A Personal Experience of the Mul Mantra

When I was starting my practice of Kundalini Yoga in 2007, the Mul Mantra was one of the first mantras I heard. My initial reaction to it was that I didn’t understand it. It puzzled me. What does this mantra mean? It was like a puzzle which I could not put together. It also interested me, and this interest stayed with me through the years.  

I looked at different translations of the mantra offered in manuals and books and it only puzzled me more. I decided to focus on other mantras. Then about 5 years ago, I felt this inner need to start meditating on the Mul Mantra. First my feeling was, I don’t really understand it, so how can I chant it every day? But inside I knew that I just needed to chant it, and maybe understanding will come. 

So, I have been chanting and meditating on the Mul Mantra daily for the past five years. Some teachers say that we can just choose one mantra, one meditation and stay with it for the rest of our lives. The mantra stays the same, like a lighthouse shining. The mind and consciousness change and transform.

With the help of Ravijit Kaur, my Gurmukhi teacher, I was able to go deeply into each word of the mantra. Now I feel that the Mul Mantra is a bit less of a puzzle for me. It seems to me there is really not a word to describe it. The Mul Mantra is a guide for me, a reference, a root and a foundation where everything begins. Maybe it is also a prayer, an affirmation, a projection and a revelation. It keeps unfolding, transforming my consciousness. 

The Mul Mantra has become a point of reference. It says – Ek Ong Kaar. The One vibrates/creates/extends through/ the creation. Can I remember that in my daily life? Can I see it around me? Can I remember the Sat Naam – True Name of it all?