Mantra
Sacred sound as vehicle. From oṃ to japa, the vibration that stabilises the mind and opens inner listening.
Śivasaṃhitā 93
- ŚS 5.4The following are the obstacles which dharma interposes: ablutions, worship of deities, observing the sacred days of the moon, fire sacrifice, hankering after moksha, vows and penances, fasts, religious observances, silence, the ascetic practices, contemplation and the object of contemplation, mantras, and alms-giving, world-wide fame, excavating and endowing of tanks, wells, ponds, convents and groves: sacrifices, vows of starvation, Chandrayana, and pilgrimages. Jnana (Knowledge-obstacles).
- ŚS 5.101The greatness of this holy place has been declared in manifold scriptures by the truth-perceiving sages. Its great secret has been very eloquently dwelt upon by them. 7. The Thousand-Petalled Lotus.
- ŚS 5.102The sushumna goes along the spinal cord up to where the Brahmarandhra (the hole of Brahma) is situated. Thence by a certain flexure, it goes to the right side of the Ajña lotus, whence it proceeds to the left nostril, and is called the Ganges.
- ŚS 5.104From the right-side portion of the Ajña lotus and going to the left nostril flows the ida. It is here called Varana (the northward-flowing Ganges).
- ŚS 5.105Let the Yogi contemplate on the space between the two (ida and pingala) as Varanasi (Benares). The pingala also comes in the same way from the left side portion of the Ajña lotus, and goes to the right nostril, and has been called by us the Asi.
- ŚS 5.107From that sphere of the sun, poison exudes continuously. That excessively heating venom flows through the pingala.
- ŚS 5.108The venom (sun-fluid of mortality) which flows there continuously in a stream goes to the right nostril, as the moon-fluid of immortality goes to the left.
- ŚS 5.109Rising from the left-side of the Ajña lotus and going to the right nostril, this northward flowing pingala has been called of old the Asi.
- ŚS 5.112Remaining in this place, when the Yogi meditates constantly, then to him all forms, worships and prayers appear as worthless.
- ŚS 5.115All the fruits which have been described above as resulting from the contemplation of the other five lotuses, are obtained through the knowledge of this one Ajña lotus alone.
- ŚS 5.116The wise one, who continually practices contemplation of this Ajña lotus, becomes free from the mighty chain of desires, and enjoys happiness.
- ŚS 5.118He who contemplates on this, standing or walking, sleeping or waking, is not touched by sins, even if it were possible for him to do sinful works. 27 The Siva Samhita – Chapter V 119. The Yogi becomes free from the chain by his own exertion. The importance of the contemplation of the two-petalled lotus cannot be fully described. Even the gods like Brahma, etc., have learnt only a portion of its grandeur from me.
- ŚS 5.12Liberal-minded, merciful, desirous of virtue, sweet in their speech; who never go to extremes in any undertaking – these are the middling. These are to be initiated by the teacher in layayoga. The Siva Samhita – Chapter V (Ardent) entitled to Hatha Yoga. 13. Steady minded, knowing the Laya-Yoga, independent, full of energy, magnanimous, full of sympathy, forgiving, truthful, courageous, full of faith, worshippers of the lotus-feet of their Gurus, engaged always in the practice of Yoga – know such men to be adhimatra. They obtain success in the practice of Yoga within six years, and ought to be initiated in hathayoga and its branches. (The most ardent) entitled to all Yogas.
- ŚS 5.122The lotus which is at the root of the palate is called the Sahasrar (the thousand-petalled); in its centre, there is a yoni (seat or force-centre) which has its face downwards.
- ŚS 5.123In that is the root of the sushumna, together with its hole; this is called the Brahmarandhra (the hole of Brahma), extending up to the Muladhar padma.
- ŚS 5.124In that hole of the sushumna there dwells as its inner force the Kundalini. In the sushumna there is also a constant current of force called chitra, its actions or modifications should be called, in my opinion as Brahmarandhra, etc.
- ŚS 5.126Let him thrust the moving thumb into its mouth : by this the air, which flows through the body, is stopped.
- ŚS 5.131All these three vessels meet certainly at the mouth of the Brahmarandhra; by bathing at this place one certainly obtains salvation. The Sacred Triveni (Prayag).
- ŚS 5.138Whether pure or impure, in whatever state one might be, by performing ablution at this mystic place, he becomes undoubtedly holy. 28 The Siva Samhita – Chapter V 139. At the time of death let him bathe himself in the water of this Triveni (the Trinity of rivers): he who dies thinking on this, reaches salvation then and there.
- ŚS 5.139
- ŚS 5.14Those who have the largest amount of energy, are enterprising, engaging, heroic, who know the Shastras, and are persevering, free from the effects of blind emotions, and, not easily confused, who are in the prime of their youth, moderate in their diet, rulers of their senses, fearless, clean, skillful, charitable, a help to all; competent, firm, talented, contented, forgiving, good-natured, religious, who keep their endeavors secret, of sweet speech, peaceful, who have faith in scriptures and are worshippers of God and Guru, who are averse to fritter away their time in society, and are free from any grievous malady, who are acquainted with the duties of the adhimatra, and are the practitioners of every kind of Yoga --undoubtedly, they obtain success in three years; they are entitled to be initiated in all kinds of Yoga, without any hesitation. Invocation of the shadow (pratikopasana).
- ŚS 5.142The holy Yogi whose mind is absorbed in this, is absorbed in me after having enjoyed the powers called anima, laghima, etc.
- ŚS 5.150All the heavenly bodies (planets, etc.,) become auspicious, all dangers are destroyed, all accidents are warded off, success is obtained in war; the Khechari and the Bhuchari powers are acquired by the seeing of the moon which is in the head. By mere contemplation on it all these results ensue, there is no doubt of it. By constant practice of Yoga one verily becomes an adept. Verily, verily, again most verily, he becomes certainly my equal. The continual study of the science of Yoga, gives success to the Yogis. Here ends the description of the Ajñapura Chakra. The Mystic Mount Kailas.
- ŚS 5.152Its name is verily the Kailas mount, where dwells the great Lord (Shiva), who is called Nakula and is without destruction, and without increase or decrease.
- ŚS 5.153Men, as soon as they discover this most secret place, become free from re-births in this universe. By the practice of this Yoga he gets the power of creating or destroying the creation, this aggregate of elements.
- ŚS 5.154When the mind is steadily fixed at this place, which is the residence of the Great Swan and is called Kailas, then that Yogi, devoid of disease and subduing all accidents, lives for a great age, free from death.
- ŚS 5.155When the mind of the Yogi is absorbed in the Great God called the Kula, then the fullness of the samadhi is attained, then the Yogi gets steadfastness.
- ŚS 5.158
- ŚS 5.159When the modifications of the thinking principle are suspended, then one certainly becomes a Yogi; then is known the Indivisible, holy, pure Gnosis.
- ŚS 5.161The Great Void, whose beginning is void, whose middle is void, whose end is void, has the brilliancy of tens of millions of suns, and the coolness of tens of millions of moons. By contemplating continually on this, one obtains success.
- ŚS 5.163He whose mind is absorbed in that place even for a second, is certainly a Yogi, and a good devotee, and is reverenced in all worlds.
- ŚS 5.166I cannot describe the grandeur of this contemplation. He who practices, knows. He becomes respected by me.
- ŚS 5.171Undoubtedly, by this contemplation the highest success (maha-siddhi) is obtained, by making the mind functionless; he himself becomes perfectly Full.
- ŚS 5.172He who practices this always, is the real passionless Yogi, he never uses the word “I”, but always finds himself full of atman.
- ŚS 5.173What is bondage, what is emancipation? To him ever all is one; undoubtedly, he who practices this always, is the really emancipated.
- ŚS 5.176Inaccessible to four-faced Brahmā and the thirty gods, dear to yogis; who meditates on this movable and immovable universe but abandons the supreme Brahman, remains absorbed in the universe.
- ŚS 5.179In the skull's cavity, meditate on the great ocean of milk; thus constantly practicing, the Self-luminous becomes manifest: here end all the teachings of the Guru.
- ŚS 5.189One whose mind is fixed in this supreme place, dwelling of the haṃsa, called Kailāsa here: knowing the supreme mantra, the yogi certainly attains siddhi.
- ŚS 5.190When the mind's modifications dissolve in the supreme Lord called kula, that state is true laya; in the four-petalled Muladhara lotus resides the bīja of speech, brilliant as lightning.
- ŚS 5.191In continuous meditation, forgetfulness of the world naturally arises; in the heart resides the bīja of love (klīm) and between the eyebrows the bīja of Śakti (strīm), radiant as millions of moons.
- ŚS 5.20With steady intellect, engaged in laya, self-reliant, also endowed with vigor: this is the distinguishing characteristic of the intense-degree sādhaka.
- ŚS 5.227Description of mantrasādhanā; now I shall fully explain the best mantra practice, from which happiness is obtained in this world and in the world beyond.
- ŚS 5.228When the best of mantras is known, yoga-siddhi certainly arises: this mantra gives all power and pleasure to the one-pointed yogi.
- ŚS 5.229In the mūlādhāra exists the lotus endowed with four petals; in its center resides the bīja of speech (aim), brilliant as lightning.
- ŚS 5.230In the heart resides the bīja of love (klīm), beautiful as the red bandhūka flower; its practice fulfills all the practitioner's desires.
- ŚS 5.231This triad of bījas is secret; it grants the fruits of both enjoyment (bhukti) and liberation (mukti): this is the power of the tantric synthesis.
- ŚS 5.232Having obtained this mantra from the guru, let it be repeated neither hastily nor with delay, with mind free from doubt and understanding the mystical relation between the letters.
- ŚS 5.233Absorbed in that, with unified mind, following the method taught in the śāstras, the wise one practices mantrasādhanā with full efficacy.
- ŚS 5.234The karavīra flower (oleander) mixed with guḍa (raw sugar), milk and ājya (ghee): these are the ingredients of the culminating homa of the mantrasādhanā.
- ŚS 5.235When the anuṣṭhāna is completed, the wise one will have accomplished the pūrvasevā (preliminary service); the mantra will then be fully activated and ready to serve.
- ŚS 5.236Having satisfied the guru according to the rules and having received the best of excellent mantras, the practitioner carries out the mantrasādhanā with full efficacy.
- ŚS 5.237The practitioner who has conquered the senses and repeats the mantra one hundred thousand times: at his mere presence, those turbulent with desire are agitated — his field of attraction becomes manifest.
- ŚS 5.238Repeating two lakhs, those established in whatever domain come to him like pilgrims to a tīrtha, freed from family and social conflicts.
- ŚS 5.239With three lakhs of repetitions, the lords of the maṇḍalas together with their circles come under control; no deliberation is needed regarding this.
- ŚS 5.240With twelve lakhs of repetitions, the lords of yakṣas, rākṣasas and nāgas come under the yogi's control.
- ŚS 5.241With fifteen lakhs of repetitions, for the wise king of practitioners, the siddhas, vidyādharas, gandharvas and apsarases come completely under their influence.
- ŚS 5.242They all come under control; no deliberation needed about this: the guarantee is absolute.
- ŚS 5.243With eighteen lakhs, with this same body the practitioner rises from the earth; the divine body (divya-deha) is born.
- ŚS 5.244With twenty-eight lakhs of repetitions, the yogi becomes lord of the vidyādharas and can assume any desired form.
- ŚS 5.245With thirty lakhs of repetitions, the practitioner becomes equal to Brahmā and Viṣṇu: the two great cosmic powers of creation and maintenance.
- ŚS 5.246With one koṭi (ten million) repetitions, the great yogi dissolves into the supreme state (parama-pada): the ultimate goal of all mantric practice.
- ŚS 5.254The householder who is also non-attached is liberated through yogasādhanā; for householders who are īśvaras, siddhi arises through japa.
- ŚS 5.26Endowed with faith in the scriptures, worshipper of both deity and teacher: [these are the final qualities completing the portrait of the supreme practitioner].
- ŚS 5.28Meditation on one's own image [pratīkopāsanā] must be practiced: it gives both visible and invisible fruits.
- ŚS 5.29Through the practice of yoga, the practitioner conquers the three qualities [guṇa]; and, free from all conditioned states, is absorbed in cidākāśa, the ether of pure consciousness.
- ŚS 5.30He who sees daily his own image in the space of the sky will see his years increase and will never die a sudden death.
- ŚS 5.35With the thumbs, both ears; with the index fingers, both eyes; with the middle fingers, the nostrils; with the remaining four, the upper and lower lips [śaṇmukhi mudrā]: the yogin who thus retains the breath sees the Self as light.
- ŚS 5.36When the yogin firmly retains the vital wind, he immediately sees the luminous Self: by contemplating that light, the yogin is freed from sin and reaches the highest end.
- ŚS 5.38Through uninterrupted practice, the yogin becomes free of impurity; forgetting the three bodies [physical, subtle and causal], he unites with the Supreme Self.
- ŚS 5.41The first sound [of nāda] resembles the hum of a drunken bee, the flute, and the vīṇā. Through this practice, the darkness of saṃsāra is destroyed.
- ŚS 5.43When the yogin's mind greatly delights in that nāda [inner sound], it forgets all external objects and becomes absorbed in it.
- ŚS 5.49The wise one, having pleased the brāhmaṇas with various auspicious offerings, receives this auspicious yoga with purity of heart in the abode of Śiva.
- ŚS 5.59Know that this Kuṇḍalinī is the śakti of Viṣṇu, immaculate and radiant as gold: she is the mother of the three qualities—sattva (rhythm), rajas (energy), and tamas (inertia).
- ŚS 5.62When the expert practices this contemplation day and night, he sees the Siddha and can certainly converse with them.
- ŚS 5.63Standing, walking, sleeping, eating: let him contemplate the void [śūnya] day and night. All this is the ādhārapadma [support lotus], whose kanda is the source; its four petals bear the letters v, d, ś and ṣ.
- ŚS 5.64This knowledge must always be practiced by the yogin who desires siddhi; through uninterrupted practice he undoubtedly becomes equal to me [Śiva].
- ŚS 5.65Having conquered all beings and free from desires and possessions, the yogin in padmāsana who fixes the gaze on the tip of the nose: from contemplating the third eye of Śiva in the forehead, fire brilliant as lightning arises.
- ŚS 5.66The king of yogins sees the pure light, equal to the pure mountain [Kailāsa]; contemplating this light day and night, he sees the Siddha and can converse with them.
- ŚS 5.67Lying face up on the ground, meditating ceaselessly: on his tongue the goddess of learning always dances, and he obtains mantra-siddhi, success in mantras, through constant repetition alone.
- ŚS 5.70The middle part [of the rasa] nourishes the body formed by the seven dhātu; the first two essences of food reside in the nāḍī, and being carried by them nourish the body from head to foot.
- ŚS 5.71He who leaves the Śiva within to worship the one outside is like one who throws away the sweetmeat in his hand and wanders seeking food.
- ŚS 5.72When vāyu circulates through all the nāḍī, the body's fluids acquire extraordinary force and energy. Let the yogin thus meditate daily, without negligence, on his own svayambhūliṅga, without doubting that all powers flow from this.
- ŚS 5.73Through habitual practice he attains success in six months; undoubtedly his vāyu enters the central channel. He conquers the mind, can restrain breath and semen: then he attains success in this world and the other.
- ŚS 5.74[Svādhiṣṭhāna] is situated two fingers above the rectum and one finger below the penis. The second chakra has six petals designated by the letters b, bh, m, y, r, l; its stalk is svādhiṣṭhāna, blood-red in color; its presiding adept is Bāla and its goddess Rākinī.
- ŚS 5.75He who meditates daily on this svādhiṣṭhāna lotus becomes an object of love and adoration for all beautiful goddesses.
- ŚS 5.77Sleeping like a serpent, this [Kuṇḍalinī] shines with its own light; like the serpent it lives between the joints; it is the goddess of speech and is called the original seed.
- ŚS 5.80Its presiding adept is Rudra, giver of all auspices, and the goddess of this place is the sacred Lākinī. He who contemplates the Maṇipūra lotus obtains the power of pātal-siddhi, giver of constant happiness; he becomes lord of desires, destroys sorrows and diseases, and can enter the body of another.
- ŚS 5.81Luminous as millions of suns, cool as millions of moons: these three [fire, sun, and moon] united are the goddess Tripura Bhairavi. Also called the great energy; the practitioner who contemplates her can make gold, see the Siddha, discover medicines and see hidden treasures.
- ŚS 5.83In the heart is the fourth chakra, the Anāhata, with twelve petals designated by the letters k, kh, g, gh, ṅ, c, ch, j, jh, ñ, ṭ, ṭh; its color is deep blood-red; it has the seed of vāyu, the syllable 'yam', and is a very pleasant spot.
- ŚS 5.89In his mouth the goddess Sarasvatī always dances freely; the importance of this meditation cannot be described: even Brahmā and the gods keep its method secret.
- ŚS 5.90The guru's words destroy the flood of sufferings of old age and death; this meditation should always be practiced as the highest by one who cultivates the breath.
- ŚS 5.91When the yogi meditates on the svayambhūliṅga in the root lotus, he is truly lord of yogis and understands immediately the four Vedas with their mysteries.
- ŚS 5.98Description of the Svādhiṣṭhāna cakra: the second lotus, situated at the root of the liṅga, is the great light kept secret in all the Tantras.
Upaniṣads 10
- upanishads 17May my vital breath dissolve into the immortal air, and this body end in ashes. Oṃ. O mind, remember what was done. O mind, remember what was done.
- upanishads 18O Agni, lead us by the good path to prosperity, you who know all ways, O god. Remove from us the sin that leads us astray. We offer you the most reverent word of adoration.
- upanishads 1Oṃ — this syllable is all this. Its explanation: all that was, is, and will be is Oṃkāra. And what lies beyond the triple time — that too is only Oṃkāra.
- upanishads 5Of these, the lower comprises: the Ṛg-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sāma-Veda, Atharva-Veda, phonetics, ritual, grammar, etymology, metrics and astronomy. And the higher is that by which the Imperishable is attained.
- upanishads 1This truth: the actions that the sages envisioned in the mantras manifested in the age of Tretā in various ways. Practice them faithfully, O seekers of truth, this is your path to the world of good action.
- upanishads 3Om is the bow, the Ātman is the arrow, Brahman is the target. It must be penetrated by one who does not waver. Like the arrow, one should become one with That.
- upanishads 4Meditate thus on the Ātman with Om. May you have good fortune to cross beyond darkness.
- upanishads 11This truth: the actions that the seers envisioned in the mantras manifested in the Tretā age in various ways. Practice them faithfully, O seekers of truth, this is your path to the world of good action.
- upanishads 5One who, knowing thus, meditates on the syllable (Om), by that (practice) attains the Ātman. The sage, therefore, becomes omniscient, becomes all. On this there is a verse:
- upanishads 5Different from that (body) made of prāṇa, more interior, is the Self made of mind. By it the former is filled. It has the form of a person. The Yajur-Veda is its head, the Ṛg-Veda its right wing, the Sāma-Veda its left wing, instruction is its body, the Atharva-Aṅgirasa hymns its tail and foundation.
Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra 4
- Dhāraṇā 13Hold the garland of mantras as play. Oh Parameśānī, 'this am I' — thus the immediate, without sequence, arises.
- Dhāraṇā 15Of any compact mantra, following the sequence of gross letters — half-moon, point, final resonance, void — with these, supreme meditation.
- Dhāraṇā 51The mantra compact, gross, subtle, beyond the beyond — by gradual and constant meditation on this, the light of the supreme space is revealed.
- Dhāraṇā 106Oh Supreme Lady, contemplate how the compact mantra in all its states — gross, subtle, and supreme — gradually manifests as external reality.
Yoga Yājñavalkya 2
- yoga-yajnavalkya 12Taught by the guru, free from what is external to the Vedas, by the path prescribed in precepts, the repetition of mantra is remembered as japa.
- yoga-yajnavalkya 18Always meditating on the ṛṣi, the chandas, the divinity and the mantra. The japa of the mantra, Gārgī, that itself indeed produces the result.
Bhagavad Gītā 1
Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā 1
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