Das folgende Mantra singen wir zu Beginn jeder Yogastunde. Um deine Kontemplation zu vertiefen hier eine der vielen Interpretationen zur Bedeutung…..

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA ॐ नमः शिवाय

Oṃ Namaḥ Śivāya is one of the most popular Hindu mantras and the most important mantra in Shaivism.

Its translation is “adoration (namas) to Śiva”, preceded by the mystical syllable “Aum”.

Om Namah Shivaya mantra is sung by devotees in prayers and recited by yogis in meditation. It is associated with qualities of prayer, divine-love, grace, truth and blissfulness.

Traditionally, it is accepted to be a powerful healing mantra beneficial for all physical and mental ailments. Soulful recitation of this mantra brings peace to the heart and joy to the [Ātman] or Soul. Sages consider that the recitation of these syllables is sound therapy for the body and nectar for the soul [Ātman]. The nature of the mantra is the calling upon the higher self; it is the calling upon shiva, the destroyer deity, to aid in the death (destruction of ego) and rebirth achieved during meditation. This goes generally for mantras and chants to different gods, which are different aspects of the higher self.

Our Invocation

ॐ नमः शिवाय गुरवे

सच्चिदानन्द मूर्तये

निष्प्रपञ्चाय शान्ताय

निरालम्बाय तेजसे

OM

Namah Shivaya Gurave

I offer myself to the Light, the Auspicious One,

Who is the True Teacher within and without,

Saccidananda Murtaye

Who assumes the forms of Reality, Consciousness and Bliss,

Nisprapancaya Shantaya

Who is never absent and is full of peace,

Niralambaya Tejase

Independent in existence, the vital essence of illumination.

Om Namah Shivaya Gurave

The very first part of the chant is a Maha mantra, or great mantra. Om Namah Shivaya is one of the most widely used mantras in the world of yoga. It has been given to students by gurus and teachers throughout time. It is extremely effective to use in meditation, and a powerful phrase to recall when you need support.

OM, of course, is the primordial sound. It is the sound of the Universe experiencing itself. It is vibrating within everything. When you sing or chant OM, you are simply participating in something that always is.

OM contains within it all beginnings, every end, and all things in between. AUM is another way to write it. There are three parts to it: The ‘Ah’ sound signifies creation, or beginnings. U, or the ‘oooh’ sound is the sustaining factor, while ‘mmmm’ is the dissolution or end. So these three parts are contained in each moment, because OM is always present. The fourth aspect of OM is silence.

NAMAH is a deep honoring. It means to bow, yet it is a bow like no other – one that comes fully from the heart. It’s the awe you feel when you see great beauty like an ocean sunrise or a sparkling mountain lake. It is the gratitude within divine love, or the wonder and miracle of a perfect starlit night.

SHIVAYA comes from the word Shiva, which literally means ‘auspicious’. Shivaya describes the intrinsic goodness that exists within all things, because it is the nature of the energy that pulses and penetrates, creates and absorbs, all that is. Truly, at the essence of every being and every part of creation, there is this auspiciousness. That is Shiva.

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA, then can be described in many ways, but here are some of my favorites:

I bow to the power that is within me but not from me

I honor the goodness in myself and in the universe.

May I reveal and express the highest part of my heart.

I bow to Shiva – I bow to all of creation

I bow to the goodness within myself

I honor the goodness of my True Self

……………………and so on and so on and so on

GURAVE contains the word GURU, which is generally translated as “That which brings light to darkness”.

Gurave refers to the Guru Principle, which lives as us, through us, and in everyone else. This is the highest self; the light at the seed of every heart. And it shows up everywhere!

“If you know how to listen, everyone is the guru.” – Ram Das

So, Om Namah Shivaya Gurave teaches the foundational principles: Consciousness is in everything. One energy pervades all, its essence is goodness, and it is constantly guiding us.

Sachidananda Murtaye

This line describes the elements that compose all that is. The first word combines the three aspects of the energy of the universe – Sat Chit Ananda.

MURTAYE describes taking form. It derives of the word Murtie, which can be thought of as a form, image, or manifest thing of divinity and power. So the line basically says that Sat Chit Ananda has taken form.

SAT, CHIT, and ANANDA are the elements which comprise the all pervading goodness referred to in Om Namah Shivaya. Let’s break them down individually.

Some ways to think of “Sat”:

Being / Reality / Existance

Some descriptions of “Chit”:

Consciousness / Pure being with awareness / The power to Know

Attempts at describing “Ananda”:

The highest, supreme bliss / Pure delight / The power of ecstasy itself

Nisprapanchaya Shantaya

This line affirms that this guiding goodness that is reality, consciousness and bliss, is never absent. It is truly ALWAYS there. We sometimes forget, but that doesn’t change the fact that we ARE this energy, and it never for a moment ceases to support us.

NISPRAPANCHAYA describes transcending limitation. In this line it is a formless quality that surrounds and penetrates all with Shantaya.

SHANTAYA is a deep, abiding peace. Shanti is peace. Shantaya is a realm of peace; an ultimate peacefulness that is complete and all pervading.

Niralambaya Tejase

This line further describes Shiva, or the auspicious energy that Is, as completely free and illuminated.

NIRALAMBAYA means without support. Source has no outside support because there is nothing other than Source. It is completely free from limitation for it is all that is.

TEJASE is a light that is always present, even if we can’t see it. It is the fire of passion, the luminous divinity that is in every heart. It is the spark of the conception of a new being, the sparkling beauty that shines out through all of creation and within the meditative realms. It is the purest, most powerful light, and it is beaming its goodness within you!

Why we sing?

We sing this Invocation as a way to connect to the deepest truth, most profound peace, and brightest light of who we are and what we’re a part of. We sing to align with the highest intention, to remember who we really are, and to celebrate the wonder of life.

May your experience and understanding of this matra guide you on your path of light !

Namaste.