Since April, when I attended the Deva Premal and Miten concert in Moscow, I haven’t been able to shake the thought of not just completing the task Deva suggested, but also involving you, my readers…
The other day, the girls from the women’s program reminded me about this — very timely, I must say, in light of the current energies of the Venus transit and the preparation for the solstice.
What the task is about
For 21 days, chant the Tibetan mantra daily, repeating the same phrase 108 times.
On a material level, mantra meditation leads to increased focus, relieves stress and tension, improves performance and memory, increases vitality, and fills the heart with joy. And on a spiritual level, it leads to enlightenment and unity with cosmic consciousness.
It seems to me that this is a wonderful moment to take on such a task.
Where to find the mantras
On Deva’s official website, only excerpts of mantras from the album in question — Tibetan Mantras for Turbulent Times — are posted… But on YouTube, you can find ALL of them. In any quantity.
At the concert, we all chanted the mantra Om Muni Svaha together 108 times.
From an interview with Deva Premal, 2010
— Why do mantras have healing properties — is it about the words, the music… or the silence that lies within the music itself, as you once said?
— It’s not the meaning of the words that matters, but their sound. These Sanskrit sounds are energetic phenomena; they resonate, they pulse with energy. So when they are spoken, they create a resonance in the body — they vibrate, and they can heal the body, mind, and soul. But most importantly, they connect us to the source of life energy itself — to God, if you like using that word. This happens not only when you repeat the mantras yourself. If you are near a place where they are being chanted, you will also feel their blessing — whether you know it or not!
And yes, music is also important. Especially in our case, as Miten and I truly love to sing mantras.
Traditionally, mantras are repeated without any specific melody, but if you add music to them, they take on a more accessible form. Sometimes you might notice yourself absentmindedly humming a tune and repeating a sacred prayer or mantra while wandering through a supermarket or doing any other chores… So music is important, because it must fully harmonize with the mantra, otherwise it will destroy its power rather than strengthen it.
And thirdly, yes, the silence itself is important. Silence is where the mantra comes from — from stillness, and because of that, it can also lead you to stillness. A very powerful moment is when both the mantra and the singing return to a state of stillness, dissolving into it. If you are aware of it, that moment can become transformative. So you are right, all three qualities are equally important — sound, music, and silence.
— It is said that many people have been healed through your music. Do you receive many letters describing such cases?
— Yes. And for Miten and me, it is a great honor to receive such letters. We feel that through the mantras, we connect with close friends all over the world. It is an unimaginable blessing to know that this music touches the lives of so many people.
“Some people also write that your music is suitable for transitional moments like birth and death… How would you explain that?”
“If music arises from a space of love, devotion, and self-surrender, then this music will inevitably carry you there. It will touch people’s hearts. It goes from heart to heart. Music is so different for many different people: it can be exciting, sensual, calming, intellectually stimulating, and so on. All of this is true — beauty is always present, resonating in various dimensions. Through mantras, our music apparently possesses healing power. And of course, that is exactly what you want in very tender and sacred moments.”
“For example, I don’t think anyone would want to listen to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony at the moment of birth. Nor at the moment of death. When I say that mantras have healing power, I mean that when we chant them, they very naturally lead us (almost without our awareness) to a place in our own hearts where it becomes easier to breathe. We relax, so we can pause for a moment to reflect on the miracle of life on this planet… with all its horrors, anger, and so on. The mantra reveals to us the true reality hidden beneath all of this — that everything is bliss. And that is the place where we live with our music.”
P.S. Source of the interview:
Photo — from their Facebook page