another deity, and sometimes the wording (but not the meter^7 ) is modified so as
to fit the deity invoked or the aim pursued.
Regarding mantras in a non-Tantric context, we cannot overlook the
Yo ga s u ̄ tras of Patañjali, (1.27, 28) which say “The [term] expressing Him (that
is, I ̄s ́vara, the Lord) is the pran.ava” (tasya va ̄cakah.pran.avah.), and “[One should]
repeat and meditate intensely its meaning” (tajjapah.tadarthabha ̄vanam). The
Yo ga s u ̄ tras thus emphasize two essential aspects of mantra and mantric prac-
tice. On the one hand, that the mantra is the va ̄caka, i.e. that which “expresses”
the deity, that which brings about its presence for the utterer. The deity being
“to be expressed” (va ̄cya) by the mantra tends therefore, in the context of the
Indian conception of the power of the Word, to be considered as ontologically
secondary to it – a notion which was to be expatiated upon in the Tantric
mantras ́a ̄stra. Then, for the mantra to carry out its functions, it must be repeated
and intensely meditated. The repetition (japa) of mantras and their intense med-
itation (bha ̄vana^8 ) remain to this day two essential elements of mantric practice.
The meditation of mantras is also designated by the more general term dhya ̄na,
sometimes associated withjapa, repetition, in the compound japadhya ̄nam. In
this case, it is the continuous flow of thought applied to the mantra being
repeated that is emphasized rather than the intensity of concentration, as is
normal in practices whose aim is devotional rather than magical. The Pa ̄s ́upatas,
who were pre-Tantric S ́aivas, prescribed, too, a meditative muttering of mantras
(japa), but mainly so as to purify the soul of the worshipper and fix his attention.
Characteristically, the five brahmamantras (Aghora, Sadyoja ̄ta, etc.) used by the
Pa ̄s ́upata ascetics were called “the five purifiers” (pañcapavitra ̄n.i), a role of
mantras also mentioned by Vya ̄sa in his commentary on the Yogasu ̄ tras. For the
Pa ̄s ́upatas, however, the essential function of mantras was to obtain union with
the Lord (ı ̄s ́varasam.yoga).
But mantras were considered efficacious and necessary in all aspects,
religious and secular, of life in post-Vedic times. The Maha ̄bha ̄rata alludes to
their power. The images of deities were ritually established, that is, infused
with the being of the deity, with mantras. Mantras were also recited when
temples were built. The Arthas ́a ̄stra says that sowing is to be accompanied
by the uttering of appropriate mantras. From ancient times, mantras were
used for medical and magical purposes. The A ̄yurveda prescribes the use of
amulets inscribed with mantras to protect children from illnesses caused by
demons. Mantras were used also in veterinary medicine: the Hatya ̄yurveda, a
treatise on illnesses of elephants, said that no remedy should be used unless it
was consecrated with mantras. Mantras were also used in the administration of
the state, not only to propitiate the deity that protects the kingdom but also to
increase the wealth and power of the king, to support his armies in battle, and
so forth. A minister, in Sanskrit, is called mantrin, not only as a counsellor (root
MANTR) to the king, but also as being able to use mantras for political ends.
Such uses are, in fact, more tantric than s ́rautaorsma ̄rta. But many examples
of the uses of mantras in all walks of life in non-Tantric contexts could easily be
quoted.
mantra 483