How Mantras Have Got The Power to Manifest

In the earlier episode, we saw that only mantras have got power to manifest — not ordinary speech. Ordinary speech can create emotions, but not physical objects. That only mantras can do — or rather, vibrations of specific patterns can do.

But then what about curses given by rishis?

Shakuntala didn't notice Sage Durvasa's arrival at the ashram of Kanwa. She was lost in the thoughts of her dear Dushyanta.

आः अतिथिपरिभाविनि !
विचिन्तयन्ती यमनन्यमानसा
तपोधनं वेत्सि न मामुपस्थितम् ।
स्मरिष्यति त्वां न स बोधितोऽपि सन्
कथां प्रमत्तः प्रथमं कृतामिव ।

Durvasa cursed her: 'You didn't even notice that I am here. Your mind is preoccupied with someone's thoughts. This person you are remembering so much will forget you.'

This is not a mantra. This is ordinary speech in Sanskrit. But it worked. The curse came into effect. Dushyanta forgot his interaction with Shakuntala. It is not mantra shakti. It is tapah shakti — ordinary speech energized by tapah shakti, not mantra shakti.

This shakti could be present in people at different levels. Vak siddhi is like this. There are some people who, when they say something, it becomes true. This is vak siddhi, not mantra shakti. The power behind vak siddhi need not be mantra shakti.

Veda says that the creative power — the power to manifest — is chhandas, the meter.

What is chhandas? Specific patterns of vibrations present in mantras. They have names — Gayatri, Ushnik, Anushtup. Vibrations of specific patterns are responsible for the manifestation of various objects, beings, emotions, energies — at the time of creation. And also the seasons. Seasons are responsible for the existence of life on earth.

Meters and seasons together are responsible for creation and sustenance. The role of seasons behind life on earth we have seen elsewhere, in detail.

These vibrations and the objects they manifest — they are inseparable, like the two sides of your palm. If there is an upper side, then there is definitely the lower side as well.

If you see those particular patterns of vibrations, then definitely that object is also around. If you see a particular object, then the corresponding vibrations are also there.

Can we hear these sounds or vibrations corresponding to objects?

We can hear sounds that objects make — such as when a drum is beaten. That is not the natural sound or natural vibration of the object called 'drum'. It is important to know this. The difference is like a real person and his photo. They are not the same.

Natural sounds of objects — the vibrations which are capable of manifesting that object — that is different from the sound that the object makes. If you keep on beating a drum even for years together, it is not going to manifest another drum.

Or even if you keep on chanting 'drum, drum, drum' for a hundred years, it is not going to manifest a drum.

The natural vibrations of objects are audible only to the absolute ear, not to normal human ears — and to some extent, to the extent of one’s accomplishment, to yogis.

These vibrations can be felt in the Vicharanugata Samprajnata Samadhi state — in which it is not shabda but shabda tanmatra that is heard or experienced.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi