अणोरणीयान्महतो महीयान् — Benefits & How to Chant
अणोरणीयान्महतो महीयान्
Complete guide to chanting correctly for maximum benefit
Benefits of Chanting अणोरणीयान्महतो महीयान्
Reveals the Self as both infinitely subtle and infinitely vast
beyond all measure.
Locates the supreme Reality within, in the cave of the heart, as the goal of meditation.
Teaches that freedom from desire and a serene mind are the keys to beholding the Self.
Promises freedom from grief (vita-shoka) to the one who realizes the Self.
Cultivates inner calm, desirelessness and one-pointed contemplation.
Recited for peace of mind and to turn the attention inward toward the indwelling Spirit.
How to Chant अणोरणीयान्महतो महीयान्
Instructions
Recite the verse and then withdraw the attention inward to the 'cave of the heart' it describes. Let desires and agitation settle, allowing the senses and mind to grow serene as the verse prescribes. In that tranquillity, contemplate the Self that is subtler than the atom yet vaster than all space, seated within. Rest in the sorrowless stillness of that majesty, the glory of your own Self.
Spiritual Significance
The Katha Upanishad teaches that the Self, though seated still within the heart, travels far while the body sleeps and is the deathless light in all; and it promises that the wise who realize this Self, 'great and all-pervading', as dwelling in their own being grieve no more, having found the peace that is eternal.
Origin & History
Source: Katha Upanishad, Verse 1.2.20
Author: Traditional (Upanishadic); taught by Yama to Nachiketa
In the Katha Upanishad, Yama, the lord of death, instructs the steadfast boy Nachiketa in the knowledge of the deathless Self. Having praised Nachiketa for choosing wisdom over wealth and pleasure, Yama describes the Self that dwells within all beings: subtler than the atom yet greater than the greatest, hidden in the cave of the heart. He declares that the one who has stilled desire and made the mind serene perceives this majestic Self and crosses beyond all sorrow — the very immortality Nachiketa had sought.