Pavitra Mantra (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: पवित्र मंत्र) is a

Mantra A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...

chanted during Puja for purification in the tradition of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. It is also called as ''Snaana Mantra'' or ''Shuddhi Mantra''.

Description

Pavitra Mantra is mentioned as the 12th verse in the 80th chapter of the ''Patalakhanda'' in the Hindu puranic text

Padma Purana The ''Padma Purana'' (, or ) is one of the eighteen Puranas#Mahapuranas, Major Puranas, a genre of texts in Hinduism. It is an encyclopedic text, named after the lotus in which creator god Brahma appeared, and includes large sections dedic ...

. In the Mantra, the name of

Lord Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation (sattva). Vish ...

is mentioned as ''Pundarikaksha''. The literal meaning of Pundarikaksha is one with lotus-like eyes. The mantra starts with the sacred letter '' Om'' which signifies the symbol of ultimate truth

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...

. The meaning of the Mantra is philosophical and symbolic. It is about the purification of inner and outer self. In the Mantra, it is said that if one is impure or sacred or even in all other situations, then remembering the name ''Pundarikaksha'' which is another name of ''Lord Vishnu'', one becomes purified from within as well as from outside self.

Method for practice of the mantra

During the utterance of the

mantra A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...

for self purification, some holy water is taken in the left hand covering it with the right hand and after chanting the mantra, the holy water is sprinkled the on the head and the body. Similarly before starting a ''Puja'', the holy water is consecrated by splashing it on oneself and on the worship materials.

References

{{Hinduism-stub Hinduism Mantras Vedas