A Snowball is On Its Way!

This monkey looks ready for some naughty snowball action!

No, not the cold, slushy kind…a Snowball microphone is on its way! Why, you ask? Well, over the years, I’ve found myself involved in teaching seekers how to chant and pronounce mantras and prayers in Sanskrit. I’ve done this through one-on-one tutoring and also through chanting booklets that I created for Amma Sri Karunamayi’s bookstore. I consider it a great honor and blessing to do this, and have felt very gratified by people’s sincere appreciation for my help.

I’m not even sure how I got involved in this, because it was never something I “chose” for myself! I remember taking a Sanskrit course back in college at Yale, as part of my Religious Studies major. I’ve always had a natural facility with languages, and a pretty good ear for pronunciation and music, both very important in chanting. Ten years ago, when I spent the winter in Bangalore with Amma, she decided to teach Purusha Suktam to all the Westerners who were there. I had the golden opportunity to learn Sanskrit pronunciation sitting directly in front of Amma’s lotus feet. When others noticed how naturally the chanting came to me, they began asking me for help. I discovered that I really loved helping others learn sacred knowledge, and that this satisfied a certain yearning of my soul. The whole thing evolved in a very natural and spontaneous way. Then, since I knew devanagari and English transliteration, I ended up being asked to work on a Sri Suktam chanting booklet. And the rest, as they say, is history!

Over the years, many people have asked me to make recordings, which I’ve always avoided. It’s just not my nature to want to record myself. I’ve always been camera-shy, and I have to force myself to speak, chant or sing in front of groups. But people keep asking me to make recordings or help them learn mantras and other chants, so I’ve decided that one of the best ways I can serve others is by creating chanting tutorials (and that’s what I’ll need the special microphone for). Notice I didn’t say Sanskrit tutorials. I am not an expert in Sanskrit grammar or vocabulary. I do have some knowledge of grammar and vocabulary, but my main focus has always been on chanting itself. I’m interested in the divine energy contained within Sanskrit sounds, and the sacred states of consciousness they evoke, rather than grammar.

Sanskrit ~ A Divine Language of Celestial Light

Sanskrit truly is the language of the gods. The Sanskrit word for god is “deva,” which literally means “the shining one” or “divine being.” The written language for Sanskrit is called “devanagari,” which means “city of the gods.” So each written character is metaphorically a city in which a divine being resides. The sounds themselves are considered divine beings who express different celestial vibrations, for the benefit of all. When you read these kinds of things, it may be hard to accept or understand. For me, as soon as I first heard authentic Sanskrit chanting, I was immediately overwhelmed with all kinds of emotions I couldn’t begin to express. Listening to Anandi Ma sing Sanskrit bhajans, I felt overcome with love and devotion. Listening to Amma chant the Vedas, I would glide effortlessly into a blissful state of meditation. During certain pujas, listening to the ancient and exhilarating Sri Rudram, I felt as if I was floating in an infinite ocean of truth and beauty.

Once, on a trip to Tirupati, Amma took a group of Westerners to a Vedic school, in which young boys are taught to chant the Vedas in a very traditional, rigorous way. Even though Amma’s visit was a complete surprise to the schoolmaster, within minutes hundreds of boys started streaming into the auditorium. Then all the students very eagerly demonstrated the various Vedas they were learning. As soon as I heard all those young, pure voices chanting the holy Vedas in unison, I felt transported to another time, or even some heavenly realm. To my great embarrassment, tears began streaming from my eyes, and my body was shaking, as my heart overflowed with joy. Another Westerner there had the same reaction, and was sobbing uncontrollably. We kept passing tissues to each other, as our noses began running! Even now, just thinking about it brings goose bumps, or “God bumps” as my friend Erin calls them.

See? It really does look like a snowball!

Every now and then, I get a little rebellious or my scientific streak comes out, and I think, But how exactly is it possible that just pronouncing a few sounds can create such an amazing energy, or purify my consciousness, or burn my karma? How does it work? And yet, as soon as I start chanting or even listen to a recording of Sri Rudram, or Sri Lalita Sahasranama, my doubts are totally obliterated. I cannot doubt the amazing and sacred vibrations I feel when listening to Sanskrit chanting, whether it’s the Vedas, or a stotram, or even a simple mantra.

Sanskrit mantras are powerful tools for transformation, purification, and overall spiritual elevation, so I’m very excited to start doing tutorials. Of course, I’m not a guru, so I am not providing initiation into these mantras. I will be providing assistance with pronunciation, like a helpful tutor. There are many mantras and chants that don’t require initiation to receive benefits; this has been proclaimed by Amma many times, and it’s one of the reasons I love her so much. She’s done so much to teach sincere seekers all kinds of powerful mantras and hymns from the Divine Mother tradition of Sri Vidya. Most of what I’ve learned about chanting Sanskrit has come from Amma, and she has many mantra and learning CDs available. What I have found is that many Westerners, and sometimes Indians too, need a little more specific guidance to feel comfortable and confident in chanting. So as soon as the Snowball arrives (and I figure out how to use the darn thing), I’ll get to work on a tutorial for chanting Sri Ganesha Ekakshari Mantra, or “Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha.” (Always good to start with our beloved friend Ganapati!) Once I see how it goes, I may move on to longer and more difficult chants, if there is a lot of interest.

I suppose my dream job would be to get paid to teach Sanskrit chanting to sincere seekers, but so far that’s not my karma in this life! However, I feel such an urge to do this as a contribution to the world, that it doesn’t matter whether it’s my “job” or not. It’s my calling, a vocation, and I’m truly honored to be a channel for the universal flow of sacred knowledge into our precious world. Because really, when we chant Sanskrit mantras, we become a channel for very high levels of cosmic energy to flow into the world. Our bodies become energized by the sacred sounds, and then wherever we may go, we radiate blessings to people, animals, and plants. Our very breath purifies the air, and our touch energizes water and gives peace to Mother Earth. What a tremendous blessing! May we all spread peace, light and love, wherever we go.

Om sabda brahmane namaha
“I offer my loving reverence to the infinite Divine, which manifests for our benefit as sacred sound.”