Sanskrit Language and Mantra

The following is from a Facebook Group post on January 7, 2016

A few notes on the Sanskrit language and mantra. I don’t care or think about the mantras which any of you may or may not use. My opinion is, if someone wants to repeat a mantra, then repeat any mantra in any way that pleases you. Having stated my simple opinion, it could serve some purpose to look a bit more at the details and special circumstances. Fundamentally, the sound, thus pronunciation of the mantra, is the deity being worked with. If I pronounce a mantra one way and you are pronouncing it a different way, that is fine with me, but we are obviously doing different mantras because we are making different sounds. For individual work this is fine and I have nothing to say or comment about that.

This concept of individuality, do what you will, or perhaps just bad pronunciation is however completely unacceptable in group work. You must repeat the mantras in the same form and pronunciation as the Chakra Raja who is leading the event. If you don’t want to do that, then it is much better for everyone if you do not participate in chanting mantras with that group. In the case where you are willfully going your own way and loudly repeating a variant mantra, you are diluting the group dynamic and perhaps confusing others. If you are oblivious to what the leader is doing then you have no valid concept of what is important in that setting or going on in group work. This is what I call the “hillbilly syndrome” based on the overly simplified idea that any sound you may be bellowing must be the correct since you are “participating”. Please listen because this is not always the case.

A good example of the confounding can be found in the case of seed bijas. When we look in a Sanskrit dictionary, we can find that the correct pronunciation includes the “m” ending such as the example “Hreem”. Many do not know or understand that terminating these seeds with “m” is a modern invention which occurred and became the “correct” convention in one of the many redos when tidying up the Sanskrit language. Many of these bijas had already been pronounced for millennia as “Hreeng” for example. I pronounce these bijas with the older “ng” termination because they resonate better which was why that was used in the first place. This case is interesting because looking up the correct pronunciation will only tell the story of the reformed and modern approach.

Another example is my initiation name, Kapilnath. Most people pronounce this name in an English transliteration of cap-ill-not. Pronounced just like the English words indicate. Perplexity creeps in when no Sanskrit speaker would know what that pronunciation might signify or mean. This is because that Sanskrit word is not pronounced that way. It is much closer to cup-eel-not. While I spent a few years attempting to correct this, I eventually gave up trying to correct the hillbillys and inattentive. Mahendranath suggested years ago that Sanskrit be avoided in the INO because basically, only a handful of people know the language even a bit or can even be bothered to look up any Sanskrit word even if they are using them for some purpose. So, be advised to not use Sanskrit or if you do, take the time to check a pronunciation guide. Pronounce exactly as the Chakra Raja or group leader does in group work, especially in the case of Shabar (composite) mantras which are neither Sanskrit or any other language exactly, simply a collection of syllables and sound. Naths and intelligent people do well to take notice of details and avoid the low fly syndrome which lowers the standards to the level of a frat house toga party (all in good fun) which no Greek or advanced Natha would care to attend. Shorely shum mishtakes. No real need or purpose to proliferate and extend simple ignorance or sloppiness. End of clarification.

Thanks for your time.
Kapilnath