I have had a huge resistance to blogging ever since I first heard about it. One very simple reason- the word "blog". It is simply an ugly word and I couldn't get past it.

The Sanskrit alphabet is a series of phonemes called the "varnamala" which translates as "garland of letters". Each of these sounds has a particular vibrational quality and effect on consciousness specific to that sound. For example, "ga" removes obstacles, "a" (as in "father") is "all pervading", "sa" absolute truth, etc.- you get the idea. What are the vibrational qualities of "bla" and "ug"? Well, I don't have a copy of the varnamala in front of me so I can't actually tell you the specific esoteric energies associated with those sounds, but I do know how they feel- yucky!

So now that you know why I avoided blogging for so long and have made a decision to move past that issue I will share some more information on the Sanskrit varnamala. I found an excellent article on it this morning as well as the picture at the top of the page of the energetic breakdown of the sounds of the Gayatri Mantra.

ORIGIN OF THE VARNAMALA.

EXCERPT FROM "MANTRA & INITIATION" BY PANDIT RAJMANI TIGUNAIT

......Just as there are countless currents of energy in the cosmos, all of which are distinct from each other, so are there countless energy currents in the human body. In yogic literature these are called nadis. Of the 72,000 distinct nadis the yogis have identified, fourteen are of principal importance. Yogis have also discovered the exact nature of these major energy currents, their pathways in the body, how they interact with other energy currents, and what effect they have on the body, nervous system, biochemistry, and mind. Then, realizing that it is practically impossible to enunciate distinctly the sound that is produced from the vibrations of each nadi, yogis with extraordinary spiritual powers captured the entire range of sound produced by all these energy currents, and divided them into fifty-one parts. That is how the fifty-one letters of the Sanskrit alphabet were discovered.

The yogis have also discovered that every letter of the Sanskrit alphabet has its own color, shape, presiding force, and unique transformative quality, as well as its own seer. They have also experienced the relationship between these letters and different planets, stars, and constellations. They have discovered the approximate location of these letters in the human body and the particular pranic or psychological forces to which they correspond.

At a more subtle level, the Sanskrit phonemes relate to the energy currents which lie deep within the interior of the human body. Each of the 72,000 currents has a distinct sound, although they are too diffuse and vague to be enunciated distinctly. Moreover, the yogis have identified places in the body where two or more energy currents cross. In mantra shastra, the point where two energy currents intersect is called a sandhi, the point where three energy currents cross is called marma shthana, and the point where more than three energy currents converge is called a chakra. Here at the chakras, the vibratory patterns of energy are strong and vibrant. At the center of each chakra a distinct sound predominates, and other distinct sounds are centered around it. That is why, in kundalini yoga, each chakra is represented as having a particular letter at its center, as well as a letter on each petal........