Mantra – a sound or group of sounds, sacred & potent, due to vibration as well as message.
A very popular mantra in its own right, the single syllable OM is heavily relied upon in Kriya Yoga. It is the beginning of most mantra and the ending of many. All is contained within this one syllable, so what is the meaning of considering on the most powerful mantra?
It is a high mind that meditates on the meaning of the Gayatri Mantra. Higher still is the one that understands it. But what is the power? What is to be obtained? A boon from the Mother? The divine light of intellect? The Gayatri Mantra set to music can be heard cascading over the airwaves of Indian towns, North to South, in the morning and evening. Do the townsfolk reap a benefit? I personally have listened to the mantra, repeated the mantra, perfectly pronounced the mantra, sang the mantra, and chanted the mantra thousands and thousands of times – what is that particular manifestation of power that should reveal itself in me?
Gayatri Mata, consort of Shiva – some say the wife is the most powerful presence in the house. Some say it is the father. It is an argument that finds no winner. But Shakti would not exist without Shiva and vice versa. That is the law. So whose mantra is more powerful, Shiva’s or Shakti’s? There needs to be a goal. What is being invoked?
Atmashatkam Shivo’ham Mantra is an efficacious mantra if you can achieve such a mind! The entire Advaita Vedanta is summarized therein. Can you even imagine what kind of power comes from the attainment of such a mind?
Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, also known as Rudra Mantra or Tryambakam Mantra will remove the fear of death. This is an odd mantra with some scholarly debate around it due to the suffix ambaka, meaning eye, also being transliterated as ambika, an epithet of the Maa, making the salutation either to the Three-eyed Lord, or, to the three Mothers respectively. So would three mothers be more powerful than One? Or would the three eyes be more powerful? One of those eyes even birthed Kali Ma! And let’s not forget that another name for another consort of Lord Shiva, Lalita Devi, is in fact, Tryambaka.
Then there is the Kalachakra Mantra/Tantra offered by the Vajrayana sect of Buddhism – a rather awesome practice. It is the mantra of the heart chakra. Personally I love it when it’s set to music! But again, I have recited this mantra tens of thousands of times. What does that make me?
It’s an odd question – which mantra is more powerful. It begs the question of the personal intention. What do you want to accomplish? Is it enough to be able to stop a hurricane, or do you want to be able to start one, too? And can you do either of those two things on your own without the cooperation of Nature? Do you want to stop a war, even now as one looms yet again between the U.S. and Iran, or do you want to start one? Are you looking to manifest riches for personal gain or achieve self-realization for the benefit of the entire universe?
Om Namah Shivaya, a sacred five-syllable mantra, imbued with all the power in the universe and all the humility you need to achieve the same, is an excellent mantra for beginners and advanced practitioners alike. Chant it one million times, slowly, considerately; it will soon become yours and with every breath will draw you closer and closer to the infinite.
…is a Saiva Tantrika, Gyana Yogi and founder of Uma Maheshwara Yoga & Ayurveda. David has an MA in Semiotics, lives in Japan with his family and works as a coach in L & D, devoting his time to developing science-based tools and programs that help people reach the fullest potential of the human condition.
