A bijamantra (, in modern schwa-deleted Indo-Aryan languages: beej mantra), or a bijakṣara ("seed-syllable"), is a monosyllabic mantra believed to contain the essence of a given deity. They are found in Tantric Hinduism and in Esoteric Buddhism (Vajrayana / Mantrayana).
A bijamantra is ritually uttered for the invocation of a deity. It is considered the true name of the deity as well as a manifestation of the deity in sonic form. It is also found in religious art, often standing for a specific deity. A bījamantra can be regarded to be a mystic sound made of the first few characters of a given deity's name, the chanting of which is regarded to allow an adherent to achieve a state of spiritual sanctity. These mantras are also associated with the chakras of the body.
The Romanian scholar Mircea Eliade stated that an adherent who chants the semantically meaningless bījamantra "appropriates its ontological essence, concretely and directly assimilates with the god".
Hindu bijamantras A few of the major bijamantras in Hinduism include: Devanagari Transliteration Deity औं/ॐ auṃ Parabrahma श्रीं śrīṃ Lakshmiलक्ष्मीः lakṣmīḥ Mahalakshmi त्व्म्श्रीः tvamśrīḥ Mahasaraswati कामलीः kāmalīḥ Mahakali लक्ष्मीं lakṣmī Lakshmi ऐं aiṃ Saraswati क्लीं klīm Kali क्रीं krīṃ Kali ह्रौं hrauṃ Shiva श्वीं śvi Shiva गं gaṃ Ganesha हूँ hūṃ Shiva फट् phaṭ Destruction ह्रीं hrīṃ Bhuvaneshvari क्लीं klīṃ Shakti दुं duṃ Durga फ्रौं phrauṃ Hanuman सौः sauḥ parābīja / Parashakti दं daṃ Vishnuद्रांdrāṃDattatreya
Other notable bījamantras include Devanagari Transliteration Deity भ्रं bhraṃ Bhairava धूं dhūṃ Dhumavati ह्लीं hlīṃ Bagalamukhi त्रीं trīṃ Tara क्ष्रौं kṣrauṃ Narasimha हं haṃ Akasha यं yaṃ Vayu रां rāṃ Agni क्षं kṣaṃ Prithvi
Buddhist bījākṣaras Esoteric Buddhism contains numerous seed syllables with varying meanings. Depending on the tantra or on the tradition, they may represent different concepts, deities or forces.
The following are some common Buddhist bījākṣaras:Jayarava (2011). Visible Mantra: Visualising & Writing Buddhist MantrasHutchins, Steven J (2015). Thirteen Buddhas: Tracing the Roots of the Thirteen Buddha Rites, Introduction. Vivlia Limited +Sanskrit (IAST)Meaning / useDeityAThe unborn, emptiness, DharmakayaMahāvairocana, or other Adi-Buddha figuresāḥfound in oṃ āḥ hūṃAmoghasiddhi, Karma Buddha FamilyaṃSamantabhadra bodhisattvabhaiBhaiṣajyagurubhaḥShakyamunidhīḥPrajñāpāramita, from the Vedic word meaning to think, or meditateMañjusri, Prajñaparamita DevihrīḥCompassionAmitabha, Avalokiteshvara, Lotus FamilyhaEarthKṣitigarbha bodhisattvahūṃUsually found at the end of a mantra, e.g. oṃ āḥ hūṃ and can also mean the wind element in certain contexts (e.g. in the a vi ra hūṃ khaṃ mantra)AkshobhyamaiṃMaitreya, Vajra familymaṃMañjusrioṃUsually found at the beginning of Buddhist mantras, may signify the body, speech and mind of the Buddha in Tibetan Buddhism (when interpreted as A-u-m)tāṃTaratraṃRatnasambhava, Jewel Buddha FamilytrāḥĀkāśa (Space)Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattvaphaṭwrathful / subjugation of demons / forceful shoutvaṃ,for vac, the voice of the BuddhaMahāvairocana (in the Vajradhatu mandala)vithe water elementra, raṃfire element (e.g. in the a vi ra hūṃ khaṃ mantra)khaṃthe space elementhāṃAcala (Fudo-Myoo)
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