Sanskrit Mantras

Mantra overview

While I hear that there do exist mantras which employ lower spiritual forces to do their work, all the mantras discussed here engage only the very highest Divine forces. (And this applies to all mantras taught by Thomas Ashley-Farrand too.) So you can rest assured that when you use them that you are only inviting the most sublime and beneficial influences into your life.

Mantras, to people who have worked with them, are quite a mysterious force. It seems so impossible to the western mind that any spoken formula in an unknown language can effect changes, but in my experience these mantras can work in very powerful and surprising ways. You can never quite tell when they will take effect or exactly what the effect will be, but I have strongly felt the effects and I have no doubts whatsoever that they do work. In fact, looking back over the time I have been working with mantras, the changes in my life have really been quite amazing.

My first serious introduction to mantras was listening to Thomas Ashley-Farrand's CD pack "Mantra - Sacred Words of Power". I was so taken with it that I lay there listening to it for four hours straight that night, and some of the Sanskrit he spoke has the weirdest effect on me - I even burst into tears at one point. (This was pretty weird I can tell you!) The next day I went wandering through the local forest reserve saying some of the mantras to myself and before long, a large native parrot flew up the path towards me, landed on a nearby branch and them jumped onto my head! While I was flabbergasted, it remained standing on my head for a whole minute or so, occasionally shifting his weight, before he flew off - leaving me stunned and amused, wondering what on earth was going on here. I've had some signs in the past, but that one took the cake!

What you can get out of working with mantras

• attracting abundance in all areas - friends, health, etc
• attracting love
• gaining inspiration
• spiritual development
• helping yourself find fulfilment
• overcoming health problems, whether mild or serious
• alleviating karmic burdens
• improving the way others perceive you
• removing obstacles in life
• gaining peace in difficult circumstances
• gaining confidence
• spiritual protection
• attaining special spiritual abilities
• etc etc

Are the effects of mantra work all just imaginary?

I can give a clear example of working with a mantra where I gained the results without knowing them beforehand. When I was starting out, I wanted to do the most powerful mantra available as I was impatient for spiritual progress. I chose the long Kali mantra from the book Shakti Mantras which was said to be extremely powerful and suitable "for those impatient for spiritual progress", though the results were not described. So I read the section on Kali and got a general feeling for how she worked. Then I did 108 repetitions twice a day for 40 days and even gave offerings and did some Kali yantra-gazing too - combined with as much respect and devotion as I could muster. What I noticed was that every now and again during this time, I would lie down to go to sleep after doing my mantras and find that from nowhere a mysterious energy would start surging at the bottom half of my spine and rise to a level which would really worry me because it was so intense! The first time I honestly feared for my life (this is no exaggeration) as I somehow realised that if the energy kept growing, that the current reality I knew would very soon disappear. After much thought, I decided that it was ridiculous to think that Kali would let serious harm come to me for working with her with such devotion and pure intentions. I then learned to relax and even looked forward to these powerful energy experiences. I wasn't really sure what it was as it didn't match anything I'd heard about, but it certainly kept life interesting. Then months later, I read in my teaching material that this mantra specifically awakens kundalini in the spine - firstly to the hrit padma (in the middle of the spine) and then later up to the crown. Which surprised me with its exact correlation to my unexpected "half-way-up" kundalini experiences. I hadn't even recognised it as kundalini, because it didn't seem to creep slowly up the spine from the base as I'd imagined - it seemed more like the way a bar heater operates where the whole section of the spine gradually took on a blazing intensity.

With other more subtle mantras, I am happy to take the experts' word on their effects and I use them as prescribed. These have stood the test of time, and I understand that Thomas Ashley-Farrand only puts mantras in his material which he has tested himself. Also the anecdotal stories from his books are so valuable when you want to know how a mantra might work in the real world.

So if you want to try something new, check out his material at Amazon.com or at his website www.sanskritmantra.com

Where to start

From there, I would then recommend Thomas Ashley-Farrand's book "Shakti Mantras: Tapping into the Great Goddess Energy Within". It's very well written and has lots of interesting mantras for all kinds of purposes - many which aren't in the CD course above. The mantras are split across a wide variety of female deities including Lakshmi, Saraswati, Parvati, Tara, Chamundi, Durga and Kali. Best of all, there is a good pronunciation guide to help you know how to chant each mantra effectively - quite essential when doing it from a book. I took my long Kali mantra straight from this book and it really worked a treat. (Note that I put the stress in the wrong places, but that didn't matter - intent and devotion is what counts with mantra work.) Also about his books - when you read the sections about the deities, you can actually feel energy being generated within and around yourself as you connect to the stories. Reading stories about any of the deities is in itself a spiritual practice.

Sample Mantras

Now if you have trouble pronouncing the mantra, you can just download the MP3 file, turn on the repeat setting in Windows Media Player and chant along with me (even in your head) until you are comfortable with it.

Also note that if you ever feel tears coming for whatever reason when chanting, always let them out if you can - this is an emotional release and is very beneficial for you. Sometimes you may find that these emotions have been trapped inside you for lifetimes.

Om Gam Shrim Maha Lakshmiyei Namaha (Click to hear the mantra)
For attracting the abundance in all areas into your life. You can also focus on a specific area if you want - i.e. income, friends etc. (This is a standard Lakshmi mantra with a Ganesha seed syllable "Gam" added to help remove obstacles at the same time.) I chant a lot of different mantras, but this a good default daily mantra.

Om Eim Hrim Klim Chamundayei Vicche Namaha (Click to hear the mantra)
For building self-confidence and willpower when feeling weak, nervous or lacking drive. Also for protection from evil forces. For me, this is a great mantra for those times when I need a boost to get me going. (However do read the "Ego-Purging Mantras" section below before going hard out with this one!) A very important mantra.

Om Eim Sawaswatyai Swaha (Click to hear the mantra)
For attracting Saraswati's blessings in the areas of inspiration, creativity, knowledge and the intellect, plus in all areas of the arts and sciences. There is also a much longer mantra which I think is great in the book "Shakti Mantras" - (click here for pronunciation).

Om Gam Ganapatayei Namaha (Click to hear the mantra)
A very well-known Ganesha mantra commonly used for removing any obstacles facing people in life. They can be obstacles to success, love, or whatever situation yuo feel is "stuck". Simply chant the mantra - or you can set the intention by stating the desired obstacles to be removed before you chant - and Ganesha in his wisdom will help.

Om Kshipra Prasadaya Namaha (Click to hear the mantra)
For an immediate blessing when suddenly faced with trouble or difficult circumstances and you need help right now. Even potentially losing your car keys when you really really need them, etc.

Om Apadamapa Hartaram Dataram Sarva Samapadam Loka Bhi Ramam, Shri Ramam Bhuyo Bhuyo Namamyaham (Click to hear the mantra)
This Rama mantras is regarded by Thomas Ashley-Farrand as one of the great healing mantras and one which is especially good for alleviating mental and/or emotional problems. Yes it's long, but I have found it's effects to be very interesting indeed. I've even had a very long and emotional past life flashback while chanting this one so don't underestimate the effects these mantras can have. Also remember they are working on levels that most of us can hardly perceive. Some effects you will notice at the time, others may only become apparent later.

Om Vakratundaaya Hum (Click to hear the mantra)
This Ganesha mantra is one for straightening out any problematic circumstances and is said to be very powerful (in spite of its short length). According to Sadguru Sant Keshavadas in his book Lord Ganesha: "This is a very powerful mantra, as discussed in the Ganesha Purana. When something is not working properly, individually or universally, nationally or internationally, or when the minds of the people turn crooked, negative, depressed or discouraged, the attention of Ganesha may be drawn by this mantra to straighten their ways. The HUM symbolizes 'Delay no more, my Lord, in straightening the paths of the crooked-minded ones.' This mantra is used many times in the Ganesha Purana to curb the atrocities of cruel demons. In addition, this mantra could also be used for healing any spinal deficiency, such as curvature of the spine or curved limbs. Dedicate 1,008 repetitions of this holy word to straighten and heal such deficiencies." I have been personally very impressed with its results.

Ha Sa Ka La E I La Hrim Ha Sa Ka La E I La Hrim (Click to hear the mantra)
This is a Lalita mantra for engaging the energy of Kubera, the earthly Lord of Wealth, to work divinely in your life. If you have financial worries and would like to invoke Divine energies to assist you, this would be an excellent mantra to put to work on a daily basis.

Om Shanti Om (Click to hear the mantra)
To attract peace into a difficult situation with other people (e.g. children, in-laws, workmates etc). Also I feel it's very good for pacifying nervous pets when it's time to take them to the vet or give them a flea treatment! With this one I state my intention before I chant.

There are more sample mantras at Thomas Ashley-Farrand's website, click here.

For more Ganesha mantras from Sadguru Sant Keshavadas, check out chapter 10 of the online version of "Loving Ganesha" at the Himalayan Academy. Highly recommended.

How to chant most effectively

But for the most effective chanting, I try to be somewhere where I won't be disturbed. First, I try to making a loving connection to the deity, then while chanting I try to focus on intensifying that connection even more - and feel the energy from the deity filling my body more and more with each repetition. Preferably having nothing else in my mind of course. And if you have a good connection, that's enough to keep the mind occupied usually, with the tingles and other effects in the body. Then I say "thanks very much" at the end. Daydreaming is a problem and I think it's best to keep some focus on the body, as energy flows to where your focus is, so best not to put your focus elsewhere unless chanting for other people.

With chanting for someone else, I do the same thing, but while chanting I focus on them receiving all the divine energy and blessings. (Best to get permission before chanting for someone else too.)

Note that Sadguru Sant Keshavadas recommends having either a candle burning or an image of the deity with you while you're chanting to aid the effectiveness. For even more potency you can have a statue of the deity, offer it burning candles, a flower and incense and then start your chanting. (This is what I did for my 40-day Kali discipline.)

Forms of the deities

Similarly Ganesha has surprisingly many forms too - many listed in Sadguru Sant Keshavadas's book "Lord Ganesha". I'm sure this is the same for the other great deities too.

So I just connect to a form in my mind that I would prefer to contact - usually a loving but still very powerful form.

Ego-purging mantras

When internal negative energy is being purged, it often seeks some final expression as it is leaving - so don't be surprised if you find yourself in a mild fit of anger, jealousy, or whatever might be coming out. Know that it's actually a good sign, but do be prepared and if possible try not to give it expression. I find being warned does help! So if this does happen, you might want to ease up on the mantra until it's working at a level you are comfortable with.

I've only really noticed this purging effect in a really obvious way when chanting a Chamundi mantra all day (or doing a 40-day Kali discipline), but people's experiences will vary. I can't help feeling that taking a quiet day every now and then to chant one of these mantras all day would be hugely beneficial in the long term. The results are definitely noticeable and you will be much the happier for the change. For me, self-purification seems to be one of the great routes to perfection and enlightenment.

Conclusion

If you take up chanting, I wish you all the best. May you receive many wonderful blessings and may you also shine as a light to inspire others.

References

Thomas Ashley-Farrand's book "Shakti Mantras: Tapping into the Great Goddess Energy Within"

Thomas Ashley-Farrand's book Healing Mantras: Using Sound Affirmations for Personal Power, Creativity, and Healing

Thomas Ashley-Farrand's book Chakra Mantras: Liberate Your Spiritual Genius Through Chanting

Miscellaneous Links