You may wonder why we should use Sanskrit for our mantras, why not other languages, or why not English, especially since we can understand it so well? Ultimately all languages are mantric, that is, they are rooted in the truth of energy at its most fundamental level. For instance, in the transparency of grunts and groans, the sharp cries of pain or the pleasure soaked sounds of love-making.

What we are trying to do through mantras is access levels of consciousness and healing that are submerged in the depths of our awareness. We have to penetrate to these levels of depth. Unfortunately English has become such a utilitarian language that it becomes almost impossible for us to use it to penetrate to the depths of our being.

Each language has its own vibratory structure that is intended for specific purposes. English, for instance, has been developed into a sophisticated conceptual language. Predominantly utilitarian in function, it is easy for us to communicate in English with each other using arbitrary labels that we have conventionally agreed upon to represent specific things, most of which pertain to the world of everyday consciousness. English poetry is of course an exception, a form of the language  opens the doors of deeper levels of perception; but, because we have gotten used to using the language in such a  utilitarian manner, the words rarely alter our states of consciousness in any lasting or dramatic way.

Sanskrit is a language that has been constructed at the deep levels of consciousness typically available to advanced practitioners of yoga and meditation. The sounds are specially constructed to penetrate the analytical mind and affect our nervous system very directly. In this sense, they are a short cut, and are like spiritual pharmaceuticals that enter into our soul with palpable physiological effects. It is this capability that gives mantras the very specific therapeutic and spiritual properties that are missing in our everyday language. At the very least, they offer us a means to rise above the conditionings of mental patterns in order to view life and consciousness from a different perspective, one that offers healing and enlightenment. 

Mantras are like programmed vehicles that transport us to spiritual realities, states of mind and heart that we often loose sight of because we become burdened with cares or jaded by the perception of popular culture. Mantras enable us to cut through the illusions of the world. Often, the unhealthy subliminal messages of advertisers tell us we are not good enough, not beautiful enough or powerful enough. Then there are other factors, such as, the ways in which society subtly grades our racial background, economic background or professional background, which in turn causes us to send negative messages to our nervous system. 

Sanskrit is arguably the oldest language in the world. More importantly, it is the foundation of numerous Indo-European languages, including French, Latin and German which have all been used in the construction of English. In fact, English is also a profoundly mantric language, capable of affecting us deeply, but we have to do a lot of unlearning if we are to recover its mantric capabilities. Sanskrit, on the other hand, can function as our yogic language, a means of accessing and becoming aware of spiritual realities through modes of perception that are different from everyday consciousness.

Sanskrit and Hebrew are the only two languages in the world in which the visual characters of their alphabet correspond very precisely to their audible sounds, a fact discovered by Swiss physicist Hans Jenny through his extraordinary invention known as the oscilloscope. In other words, there is deep correlation between the visual and the auditory in these languages that allows for a "crossing over" of faculties, a process that naturally facilitates altered states of awareness. The rishis, or authors of mantras, were actually able to "see" these sounds, a process known as mantra drista, not uncommon among recreational drug users or those who are extremely ill. The difference in using mantras instead of drugs is the clarity and naturalness of the perception that mantras induce. There are no side effects either and, more importantly, one gains a deeper and truer sense of identity rather than getting lost in the false or convoluted sense of identity induced by drugs or illness. Mantras refine and purify our consciousness.

With modern languages, such as English, we have moved away from the primal, therapeutic and spiritual qualities of language that is naturally encoded in the visceral power of the original mantric, root sounds. Mantras retain this power and have been preserved for thousands of years in an uninterrupted tradition of sacred sound. In other words, when we use mantras, we are actively participating in a living body of sound and consciousness which is a vast field of healing energies.

There are other therapeutic effects of Sanskrit chanting that lie in the tongue positions of pronunciation. The rich phonetics of Sanskrit strike the palate at multiple reflex points stimulating energy in numerous meridians that awaken dormant parts of the brain and enhance the circulation and flow of energy throughout our body. We are only just beginning to study the health benefits of this language in clinical settings with promising results; for instance, through the work of Dr. Deepak Chopra M.D. and Dr. Dharma Singh Khalsa M.D., both respected medical doctors and yogis.

Mantras have been successfully used in India for thousands of years to serve a variety of purposes; their applications range from the lofty goals of awakening of spiritual energy and illuminating the mind to practical everyday affairs, such as, succeeding in a job interview or overcoming an illness. Mantras have also been used to enhance personal relationships, assist in the death of a loved one, transform negative situations into positive ones and to increase health, wealth and happiness. The credentials for mantras lie in the fact that they were birthed in the minds and hearts of the same culture that gave us Yoga, Ayurveda - the world's oldest medical system, and many mathematical discoveries including the invention of the zero as well as the visual form of the numerical system that was later adopted by the Romans.

The true purpose of mantras is to clear obstacles in ones spiritual growth and to usher in enlightenment or spiritual awakening. Healing and enlightenment are really two sides of the same coin: it is not possible to have one without the other. To commit to enlightenment is to commit to the deep healing so necessary to detoxify oneself on all levels - physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Mantras can greatly assist in this process.

Ultimately, mantras are the secret to immortality, for they serve as access codes to our deepest sense of self, our own indestructible source of existence in a divine, non-local reality. 

Russill Paul

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