I Never Knew That Chanting of Mantra Is So Powerful
Until I read some wonderful books and newspaper articles
To be honest, I have never experienced the so-called wonderful impacts of chanting a mantra. However, if somebody claims the same powers coming from the act of singing, painting, or reading, I would surely agree. Or even, for that matter, sitting quietly and doing nothing would be far more beneficial to me, in my opinion, than chanting.
Nevertheless, as almost everybody around me is so convinced about the positive outcome of chanting, I started digging deeper.
Being a staunch non-believer of chanting any mantra, I have never given any attention to their meanings; nor did I ever bother to understand the psychological impact of chanting. So, I started delving deeper into the science behind these mantras, if any, as I know that half-baked knowledge can be dangerous and one should draw no conclusions based on it. Luckily, that month our book club chose the book ‘Eat Pray Love’ which is partly based on this topic.
Like me, the author Elizabeth Gilbert had never enjoyed chanting mantras because she could never find any of their meanings to be satisfactory, something she could believe in, something that could touch her heart. She was on a quick tour to one Ashram in India where her daily rituals started with chanting Om Namah Shivay.
Always reluctant to join the chanting session, she would try to cook up some or the other excuse to ditch that ritual. Saddened by why she couldn’t just sit and chant the way all other seekers would, she decided to find the core meaning of the mantra to better spark her interest. Her Eureka moment occurred when her Guru told her the meaning of Om Namah Shivay.
Om Namah Shivay means I honor the divinity that resides within me.
The meaning was so simple yet so profound and easily understandable. It did not ask one to focus on anything imaginary, but on something which was very real and practical and that’s why it touched everyone’s heart.
Spellbound by the profound meaning, the author not just started enjoying chanting the mantra but never ever missed the morning sessions come rain or shine.
According to one of the articles in The Times of India’s Astrology section dated 17th April 2020, the Om Namah Shivay mantra is a passage to know and understand one’s own self; to dedicate some time to reconnect with one’s inner self. The sound vibrations of the mantra are said to be an exceptionally purified articulation of our deepest nature.
The writer goes on to beautifully explain the meaning of the mantra, in the article.
Om: Before the Universe, there was a void of vibrations and pure existence. Out of the vibration came the sound of Om and then the Universe was formed.
Namah: It means to bow.
Shivay: It means Shiva or inner self.
In a more literal sense, Om Namah Shivay means “I bow down to Shiva”. Really, though, it means bowing down to one’s own self as Shiva resides in all of us as our own consciousness.
Amused by this revelation, I too started giving deeper thought to this inner peace, and one day, while meditating, it all started to make sense. I was in complete agreement with what the writer had said. I started believing that divinity is not something unreachable; it’s, in fact, within all of us. And we must honor that divinity. It will make us realize the presence of core values of life and wisdom we actually carry within but often leave unacknowledged.
We must bow down to ourselves, to those values, and be grateful to our inner self for carrying such preciousness. We should promise ourselves to pass on those values to the world. We expect God to be our savior but with these godly values within us, we don’t really have to look at anyone but ourselves.
It was only after deriving my own meaning and understanding of the Mantra Om Namah Shivay, in a true sense that I started chanting it wholeheartedly, at least for a few minutes every day. I indeed started noticing some wonderful changes in me as I became more attentive to my abilities, appreciative of my core values, and started admiring myself in a deeper sense.
Everything in life becomes so meaningful and beautiful if and only if we go to the core to understand it.
