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Understanding the Meaning of Mantras 
December 8, 2008 |
| Vedic
Astrology Diary Archives |
By Vaughn
Paul Manley, M.A.
I once asked my Jyotish guru, K.N. Rao, if it's necessary to
understand the meaning of mantras in order to get their benefit.
His response was, "Mantras are medicine. I don't need
to know the ingredients of my medicines for them to work."
When I thought about this it made sense. If it's true that
all languages emit a vibration, and Sanskrit is a spiritual
language, then we can benefit by the vibration of mantras without
knowing their meaning. It's like when you hear beautiful music
sung in another language, like at an Italian opera, and you
feel uplifted regardless of knowing the language. Sanskrit mantras
are the same way, only more powerfully, because the language
was developed for purpose of spiritual transformation.
Sanskrit Text
The flip side to this question, is that Rao also often says,
"What's important is to do your practices sincerely
with devotion." For me, when I understand its meaning
at least to some extent, I can recite a mantra with more devotion.
For instance, I often recite the Vishnu Sahasranam, the thousands
names of Vishnu, and the first name is "Vishvam"
meaning, "the All." Just remembering this
helps me get into a devotional state of mind as I start out.
It may not be necessary to know this to get the full benefit,
but I notice I do benefit by knowing the meaning also.
Read an article about the use of the Vishnu Sahasranam as a
remedial measure for planetary afflictions by clicking
here.
Copyright
2010. Vaughn Paul Manley. All Rights Reserved. |
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