MANTRA DATA                                              MANTRA03.TXT
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       [TEXT EDITED AND REFORMATED BY DAS]

       Mantrams are different. They are sound vibrations seen in the inner
       astral atmosphere as light and color. Mantrams awaken latent brain
       cells. Some mantrams such as AUM can be said before initiation and
       others should not be used. The simple yet powerful mantram Aum
       harmonizes the physical forces with the emotional forces with the
       intellectual forces. When this happens, you begin to feel like a
       complete being. There are different mantrams taught within the four
       major sects of Hinduism. Mantrams are most generally given by the Sat
       Guru. Many of the most powerful mantrams need no translation. They are
       what they are. Their power is supreme. There is one great mantram at
       the very center of the Vedas which has the five syllables: "Na ma si va
       ya."Memorizing slokas [spiritual verses] and repeating mantras 
       definitely is a vital part of our personal religious life. 
       They should be memorized for a mystically, profound purpose. 
       A mystical Hindu places stress on quality and not quantity. 
       There are Sanskrit scholars who believe that their salvation lies 
       in the numbers and complexity of the mantras and slokas they have at
       their command. Among themselves, they judge that those who know the 
       most verses are necessarily the closest to enlightenment.

       The mystical Hindu knows that this is a false concept. He comprehends
       that a devotee can know but a single mantra, use it perfectly and
       wisely to reach God consciousness. Under no circumstances should we
       judge a person's attainment by how many verses he has memorized.
       Rather, we should judge it by how he uses the verses that he knows.
       Some of the greatest of all Hindus did not know a single syllable of
       Sanskrit or any other sacred language.