Why every mantra starts with Om and ends with Swaha

Om and Swaha

Have you ever wondered why every mantra starts with Om and ends with Swaha? There are certain reasons behind both the words. Let’s discover…

Om

While worshipping God, a lot of mantras are chanted. But in every mantra, there is a holy word attached to it. That word is ‘Om’ i.e. ‘pranav’ . Whether Vedic, Pauranik or Beej Mantra, each one of these mantras are chanted starting with ‘Om’.

Secret

Actually, there is a secret behind using the word ‘Om’ before chanting every mantra. This secret is revealed in the Dharma Shastras. Click on the next slides to know this secret…

What the scriptures say

According to the scriptures, the whole world is composed of three properties: The three properties are – Raj, Sat and Tam.

Ekaakshar Brham

‘Om’ is believed to be the ekaakshar brham, which is the creator and destructor of the entire Nature. So, ‘Om’ is the ruler or God of the three properties of the world.

Parabrahma

Since Lord Ganesha is also Parabrahma of Nature, therefore, his name not just means ‘Gano ka eesh’, but also ‘Guno (qualities) ka eesh’.

Ganesha factor

In simple words, Lord Ganesha is not just the god of heaven, but also the god of qualities.

The reason for Om

This is the reason why ‘Om’ is also believed to be the symbol of Lord Ganesha. Being Mangalmuri, Lord Ganesha is the first God to be worshiped.

Chanting ‘Om’

This is the reason why the word ‘Om’ is used before chanting any mantra for the gods. Chanting ‘Om’ before any mantra means remembering Lord Ganesha before any other God.

Miraculous powers

The word ‘Om’ has miraculous powers and is highly auspicious. That is the basic reason for this

Why do mantras end with ‘Swaha’?

In the early days of creation, the devas were suffering from shortage of food. They approached Brahma for a solution.

Brahma

Brahma decided to convert the ‘havissu’ (offering during yagnas) offered by Brahmins into a usable form for the devas. Agni (fire), however, did not the ability to burn (dahanam) the offerings so that it could be used by the Devas

Meditation

Brahma meditated on Moola Prakriti (the primodial energy). A Godgess appeared and asked Brahma what he desired. He requested the Goddess to co-exist with agni, so that the offerings could be burned.

The tale

Brahma said, only when ‘havissu’ is offered with mantras ending with the Goddess’ name, can it reach the Devas. Thus, the goddess Swaha became Agni’s female counterpart and began co-existing with him.

Yagnas

Hence, we find that all the mantras during yagnas/yagnas end with the word “swaha”. A “havissu” offered to the fire would be done so with the word “swaha”. Agni derives his power to burn (dahana shakthi) from Swaha, his wife.

Source:- The Times of India (Speaking Tree)