Bija & Chakra Bija Mantras

Questions Answered Here

1. What are bija mantras?
2. Why are bija mantras considered important?
3. What is the sound of each of the principal bija mantras?
4. What energy does each principal bija mantra invoke?
5. What is the role of chakra bija mantras?
6. What is the sound of each chakra bija mantra?
7. What qualities are associated with the chanting of each chakra mantra?

Introduction

• Seed mantras, called bija mantras in Sanskrit, are traditionally known to be the most powerful mantras.
• Bija mantras have no explicit translation.
• They are basic sound structures that make up the energy of the universe, also described as “experiences of energy.”
• Richard Rosen writes, “It’s believed that, just as a tiny seed contains a majestic tree, each bija contains vast amounts of spiritual wisdom and creative force. One of the oldest and most widely known of these seeds is om.”
• Chakra bija mantras are said to help activate the chakras and prepare them for the handling of energy. (Thomas Ashley-Farrand)

Experiences of Energy

Unlike the words of everyday speech, bija mantras are experiences of energy in their own right. They are not symbols of other objects or experiences in the world. The word “chair” denotes an object with four legs, but seed mantras don’t represent objects or even feelings. They’re like the smell of a flower or the taste of an apple. Words don’t define those experiences. The experiences define the words. – Thomas Ashley-Farrand

Seed Sounds Provide the Core Vibration

Seed sounds, which can express the seed of a deity, a chakra, or energy—or even the universe, as om does!—provide the core vibration that blooms fully into the expression they reference. – Alanna Kaivalya