Blackwell Reference Online

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Mantras are among the most characteristic features of Hinduism. They existed in Vedic times and are still widely used today. They permeate Hindu ritual. As the saying goes, arnantraka kriyn̄a syāt , “no rites should be accomplished without mantras,” and ritual was and still very largely is part of the daily life of all observant Hindus. The term mantra, however, having been in use for some three millennia all over south Asia, has not always and everywhere had the same meaning. Mantras were used in different ways, in different contexts, and for different purposes: the meaning of the term, like that of all words, is context- dependent. It is therefore necessary to examine separately the various meanings, uses, and values attached to it in the course of time in different Hindu religious traditions. Not only has the meaning of the term mantra varied according to time and place, but at any given time the word has been used to refer to different ritual, meditative, yogic, and spiritual practices as well as to different forms or kinds of phonetic and linguistic utterance. It is therefore impossible to translate it by a single word in English or any other modern language. Several such translations have been suggested; none is satisfactory. But we need not dwell on them, since the term mantra is now in common use. It is to be found in dictionaries and needs no translation. As regards the ... log in or subscribe to read full text