Raising The Vibration: Mantras And The Vedic Experience

In this comprehensive blog, you will gain insights into how the Vedic experience, primarily accessed through the vibrations of mantras, conveys a unique quality of consciousness. This quality can be influenced by both the ego and the chanting skills we develop. I will use my own experiences as a personal example to illustrate this concept. The goal is to elevate our practices within our Yogic Mystery School, which is dedicated to mantra practice and other teachings.

Mantras And The Vedic Experience

We approach the Vedic experience primarily through mantras. The Vedas themselves are composed of mantras; they are a body of sacred sound, akin to a reservoir of sound.

However, this is not ordinary sound. It represents a form of sacred speech, with vibrations that embody a specific type of consciousness. The Vedas convey a quality of consciousness that also offers a perspective.

To engage with this process, we need to find our way into it. While Vedic chanting is meant to communicate this consciousness, not all Vedic chanting successfully does so. The effectiveness primarily depends on the consciousness of the person chanting and the manner in which it is performed, which is why brahmins study Vedic chanting in traditional schools, usually for twelve years.

A useful analogy is a finely tuned musician experiencing a symphony. Many skilled musicians have shared that they attended a concert and heard a specific symphony multiple times, yet they left feeling dissatisfied. Typically, the conductor is held accountable for this experience. Although the composer wrote the music with great care, much of Western classical music was composed predominantly by men.

Composers carefully provided as much information as possible in their scores, using terms like "allegro," which means quickly or lively in Italian, and "andante," which translates to slow or relaxed. These terms help convey the intended feelings or moods that emanate from the music, influenced by various musical intervals and tempos. The speed of the music can either energize the listener or create a sense of calm.

Additionally, there’s the aspect of volume control, with terms like "crescendo" (to increase volume) and "diminuendo" (to decrease volume). A conductor uses this dynamism to shape the performance. However, if a conductor has prepared diligently during rehearsals but arrives at the concert in poor spirits, that will likely affect the performance and change the overall experience.

Another analogy is in film. A single script can be directed in multiple ways by different directors. While the script remains unchanged, one director may guide the actors to portray their roles in a certain manner, while another might have them act differently.

In the same way, the rishis of the Vedas passed down mantras along with guidelines for their chanting. Various individuals—priests, scholars, and others—interpret and chant these mantras differently, all while adhering to those established directions.

The consciousness conveyed through Vedic chanting is quite distinct. You can find various examples of this on YouTube, where people perform all kinds of chanting. My goal in this process is to explore the consciousness that allows us to truly experience the Vedas, as the Vedas are meant to be an experiential journey. 

We should aim not just to read about these experiences, but to actually engage with them so that our discussions are rooted in genuine experiences we can relate to. Therefore, we want to begin chanting together. One of the primary objectives of Vedic chanting is to chant for the welfare of the world, to uplift it and raise consciousness.

Raising The Vibration

The New Age movement popularized phrases such as "raising consciousness" and "raising the vibration," which have now become clichés. Beyond improving our chanting skills, it is essential to understand how the human ego can influence our spiritual journeys as we strive to enhance our practices and perspectives. By doing this, we can effectively use sound to awaken consciousness.

From my own recordings, performances, and teaching experiences, I've realized that my ego can interfere with the chanting. While people may appreciate my efforts, they might not fully understand how my ego affects the performance in various ways. What I want to explore with my students is how to chant by adhering to the rules while also entering a consciousness that goes beyond simply following those rules.

Much of my work over the years has focused on teaching proper pronunciation rules. However, as I mentioned earlier, strictly following these rules does not always convey the true essence of the experience. The Vedas have been likened to the Himalayas of the soul, particularly the Upanishads, which represent the culmination of Vedic knowledge.

The Upanishads can be compared to the New Testament in that they are seen as the fulfillment of the Vedas, similar to how the New Testament is viewed in relation to the Old Testament. This perspective can be sensitive, as many within the Jewish tradition do not accept the New Testament as such. They hold a profound mysticism within their own texts, and it can be seen as insulting to imply that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, which they regard as sacred, especially in the Torah.

Without delving too deeply into these sensitivities, we can still use this analogy to approach the chanting of the Vedas, especially those from the Upanishadic period. The earlier Vedas can be more challenging to chant. However, in the Upanishads, we find mantras derived from these early Vedas, known as Shanti mantras or peace mantras, which precede the Upanishadic texts.

Learning and chanting these Shanti mantras for the welfare of the world is an excellent way to begin our journey into Vedic chanting while contributing to society's upliftment. It’s essential to approach these mantras with dedication; if we perform them carelessly, we can't genuinely claim we are working for society's welfare.

As we embark on the path of learning to chant the Shanti mantras, it's crucial to remember that our intention and consciousness play a pivotal role. These are not just words we recite, but a sacred practice that connects us with the spirit of the Vedas and the soul of the Upanishads. I urge you to start with peace prayers, the Shanti mantras, and to always keep your intention and consciousness at the forefront, as they are the keys to aligning with the forces of good, the Rta, in the Vedic worldview.

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