puranon men varnit safal sadhkon ke jivan charit jansadharan ke lie prerna srot ka karya karte hain. mantra ki vyakhya men kaha gaya hai: ‘mannat trayte yasmat tasyat tasyay mantra udaddhritah.’ arthat ‘‘jiske manan aur chintan dvara dukh aur kasht se nivritti hokar anand ki prapti hoti hai uska nam mantra hai.’’ mantra men nishtha, vishvas tatha vidhipurvak jap karne se sadhak ko manorath siddhi aur mukti ki bhi prapti hoti hai. ‘agni puran’ men jap ki vyakhya is prakar ki gai hai: jakaro janm vichchedah pakarah pap nashkah. tasyajjay iti prokto janm pap vinashkah.. arthat, ‘‘ja’’ se abhipray janm ka vichched aur ‘pa’ ka arth hai papon ka nivaran.’’ mantra-jap dvara janma-maran aur papon ka nash hota hai. mantra sadhna men ek yogya guru se diksha v margadarshan, shraddha, vishvas, shuddh uchcharan tatha drirh sankalp param avashyak hota hai. kisi vishesh uddeshya ki purti ke nishchit avdhi men nirdharit mantra sankhya jap ke bad dashansh ka havan v havan sankhya ke dashansh ka tarpan ‘anushthan’ kahlata hai. grah pira shanti ke lie grah ka mantra aur jap sankhya shastron dvara nirdharit hai. prarabdh (karmafala) ke prabal hone par kabhi-kabhi vanchit purn labh nahin milta.
vyavharik rup se ishtadev ka anugrah vishesh hi mantra hai. mantra ek avyakt devta shakti ko abhivyakt karne vali shakti hai. mantra ka devta se ghanishthatam sanbandh hai. mantra ko devta ka svarup v atma bhi kaha gaya hai (devasya mantrasvarupasya). jansadharan ki suvidha ke lie hamare prachin rishiyon ne apni kathin sadhna dvara parmatma-gyan aur divya-drishti se pratyek devta ke mantra se uske sukshm bij ko prithak kiya hai. jaise ek sukshm bij men vriksh ka akar, gun, svabhav v shakti nihit hoti hai, usi prakar kisi devta ke ‘bijmantra’ men uska svarup, prabhav, tej, shakti evan sabhi gun nihit rahte hain. prani keval apne prayatn se to brahm ya devta ko nahin pa sakta, parantu mantra v bijmantra svayan devta ki chetna yukt dhvani-sharir hone ke karan sadhak ke ishtadevta tak pahunchne men nishchit rup se sadhan banta hai. bijmantra mantron ke jivrup hote hain. atah mantra ka jap bij mantra sahit hi karna chahie. jaise ‘gan’ ganpti ka, ‘ain’ sarasvati ka, ‘dun’ durga ka, ‘krin’ kali ka evan ‘shrin’ lakshmi ji ka bij mantra hai. bij mantra ke jap se devta ke pratyaksh darshan hote hain. devtayaah sharirantu bijadutpadyate dhravam).
mantron ki shakti aur prabhav ko gosvami tulsidas ji ne shri ramchritmans’ men is prakar vyakt kiya hai: mantra mahamni vishay vyal ke. metat kathin kuank bhal ke.. haran moh tam dinakar karse. sevak sali pal jaladhar se’’ abhimat dani devtru barse. sevat sulabh sukhad harihar se’’ (balkand, 31-9-11) arthat ‘‘mantra vishay rupi sarp ka jahar utarne ke lie mahamni hai. yah manushya ke lalat par likhe kathin prarabdh (purva janm fal) mitane men saksham hai. mantra agyan aur moh rupi andhkar ka haran karne ke lie surya kirnon ke saman hain tatha dhan ki fasal ke lie jal barsane vale badlon jaise hain. ye manovanchit vastu dene men shreshth kalpavriksh ke saman hain aur seva (jap sadhna) karne par shri vishnu (hari) tatha shivji (har) ke saman sulabh sukh dene vale hain.’’ mantra ka svarup ‘vindu'nta’ mantra devta ko prasann karne vale hote hain tatha ‘namo'nta’ mantra shanti, bhog aur sukhdayak hote hain. atah bij mantron ke sath anusvar rup ‘vindu’ lagakar unke praranbh men pranav tatha ant men ‘namah pad lagakar uska jap kiya jata hai. ‘namah’ pad jiv-nisht ahankar ka nishedh karke devta ke prati purn sharnagat hone ka bhav vyakt karta hai.
jaise- ‘‘un gan ganptye namah.’’ ‘‘un han hanumte namah.’’ adi. pratyek mantra men tin avashyak tatva-‘pranv’, bij tatha ‘devta’ nihit hote hain. ‘bij’ paramatatva ka darshan karata hai, tatha ‘devta’ paramatatva ki vibhuti evan lila bhav darshata hai. ekakshar mantra’ men bhi ye tinon tatva paye jate hain. udahrnarth, ‘shrin’ mahalakshmi ka ekakshari bijmantra hai. ismen ‘sha’ mahalakshmi, ‘ra’ - dhan, ‘i’ pushti ‘nad’ vishvamata tatha ‘vindu’ duahkh nash ka dyotak hai. arthat, ‘‘dhan aur tushti pushti ki devi lakshmi mere duahkhon ka nash karen.’ mantron ka vargikaran shastron men mantron ke tin prakar kahe gaye hanai: (1) vaidik (2) pauranik aur (3) tantrik. udahrnarth surya dev ke vibhinn mantra is prakar hain:-
1. vaidik mantra un akrishnen rajsa vartamano niveshayannamritan yatyanch. hiranyen savita rathena devo yati bhuvnani pashyan.
2. pauranik mantra un japakusum sankashan kashyapeyan mahadyutim. tamohran sarvapapadyatam prantosm idivakaram..
3. bij mantra un ghriniah suryay namah.
4. tantrik mantra un hran hrin hraun sah suryay namah.
vaidik mantra lanbe, pauranik mantra madhyam, aur tantrik mantra chote hote hain. tantrik mantron ka ullekh ved, puran tatha jain aur bauddh dharmashastron men milta hai. shodhakartaon ke anusar bharat men tantra shastra ka vistar gupt kal men hua. tantra shastron men sarvottam mane jane vale ‘mahanirvan tantra’ men shiv-parvati sanvad ke rup men tantra sadhna ka vistrit varnan hai. tantra shastriyon ke anusar ved aur agam (tantra) men koi antar nahin hai kyonki donon ke rachiyata shiv hain. jahan ek or ‘vaidik tatha pauranik mantron dvara lanbe samay tak sadhna karne par manovanchit fal prapt hota hai vahin tantrik mantra sadhna thore samay men faldayak hoti hai. vedon men svadhyay ki anumti keval brahman, kshatriya aur vaishya varg ke lie hai, parantu tantra sadhna ke lie koi bandhan nahin hai. shudra aur striyan bhi uchchakulin purushon ki tarah tantrik sadhna kar sakti hain. vaidik karmakand ke anupat men tantrik sadhna kam kharchili hai. vaidik sadhna men shuddhi ashuddhi ka bahut vichar hota hai, parantu tantra sadhna men aisa nahin hai. saksham guru ke margadarshan bina apramanik granthon men batae vidhan se ki gai tantra sadhna saflta ki bajay sadhak ke lie hanikarak ban jati hai.
tantra sadhna men devta ki yantra ya mandal rup men upasna ki jati hai. sona, chandi, panchdhatu ya tamrapatra par rekhankit yantra men pran-pratishtha se devatva ke samavisht hone par yantra adbhut prabhavshali ban jata hai aur uski upasna se prapt shakti dvara sansarik karya sanpann kiye ja sakte hain. tantra sadhna ke do marg hain- ‘dakshinpanthi tatha vampanthi’. ‘dakshinpanthi’ vishuddh sadhna ka rup hai. is marg ko ‘vaidik tantra’ bhi kahte hain. is panth ke sadhak satvik devi shakti ki kathin sadhna se prapt siddhi dvara kisi vyakti par aye dushprabhav ya pret badha hatane aur asadhya rogon aair anya vipattiyon adi se chutkara dilane men saksham hote hain. vastutah is tantra sadhna ka uddeshya satvik tatha janakalyan ke lie hota hai. vampanthi marg men tantrik ke isht bhut-pret v pishach hote hain. ve panchmkaron (mans, madira, matsya, maithun aur mudra) ka prayog karte hain aur tantra sadhna ratri ke samay ekant sthan ya shmashan men karte hain. aise sadhak apni kshudra sadhna se prapt shakti ka galat upyog dusron ke anisht, maran, mohan aur uchchatan ke liye karte hain. janta tantra ke isi rup se parichit hai. kai svarthi tantrik pahle apni siddhi pradarshan dvara vyaktiyon ko prabhavit karte hain aur fir unka shoshan karte hain.
is karan jan sadharan men tantra ke bare men dar aur bhrantiyan hain. ‘vampanthi’ tantrik sadhna nikrisht sadhna hai. isse atma ka patan hota hai. yah manav jivan ke uddeshya ke viprit hai. tantrik shakti ka durupyog kisi karan asafal hone par tantrik ke lie ulta ghatak ban jata hai. vampanthi tantrik apne jivan ke antim kal men ghor kasht aur yatna sahte mrityu ko prapt hote hain. jaise isht ko dhyate hain vahi gati pate hain. atah vampanthi tantra sadhna har drishti se tyajya hai. satvik mantra sadhna kisi bhi devta ki upasna ‘sakar’ athva ‘nirakar’ rup men ki jati hai. ‘sakar’ upasna men panchopchar ya ‘shodshopchar’ puja pratyaksh vastuon se ki jati hai. ‘nirakar’ upasna men devta ko un sab vastuon ka mansik arpan kiya jata hai. ‘dhyan’ aur ‘mantra’ ka ghanishth sanbandh hota hai. dhyan ka arth hai devta ka sanpurn svarup ek kshan men manas patal par pratibimbit hona. mantra aur devta ke sharir nitya hote hain. mantra men ‘nad’ (dhvani tarang) shakti hoti hai. jap dhyan ke satat prayas se sadhak ke chitt men ‘nad’ prakash rup men parinat hokar sakar devta ke rup men parisfurit hota hai. nirantar mantra uchcharan se sadhak ke chitt men ek hi dhara chalti rahti hai jo ant men us devta ka svarup dharan kar leti hai. devopasna ki yagyagni men sadhak apne man, buddhi aur ahankar ki purn ahuti deta hai. vah apna jivan purn virakt bhav se jita hai aur prarabdh kshay ke uprant moksh ko prapt karta hai jo manav jivan ka param uddeshya hai. satvik mantra sadhna hi uska shreshth upay hai.