Perhaps the most easily recognised mantra, one that is of
profound significance in both Hinduism and Buddhism is
the syllable Om. Hindus and Buddhist believe that this
is the primordial sound that emerged with the creation
of the universe.
A longer mantra commonly chanted as a Hindu prayer is the Gayatri Mantra.
om bhur bhuvah svah
tat savitur vareniya
bhargo devasya dhimahi
dhiyo yo nah pracodayat
This invocation, personified as a goddess, is recited to
summon the universal principle of knowledge.
The most well known among Buddhist mantras is Om
mani padme hum, the six syllable invocation to the great
Bodhisattva of Compassion (Avalokiteshvara). This mantra
is particularly revered by followers of the Dalai Lama, who
is regarded as an earthly incarnation of the Bodhisattva
of Compassion. |
|
Cloth with invocations to Durga (detail above) Whereas even a single mantra has power, the recitation of a mantra, either voiced or voicelessly, thousands of times over, is very potent. The recitation of mantras (termed japa) is an extremely old practice that developed from meditative recitation of sacred texts by priests, and is an important component of meditation and yoga practices. Cloths such as this, covered in woven or printed mantras of a specific deity, are the visual equivalent to japa. The dedication to the goddess Durga on this brocade reads: ‘shri Durga devai namah (salutation to Devi Durga)’. |
