Mantra & Bija Seed Sounds

Across the globe and throughout history, cultures have recognized and harnessed the transformative power of sound. While the specific forms and philosophies may differ, the underlying principle remains consistent: certain sounds, when uttered with intention and devotion, can serve as potent tools for healing, spiritual growth, connection with others, and inner experience.

In the realm of Christianity, the ethereal melodies of Gregorian Chants, often sung in Latin, have long been used in liturgical settings. A liturgical setting is a song which is set to an ancient text and sung during worship to reinforce a specific part of the service.

Similarly, we see in the Jewish tradition cantillation, a mode of intonation used in the public recital of prayers and Holy Scripture. Cantillation uses specific note patterns to add an additional layer of meaning and musical expression to the words.

Moving east, the mystical Islamic tradition of Sufism offers another compelling example. Sufi Dhikr, Dhikr meaning ”the remembrance of God,” involves the rhythmic repetition of God's names or sacred phrases. This practice is often accompanied by movement and breathwork.

We can also see examples within Native American cultures, different shamanistic traditions, and tribes across the world.

Here we stumble upon a universal truth that transcends cultural boundaries - people are moved by sound and repetition has tremendous value.

Many religious and spiritual traditions utilize mantras and daily recitations—often short, distilled phrases that are easy to recall and repeat daily. These become the tiny anchoring points that help one to deal with the fluid vicissitudes of life. What is spoken automatically and subliminally sinks its way into the non-conscious mind, where it begins to shape and reinforce our underlying schemas—the cognitive frameworks through which we perceive and interpret the world. Often these religious mantras are designed to step one out of the limited self-perspective into something transcendent, one which integrates existing concepts of God, reformatting the experience of the physical and our emotional experience by viewing it all from the lens of spiritual truths. Repetition makes our feet sink deeper into the sand, akin to the way repeated experiences solidify the development of schemas. As one explores traditional spiritual principles, they recognize the truth inherent within them, gathering self-proving evidence to continually reinforce the neuronal structure(be careful of confirmation bias). This repetition, supported by the principle of neuroplasticity, allows us to more readily connect to the feeling state of whatever you are repeating after it has become engrained in your brain's wiring over time. The conscious mind utilizes the mantra as an anchor point, and the non-conscious mind then begins to organize itself around this anchor, strengthening related neural networks and associated schemas at faster and faster speeds. Over time, these reinforced schemas can influence our conscious thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors, eventually allowing us to bring the ideas and intentions embedded within the mantra into the conscious mind on a whim. You begin to, as you chant, step into mental and then energetic resonance with what you are repeating, a resonance that reflects the gradual reshaping of your internal cognitive landscape. Eventually, one has wired within them the perspectives, the spiritual truths, which the mantras hold. These become a part of the schemas which one uses to understand life.

The word "mantra" itself comes from the Sanskrit word "manas," meaning to think or mind. "Tra" means action, tool or instrument. So a mantra is a tool or instrument of the mind. Perhaps you could think of this as your trowel…a versatile instrument perfect for digging up weeds, aerating the soil, or planting new beginnings.

Delving deeper into the origins of mantras, we find that the earliest known instances appear in a the Vedas, ancient Indian scriptures written in Sanskrit dating back to 1500-1200 BCE. These sacred texts contain hymns and verses that were chanted during religious rituals and ceremonies. Over time, mantras evolved beyond their Vedic origins and became integral to various Asian religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. This is no mere coincidence, but a testament to the fundamental power inherent in vibration itself. Sound, at its core, is energy, and specific frequencies have the capacity to resonate with our physical, emotional, and spiritual being. From this understanding arises the concept of mantra – carefully constructed sounds and syllables that, when repeated with intention, can harness this vibrational power to effect profound transformation within and around us.

Today, Sanskrit is nearly dead. Very few native speakers remain, less than 20,000(if that) scattered throughout different regions. There are nearly no monolinguistic Sanskrit speakers, it’s learned in addition to other languages. Often this will be a simplified version which does not encompass full emphasis on correct pronunciation. During the last two millennium the Sanskrit language has mostly been a learned or scholarly language. For many of these individuals, the priority would be to read/write complicated texts, which is very different from developing full oral fluency.

Sanskrit is more than just a language; it's considered by many to be one of the actual building blocks of reality, divinely constructed. Saṃskṛta (संस्कृत) itself means “sanctified” or “purified”. It is apaurusheya - not created by man, and revered as dēvabhāṣā, the language of the gods. Each letter, or akshara, is believed to house its own shakti – an aspect of the divine feminine energy, and belongs to one of the five elements (earth, water, fire, wind or space). Its fifty letters, from a to kṣa, arc the fifty basic vibrations of the Cosmos. When you speak a letter, you're not just making a sound; you're releasing that specific shakti. You're connecting to and emitting a particular broadband frequency within the energy of god. This released shakti then embarks on a journey. It travels through what's called chidakasam – the boundless space of consciousness, often associated with Shiva. As the shakti moves through this ethereal realm, it generates spanda – divine vibrations. These vibrations are the subtle, underlying forces that shape and influence the world around us. Mahadevi/Adi Parashakti is the personification of supreme primordial feminine formless energy. The original divine power and primeval spiritual energy of the cosmos. In tandem with Shiva, the masculine principle, the two combine to create the universe. Adishakti gets further divided into 10 Mahavidyas. She is sooo vast, so encompassing, that her totality cannot be grasped through a single form or name. This is why we encounter a pantheon of goddesses within Hinduism, each being a unique expression of the one divine feminine. Kali is often viewed as one of the most prominent and potent of these manifestations. In certain Shakta traditions, particularly within the Kalikula (Family of Kali) school, Kali is Mahadevi; she is the totality of Adi Parashakti herself. She is depicted with a necklace of skulls(mundamala), sometimes freshly severed heads, encompassing her neck. While this garland holds place as a reminder of the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth, as well as Kali's power over these forces(showing off the demons she has slain, representing negative aspects of the ego), the fifty skulls (or sometimes fifty-one) are also said to represent the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. She is adorned with the alphabet of creation, which she, in her creative aspect, brought into being. As the force of dissolution, she draws those same letters, the bricks which constructed the house of reality, back into Her essence. Kali is also depicted as dancing all over creation. This dance represents the movement of cosmic vibration. The Universe is this movement. The Letters are the sound of particular movements, which Kālī, the Source of movement, wears around Her neck. Sanskrit offers a way to connect with the divine through sound. Speaking these sacred letters isn't just talking; it's participating in creation itself. It is a deeply powerful way to connect language and speech with ontology and metaphysics.

As described in the Vedas, the original abode of the Mantra was the Paramākāśa or primaeval ether. This being the eternal and immutable substratum of the universe, out of which, in the uttering of the primal sound "Vāk", the universe itself was created. Vāk (वाच्) is a Sanskrit word referring to “speech”. Vāk can be seen as the female Logos, the goddess of the active forces in nature, the Word, Voice, Language and Speech. Although prominent in the Rig Veda, Vach almost completely disappears from Hindu mythology. She is later associated with the river Goddess Saraswati, who absorbs many of Vāk's attributes. The musical instrument (Vīnā), which Sarasvati holds denotes all sounds (Śabda), of which, she is the Mother. Vāk, as-well as Sarasvati and other goddesses, were precursors that contributed to the later development of Adishakti. Vāk is the concept of divine sound as a goddess, "she overflows with sweetness"(5.73.3) She is the source from which all sounds, including the great "AUM," emerge. She is the potentiality of sound before it manifests. Shabda-Brahman or Nada-Brahman, the highest, eternal and only true reality of sound. What Vāk experiences, is that she is the mother of the universe, with all its gods and humans, everything created. She is the unexpressed idea of existence, in which, by her expression, takes visible form and being. She, being the word unrefined, is prior to and more real than that which is expressed, yet still inextricably its whole. Vāk is referred to as “Queen of the Gods,”(Rig Veda 8.89) or “the Mother of the Vedas.” She earned this title since it is through her power (as mystic speech) that Brahmâ revealed the Vedas, also owing to her the power that he used to produce the universe, through speech and words. It is said Vāk enters into poets, writers, prophets, and sages; enabling them to hear, grasp, and reveal the truths of existence. To devise and create the texts, hymns, and rituals that express the reality of their internal visions. She bestows vision to the seers and gives wisdom to the wise, also lending us the amazing riches of language and thought. She is, however, much more than just speech. She includes the power of perception, grasping the nature of things, giving name to them, and expressing its structure with coherence, form, and clarity. Her nature is subtle and eternal.... incomprehensible, even if it is her whom helps us to comprehend all.....

I was uncertain as to whether or not I was missing something... how could everyone have forgotten about Vāk? Am I overstepping, or not comprehending things correctly? If the sanskrit language, and words/names in particular are so powerful, why have we forgotten its origin? I began to feel a bit like an imposter seeing that nobody else was discussing this... however, on YouTube, I was able to find one video.... ahh okay got it 😉

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As I am here editing, a few weeks after this was originally drafted, I checked YouTube again and saw that there was now somebody else sharing about Vāk....

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You see, from my own perspective this seemed to continuously happen. Albeit there is tremendous room for bias, and I may be stretching connections which may not be there in the spirit of curious inquiry, however, when I happened to discover something and make a realization, I would notice similar niche things beginning to pop up on the internet. Morphogenetic Fields is a concept that is quite bizarre if you take into consideration its implications. By making a realization for myself, following my own higher guidance, I could have in some way consciously tapped into a perspective which was somewhat unique or forgotten. Perhaps not even myself, but another had gone deep into this work and I simply picked up on it myself, as-well as Dr. Robert. Maybe Vāk herself, said, it's time! - and guided our intuition to explore the topic... Such a profound idea, difficult to conceptualize, and again, I could be making some absolutely wild connections from mere coincidence, but I outline another example in the Caesarion section here, in 47.

Origins of Sanskrit

No figure looms larger in the history of Sanskrit than the grammarian Panini(whom we know almost nothing about.) His understanding of the language's structure and the systematic approach he took to its grammar left the language "frozen." The perfection of Panini's model encouraged all proceeding authors to follow his grammatical rules, and resulted in the ancient Indians discarding his predecessors work. Eventually, adherence to Paninis guidelines became a sort of requirement if you wanted your writing to be understood.

"The descriptive grammar of Sanskrit, which Pāṇini brought to its perfection, is one of the greatest monuments of human intelligence and an indispensable model for the description of languages."

"..those who have tested Panini's work will readily admit, that there is no Grammar in any language, that could vie with the wonderful mechanism of his eight books of Grammatical rules."

"Modern linguistics acknowledges it as the most complete generative grammar of any language yet written, and continues to adopt technical ideas from it."

His one and only piece of work, the Ashtadhyayi (aṣṭādhyāyī), opens up with a collection of seventy seven aphorisms known as the "Shiva Sutras." Essentially, Panini hits the ground running with "Here are the 14 Shiva Sutras, now, let's use these to build a complete grammar of Sanskrit."

Where did these come from?

Once upon a time the Septirishis(original disciples of Shiva) met with their teacher at his abode on Mount Kailasha. Out of his desire to enlighten them, Shiva began to perform his cosmic dance(showing off), and at the end of it struck his Damaru(a small two-sided drum) 14 times. The 14 sounds/vibrations which reverberated were what came to be known as these Shiva Sutras. These sutras are scientific, grouped based on how and where they are articulated in the mouth (vowels first, then semivowels, nasals, stops, and fricatives etc.) From these formulations came the systematic derivation of the entire Sanskrit alphabet, all 50 letters.

The second story which tells us of the origin of the aksharas takes place in the myth of Dakṣayajña. This tale primarily features Lord Shiva, his wife Sati Devi, and her father(the in-law) Daksha. Daksha wanted to conduct a grand Yajna, which is a devotional ritual done in front of a sacred fire, and he intentionally did not invite Sati Devi or Shiva. She showed up anyway; and to her dismay, during the event, Daksha began to insult and speak ill of Lord Shiva. Sati Devi felt utterly humiliated, and in response, she jumped into the fire of the Yajna immolating herself. When Shiva got word of this he flew into a rage, destroying the Yajna in his fierce form of Virabhadra. Unable to come out of his immense sorrow at the loss Sati Devi, he carried her body on his shoulders and began to wander aimlessly. This sorrowful Shiva roamed the universe in a nostalgic anguish with Sati’s corpse, leading to cosmic imbalance. Lord Vishnu was called upon to reinstate Shiva to some semblance of normalcy and calm him down. Vishnu made use of his Sudarshana chakra(kinda like a throwing star) to dismember Sati’s dead body, which then fell in 50 different places across India. Each of these 50 locations, known as Śakta Pīṭha's, are revered as sacred, with shrines dedicated to various forms of Adi Shakti, and ascribed one of the unique letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. The deities these shrines are dedicated to correspond to the siddhis(psychic powers) that each of the sounds can bestow.

The seven primordial chakras of the human body, which are the junctions where life energy gathers and then branches out, are symbolized as padmas, or lotuses. Each one of these is represented as having a unique number of petals, which signify how many pathways branch out from it. Muladhara chakra at the base has four petals, Svadhisthana has six, Manipura ten, Anahata twelve, Vishuddhi sixteen, and Ajna chakra has two. The total number of these petals adds up to 50, with their individual aspects each corresponding to the sounds of the Sanskrit alphabet. Aksharamala Japam is a process in Tantra where these sounds are chanted in a specific sequence to activate the seventh and the final chakra called Sahasrara, the 1000 petal lotus.

Bija Seed Sounds

In the same way that Geologists use seismic surveys and other methods to locate areas that may contain oil, the rishis were able to hear the subtle music of the cosmos through deep inner awareness. This profound receptivity, honed through years of meditation(perhaps many lifetimes), allowed them to perceive potent energies hidden within the fabric of reality. Like prospectors of the soul, they codified these vibrations into mantras, powerful sound formulas that could be used as a sonic pathway to divine energy. They were able to discern the Bija sounds, the most fundamental manifestations of primordial sound.

"When the mind becomes attuned, it becomes capable of hearing the voice of the unknown. The sounds which are heard in such a stage do not belong to any particular language, religion or tradition.” - Swami Rama

The Sanskrit word Bīja (बीज), literally means ‘seed.’ Bija mantras are considered the most fundamental sounds of nature, and theorized to have been used for hundreds of years before ever being written down. Short seed form sounds which when practiced properly have that potential within them to grow and yield results, they are like power packed capsules of energy. Bija mantras are one-syllable noises, when spoken, sung, whispered, or internally contemplated upon, activate energy in order to purify and balance the mind/body. They represent the purest form of sound vibration. Unlike regular words, they don’t have a direct translation because their essence lies in their energetic nature.

The chakra system is an intricate map of the self encompassing the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of an individual’s being. Each chakra has a bija mantra associated with it, which can be chanted to activate and balance the energy of that particular chakra. In Hinduism, bija sounds are even associated with different goddesses(principles of the divine feminine), and used to call upon them, manifesting shakti(energy/power). These goddesses don’t have to be looked at as actual beings, but can instead be looked at as representations for different archetypal principles of consciousness, or as specific principle energies of the universe. This is a method to connect to those principles, and therefore the essence of different energies. Chanting bija sounds is like tuning the strings of a musical instrument (our chakras) to ensure they’re playing the right notes. Once harmoniously in-tune, we can create the music of life. These sounds open us up to tremendous opportunities for personal growth. In principle, an acorn has the entire oak tree within it. We want to make sure that the chakra system, our system of self, is flowing optimally and that there are no blockages or overuse in any area. Imbalances create disharmony and neurosis. When functioning properly you are simply operating at your greatest potential. You are the most intelligent, compassionate, perceptive, loving, creative, discerning, balanced, powerful version of yourself. You see things clearly. Problems solve themselves. Opportunities begin to pop up and you know how to capitalize on them. Stressors don’t bog you down in the same way. You become in line with the will of the world.

"Om" is considered the primordial sound, representing the source of the universe, meaning it is believed to be the very first vibration from which all creation emerged. Oṃ/Aum is the great seed-mantra (Maha-bīja). It is the source of all other Bijas and of all compounded Sounds. For Om, the “O” sounds like the “a” sound in the word “saw,” combined with the “u” sound in the word “put.” Blend the “m” into the end, and bam, you got it. Essentially, the ancient yogis have always had their own version of what science has come to discover as the Big Bang. Philosophically speaking, AUM is the more accurate term for this, as it captures all three phases of universal existence which are in operation at all times.
A—the creative force ( Brahma )
U—the preserving force ( Vishnu )
M—the dissolving force ( Shiva )

Chanting this connects you to that fundamental force which generates all. Legend has it you can still hear the eternal cosmic sound, vibrating, holding up the entire universe, like a light hum..... but only if your mind is still enough…

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”– John 1:1

Like a url code in the browser of your mind, bringing you to a specific website, you can use your attention to establish a dial up connection to a particular energy within the vast web of existence. Through repetition you are wiring a direct doorway within your brain, placing it in your Bookmarks bar. The more popular mantras are thought of to have a reserve of energy that the collective has poured into it over the centuries, which you draw from while chanting. Tapping into what could be viewed as rich oil fields of the etheric world, mantras may be a method to generate tremendous inner wealth.

One can create for themselves, through mantra, their own experience of the therapeutic reconsolidation process. Firstly, you would have to have at-least some awareness of the origin story which a certain unwanted set of emotions/behaviors are stemming from. This may be incredibly difficult for someone who is currently in the trenches of mental warfare to do on their own, and may require insight from a trained professional. I'm not attempting to overstep the complexities of therapy, but I do believe that someone could replicate much of the process on their own(after learning about themselves or the knowledge therapists work from.) Self directing the reconsolidation process by first observing the unwanted feeling state in the body, then bringing up all the memories surrounding it, and finally using mantra with its associated truth as contradictory towards the emotional learning within. A carefully chosen mantra, perhaps a self-constructed affirmation that targets a specific neuronal arrangement within your brain, can serve as a powerful anchor to a desired emotional state, belief, or sense of self. This could be an affirmation of strength, peace, self-compassion, or any other quality that contradicts the negative emotions associated with the targeted memory. When a negative emotional memory is retrieved, simultaneously engaging with the mantra (through repetition, focused attention, and energetic resonance with its meaning) can create the necessary "prediction error" for the juxtaposition experience. The positive empowering state evoked by the mantra, perhaps aided by aligning oneself with the vibrational science of Sanskrit, clashes with the expected negative emotions associated with the memory. Caroline Leaf, in her Neurocycle process, finishes the 5 steps with what she terms "active reach." The creation of a custom statement and visual specifically designed to combat established emotional learning by anchoring you in a safe space mentally, to be continuously repeated throughout the day. This helps one to self-regulate and control their tendency to float into the realm of negative thoughts, as-well as to solidify the new learning and self awareness which is generated through the work of the 5 step process. Ultimately, mantra is a way that we can change the rules, change the messages, remove the shame, assert new beliefs, and give ourselves permission to have new abilities. It allows us to empower the good and positive while starving out that which no longer serves us.

Our nervous system is constantly scanning for cues of safety and danger, and our physiological state profoundly impacts our ability to connect, learn, and heal. The social engagement and the vocal toning inherent in a Kirtan or song circle provide powerful cues of safety that can promote a sense of calm and connection. The vagus nerve plays a key role in the parasympathetic nervous system, which is associated with this "rest and digest" state—the opposite of the "fight or flight" response triggered by trauma or stress. In a Kirtan setting, the rhythmic chanting, the shared intention of coming together in devotion, the feeling of belonging, and the supportive presence of others all contribute to a sense of safety and social connection. This can help the nervous system to downregulate, reducing the intensity of the previously activated negative emotions. Furthermore, the act of vocal toning, the process of chanting itself, directly stimulates the vagus nerve, further enhancing its calming effect. The vibrations produced by the voice resonate through the body, particularly in the chest and throat, areas richly interwoven by the vagus nerve. This mechanical stimulation, combined with the focused internal attention and breath control involved in chanting, promotes a state of relaxation and receptivity. Studies show that both vagal nerve stimulation and social support can facilitate emotional regulation and create a neurophysiological environment conducive to memory reconsolidation, and it is in this way one is able to utilize their own chanting practice to help solidify new neural pathways.

In the documentary Mantra: Sounds into Silence, you can see how mantra has changed the lives of many people, often those who were not finding healing in traditional paths. You can witness how the communal aspect of this spiritual practice brings together people in a way that creates a profoundly scientific healing chamber.

This study conducted in 2022, Immediate Effects of OM Chanting on Heart Rate Variability Measures Compared Between Experienced and Inexperienced Yoga Practitioners - PMC highlights to potential benefits of chanting for the Vagus nerve. Although the inexperienced participants in the study exhibited some changes in heart rate variability after a brief OM chanting session, these changes were minimal and paled in comparison to the pronounced benefits observed in experienced practitioners. The experienced group's significantly higher baseline HF power serves as a testament to the cumulative effects of long-term practice. While beginners may experience a subtle shift in physiological state, the study strongly suggests that mastery and the profound benefits of vagal regulation through OM chanting are achieved through dedicated, repeated practice.

Here is another study I found which also demonstrates the added-benefit that experienced practitioners gain over beginners as an accumulation of their practice.

Long-term practice of intuitive inquiry meditation modulates EEG dynamics during self-schema processing

https://www.cell.com/heliyon/fulltext/S2405-8440(23)07283-3?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2405844023072833%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

More studies worth checking out

Repetitive Religious Chanting Invokes Positive Emotional Schema to Counterbalance Fear: A Multi-Modal Functional and Structural MRI Study

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7732428/

Modulation of the Neurophysiological Response to Fearful and Stressful Stimuli Through Repetitive Religious Chanting (This one is a video)

https://app.jove.com/v/62960/modulation-neurophysiological-response-to-fearful-stressful-stimuli

Om chanting modulates the processing of negative stimuli: Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.943243/full

Religious Chanting and Self-Related Brain Regions: A Multi-Modal Neuroimaging Study

https://app.jove.com/t/66221/religious-chanting-self-related-brain-regions-multi-modal

The Neurophysiological Correlates of Religious Chanting

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-40200-w