Often students ask me for a recommendation on mantras for heart opening, healing and to balance. These are some of the most sacred and powerful ones to know. Enjoy and chant from a big heart space!
Gayatri Mantra
MOTHER OF THE UNIVERSE:
 Om Bhur byhuvah svah Tat Savitur varenyam Bhargo devasya dhimahi Dhiyo yo nah prachodayat
The eternal, earth, air, heaven
That glory, that resplendence of the sun
May we contemplate the brilliance of that light
May the sun inspire our minds
or
On the absolute reality and its planes,
On that finest spiritual light,
We meditate, as remover of obstacles
that it may inspire and enlighten us
First appearing in the Rig Veda between 1800 and 1500 BCE, mentioned in the Upanishads and in the Bhagavad Gita, it is the poem of the Divine Light. Recognized in the Hindu faith and with yogic scholars as the most sacred phrase uttered in the Vedas, the Gayatri. It is an ecstatic mantra, a hymn to Savitur, the Sun God representing both the physical Sun and the Divine in all things.
The Gayatri purifies the mind, destroys pain, sin and ignorance, brings liberation and bestows health, beauty, strength, vitality, power, intelligence and a magnetic aura.
My favorite recording by Deva Premal
OM
AUM
The goal which all the Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at, and which men desire when they lead the life of continence … is Om. This syllable Om is indeed Brahman. Whosoever knows this syllable obtains all that he desires. This is the best support; this is the highest support. Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of Brahma.” ~Katha Upanishad I
“Om is the one eternal syllable of which all that exists is but the development. The past, the present, and the future are all included in this one sound, and all that exists beyond the three forms of time is also implied in it”.~Mandukya Upanishad
“Om provides a dualistic viewpoint. On one hand, it projects the mind beyond the immediate to what is abstract and inexpressible. On the other hand, it makes the absolute more tangible and comprehensive. It encompasses all potentialities and possibilities; it is everything that was, is, or can yet be. It is omnipotent and likewise remains undefined.” ~by Subhamoy Das
By David Frawley
Above is the Mantra to the Supreme Light, Param Jyoti Mantra, which is a famous Vedic, Vedantic and Tantric Mantra. We could also spell it phonetically as OM HREEM HAMSA SO HAM SWAHA! This mantra brings us into the Divine or inner light and causes it to resonate in our body, breath, speech and mind.
The Mantra for the Supreme Light is the main mantra for the American Institute of Vedic Studies. We recommend all our friends and students to chant it regularly. We initiate individuals into this mantra and its many variants. It is the core form of an entire set of mantras of which there are several dozen versions that can be used for many different purposes. We also use this mantra along with other important mantras like the famous Tantric Panchadashi Mantra to Tripura Sundari.
This Mantra to the Supreme Light is first a Vedantic mantra. Om is the Supreme Brahman. Hrim is the mantra of the spiritual heart. Hamsah is the mantra of the liberated soul. So’ham means “I am He”, meaning the Supreme Being. Swaha indicates consecration into the light. The mantra can be used along with meditation to realize the Self within.
The Mantra to the Supreme Light is a Tantric mantra. Om is the Supreme Shiva. Hrim is the the Supreme Shakti. Hamsa So’ham is the unification of Shiva and Shakti in our breath and consciousness. Swaha indicates consecration into the light. This mantra can be used along with the worship of the Goddess to bring her presence into our hearts.
The Mantra to the Supreme Light is a Yoga mantra. Om is the supreme guru. Hrim is the light of the awakened Kundalini. Hamsa So’ham is the balancing of the Sun and Moon, or solar and lunar forces, the Ida and Pingala Nadis. Swaha indicates consecration into the light. The mantra can be used along with pranayama to empower the breath and open the chakras.
The Mantra to the Supreme Light is an Ayurvedic mantra. Om is the cosmic prana. Hrim is the health giving power of the spirit heart. Hamsa So’ham is the power of the breath to give vitality and promote rejuvenation. Swaha indicates consecration into the light. The mantra can be used to bring the cosmic prana into us for healing purposes.
The Mantra to the Supreme Light is an astrological mantra. Om is the mantra of the cosmic light. Hrim is a mantra for the Sun. Hamsa So’ham is the energy of the Sun as the power of life and consciousness. Swaha indicates consecration into the light. The mantra can be used to propitiate weak planets in the Vedic birth chart, starting with the Sun.
The Mantra to the Supreme Light is an important mantra for usage at the winter solstice, the equinoxes and summer solstices for the worship of the Sun. With the mantra Shrim (Shreem) instead of Hrim, it can be used at the new, half and full Moons, for the worship of the Moon and the Goddess.
Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra
OM
Tryam bakam ye jamehey
Sugandhim pushit vardhinam
Urva ruka miva gandhanan
Mrityor mukshiya mamritat
This great mantra dedicated to Shiva as Mrityunjaya is found in the Rig Veda. It is called the MAHA Mrityunjaya mantra, the Great Death-conqueiring mantra. It is a mantra that has many names and alluding th Shiva’s three eyes. The Maha Mrityunjaya mantra is hailed by the sages a sthe heart of the Veda. Along with the Gayatri mantra, it holds the highest place among the many mantras used for contemplation and meditation. The Mahamrityunjay is among the most sacred of the Sanskrit mantras. Its continuous chanting, along with the meditation on it meaning, can create the power to overcome all obstacles, including the fear of death. Note that in the I the Brihat Parashara hora Shastra, Maharishi Parashara (recognized as the father of Vedic astrology), prescribes the Maha Mrityunjay mantra s an astrological rememdy for all adverse planetary influences.
It means: “OM. we worship the “three eyed one” who symbolizes perfect knowledge of the three realms – physical, thought, spirit – by whose grace we are increasingly strengthened and nourished to a state of perfect readiness – like the fragrant, ripe melon that is effortlessly released from it vine, leaving no scar.
Please liberate us from identification with the mortal body and its certain death, and from the illusion of all limitation, which is like death.
And do not let us forget the imperishable nature of the soul, nor our own immortality. “
Breathtakingly beautiful recording by Reema Datta