When Gurumayi first spoke during the satsang on Mahashivaratri, thanking everyone for making time to chant the mantra, I felt that familiar, incandescent glow around my heart. Of course, I knew that’s why we were all here in the Universal Hall—to chant the mantra with Gurumayi. Still, when Gurumayi thanked us for doing this, I had an “Aha!” moment. I realized that this was a conscious choice each of us had made (even if it was the easiest, most obvious, most natural-feeling choice). We had decided to participate in satsang, to dedicate this time to the eminently worthwhile endeavor of chanting the mantra.
Gurumayi explained that it was auspicious to be chanting the mantra on Mahashivaratri, that this practice would bear fruit, and that the nectar of the mantra is very calming—especially when the fire of the world can be intense. I vividly remember my response when Gurumayi said this; I felt the truth of her words pulsing in me as though to some primordial rhythm, my heart seeming to beat in time with Lord Shiva’s damaru. I envisioned the mantra as a kind of balm, soothing not just my own being, but the entirety of this world. I became even more cognizant of the import of what we were doing—chanting as a sangham, in satsang with our Guru.
I also took Gurumayi’s words as a reminder of the power we have to effect change. Not just that—we have the responsibility to effect change. We have received the enlivened mantra from our Guru. The mantra is the sound-form of God. I first learned this from Gurumayi, and later I read more about it in the Shiva Panchakshara Stotram. It’s stayed with me ever since—this endlessly fascinating concept, this truth, that God is present in holy sound.
In the Shiva Panchakshara Stotram, a hymn by Adi Shankaracharya about the five syllables of the mantra (na-mah shi-va-ya), the sage explains that Lord Shiva lives in these syllables. The mantra is the Lord’s guise, his form. Moreover, the descriptions that Adi Shankaracharya gives of Lord Shiva—and by extension, the mantra—are very telling. The sage describes how Lord Shiva is anointed with water from the Ganges and with sandalwood paste, both of which are traditionally cooling substances. The implication is clear: the mantra has cooling, calming, healing qualities. There are words over which people go to war, and there are words that just as forcefully forge peace. These are those words—Om Namah Shivaya.
It’s been my experience that this assertion of the mantra’s power is not just theoretical. It is not some fanciful notion. I cannot tell you of how many stories I have heard from Siddha Yogis about the chants and saptahs that Gurumayi has held in the wake of natural or manmade disasters. Time and again, the severity of those disasters has been lessened—and in some cases, prevented—in the aftermath of Gurumayi’s satsang. It has happened frequently enough to defy coincidence or serendipity. Gurumayi has given us the image of the scintillating blue dome for the Siddha Yoga Universal Hall; I believe that, by chanting the mantra, we are fortifying the energy and environment created within this blue dome. The light of protection that we are fostering becomes more concentrated, more potent. And we surround ourselves in this light of protection. This light travels with us wherever we go.
One of the more recent examples that I can remember of the light of the mantra, the light of satsang, perceptibly expanding outward is from the beginning of 2020. At that time, Australia was being ravaged by wildfires. Gurumayi felt great sorrow over what was happening to the people, the animals, and the land of Australia. So on January 3, 2020, Gurumayi held a satsang in Shree Muktananda Ashram for the sole purpose of invoking blessings in the form of rain for Australia. During this satsang, we chanted the mantra Om Namah Shivaya. We also played rainmaker instruments as Gurumayi led us in singing the primordial sound AUM.
The next evening, on January 4, Gurumayi held another satsang, a live video stream specifically for Australia and New Zealand. Participants recited Shri Guru Gita, once again holding in mind the intention of sending prayers and blessings to Australia. Gurumayi has spoken about the power of sangham and how, when we join our voices, we have the strength to uplift the world. We have the ability to magnify auspiciousness. That is precisely what I felt was happening as we invoked Lord Shiva in these satsangs—as we supplicated the Adi Guru; as we prayed to Shanta, the embodiment of peace; as we beseeched Pashupati, the protector of all creatures.
In the hours and days that followed, Siddha Yogis from all over Australia wrote in to the Siddha Yoga path website to share about how rain had begun to fall consistently in parts of the country that had previously been beset by fire and drought. And while the fires were by that point so widespread that it took a few more weeks for them to be fully contained, Gurumayi’s satsangs had made a tangible difference. Things began to shift. The nectar of the mantra was, quite literally, soothing the fire of the world, even as we all contended with unimaginable loss.
As this example illustrates, the power of the mantra reaches far and wide—farther and wider, in fact, than we can conceive. One does not even need to be a Siddha Yogi to repeat the mantra or experience its benefits. So many people—whether they are friends with a Siddha Yogi, a family member of theirs, or just someone who has the happy luck of encountering the mantra in some other fashion—have found solace in repeating Om Namah Shivaya.
I want to know how you have been recalling your own experiences of the power of the mantra. Are you remembering the stories you’ve heard about the power of the mantra? Have you been journaling about your own experiences of the mantra? Have you been sharing about the mantra with others? Have you been encouraging them to begin their own practice of mantra japa?
My husband and I recently traveled home from overseas. Before our three connecting flights, we chanted verses 4 and 5of Shri Shiva Manasa Puja. Our family had also said prayers for our trip. On our second flight, soon after takeoff, our plane experienced catastrophic engine failure. We both immediately began repeating Om Namah Shivaya. Though I could feel my heart racing, the mantra was my refuge. By the grace of God, the flight crew quickly calmed the panicked passengers and the pilots performed a perfect emergency landing.
I am so grateful for the mantra and our Siddha Yoga path. Although this experience was terrifying, it was also a gift: to appreciate life to the utmost, and to focus on my sadhana so that when it is my time to go, I’ll be ready.
The next day, as our third flight took off, I asked Bade Baba to be with us. I immediately experienced his calm, powerful presence. During the long flight, I listened to the mantra and to Shri Guru Gita. Nothing was more important than that.
California, United States
I play Baba’s Om Namah Shivaya every night before I fall asleep because it envelops me in his love. I play it in the early morning or when I need a break in the afternoon for the same reason. I feel so blessed to be able to have this gift. I close my eyes and listen to him chanting the mantra, and Baba is with me!
Vermont, United States
Reading Eesha’s words, I recalled this experience of the power of the mantra.
My son was on his way back to college in Minnesota on a windy, cold, icy day. He was driving as we turned off the highway and hit black ice. We flew through the air, completely airborne. Instantaneously, “Om Namah Shivaya” burst loudly, forcefully, automatically, and repeatedly from my mouth, as we landed safely with a big “poof” at the bottom of a deep snow filled ravine.
I said to my son with the same loud, forceful voice, “Turn the engine on and drive back up to the road, Om Namah Shivaya.” The car seemed to fly back up to the road just as a carload of students passed by with startled faces. We then pulled into a gas station where several attendants, in amazement, helped us kick thick, packed snow off the bottom of our car.
The only damage to the car was a small dent in the hood which, for me, became a reminder of this experience of the great power of the mantra.
California, United States
For years, I have enjoyed entering meditation by listening to the Siddha Yoga Meditation Instructions by Gurumayi Chidvilasananda. Each time, I marvel that my Guru, a Shaktipat Guru, is repeating the mantra with me! Such a rare boon indeed! Gurumayi also reminds me to breathe deeply along with the mantra. In fact, she breathes with me.
Through this practice, my meditation has deepened. It only takes a few moments of following my breath with the mantra—flowing along with it like a river of grace—and then I drop into a most mysterious world.
Every meditation is different, and it is always a calming refuge for me from the world. When I come out of meditation, I am able to perceive my world more clearly and to know the actions I must take. It is wondrous.
My Guru’s exquisite, loving voice and the mantra are sweet balms to my heart! The power of this ancient mantra given so lovingly entices me to meditate every day. I am so grateful that we have this Siddha Yoga recording to meditate with.
New York, United States
There are times when I feel emotionally charged and ready to react strongly. In those moments, I can sense my mind running loose, and I know I must rein it in—otherwise I may not be able to prevent the damage that my reaction could cause.
At such times, it is only the mantra that acts as a greater force for me. It gently pulls me back, guiding me toward silence and a pause. I feel as if I am being held firmly in its energy, which protects me and, at the same time, the other person as well.
Gradually, the urge to react fades away. I lose interest in responding impulsively. If this is not a miracle, then what is?
Thane West, India
After the Mahashivaratri satsang with Gurumayi in the Siddha Yoga Universal Hall, our family incorporated a new practice into our children’s nighttime routine: to whisper the mantra, just like Gurumayi did during the satsang.
After reading a bedtime story and saying our prayers, I say Om Namah Shivaya once, and then our children continue saying the mantra—each repetition in a little lower volume, and lower and lower, until they are whispering it, and it becomes almost inaudible.
Sometimes our children laugh because it is so soft that it is barely audible. Sometimes in the last whispered repetition, our five-year-old falls asleep. It is a beautiful and soothing way of inviting the mantra into our sleep.
We are grateful to Gurumayi for making the practices so accessible and significant to seekers of all ages.
California, United States
Mantra japa is my favorite practice. Most days I listen to a digital version of Gurumayi chanting the mantra Om Namah Shivaya as it plays quietly in the background.
The sounds are very soothing, and my mind instantly relaxes and calms. The mantra seems to cool the fires of agitation and distraction until I know that I am both divinely protected and guided.
I continue this practice mentally wherever I go, repeating the syllables in coordination with each footfall as I walk. The mantra is my “constant companion” in life, and for me, my Guru’s highest gift.
Arizona, United States
A year ago, after several transitions in my life, a new and unknown chapter began. I had been feeling somewhat lost, disconnected, and sad, and I inwardly asked Gurumayi what I should do about these feelings.
That night, I clearly heard her voice repeating the mantra along my spine. In that moment, I knew this was where I needed to connect.
Over the past year, a new relationship with the mantra and with my surroundings has unfolded. I have allowed myself to simply “be” with the mantra. For me, this reflects the first line of Gurumayi’s Message for 2026, “Renew! Reset your mind,” which I have been practicing by gradually replacing the ordinary movements of my mind with a vision that reflects the highest Truth.
When I chant the mantra at satsangs, I feel an even deeper joy in this renewed connection, knowing that together, our voices become one—a collective and powerful blessing and prayer for nature, the world, and all beings within it.
Melbourne, Australia
As I read Eesha’s account of the blessings Gurumayi poured upon Australia during the bush fires of 2020, I re-experienced the holiness and power of Gurumayi’s grace during that time.
I remember getting up early to walk my dog on the morning of January 4, the day of the satsang organizedfor Australia and New Zealand in particular. Raindrops began to fall, at first one by one and then in sprinkles. I was astounded! “Can that be rain?” I marvelled. Then, as I drove to the Siddha Yoga Ashram in Melbourne to participate in the satsang, it began to rain in earnest. Yes! It began to pour. It was just extraordinary!
Even now as I recall this, my mind cannot quite fathom the power of the Guru’s grace, intention, and enlivened mantra. And my heart wants to breathe in the full magnitude of this grace, to open to the holiness of it more and more.
Remembering all this brings into sharp focus that the intention I hold for the good of all is significant, and that my actions, words, and thoughts must be uplifted ones. For this, my mind and body need the “calming” and “healing” power of the mantra.
Langwarrin, Australia
In March 2020, I started offering 108 repetitions of the mantra Om Namah Shivaya for the world. I was inspired by Gurumayi’s talk during the first livestream of Be in the Temple, during the Covid-19 pandemic. At that time, doctors, nurses, and many others were working tirelessly to care for people and keep daily life running. As a spiritual seeker, I asked myself what I could offer. The answer that arose was—the enlivened Siddha Yoga practices!
I began repeating Om Namah Shivaya 108 times, twice a day, before my morning meditation and at night before sleep. Sometimes I pictured the mantra forming a ring of protection, love, and peace around the planet. At other times, it was like a gentle mist moving through forests, mountains, and cities.
Over the years, I have also offered the So’ham and Guru Om mantras and sometimes Gurumayi’s Message for the year. With this continuing daily practice, I feel a deep connection between me and our beautiful planet. I feel the world is within my heart, like a powerful orb of divine shakti.
Bangalore, India
Chanting the mantra with Gurumayi on Shivaratri was profoundly significant for me during these times when the world seems on fire, because I felt that I was experiencing the fulfillment of a vision given to me during a meditation in a Shaktipat Intensive with Gurumayi many years ago.
In this vision, I felt I was being shown that a time would come when so many devotees of the Lord from all traditions would be praising him and praying at one time that it would cause a great transformation on earth.
This profound feeling has stayed with me as I have done mantra japa and chanted the Name every day since the satsang in the Siddha Yoga Universal Hall. I feel a part of something much greater than myself. I feel empowered and joyful to be experiencing life in these times.
California, United States
When Eesha mentioned once again that Gurumayi sees the Siddha Yoga Universal Hall as having a “scintillating blue dome,” it reminded me of the beautiful image that came to me when I first heard this: a “scintillating blue” sphere surrounding and nurturing the entire planet.
Then it made perfect sense to me how the practices, like chanting the mantra together in satsang in the Siddha Yoga Universal Hall, could have such a powerful effect anywhere—as it did for Australia, to cool the raging wildfires that were ravaging the country.
I feel so fortunate to be able to play my part in supporting Gurumayi’s mission and initiatives at this crucial time.
Washington, United States
I recently spent ten days on vacation by the sea, immersed in nature, with the sun warming me both inside and out. I often felt a strong desire to chant the mantra Om Namah Shivaya with my japa mala. It was a wonderful ten days.
When I returned, my heart was open and full of enthusiasm, but I immediately received painful news regarding a dear friend’s health.
I felt very sad, but I’m certain that if I hadn’t chanted the mantra throughout my vacation, I would have felt much worse. My state of mind allowed me to remain in balance myself and to spread peace when I was with his entire family.
I thank God for having found strength and protection in the divine mantra.
San Giorgio a Cremano, Italy
I am grateful for this reminder of the privilege and responsibility to offer mantra repetition to uplift our world. After the satsang on Mahashivaratri, those of us attending the local Siddha Yoga chanting and meditation group stood around sharing stories of the power of the mantra.
It felt like a sacred time.
Minnesota, United States
After the satsang on Mahashivaratri, I began playing the mantra Om Namah Shivaya continuously, twenty-four hours a day—while I worked, cleaned, cooked, ate, and even while I slept, so that if I woke briefly in the night the mantra would be there and also it would be the first thing in my mind when I woke up in the morning. Like waves on a beach, smoothing away the thousands of footsteps in the sand, the mantra cleansed my mind of the thousands of daily impressions of my thoughts.
After a week, I began experiencing a deep, oceanic peace in my heart.
Malinalco, Mexico
Mantra japa and its energy are unmatched. During the recent lunar eclipse following Mahashivaratri, I practiced repeating the mantra with the help of a japa mala. It was my first time doing so. While I began this activity being fully conscious, after I had gone through the mala just two times, I lost all conscious awareness. I become submerged in the mantra and its repetition, so that, with my eyes closed, I was saying the mantra to myself and moving the beads on my mala with no awareness at all. When I came back to consciousness, I had no idea how many times I had gone around my japa mala. By then, the lunar eclipse had ended.
For me this was an unforgettable demonstration of the power of the mantra—of the intensity the mantra has when it is repeated with devotion!
Kota, India
I want to share that, by Gurumayi‘s grace, I am replacing my thoughts with the mantra and changing my speech. The mantra is such a great help in keeping my mind pure. When I repeat the mantra, it gives me the strength to witness the events of my life and to offer my very best to others in what I say to them.
Le Bosc, France
The mantra Om Namah Shivaya has saved me countless times from the stressful chaos of the work I do in a dental clinic. Whenever I have felt caught by a whirlwind of activity at work, repeating the mantra silently has brought soothing and calming grace into my heart and mind.
Saint-Laurent, Canada
Years ago, I was in a car accident. The car I was driving ran off the road, rolled over one and a half times, and landed on its roof in a ditch. I vividly remember spontaneously repeating Om Namah Shivaya throughout the entire episode, even after the car came to rest upside down with me hanging from the seat belt. I was unharmed. Fortunately, my accident did not damage anyone or anything except the car.
What a blessing it was to find the mantra arise as an involuntary reflex while I confronted those moments of powerlessness and possible catastrophe! The mantra superseded my fear and held me.
I am so grateful for Eesha’s installment about the mantra’s power and my responsibility to use it for good in this world, especially now. Doing my Siddha Yoga sadhana has taught me to love this world, and I now feel more deeply connected to my ability and my dharma to nurture the world I love.
New York, United States
The mantra Om Namah Shivaya has supported me throughout the forty-four years of my sadhana. Whenever I need to connect to the peace and stillness of the Self, I turn to the mantra.
In February 2022, a friend of mine, who also practices Siddha Yoga, had a stroke. Although she could barely speak, she called me from the hospital. She was reaching out to me to connect her with the mantra. Due to the effects of the stroke, she was unable to chant or even form the words of the mantra in her head.
I stood beside my CD player, the phone in my hand, and started to chant the mantra along with Gurumayi so my friend could hear us. Gradually, she managed to form the words of the mantra and joined in, her voice fragile and tentative.
For both of us, it was such a strong and moving experience of the power of the mantra. From that moment on, she gradually regained her speech.
Llwynygroes, United Kingdom
I am grateful for these reflections on the mantra and on Gurumayi’s words. In my daily life, the mantra often arises of its own accord. For example, as I walk in the forest, tuning in to nature, the rhythm of my pace often naturally aligns with my repetition of the mantra. And every time I find myself facing a challenging situation, when darkness seems to gather, aligning my breath with the repetition of the mantra is the most soothing practice I know.
Hørsholm, Denmark
One of my family members is currently facing an extremely difficult situation. I recently visited her to offer my help. Each night while I slept, I played the mantra, and I felt it giving me strength, support, and protection. When I woke up in the night with stressful thoughts related to the situation, I fastened my mind to the mantra, and I felt the mantra steadying me.
With the support of the mantra and grace, I was able to be a steady presence for my family member. While she is not on the Siddha Yoga path, she does believe in God. So I talk to her about God’s protection. And I can feel that my experience of the mantra, God, and the Guru’s grace comes through to her when we talk about God.
My family member’s challenges are ongoing, and, through Eesha’s words, I feel Gurumayi’s teachings reaching me so personally and poignantly, guiding me to continue to chant, repeat, listen to, and hold my attention on the mantra. In doing so, I sense all will be well.
California, United States
For me, the mantra is a lifeline. It gives me strength and protection. It represents unity in the midst of duality. It is the light that dispels darkness. The mantra is the ground on which I walk and the golden shell that constantly surrounds and protects me. The mantra is the sacred goal that I have the ability to achieve again and again in every single moment.
Konolfingen, Switzerland
In 2007, dangerous wildfires were burning out of control in the San Diego area in southern California. The winds were too high for the firefighters to stop the fires from spreading. Authorities evacuated over half a million people, including me and many friends.
When Gurumayi heard about these fires, she held a chanting satsang in Shree Muktananda Ashram. Not long afterward, the winds abated, and the firefighters were able to gain control and stop the fire’s forward progress. I am convinced that this happened through the power of the mantra and Shri Gurumayi’s grace.
