Tuesday, September 3, 2013

SEVEN Sacred Chants...................



On my first day post, I encompassed shades of my own self. However I wish to append another aspect of me i.e. My  firm belief in God. Its part of my parent’s legacy. We are the descents of “Parashar” rishi & have the Saraswat Brahmin lineage. Being born into a Brahmin family “pandits” to be precise, the knowledge of existence of God has been instilled from the birth. Though as a child performing rituals, worship and chanting mantras was merely done for routine presence .But as I grew old, I felt the uncanny desire to read & comprehend our ancient Hindu mythology. After reading Ramayana, Mahabharata , Bhagwat Gita & Shiv Puran , I felt the subsistence of God.

For me being a theist means believing in the concept of Karma and performing your deeds without expecting the fruits of your actions. I deem our good deeds never get unrewarded and we definitely pay for our selfish Karma’s.

I bond with God when I chant hymns. It’s my way of cleaning my mind from unwanted thoughts & connects with divinity. There are thousands of mantras in our holy books dedicated to different deities. These are the one which soothes my mind & gave me clarity.

Vakratund mahaakaay suryakoti samprabha
Nirvign kuru me dev sarvakaareyeshu sarvada

(Lord Ganesha is the Lord of beginnings and we worship Ganesha before starting any work to ensure hassle-free work. So my morning starts with humming of the meaningful chant.)
 



Om bhur bhuvah svah Tat savitur varenyam
Bhargo devasya dheemahi
Dhiyo yo nah prachodayat.



(Am sure most of us recite Gayatry mantra since childhood.
"May we attain that excellent glory of the god:
So may he stimulate our prayers.")

 Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namah Shivaya / Om Namah Shivaya

For sports like shooting, you need bouts of concentration. And so meditation was the part of our physical training. As the mind concentrates more and more on the mantra and its meaning, it conditions the mind and takes me to higher states Shiva intone not only helped me to focus but bestowed an opportunity to connect with him.

Sarva mangala mangalye shive sarvaartha saadhike
Sharanye trayambake Gauri
Narayani namosthute

It is a secular sloka as it were, intended to have people pray the Divine Mother for blessing us with auspiciousness and wealth, afford Refuge from problems generated by our Karmas .


Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare ...
(During my stay in scotland,I happen to meet a family devotee to ISCON. They pursued me to attend one of their gatherings and after that there was no looking back. It amazed me not only the Indians but how Scottish devotees are dedicated to the deity.)

Om Namo Hanumate Bhaybhanjanaya Sukham Kuru Phat Swaha
 (God of peace & protection. My belief in the diety becomes stronger after a deadly incident. In 2009, near Seychelles, our ship got attacked by somalian pirates. I remember how one of the officer’s wives kept on reciting the Hanuman chalisa & we survived the attack.)

 om asto ma sadgamaya
tamso ma jyotirgamaya
mrtyorma amrtangamaya


Lead me from the untruth to the truth.
Lead me from darkness to light.
Lead me from death to immortality
I remember this hymn from school days.we used to recite these verses after the end of prayer

                                           " om shantih shantih shantih"



  








36 comments:

  1. Powerful Mantras these are indeed. I say them to. Brings in so much peace. :)

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  2. I lesrned them from my mother as i heard her chanting these everyday...

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  3. Do you say all these in a dayy. I just say the maha mantrs -16 rounds. It has given me peace and better unferstanding of myself.
    Btw I am a GSB

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    1. No,but i recite few of them everyday.Welcome to my blog Bhagyashree.

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  4. I know a few thanks to the vening orayers my grandmother insisted I learnt! Haa the solace they bring to troubled souls....

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    1. Yes peace and concentration.Helped me alot during my exams days n in shooting.

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  5. Now this took me back to my childhood when roughly the same set of mantras were a ritual evening prayer at home.

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    1. Only childhood.are you not practicing them now? If not for spirituality they are good in controlling your thoughts.Try them again.

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  6. Interesting! Though I believe in God, I am lazy to pray regularly :-( But I am thinking of making it part of everyday rituals. Even my 2-year old does his Om Namah Shivay sometimes, all with eyes closed and long drawn recitation.
    But yes, 'Hanuman Chalisa' has always been my favourite, and I chant it instinctively so many times during the day. Many times I don't even realize, I am reciting Hanuman Chalisa in my mind!

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    1. Yes same happened with me while doing Durga & Hanuman chalisa.I think a bit of these shlokas with meanings are good for growing kids as well.

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  7. I am glad I found your blog :) Thanks for introducing me to your calm world

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    1. You need them big type boy.just practice them for few days and see the results.

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  8. Wow learned so much. I am bookmarking this. Thanks for sharing :)

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  9. Oh! Gosh! You were attacked by pirates! Mantras bring positive vibes:)

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    1. yes vishal Am thinking of writing a full post on that.

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  10. Loved this post. You made my morning wonderful and I can see a rainbow above me.

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    1. Thank you ruchira.Yes i myself start my mornings with these mantras.

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  11. Anu - sorry it took me so long to get here. I absolutely love the Gayatri Mantra - the most soothing music I've ever heard.

    PS: My brother is into shooting. Are you into competitive shooting?

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    1. Oh thank you Corinne for dropping by and reading my amateur post.Yes gayantri mantra is the most popular and must do mantra of my list.

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  12. Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namah Shivaya ... I love the way this sounds and also the last one ... Om asto ma sadgama... ... ... !!!

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    1. I do Om namah shivay while pouring sacred water on shiv-ling.you feel so calm and peaceful by just chanting them.

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  13. These definitely have been learned by heart such that they roll off the tongue effortlessly. It's great that you practice these every day!

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    1. Thank you Roshni.It has becomes part of my life now.:)

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  14. Blissful feeling after chanting these. Lord Rama my favourite of all. Hare Rama.

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  15. add Maha Mrutyunjay Matra to it and these are the mantras of daily ritual in many homes across the country

    you can check my post here -
    Karan - Sisters

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    1. Maha Mrutinjay mantra has to be done with lots of determination and purity.

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  16. Enlightening post...Be blessed

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  17. Very powerful and tranquilizing post :)

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    1. Thank you.All the mantra 's have made it a powerful posts.

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  18. These mantras surely have the power to soothe and calm you! :)

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    1. Yes indeed it purifies your mind and calm you nerves.

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