Mantras
From Sri Shastriji at Siddhashram Schweibenalp, May 11, 1985
Q: How do mantras work on the body: Om Namaha Shivaya, Om Haidiyakhandi, and Om Hrim Shrim Haidakhandeswaryai Namaha?
A: I have mentioned before that whatever is outside in the universe, is also in the body. The same way, there is a place for each deity in the human body. It has its place there, like Lord Shiva, like Lord Haidakhandi, Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, the Divine Mother, Isamasai (Jesus Christ), all the divine beings, all the gods have a place, a seat, in the human body. And the maker of this body has also given keys to these different places and these keys have different numbers ñ the mantras ñ to open the places with these keys, so as to reach that particular God.
Sri Shastriji says that these different letters and these different words have different ways of reaching different places of your body through all the channels of your veins. They are carried along by the five airs, "vyana," "apana," "prana," "udana," "samana." They pierce through with your breathing at one spot, piercing that spot and reaching the deity residing there. By repeatedly repeating this mantra, this name, you create a sort of collection of energy there, and the key fits the lock and the number of the lock opens. The greatest of great yogis used to do this kriya, this work, to open the different chakras by repeating these mantras. But the sages of ancient times realized that by doing these different mantras to reach different gods, it will take a very, very long time. So they started experimenting with different letters, with different mantras, and they created many, many mantras, to see which mantra was the quickest or fastest way to reach a specific location in the body.
In the same way we are trying to develop all the nuclear weapons: all the scientists of the world are concentrating on finding out how to create the most expedient weapon. The same way these mantras can act. Om Haidiyakhandi (three times) is the ultimate Divine Mother, the great knowledge and mistress of all the then great types of knowledge. In this world there are different kinds of religions, different kinds of people and they all believe in God in different aspects, by different names, but the whole world acknowledges the Divine Mother. Her worship is offered with the same kind of ritual everywhere.
All the world over, each and every human being, in some form or other, does a sadhana, offering worship to the Divine Mother, Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge, Mahalakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity, and Mahakali, the Goddess of destruction. There is no exception in this anywhere. The only difference is how and where, in which manner you offer your worship. There are different forms and different rituals, that's all, but otherwise the whole world is offering, worshipping that divine energy of Paramba, the great Divine Mother.
Navaratri, the great Hindu festival honoring the Divine Mother Navaratri, nine days of fire ceremony, was coming up. How about after that? The first day after Navaratri was October 18, a Monday. Numerically, the date was auspicious and Monday is Shiva's day. In her book "Ayurveda: Secrets Of Healing," Maya Tiwari had this to say about the Vedic significance of Monday: "...ruled by Shiva, the cosmic teacher of wisdom and the destroyer of evil in the universe, (it) is...considered the most invigorating of days... (Monday) is also a very good day to enter a new home, (and) make marital arrangements... It is a day when all negative influences can easily be dispelled... Very few activities are contra-indicated on a Monday except arguments." (Havan) The fire ceremony, performed everyday for nine days, is a beautiful ancient ritual that awakens and cleanses your Spirit, an act of purification. We share Prasad.