The word Mantra literally means ‘an instrument of deep thought, prayer, meditation, etc.’ Derived from the roots ‘Man’ and ‘Tra’ meaning ‘to think’ and ‘to save’ respectively, it is interpreted to mean also ‘that which Saves one from Samsara’, In a general way all Vedic passages are called Mantras, but the Mantras usually so-called in different spiritual traditions are somewhat different. A spell or incantation used by a magician (Mantravadin) is also called a Mantra.

In devotional language the word ‘Mantra’ is used for names or invocations of an aspect of the deity with some Bijakshara (seed letters) attached to them and transmitted from Guru to disciple for generations for devoted and concentrated repetition. It is something more than a prayer. It is in itself a word of power. It is thought-movement vehicled in sound and possessing saving power. It is a sound-manifestation of the deity, whose reality the Sadhaka is enabled to grasp through its repetition. By repetition and the consequent rhythmical vibrations of the subtle sound, the unsteady vibrations in the gross and subtle bodies of the Sadhaka are regulated and brought into harmony and enabled to grasp the reality of the deity.

But mere repetition, though not absolutely useless, is not enough. If the Mantra has power, it can be evoked only with the aid of the power in the Sadhaka. It is like an axe and the proper use of it, both combining for felling a tree. The axe may be sharp, but it is of no use in felling the tree unless the man using it cuts with force. The proper use of a Mantra by a Sadhaka consists in having an understanding of its significance and in himself being motivated by tremendous faith and aspiration. The essential point to understand about the significance of a Mantra is that it is the deity Himself in sound form and that, in repeating it, we are actually communing with the deity.

Much can be said about the meaning of the Bijakshara and other parts of a Mantra. While this is largely a matter of esoteric scholarship and there is nothing objectionable in trying to gather all such information about word meanings, etc. We shall be missing the real spiritual significance of the Mantra if, in the midst of all these details, we forget that it consists in the understanding that it is the deity Himself in sound form. So much about the power in the Mantra.

Next regarding the power in the Sadhaka, it is roused through faith and aspiration. Faith consists in the uninhibited acceptance by the mind of the spiritual tradition, the teacher and efficacy of the Sadhana one is undertaking. Without that, the mind cannot wield the Mantra with force. Equally important is the strength and steadiness of the Sadhaka’s spiritual aspiration if he is an aspirant for Bhakti and Mukti. Just as there is the hunger of the stomach, there is the hunger of the heart—the longing, the reaching out of the soul, for the Supreme Spirit. This is the most essential requirement in spiritual practice. It is the fertilizer without which the spiritual plant will not fructify. When the power of the Sadhaka is roused through understanding, faith and aspiration and unites with the power in the Mantra through devoted and concentrated repetition accompanied with contemplation, then enlightenment comes to him, and he becomes established in harmony and unison with the whole and is a sharer of the bliss that the Supreme Being is.