Hari Aum.
I was reading the Narayana Upanishad recently and wanted to write about it here. This upanishad is from the Krishna Yajur Veda. It speaks of the greatness of Narayana and also of the glory of the ashtakshara mantra Om Namo Narayanaya.
I will share the main points mentioned in this upanishad and include a link (see below) to the Sanskrit slokas with English translation.
The Narayana Upanishad says:
Narayana is the creator, the maintainer and the dissolver of all creation. All creation emerges from Narayana by His will, remains in Him and then dissolves back into Him in accordance with His will.
All the demigods, humans and other living beings, the soul, mind, senses, air, water, fire, earth and space emerge from Narayana. He is space, He is time. He gives birth, He gives death.
He is the origin, the middle and the end of all things. He is everywhere, within and without.
Narayana resides in the heart of all beings.
In summary, all is Narayana.
Ashtakshara mantra of Narayana: Om Namo Narayanaya
The Narayana upanishad talks about the greatness of the ashtakshara (eight syllabled) mantra of Lord Vishnu - Om Namo Narayanaya.
(Note- unfortunately this mantra is incorrectly written in many places including some temples, as Om Namo Narayana - missing the last syllable 'ya'.)
The Narayana upanishad says the following about the ashtakshara mantra:
-This mantra is most sacred. It is the king of all mantras
-When recited, it gives health, long life, prosperity and attainment of Vaikuntha (the abode of Vishnu, supreme consciousness)
-Recitation of this mantra grants liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
-One who recites this mantra in the morning becomes free of sins committed at night.
-One who chants this mantra at noon becomes free of the five great sins
-One who recites this at night becomes free of sins committed during the day.
-One who chants this mantra acquires the merit of studying all the Vedas
-One who recites this mantra attains oneness with Narayana
My Guru Sivananda says that the recitation of a mantra creates the form of the deity associated with it. He says recitation of Om Namo Narayanaya creates the form of Narayana or Vishnu in the higher planes. Prolonged recitation of this mantra according to him, grants the darshan or vision of Lord Narayana.
My Guru says that all people are free to chant the Om Namo Narayanaya and gain the benefits. There is absolutely no restriction based on caste, gender, race or anything else.
It is sad that some spiritual traditions restrict women and certain castes from chanting this mantra. The great sage Ramanuja climbed on top of a temple tower and loudly proclaimed this mantra to all, regardless of caste, creed or gender. Sadly some of the followers of this great liberal Guru now contradict his teaching and say that women and Hari-jans cannot chant this mantra. This is the result of the terrible ignorance of this kali yuga.
Once again, all great Gurus who attained God praised this mantra and said it can be chanted by anybody and will grant liberation to all.
Also, just to mention, every mantra has six parts that are described as follows as per my Guru Sivananda:
1. Rishi who first 'saw' the mantra (mantras are 'seen' in meditation, not created). The Rishi of the ashtakshara mantra of Vishnu is the rishi Narayana (one of the twin rishis Nara-Narayana).
2. Chandas or metre- the intonation in which the mantra is chanted. The metre of the ashtakshara mantra is Gayatri.
3. Devata, deity of the mantra: the deity of ashtakshara is MahaVishnu or Narayana
4. Beeja, seed syllable or essence of the mantra
5. Shakti- the shakti or power of the deity/mantra
6. Kilaka- the 'pin' that plugs the 'mantra chaitanya' hidden in the mantra. Prolonged recitation of the mantra removs the kilaka or 'pin' and grants darshan of the ishta devata, the deity. Recitation of ashtakshara grants darshan of Lord Narayana.
Here is a link with recitation of the Om Namo Narayanaya mantra:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IospxT7xl-I
See below for a link to the Narayana upanishad in Sanskrit with translation.
http://www.sathyasaiottawa.org/pdf/Vedam/Narayana_Upanishad.pdf
Hari Aum Tat Sat
I was reading the Narayana Upanishad recently and wanted to write about it here. This upanishad is from the Krishna Yajur Veda. It speaks of the greatness of Narayana and also of the glory of the ashtakshara mantra Om Namo Narayanaya.
I will share the main points mentioned in this upanishad and include a link (see below) to the Sanskrit slokas with English translation.
The Narayana Upanishad says:
Narayana is the creator, the maintainer and the dissolver of all creation. All creation emerges from Narayana by His will, remains in Him and then dissolves back into Him in accordance with His will.
All the demigods, humans and other living beings, the soul, mind, senses, air, water, fire, earth and space emerge from Narayana. He is space, He is time. He gives birth, He gives death.
He is the origin, the middle and the end of all things. He is everywhere, within and without.
Narayana resides in the heart of all beings.
In summary, all is Narayana.
Ashtakshara mantra of Narayana: Om Namo Narayanaya
The Narayana upanishad talks about the greatness of the ashtakshara (eight syllabled) mantra of Lord Vishnu - Om Namo Narayanaya.
(Note- unfortunately this mantra is incorrectly written in many places including some temples, as Om Namo Narayana - missing the last syllable 'ya'.)
The Narayana upanishad says the following about the ashtakshara mantra:
-This mantra is most sacred. It is the king of all mantras
-When recited, it gives health, long life, prosperity and attainment of Vaikuntha (the abode of Vishnu, supreme consciousness)
-Recitation of this mantra grants liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
-One who recites this mantra in the morning becomes free of sins committed at night.
-One who chants this mantra at noon becomes free of the five great sins
-One who recites this at night becomes free of sins committed during the day.
-One who chants this mantra acquires the merit of studying all the Vedas
-One who recites this mantra attains oneness with Narayana
My Guru Sivananda says that the recitation of a mantra creates the form of the deity associated with it. He says recitation of Om Namo Narayanaya creates the form of Narayana or Vishnu in the higher planes. Prolonged recitation of this mantra according to him, grants the darshan or vision of Lord Narayana.
My Guru says that all people are free to chant the Om Namo Narayanaya and gain the benefits. There is absolutely no restriction based on caste, gender, race or anything else.
It is sad that some spiritual traditions restrict women and certain castes from chanting this mantra. The great sage Ramanuja climbed on top of a temple tower and loudly proclaimed this mantra to all, regardless of caste, creed or gender. Sadly some of the followers of this great liberal Guru now contradict his teaching and say that women and Hari-jans cannot chant this mantra. This is the result of the terrible ignorance of this kali yuga.
Once again, all great Gurus who attained God praised this mantra and said it can be chanted by anybody and will grant liberation to all.
Also, just to mention, every mantra has six parts that are described as follows as per my Guru Sivananda:
1. Rishi who first 'saw' the mantra (mantras are 'seen' in meditation, not created). The Rishi of the ashtakshara mantra of Vishnu is the rishi Narayana (one of the twin rishis Nara-Narayana).
2. Chandas or metre- the intonation in which the mantra is chanted. The metre of the ashtakshara mantra is Gayatri.
3. Devata, deity of the mantra: the deity of ashtakshara is MahaVishnu or Narayana
4. Beeja, seed syllable or essence of the mantra
5. Shakti- the shakti or power of the deity/mantra
6. Kilaka- the 'pin' that plugs the 'mantra chaitanya' hidden in the mantra. Prolonged recitation of the mantra removs the kilaka or 'pin' and grants darshan of the ishta devata, the deity. Recitation of ashtakshara grants darshan of Lord Narayana.
Here is a link with recitation of the Om Namo Narayanaya mantra:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IospxT7xl-I
See below for a link to the Narayana upanishad in Sanskrit with translation.
http://www.sathyasaiottawa.org/pdf/Vedam/Narayana_Upanishad.pdf
Hari Aum Tat Sat
Excellent elucidation.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words
ReplyDeleteWhat does it mean with "the metre of the ashtakshara mantra is Gayatri", is it more supreme then the Gayatri mantra dedicated to the sun or not, which is also said to be the mother of all vedas and does this mantra helps attain and accomplish everything in life (like having all beneficial forces on my side? (Please reply my question, I need the answer urgently) Thank you!
ReplyDeleteNamaste,
DeleteAll mantras of God are equal in their effect (for spiritual progress) according to the teachings of many Gurus, including my Guru Swami Sivananda. One should select a mantra that appeals to one and repeat this regularly to obtain results. There are no superior and inferior names of the Supreme Being-- all His/Her names are one with Him/Her and are therefore equal. Having selected a mantra, one should not abandon it if the purpose is spiritual progress. For material results, people sometimes take up a specific mantra and recite this for a specific period of time.
I hope this helps. Good luck with your sadhana.
Vishnupriya
How many mantras can or should a person chant a day?
DeleteNamaste,
ReplyDeleteI would suggest you chant that amount which feels comfortable for you and which you can ideally sustain over time. (This can be anything ranging from 5 minutes or 20 minutes to an hour or more depending upon your motivation and circumstances).
In between the mantra chanting sessions, try to remember God as often as possible-- this will increase the effectiveness of your mantra practice.
May God bless you.
Vishnupriya