Navarna Mantra – The Powerful Mantra

ॐ ऐं ह्रीं क्लीं चामुण्डायै विच्चे
Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundayai Vichhe

This is the navarna mantra of the goddess Durga. The Navarna Mantra is the Navakshari mantra which means mantra having nine syllables. It is also popular by the names of the Chamunda Mantra or Chandi Mantra. This is the basic mantra of the Shri Durga Saptashati recitation. People who belong to the Shakti cult has great faith in mantra and hence this is the integral part of their practice.

So let’s understand the meaning and power of Navarna mantra. The mantra contains beeja mantra in it hence making is more powerful. Although beeja mantras are the powerful sounds without any particular meaning yet they represents something. Same as the DNA, beeja mantra are the blueprint. Here today we are sharing the understanding behind the navarna mantra given in sacred texts of Devi Durga.

Navarna Mantra in the sacred text siddha kunjika stotram says

ऐंकारी सृष्टिरूपायै ह्रींकारी प्रतिपालिका।
क्लींकारी कामरूपिण्यै बीजरूपे नमोस्तुते।।
चामुंडा चण्डघाती च यैकारी वरदायिनी।
विच्चे चाभयदा नित्यं नमस्ते मंत्ररूपिणी।।

Aimkaari Srishtiroopaayai Hreemkaari Pratipaalikaa |
Kleemkaari Kaamroopinyai Beejroope Namostute ||
Chaamundaa Chandaghaati cha Yaikaari Vardaayini |
Vichhe Chaabhayadaa Nityam Namaste Mantraroopini ||

These two sanskrit verses tell us the meaning behind the navarna mantra. The above two verses are taken from the Siddha kunjika stotram, which is a very powerful stotra. Lord Shiva himself shares the knowledge with Goddess Parvati.

Om aim hreem kleem chamundaayai vichhe is the navarna mantra. Where Om is the universal sound, the absolute brahman that is always invoked before any mantra. Let understand the knowledge about rest of the mantra.

Aim ऐं

The above verse says ऐंकारी सृष्टिरूपायै (Aimkaari Srishtiroopaayai) which means the form of Aim is Srishtiroopayai सृष्टिरूपायै. What is Srishtiroopayai?

Srishtiroopayai = Srishti + Roopayai. Thus Srishtiroopayai composes of the two words Srishti and Roopayai.

Srishti means the ‘creation, the one that is created’. Roop means the ‘form’. So Here we are invoking the mother in the form of creation. All that is created is the form of mother goddess durga as aim. Therefore Aim is the beeja sound of the creation. In conclusion, Aim stands for the the creative aspect of the Goddess.

This form of Devi is called Maha Saraswati.

Hreem ह्रीं

About hreem the above verse says ह्रींकारी प्रतिपालिका (Hreemkaari Pratipaalikaa) which means the form of Hreem is Pratipalika प्रतिपालिका. What is Pratipalika?

Pratipalika – Prati + Palika. Pratipalika composes the main word palika with the prati before, as upsarga. For example, the word ‘pratidin’ means everyday. In this word, prati is ‘every’ and din means ‘day’. Similarly, Prati in pratipalika means ‘every’. Whereas palika means the one who nurtures, maintains and protects. Therefore Pratipalika means the one who nurtures everything that is created. The one who maintains the creation. Be it trees, planets, humans, each and everything thing all that exists.

So by chanting or meditation on Hreem we invoke the divine mother in the form of nurturer. Therefore Hreem is the beeja sound of Goddess Durga as nurturer. And this form of Devi is called Maha Lakshmi.

Kleem क्लीं

According to the shloka above क्लींकारी कामरूपिण्यै (Kleemkaari Kaamroopinyai) which means Kleem is Kaamaroopinyai कामरूपिण्यै. What is the meaning behind Kaamaroopinyai?

Kaamaroopinyai = Kaama or kama + roopinyai

The reason behind the creation is the deep desire. And creation is done after the death. While life is in between the birth and death. On the other hand one who is born will die for sure. The energy that is energizing, the one who destroys so that birth can happen again is ‘kleem’. Therefore the third aspect of Devi is Kleem, whose desire is the top desire, cause of death and simultaneously the cause of new beginnings. And Mahakali is the form of Kleem Beej mantra.

So the beeja sound aim, hreem and kleem symbolize the creation, nurturing and destruction (the deep desire behind creation). In other words, as the form they represents Goddess Maha Saraswati, Maha Lakshmi and Mahakali. Moving further lets see what the rest of the mantra indicates.

Chamundayai चामुण्डायै

Here Chamundayai is taken as Chamunda + Yai. And Chamunda is chandaghatini and Yai is vardaayini. चामुंडा चण्डघाती च यैकारी वरदायिनी।

For understanding the Chamunda we need to understand चामुंडा चण्डघाती (Chaamundaa Chandaghaati).

Literally it means Chamunda is the Goddess who killed the demon chanda. In depth it means Goddess is the destroyer of the evil forces and protector of the beings.

The other part of verse says च यैकारी वरदायिनी cha Yaikaari Vardaayini. What does Yai signify?

In the verse च cha means And. While Yaikari Vardaayini means that as the form of Yai यै, she is the giver of boons (वरदायिनी, vardaayini). Vardaayini = Var + Daayini, where var means ‘boon’ and daayini is ‘giver’. Therefore the one who gives boons is vardaayini. We invoke the divine mother as ‘Yai’ which represents mother is the giver of boons and powers. She blesses all.

Vichhe विच्चे

The verse says विच्चे चाभयदा नित्यं नमस्ते मंत्ररूपिणी।। (Vichhe Chaabhayadaa Nityam Namaste Mantraroopini)

Vichhe is the merciful aspect of the Goddess. She frees one from all the fears विच्चे चाभयदा. Fears attack the mind in the form of delusions, negativity, darkness and ignorance, but the compassionate goddess liberates all the fears and breaks the ropes of darkness.

And the rest of the verse means we bow to the devi who is in the mantra form.

Essence of the Navarna Mantra

In conclusion, the navarna mantra is the most powerful mantra which contains the power of three Goddess. The three aspects of feminine energy of universe “Creation, Maintenance and Destruction” are in the seed form in the mantra. When we chant the mantra the trinity of three goddess is invoked. The mantra glorifies the power of the mother as she is the protector and the warrior who kills the demon, negative evil forces. She kills the demon outside and inside our mind as chamunda. The navarna mantra is the boon giver also. As when we chant with faith and devotion, the mother Goddess gives the boon, fulfilling the desires of the devotees. She releases all the fear, obstacles and protects.

Navratri is the nine day festival which comes twice a year is celebrated in the honour of Devi. Chanting the navarna mantra in the navratri will be more fruitful and one will get the blessing soon as these days enhances the sadhana.

Goddess has incarnated in the form of ten feminine aspects called Dus Mahavidyas. These are the powerful form of the Mother Durga. The sadhana of the devi in these forms is intense and powerful.

Chant the mantra which has all the powers, boon giver, release fear and provides protection. It is said, mother is the strongest protection a child can have. She would not let her children in danger. So think, how is the divine mother. Certainly she is beyond our thinking. We bow to the mother, take blessings and chant the mantra.

JOIN US ON

More From Veda Pathshala