM
• Aum - Other traditions interpretations and understandings

Read more here: » Aum: Encyclopedia - Aum

Shiksha (IAST śikṣā) is one of the six Vedangas, treating the traditional Hindu science of phonetics and phonology of Sanskrit. Its aim is the teaching of the correct pronunciation of the Vedic hymns and mantras. The oldest phonetics textbooks are the Pratishakyas, describing pronunciation, intonation of Sanskrit, as well as the Sanskrit rules of sandhi. All Samhitas have their a

Read more here: » Shiksha: Encyclopedia - Shiksha