What Exactly Is Shabda Brahma?

One – Shlokas and Stotras
Two – Divya Namas
Three – Mantras

They are not all the same. They are different.

Shlokas and stotras are poetry written in Sanskrit praising divinity or praying for something.
Example – Vakratunda.
They are in verses – two lines or four lines.
When a few shlokas are written together, say five or eight or hundred, like the Ganesha Pancha Ratnam, Kala Bhairavashtakam, Santana Gopala Stotram, then it becomes a stotra.

Most of the shlokas and stotras come from Puranas. They have authors.
There are many modern poets also. Someone with poetic and Sanskrit skills can always write shlokas and stotras.
The stotras in our website sung by Rajalakshmy Sanjay, many of them are written by us.
The entire section of simple shlokas for children are written by us because such shlokas are not available anywhere else.

It is always good to learn the meaning of shlokas and stotras, because they being descriptive, involve visualization of what is written there. Then only it helps. Try to learn the meaning.

Namas also have their source in Puranas and Itihasas.
One nama represents one particular aspect of the divinity.
So when you say sahasra nama, it is a collection of thousand different aspects of one particular god or goddess, like Shiva Sahasra Nama, Lalita Sahasra Nama, Vishnu Sahasra Nama.
Take any name and keep on chanting that – then that particular aspect of the divinity will become strong in you. This is the effect of nama sankeertana or nama japa.

Mantras – nobody writes mantras. They are not written by anyone.
You cannot create a mantra.
It has to be already there, then only it is a mantra.
If you find something about a contemporary saint which calls itself a mantra – then it is probably the wrong term.
You can call it a shloka or nama – no problem.

Mantras are revealed to rishis.
So, if you want to call something a mantra, it should essentially have three things — a rishi, chhandas, and devata.
They are like tags attached to the mantra. They are like coordinates of a place.
Only real places will have coordinates.
So, if you find a mantra without rishi, chhandas, and devata – then it will not work as a mantra.

If you are chanting Mrityunjaya mantra every day and do not know the rishi, chhandas, and devata, then it will not work for you.
Whenever a mantra is used, these activation keys are also to be used.

For example, if you are going to chant the Shiva Panchakshara mantra, then at the beginning you have to say, 'Asya Shree...'
The rishi of Shiva Panchakshara mantra is Vamadeva.
Its meter or chhandas is Pankti.
Devata is Sadashiva.
The fourth is called viniyoga – indicating what you are going to do with the mantra — jape viniyogaha, home viniyogaha, marjane viniyogaha.

So, if you are chanting any mantra, do it with the rishi, chhandas, and devata — then only it will benefit you.

Now, one question may come up.
We are giving so many mantras from Vedadhara, in audio format.
Mostly, the rishi, chhandas, and devata are not mentioned.
How will it work?

One thing is obvious — so many are getting benefitted from them — that means they work.

This is why we tell you to listen to them, not to chant.
Mantra sadhana, in which you chant the mantra yourself, is different, and listening to mantras chanted by someone else is completely different.
This is mantra shravana, not mantra japa.
Do not confuse between the two.
They work in different ways.

If you want to do mantra sadhana, follow all the rules given in mantra shastra.
Do not deviate from them.

In mantra shravana, listening to mantras — two things are involved — that is why it works.

One – vibrations of the mantra.
When you listen to mantras, your body also resonates with them at various levels.
It is like the singer and listener of a song.
A listener also can feel all the emotions in a song, not just the singer.
You do not have to sing yourself to feel the emotions.
It is the vibrations that start resonating within you that work in both the cases.

Secondly — in the case of mantras, the intention of the person who has chanted the mantras also matters.
You are calling some purohitas and making them chant Mrityunjaya mantra, let us say one lakh times.
You are not chanting but still you get the benefit.
How?

You are listening to the mantras and the people who are chanting — they want you to get benefited.
Their sankalpa and iccha shakti — they also contribute.
They want you to get benefited.
When they do it with such intention, then the power of the mantra is channelized properly.

In the same way, we at Vedadhara are giving these mantras so that you get benefited out of it.
The whole world should know, experience, and derive benefit out of the tremendous power of mantras, and learn about the glory and greatness of Sanatana Dharma.

But in the case of the purohitas, they are offered a dakshina, there is a quid pro quo.
What about that?
Is not that how it works?

Yes. That makes it even better.
You can also do that on your own, in your neighbourhood.
Help someone in need.
Do one noble act every day.
Teach a child a value.
Spread the glory of the divine.
Mantras will work much better for you.

We believe that mantras are there for everyone to get benefited.
They are for universal welfare.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi