________________
17. Mantra, Yantra
And Sound : A Scientific Analysis
Samsāra i.e.cosmos and time are both ever-flowing like the current of a river. There is a proverb in English : "We cannot cross the same river twice." Once we have crossed a river, we cannot cross it again. I.e. When we cross the river again, the water is not the same. In this ever changing cosmos, every living being wishes to be happy and no one wishes to be unhappy. Of course, for every man and for the same man at different times, definitions of hap and unhappiness go on changing. If all these definitions of happiness and unhappiness are to be summed up in a one/single definition, one can say that attainment of what is desired and separation from what is not desired, is happiness; and separation from what is desired and attainment of what is not desired, is unhappiness.
Happiness and unhappiness comes to every soul in consequence of good or bad karmas i.e. deeds done by him previously. Sometimes, worldly happiness may not be happiness in reality and sometimes externally appearing worldly unhappiness may not be unhappiness in reality because there is no difficulty about enduring the unhappiness in the hope and expectation of attaining happiness in future. Really speaking, our state of mind alone is the source of our happiness.
Every man in the world makes efforts to get the peace of mind. Man always goes on making various efforts for it. In their efforts, those who seek the shelter of yogis, accomplished great souls, get with blessings the strength of enduring and reducing mental, physical and worldly troubles.
For destroying our unhappiness and for getting us happiness, ancient sages have taught us many kinds of mantras, mystical diagrams (yantras) and various branches of knowledge (Vidyās). Thus we can reduce or fully eliminate our bad karmas by means of many kinds of mantras (spells), yantras (mystical diagrams), tantras (religious text of mystical formulae for attainment of
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org