Mantra is a sacred utterance of a syllable, word or verse, which is considered to have possessed a mystical as well as spiritual efficacy. These words or syllables are generally used in Hinduism and Buddhism and are either spoken aloud or merely spoken internally in one’s inner thoughts by either continuously repeating them or sounded just once. Generally, most of these Mantras do not have any apparent verbal meaning but they are believed to have an unfathomable underlying significance which eventually are distillations of spiritual wisdom. The continuous repetition of a particular Mantra can instigate a trance like state of mind in the practitioner which can lead him or her to a different level of spiritual awareness. Similarly, different types of mantras are used to bring out other psychic or spiritual purposes. In Hinduism, the sacred syllable Om is one of the most powerful and widely used mantras while the Buddhist mantra of Om Mani Padme Hum is the principal mantra in Buddhism.
