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Mantra Çästra: A Few Principles for Remedies[1]

A Study of Rävaëa’s Uòòiça Tantra

 

Gati: The Direction of the Mind (Moon)

Once upon a time, many eons ago, at the time when Çré had left the gods, Çiva blessed the High Priest of the dark side, Çukräcärya, with the unequivocal Måta Saïjévané knowledge, by which the asuras (demons) came back to life from the dead, irrevocably more powerful and supreme as conquistadors. Shaken by this turn of events, the gods approached Lord Viñëu, who assuming the form of a unique tortoise[2] assisted the devas (gods) in churning[3] the Milky Ocean[4] whereby Amåta, the Nectar of Immortality could be extracted. In this epochal exercise, Viñëu used the magnificent Mandär Mountain as the churning rod and the Divine Serpent, the multi-headed great Väsuki, as the churning rope.     

Viñëu arrived on the shores of the Milky Ocean with Garuòa, having hauled Mandär on the way, like a puny toy. Upon arrival, he bade farewell to Garuòa and send him off, for Väsuki would not emerge even by mistake, as long as Garuòa was present. In his supreme wisdom, Viñëu knew, even the Divine Serpent Çeça Näga would tremble in the presence of the greatest eater of snakes. Garuòa is a bird, admittedly a divine bird, and so represented by the Sun, while Rähu represents snakes. Though the latter has the power to eclipse the former, the Sun is the one who exposes Rähu. Mantras of Garuòa are therefore the supreme remedy for sarpa doña or those troubled by serpents of all kinds. The simple mantra for warding of serpentine evils, om pakñé svähä is chanted in reverese as kñipa om svähä,  prempting Rähu’s misdeeds of reversal. For whilst chanting a mantra for cutting the bondage of snakes, Rähu would do his utmost to reverse the process. Kñipa om svähä would thus automatically become om pakñé svähä[5].

 Both the devas and the asuras participated in the churning of the Kçérasamudra, and after the preliminaries were complete, Viñëu proceeded towards the head of Väsuki, followed by the other gods. The asuras, slighted at the thought that they had to occupy the lowly tail of the Great Snake, ranted that the reputation of their birth and karma, prevented them from occupying such an “inauspicious” position as the tail of a snake during the grand event of the churning of the ocean. Viñëu smiled and without hesitation headed towards the tail of Väsuki with the devas. For he knew, that it was natural for the asuras to opt for the snake’s head as it represented material enjoyment and abhorr the thought of sitting near the tail, which led to the spiritual path and eventually towards emancipation.

 The head of the snake was thus occupied by the asuras while the devatäs sat on the tail. Astrologically depicted, the head of the snake is Rähu and the tail is Ketu. Jupiter, Sun and Ketu are posited on the tail, on the mokña märga (path of renunciation) while Saturn, Mars and Rähu are stationed at the head, on the bhoga märga (path of material enjoyment). The Moon is stationed at the centre of the snake, perfectly poised. It depends on the direction of the mind, as to whether the Moon will veer towards Rähu or Ketu, that is, is the mind moving towards a material or a more spiritual path.

 The churning of the ocean initially released a terrible poison, Kälaküöa, which was subsequently consumed by Çiva[6].  The act of churning affects the indriyas (senses) through this poison and the indriyas in turn, have an impact on the mind. The different grahas aspecting the Moon thus influence the mind through the indriyas. Once the mind is affected it becomes biased and it is no more in perfect balance.  It therefore calls for protection, and this protection is provided by mantras. The ultimate aim of mantras is to detach the mind from the indriyas and make it move towards Om. For Om is the one thought, and one vibration, the singular truth towards which the mind should be focussed. This is the perfect mantra, the pure sätvik chant that makes one seek out that unique vibration that is the source of all reality. 

 Mantras which operate at the level of the indriyas, deal with the material plane and are of three types. They are räjasik by nature and can even be tämasik depending upon the nature of the mantra and the purpose of use. The mantras will work through the ärüòhas as the mana works through the ärüòhas.

Table  1: Basic Structuring

Chhanda[7]: The Rhythm of Everyday Work (Sun)

The Sun, resplendent and glorious in his twelve forms, as the ruler of the day and the lord of the grahas, is the controller of Time. The different käla sankhyäs or the measurements of time like kñaë, muhürta, divasa, rätri, pakña, mäsa, saàvatsara, åtu, ayana and yugas are the different parts of his amazing one-wheeled chariot. Without Äditya, there can be no dimension of time and no order in the universe. The Sun’s basic measurement of time on earth is from sunrise to sunrise, as it traverses the complete round of the twelve räçis, demarcating the period into day and night, aho and rätri.

The Sun executes the entire material work of the universe in seven chhandas, which are directly connected to the seven days (vära) of the week and the hours (horä and käla) of the day.  The chhandas in the form of seven horses pull the Sun’s chariot through its course in the skies, across day and night, the twelve months, the summer and the winter solstices. These seven chhandas are gäyatré, triñöup, jagaté, anuñöup, paàkti, båhaté and uñïik.

Material creations are associated with rasas (flavour) as everything is defined in terms of the seven rasas. The seven rasas and chhandas correspond with each other as each chhanda activates a rasa within us. For example, the gäyatré chhanda activates the sweet or madhur rasa. Mantras are set to the rhythm of these chhandas, which resonate to a certain vibration within the chanter.

Ñaökarma[8]

The sixth house of the zodiac is replete with negative connotations both within and without the native, of diseases, enemies, conflicts, litigation, battles, injuries and the ñaòripu[9] or the six flaws of man, which are the internal enemies by which the mind is increasingly attached to the indriyas. One can control and eventually eradicate these ripus or internal enemies by changing the guëa of the mind through mantras. Similarly, the evils of the sixth house can be mitigated and sometimes conquered through remedial intervention.

 Daçänana or the ten headed demon king Rävaëa, in his magnum opus, Rävaëa Saàhitä, (which is a veritable treasure of astrological nuggets and secrets of mantra ­çästra), wrote the Uòòéça Tantra, a unique book on remedies. Rävaëa’s tremendous knowledge and his devotion to Lord Çiva are legendary, and it is by appeasing the Trident-holder that he acquired his brilliant knowledge of the mantras. Prior to embarking upon his battle with Çré Räma, Rävaëa prayed intensely to Çiva and the great lord himself imparted this special knowledge of mantra çästra to Rävaëa in his own words, which he in turn, penned under the title of Uòòéça Tantra. The Uòòéça hinges on the principle of the five elements or the païca tatvas, hinting that when there is a tatva imbalance in the horoscope it may be rectified by the correct remedial measure. 

 Çiva begins his discourse to Rävaëa by classifying mantras into six categories, which he calls the ñaökarma or the six kinds of action.

Table  2: Shatkarma

Ñaökarma	Translation	Guëa	Purpose
Çänti	Peace	Sätvik	Curing Disease, Propitiation of Planets, Redeeming Bad Karma, Generating Hope
Vaçékaraëa	Attract/Enslave	Räjasik	Enslavement
Stambhana	Stun/Freeze	Räjasik	Freezing to inaction
Vidveñaëa	Repulse/Separate	Rajasik	Enmity between people
Ucchäöana	Expulsion	Tämasik	Expel from one’s home/country
Märaëa	Death/Destruction	Tämasik	Kill

 Çänti is the best and the only sätvik karma and should be performed at all times and for all purposes. It can pacify malefic planets (krüra graha doñas), remove disease, restore health and give hope and peace to the dejected and depressed. Vaçékaraëa includes the entire gamut of mohana mantras, used to attract another person, especially those of the opposite sex. It is not recommended that these methods be resorted to ensnare another human being as it is not based on true emotions between two people and may wean off after the effect of mantra wears out. Stambhana is the power to freeze someone into inaction and can stun a person’s speech or any of his bodily functions. Vidveñaëa creates rifts and enmity between people, often among couples, business partners, family members and friends. The next two karmas are tämasik in nature. Ucchäöana are extremely tämasik mantras and can harm a person seriously by expelling him (ejection) from his home, office, or country.  Märaëa is the worst karma any human being can perform, that is killing or robbing someone of his life including a trail of destruction.

 While reading the Uòòéça, it must be kept in mind, that Rävaëa received this knowledge immediately before he waged his final war with Räma. He had received it as an answer to his request of learning techniques for this specific purpose, i.e. to destroy the huge Vänara Senä or the Monkey Troops, who had amassed in hordes across the waters of the Indian Ocean, led by the King of Ayodhyä himself, the great Çré Rämachandra and his brother Lakñmaëa.  It then becomes clear as to why there are mantras for death and destruction, of parting the waters, of flaming houses, of creating enmity and separation between people, of mohana or attraction mantras, which were probably used to deploy women spies in the enemy camp. 

 This is a tantra designed specifically for the purposes of war and it is apparent that these war-designed principles spilled over in the later days to form the substance of tantra based mantra çästra and incorporated into the daily lives of people. Hence räjasik and tämasik mantras designed for war and politics, came into vogue for common usage. Such mantras are prescribed ad lib by many astrologers in the modern era as remedial measures. Nevertheless, it conceals some high principles of mantra çästra and it would be our task to glean it out as the swan weans the milk from the water.

Table  3: The Deities of Shatkarma

Ñaökarma	Çakti	Direction	Åtu	Time[10]	Vära	Tithi	Nakñatra	Lagna
Çänti	Rati	Éçäna	Hemanta (Fall)	Evening 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.	Wednesday, Thursday, Monday. For puñöi karma: Thursday, Monday. Strong Benefics	Dvétiyä, Tåtéyä, Païcamé, Saptamé. For puñöi karma: Ñañöé, Caturthé, Trayodaçé, Navamé, Añöamé, Daçamé		Aries, Virgo, Pisces, Sagittarius
Vaçékaraëa	Väëé	Uttara	Vasanta (Spring)	Morning 6 to 10 a.m.			Mähendra, Väruëa	Aries, Virgo, Pisces, Sagittarius
Stambhana	Ramä	East	Çiçira (Winter)	Night 2 to 6 a.m.	Wednesday, Monday	Païcamé, Daçamé, Pürëimä	Mähendra, Väruëa	Leo, Scorpio
Vidveñaëa	Jyeñöhä	Naiååtti	Gréñma (Summer)	Noon 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.	Friday, Sunday, Strong Malefics	Riktä Tithis, Daçamé, Ekädaçé, Amävasyä, Navamé, Pratipad, Pürëimä (if on a Friday/Sunday)	Vahni, Väyu	Aries, Virgo, Pisces, Sagittarius
Ucchäöana	Durgä	Väyu	Varñä (Monsoon)	Afternoon 2 to 6 p.m.	Saturday, Strong Malefics	Riktä Tithis, Ñañöé, Caturthé, Añöamé, Caturdaçé (if Saturday)	Vahni, Väyu	Cancer, Libra
Märaëa	Kälé	Agni	Çarat (Autumn)	Sunset 6 to 10 p.m.	Saturday, Tuesday, Strong Malefics	Riktä Tithis, Kåñëä Caturdaçé, Amävasyä		Aries, Virgo, Pisces, Sagittarius