A mantra is a sacred utterance, sound, syllable, word, or group of words.
Here are the mantras we've chosen for this album:
Gajananam Bhuta
Spiritual gatherings and kirtans are traditionally opened with a Ganesha mantra to clear obstacles, tune in to "right timing", and create a grounding presence for what is to come. Eddie and Kathy chose to open their album with this Ganesha mantra:
I Salute Ganesha, who has an elephant face, who is served by the Bhuta Ganas (followers), who eats the core of the wood apple and rose apple fruits, son of the Devi Uma (Parvati), and the cause of the destruction of sorrow. I bow at the lotus feet of the one who is the remover of obstacles.
To the main mantra, we added something we call a nama puja, repeating 15 different names/expressions of Lord Ganesha.
The sounds of the bells, the cows, and the chatterings are what one might hear in and around the many Ganesha Temples throughout India.
Hare Hare Gangadahr
When Kathy visited Rishikesh for the first time, she met a group of Rishikumars (young sages in training). Every night they would gather for the ritual ganga aarti at the river and Manohar Prasad, the senior Rishikumar, would lead the chanting. She loved the devotion in his voice.
When she heard Manohar chanting this beautiful mantra she was enchanted by his quiet devotion. She couldn't wait to get to her harmonium and chant it herself. Eddie and Kathy put their expression of this mantra on the album, but what they really wanted was to open the track with Manohar’s beautiful, simple voice of devotion.
Candra Sekharaya
This is one of the ancient Shiva mantras that Kathy heard for the first time in Rishikesh as her Sanskrit teacher, Anandra George, sang it in the traditional call and response style of kirtan. As the mantra percolated in her consciousness, Kathy began to imagine the call and response being “sung” by voice and responded to by cello.
The translation:
Reverent salutations to the one with the crescent moon in his hair (peaceful mind), the giver of the Ganga (endless flow of compassion), Shiva!
Anandamayi
Kathy learned about this simple, profound mantra written by Sri Aurobindo around 1927. The text was first published as a message to his followers in 1955. Later, the Mother herself, Anandamaya Ma, completed the transliteration in her own hand.
Anandamayi - She, full of Bliss
Caitanyamayi - She, full of Consciousness
Satyamayi - She, full of Truth,
Paramesvari - She, who is Supreme
She was speaking of Shakti, the creative power of Divine Consciousness in manifest form.
Kathy loved this idea, but wanted to couple it with another mantra that whispers a prayer for auspiciousness in all creation – earth, water, fire, air, sky, sun, moon, planet, all living beings, our bodies, minds & spirits, extending to everything and everyone.
This is a mantra of universal goodwill. When we chant this we are aligning with a prayer for all elements & beings in the universe to abide in the auspiciousness of harmony, goodwill & peace. And we are recognizing that this power of auspiciousness comes directly from Paramesvari, She, who is supreme.
Shiva Shakti
Shiva is formless, transcendent consciousness. Shakti is the creative power of that consciousness. But they are not separate. There are no distinct boundaries between the two. There is no Shiva without Shakti, and no Shakti without Shiva.
This mantra celebrates this divine expression of consciousness (Shiva) through manifest creation (Shakti).
Om Shiva!! Shree Shakti!!
Saccharananda
This mantra reminds us of what our true nature is. Underneath all the mind chatter, underneath all the emotional highs and lows that are attached to the mind chatter, we are eternal bliss.
The process of spiritual practice is simply about removing the impediments to our ability to see ourselves as we really are – an extension and expression of the completely free and blissful Divine Consciousness – and to access the blissful freedom that is always already our real being, our true nature. The translation:
Saccharananda – the bliss of a way of being that is in alignment with one’s true nature
Parapurnam - the most supreme, which is whole & perfect
Shivoham – I am pure consciousness
Nityananda –Eternal bliss is my true nature
Anandoham – I am bliss
Soham – I am that
Shiva Groove
Most of the cuts on this album started with Kathy bringing the mantra and the music for the mantra, then Eddie bringing it to life through his cello. But with this one, Eddie brought this interesting composition with cello and percussion complimenting one another. Kathy put the words of a Shiva mantra over the cello.
Ganesha Mula Mantra
This mantra begins with 6 Bija mantras (seed sounds). In the Sanskrit language, the sound and the form are the same, they are not separate. Here is a little understanding of these seed sounds:
Aum is that all-pervading primordial sound of the Universe.
Shreem is the bija mantra for the Goddess Lakshmi, that energy of abundance.
Hreem is the heart of the cosmic mother.
Kreem is the seed sound for Kali, power, wisdom.
Glaum is the Ganesha bija for stability.
Gam is also a Ganesha bija and elicits the root of stability.
Vara means blessing. Da means please give. Vara Vara Da, shower your grace on me, not once, but always Vara Vara Da.
Sarva Janam. Normally we understand Janam to mean people. “People” means anything that influences us. So external people are there, but internal people are our thoughts. External and internal associations are called Sarva Janam. Externally the people, the places, the animals, everything in the world, but internally, the thoughts, the speech. These are the internal “people”.
Vasamaanaya means let it be under my control. And before focusing on the control of external world, we focus on the control of internal senses. Control of our thoughts, our speech, which then brings control of our actions. When we have control of our internal landscape, the external world doesn’t affect us so much. So now this becomes very Sattvic. Very balanced.
Sarva Janam Me, when we are in control of ourselves, the whole world will be in our control because those external bumps in the road won’t affect us.
Swaha we say when we are doing a fire ritual when we are offering our prayers to Agni Deva, Fire God.
Where is the Agni Deva here? This Agni Deva is that fire within. On that agni, which controls all our actions, we are offering this mantra. That is why we say Swaha. We are offering our prayer into the internal fire.
Spiritual gatherings and kirtans are traditionally opened with a Ganesha mantra to clear obstacles, tune in to "right timing", and create a grounding presence for what is to come. Eddie and Kathy chose to open their album with this Ganesha mantra:
I Salute Ganesha, who has an elephant face, who is served by the Bhuta Ganas (followers), who eats the core of the wood apple and rose apple fruits, son of the Devi Uma (Parvati), and the cause of the destruction of sorrow. I bow at the lotus feet of the one who is the remover of obstacles.
To the main mantra, we added something we call a nama puja, repeating 15 different names/expressions of Lord Ganesha.
The sounds of the bells, the cows, and the chatterings are what one might hear in and around the many Ganesha Temples throughout India.
Hare Hare Gangadahr
When Kathy visited Rishikesh for the first time, she met a group of Rishikumars (young sages in training). Every night they would gather for the ritual ganga aarti at the river and Manohar Prasad, the senior Rishikumar, would lead the chanting. She loved the devotion in his voice.
When she heard Manohar chanting this beautiful mantra she was enchanted by his quiet devotion. She couldn't wait to get to her harmonium and chant it herself. Eddie and Kathy put their expression of this mantra on the album, but what they really wanted was to open the track with Manohar’s beautiful, simple voice of devotion.
Candra Sekharaya
This is one of the ancient Shiva mantras that Kathy heard for the first time in Rishikesh as her Sanskrit teacher, Anandra George, sang it in the traditional call and response style of kirtan. As the mantra percolated in her consciousness, Kathy began to imagine the call and response being “sung” by voice and responded to by cello.
The translation:
Reverent salutations to the one with the crescent moon in his hair (peaceful mind), the giver of the Ganga (endless flow of compassion), Shiva!
Anandamayi
Kathy learned about this simple, profound mantra written by Sri Aurobindo around 1927. The text was first published as a message to his followers in 1955. Later, the Mother herself, Anandamaya Ma, completed the transliteration in her own hand.
Anandamayi - She, full of Bliss
Caitanyamayi - She, full of Consciousness
Satyamayi - She, full of Truth,
Paramesvari - She, who is Supreme
She was speaking of Shakti, the creative power of Divine Consciousness in manifest form.
Kathy loved this idea, but wanted to couple it with another mantra that whispers a prayer for auspiciousness in all creation – earth, water, fire, air, sky, sun, moon, planet, all living beings, our bodies, minds & spirits, extending to everything and everyone.
This is a mantra of universal goodwill. When we chant this we are aligning with a prayer for all elements & beings in the universe to abide in the auspiciousness of harmony, goodwill & peace. And we are recognizing that this power of auspiciousness comes directly from Paramesvari, She, who is supreme.
Shiva Shakti
Shiva is formless, transcendent consciousness. Shakti is the creative power of that consciousness. But they are not separate. There are no distinct boundaries between the two. There is no Shiva without Shakti, and no Shakti without Shiva.
This mantra celebrates this divine expression of consciousness (Shiva) through manifest creation (Shakti).
Om Shiva!! Shree Shakti!!
Saccharananda
This mantra reminds us of what our true nature is. Underneath all the mind chatter, underneath all the emotional highs and lows that are attached to the mind chatter, we are eternal bliss.
The process of spiritual practice is simply about removing the impediments to our ability to see ourselves as we really are – an extension and expression of the completely free and blissful Divine Consciousness – and to access the blissful freedom that is always already our real being, our true nature. The translation:
Saccharananda – the bliss of a way of being that is in alignment with one’s true nature
Parapurnam - the most supreme, which is whole & perfect
Shivoham – I am pure consciousness
Nityananda –Eternal bliss is my true nature
Anandoham – I am bliss
Soham – I am that
Shiva Groove
Most of the cuts on this album started with Kathy bringing the mantra and the music for the mantra, then Eddie bringing it to life through his cello. But with this one, Eddie brought this interesting composition with cello and percussion complimenting one another. Kathy put the words of a Shiva mantra over the cello.
Ganesha Mula Mantra
This mantra begins with 6 Bija mantras (seed sounds). In the Sanskrit language, the sound and the form are the same, they are not separate. Here is a little understanding of these seed sounds:
Aum is that all-pervading primordial sound of the Universe.
Shreem is the bija mantra for the Goddess Lakshmi, that energy of abundance.
Hreem is the heart of the cosmic mother.
Kreem is the seed sound for Kali, power, wisdom.
Glaum is the Ganesha bija for stability.
Gam is also a Ganesha bija and elicits the root of stability.
Vara means blessing. Da means please give. Vara Vara Da, shower your grace on me, not once, but always Vara Vara Da.
Sarva Janam. Normally we understand Janam to mean people. “People” means anything that influences us. So external people are there, but internal people are our thoughts. External and internal associations are called Sarva Janam. Externally the people, the places, the animals, everything in the world, but internally, the thoughts, the speech. These are the internal “people”.
Vasamaanaya means let it be under my control. And before focusing on the control of external world, we focus on the control of internal senses. Control of our thoughts, our speech, which then brings control of our actions. When we have control of our internal landscape, the external world doesn’t affect us so much. So now this becomes very Sattvic. Very balanced.
Sarva Janam Me, when we are in control of ourselves, the whole world will be in our control because those external bumps in the road won’t affect us.
Swaha we say when we are doing a fire ritual when we are offering our prayers to Agni Deva, Fire God.
Where is the Agni Deva here? This Agni Deva is that fire within. On that agni, which controls all our actions, we are offering this mantra. That is why we say Swaha. We are offering our prayer into the internal fire.