Yogi Ashwini

Consider this: In all the thousands of years of human existence, has pollution ever reached such a high level so as to make the environment unfit for living beings? In none of the previous yugas have so many diseases manifested and plagued mankind. The mind is, perhaps, the most powerful tool in all this. In fact, contamination first manifests in the mind as a selfish thought, this selfish thought permeates into a whole society creating distrust and greed, making the natural resources scarce and hazardous. The increasing corruption as well self-centeredness of individuals only makes the inhabited world worse. And when you add to this the gross misuse of ancient mantras and practices, it only increases the environmental pollution.
The entire creation emerged from just one sound, that of “Om”. Every sound in the creation effects a change in the physical body that might be positive (sur) or negative (asur). So for someone who has experienced the power of chanting mantras, it is distressing to hear frivolous use and wrong pronunciations of basic mantras all around. Incorrect chanting of a mantra can have disastrous effect while chanting of the right mantra has immediate positive results, not only by changing our environment but also our body.
A mantra is a combination of sounds that are chanted by the siddh of the mantra to manifest a desired energy in the physical world. Every sound of the mantra should be shudh (lucid) and the crests and troughs in a mantra should be strictly adhered to with complete reverence. Even the simple chant of “Om” essentially has three sounds, representing the trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, corresponding to the three forces Creation, Preservation and Transformation. These three forces are active in the physical as, “aaa” (as in ahem), “ooo”, (as in ouch) and “mmm” as the sound of the male bee. Chanting these three sounds in succession while maintaining awareness of the lower body during “aaa”, the middle body during “ooo” and head during “mmm” has the direct effect of balancing the vibrations of individual cells in the body. There are several sub-sounds within these that range from shrill to a whisper and even to silence (the sound of silence is the most powerful when heard). Each sound signifies a certain energy and so one has to be extremely cautious when chanting mantras.
Another abhorrent distortion of ancient practices is that of havan. Nowadays, havans are performed for everything and by everyone, a quick solution to problems and a way to the bank. In earlier times, when a havan was performed it cleansed the atmosphere, there was no black smoke emanating from it. I can say this with conviction because I have attended such havans by practitioners of Sanatan Kriya. The attendees are not restless but even during the longest of the havans people feel serene and peaceful. The smoke that comes out of the agni is actually aromatic and dissipates diseases and other negative energy of the attendees. The samagri and samheda are so pure, the mantras chanted so shudh that a havan releases positive vibrations in the environment and removes toxicity. This is the reason why yogis have a fire (dhuni) lit always and yet they stay healthy and glowing. The element of fire can never be polluted and anything that goes into it becomes cleansed. So ensure that not only the materials used in the havan are pure, but the thought that goes into it also is — and the one performing it must do it with the right intention.
The rishis of yesteryears gave us tools to survive and stay in harmony with nature. They laid emphasis on the fact that the physical world is just a mirror of the etheric worlds. So if you wish to make a change in the physical, do it from the etheric or the subtle, and not vice versa.

— Yogi Ashwini is an authority on yoga, tantra and the Vedic sciences. He is the guiding light of Dhyan Foundation. He has recently written a book, Sanatan Kriya: 51 Miracles... And a Haunting.
Contact him at dhyan@dhyanfoundation.com