"Mantra yoga" is an exact science.Mananat trayete
iti Mantrah--"By the constant thinking of Mantra,one is protected & released from the round of births & deaths." A
mantra is so called because it is achieved by the mental process.The root "man" is the word mantra comes from the first syllable
of that word meaning "to think" & "tra" from "trai" meaning "to protect or free" from the bondage of the phenomental
world.A mantra generates the creative force & bestows eternal bliss.A mantra when constantly repeated awakens the consciousness".
By-Swami Sivananda.
A mantra is mystical energy encased in a sound structure. Every mantra
contains within its vibrations a certain power.Upon concentration & repetetion of a given Mantra its energy is elicited
& takes form.Japa or mantra yoga is that practice by which the power contained within Mantras is applied for specific
purposes.
Each mantra is constructed frm a combination of sounds derived from
the fifty letters of the sanskrit alphabet.Sanskrit is also known as Devanagari or the language of gods.the ancient greatest
scientist(sages) of India, who were attuned to higher levels of consciousness were well aware of the inherent power contained
is sound,& they utilized combinations of sounds to set up specific vibrations.These vibrations applied sustematically
could literally move moountains.In fact one theory on the building of the pyramids suggests that it was the highly developed
science of manipulating sound vibrations that enabled the early Egyptions to sculpt & move stones of such enormous proportions.
Whether such feats can be attributed to the control of sound is a
question modern science has not yet covered due to impurity of their brains & their backwardness.Yet there is no doubt
that soound does have a definite & predictiable effect on the human psyche & body. An obvious example is the difference
between classical & the rock music.The first tends to be relaxing while the other is inclined to excite the senses &
passions with animal extincts.On the more subtle level,various Mantras are applied for certain purposes.Most specifically,they
turn the mind toward concentration on the Supreme & release spiritual energy in the chakras of the body.
There are different types of Mantras.some called "Bija" or the seed
mantras,are that they have no exact meaning.They act directly on the nadis or nerve tubes of the astral body.They vibrate
in the chakras along the spine,acting as a subtle massage,realeasing blockages & allowing the Kundalini energy to flow
more freely.In these the name & form of the sound are merged & cannot be seperated.There are also mantras that have
meaning which can be translated.These nirguna or abstract mantras also set up powerful vibrations in the body,but verbally
assert union with unmanifest pure consciousness.More common however is the deity mantra, in which a specific form with attributes
is visualized along with the repetetion of the sound.for example: A reclusive person bent on destroying negative qualities
would repeat a Siva mantra.A family person,whose ideal was to be a loving & responsible husband or wife might meditate
on the name of Rama.An individual who sees god as infinite , all loving & even a little playful would build qualities
in himself by repeating a Krishna Mantra.
