Mantra for a Divine Mind

'The Śiva Saṅkalpa Sūktam is a Mantra or vow for developing calm clear thoughts, alignment to dharmic living, and strengthening resolve. It also powerfully rewires the brain and nourishes the subtle tissues to be more in harmony with the light of one’s Soul and one’s unique purpose in the Web of Nature.’

—Swami Veda Bharati

The Śiva Saṅkalpa Sūktam, a powerful six-verse mantra, forms the first six mantras of the thirty-fourth chapter of the Vajasaneyi Samhita of the Śukla Yajur Veda. It is also found in the Rudrastadhyayi of the Rg Veda and is regarded as an Upanisad. It is a prayerful wish for our mind that asks may my mind be filled with auspicious and Divine resolve.

In times like those we are currently living in, the mind can either be our best ally or our worst enemy. For most of us the idea of 'befriending' our mind and training it to be filled continuously with auspicious — positive and purposeful — thoughts has never even occurred as a possibility. 

This is where traditional yoga comes in.

Traditional yoga is entirely oriented toward this very endeavor — befriending the mind, purifying it, and employing it as our greatest tool for living a joyful and beautiful life, regardless of circumstances beyond our control.

Would you like to develop this sort of mind? You can. And here's how.

Traditional yogic meditation — like Vishoka® Meditation — is a system designed to prepare the mind for a special form of meditation called mantra sādhanā, or meditation practice with mantra.

Mantra is a sanskrit word for sacred sound with the power to pierce through the veils of confusion and delusion shrouding the mind and connect us directly with our core being. Mantra accelerates the efficacy of meditation and provides it with a high degree of specificity. The mantra we meditate upon specifies the direction of our mental and spiritual development and growth.

Enter the Śiva Sankalpa Sūkta — a six verse mantra which harnesses the mind and trains it in no uncertain terms to banish negativity and be filled with only the highest and most auspicious mental content. It hones our power of discernment and affords us the ability to see the bigger picture in life, greatly reducing experiences of dread, despair, anger and anxiety. The lessening of these experiences returns our power to its rightful place — our clear minds and pure hearts —  where it can be put to positive, purposeful use.

Sound good? Then let's go.

Beginning Monday, 6 April, we will gather for one hour a week for six weeks to learn this powerful sūktum in a community of like-intended practitioners. I will guide your pronunciation, give insight on each mantra's meaning, and share very helpful tips for memorization. Together, in community, we will empower our resolve to purify our minds through purposeful action.

Ready? Let's begin. 

6 April - 11 May

9:00 PDT / 12:00 EDT / 17:00 GEST / 16:00 CEST