TYPE OF MANTRAS ON THE BASIS OF MEANING

On the basis of MEANING Mantras are of two types

I) Saguna Mantras: The Mantras which represent and invoke a particular a Deity, God or Goddess by praising the qualities to attain self-realization. Saguna Mantras form visual patterns upon repeated chanting until this chanting gives rise to the real form of deity.

          Some examples of Saguna Mantras are:

a) Om Namah Shivoy (ohm nuh-muh shivai-uh): Salutations of Lord Shiva.

b) Om Nam Narayanaaya (ohm nuh-mo nah-rai nai-uh): Salutations to the God of Harmony and balance.

c) Gayatri Mantra: Dedicated to Goddess Gayatri and Sun as the source of light, life and wisdom on the three planes of existence.

d) Mahamrityunjaya Mantra: Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the possessor of three eyes for the liberation from the cycle of birth and death and leading the enlightenment.

e) Manu more such Mantras are Shanti Mantra, Ram, Sita, Om Aing Saraswati Namah etc.

II) Nirguna Mantras: The Mantras which are formless, abstract and represent the universe as a whole and not any particular form, God or Goddess are called Nirguna Mantras. These types of Mantras need higher level of concentration as they do not support and focus the attention to any particular form. They are meant for deeper meditator and with constant practice give them the “Siddhi” to take form or power at will. The main purpose of the Nirguna mantras is to unify with the Absolute, Primal Causation, or to identify with the Infinite Nature of the Universe.

           Some examples of Nirguna Mantras are:

a) OM
OM is the original mantra, the root of all sounds and letters, and thus of language and thought.

b) So ham (soh-hum)
This mantra is unconsciously repeated each time we take breath - inhaling "So", exhaling "ham". It means "I am That" - beyond the limitations of mind and body, at one with the Absolute.

Constituency of a Mantra
Each Mantra is a combination of sound formed from 50 letters of the Sanskrit alphabets.