Maa Chamunda Mantra (Navarna Mantra) Chandi Mantra – Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundaye Viche

Maa Chamunda Mantra Lyrics:

”Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundaye Viche”

Chamunda, also known as Chamundi, Chamundeshwari, or Charchika, is a fearsome aspect of Devi, the Hindu Divine Mother and one of the seven Matrikas.

She is also one of the chief Yoginis, a group of sixty-four or eighty-one Tantric goddesses, who are attendants of the warrior Goddess Durga.

The name is a combination of Chanda and Munda, two monsters whom Chamunda killed. She is closely associated with Kali, another fierce aspect of Devi. She is sometimes identified with goddesses Parvati, Chandi, or Durga as well.

The goddess is often portrayed as haunting cremation grounds or fig trees. The goddess is worshiped by ritual animal sacrifices along with offerings of wine, and in ancient times, human sacrifices were offered too. Originally a tribal goddess, Chamunda was assimilated in Hinduism and later entered the Jain pantheon too.

Though in Jainism, the rites of her worship include vegetarian offerings and not meat and liquor offerings.

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Iconography

The black or red-colored Chamunda is described as wearing a garland of severed heads or skulls (Mundamala). She is described as having four, eight, ten, or twelve arms, holding a Damaru (drum), trishula (trident), sword, a snake, skull-mace (khatvanga), thunderbolt, a severed head, and panapatra (drinking vessel, wine cup) or skull-cup (kapala), filled with blood.

Standing on a corpse of a man (shava or preta) or seated on a defeated demon or corpse (pretasana), she is described as having a skeletal body with three eyes, a terrifying face, drooping breasts, protruding teeth, long nails, and a sunken belly. She has a scorpion sitting on her navel like a decoration.

Chamunda is depicted adorned by ornaments of bones, skulls, serpents, and scorpions, symbols of disease and death. She also wears a Yajnopavita (a sacred thread worn by mostly Hindu male priests) of skulls.

She wears a jata mukuta, that is, a headdress formed of piled, matted hair tied with snakes or skull ornaments. Sometimes, a crescent moon is seen on her head. Her socket eyes are described as burning the world with flames. She is accompanied by fiends and goblins.

She is also shown surrounded by skeletons or ghosts and beasts like jackals, who are shown eating the flesh of the corpse which the goddess sits or stands on.

The jackals and her fearsome companions are sometimes depicted as drinking blood from the skull-cup or blood dripping from the severed head, implying that Chamunda drinks the blood of the defeated enemies.

This quality of drinking blood is a usual characteristic of all Matrikas, and Chamunda in particular. At times, she is depicted seated on an owl, her vahana (mount or vehicle). Her banner figures an eagle.

These characteristics, a contrast to the usual Hindu goddess depiction with full breasts and a beautiful face, are symbols of old age, death, decay, and destruction.

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Meaning of Navarna Mantra (Chandi Mantra):

Om – The Infinite beyond conception; also, the syllable OM is an ancient Sanskrit letter first found in the Vedas; when Om is chanted over and over again, it has the effect of deepening the practitioner’s consciousness;

Arim – Creation, Rajo Guna, Energy of Desire, Mahasaraswati;

Hreem – Preservation, Sattva Guna, Energy of Action, Mahalakshmi;

Kleem – Destruction, Tamo Guna, Energy of Wisdom, Mahakali;

Chamunda – The Slayer of Passion and anger, Moves in the head;

Yai – The Grantor of Boons;

Vic – In the body of knowledge; in the perception;

Ce – of consciousness.

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Maa Chamunda Mantra Meaning – Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundaye Viche Benefits:

This Sanskrit mantra has the effect of bringing joy and confidence even while trying conditions are mitigated. Also, chanting the mantra delivers us from the excessive preoccupation with our physical body as well as with material concerns. 

The rhythm and sound of the chanting of this mantra moves energy throughout the physical and energetic body. This releases endorphins and blocks stress hormones.

Clears all demons away and keeps them away – calling upon the triple Goddesses, we invoke the powerful Chamunda to protect and defend us from negative influences.

It is also thought that reciting the mantra not only opens the mind in a way that the reciter begins to view himself or herself in divine light but also unburdens the mind of stress.

Image credit – @Getty

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Reference

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Saptamatrika