Experience the Infinite with the Guru Ram Das Chant
Guru
Guru
Wahe
Guru
Guru
Ram
Das
Guru
If there's a short list of most beloved Kundalini mantras, the Guru Ram Das chant would be at the top. It was Yogi Bhajan’s personal mantra, it’s the capstone of Aquarian Sadhana, and it pops up frequently in Kundalini classes.
Chanting to Guru Ram Das can bring miracles. It’s a powerful mantra for healing - physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This mantra opens the heart, enabling the experience of love and compassion for yourself and for others. Chanting this mantra, you can experience your own divinity, feel the flow of the infinite within you. At the same time, the mantra evokes humility.
This mantra calls on Guru Ram Das who is considered to be the patron saint of Kundalini Yogis. The fourth of the ten Sikh Gurus, Guru Ram Das embodied humility, service, and healing. We can call on him when we are ill, need guidance, or wish to send healing blessings to another.
It’s not necessary to be Sikh to benefit from the power of chanting these words. There is a science to the sound. As you chant, you create a vibration which stimulates the upper palate which in term stimulates the pituitary gland and can benefit the glandular system. At the same time, the movement of the tongue stimulates the 84 meridian points in your mouth which affects the hypothalamus. Also, mantras work like positive affirmations. We don't chant any old words, we chant particular combinations of sounds that can cut through negativity, elevate the spirit, and unlock higher consciousness.
The meaning behind the words of the Guru Ram Das Chant
Like many Kundalini mantras, this mantra is written in Gurmukhi.
Guru is the teacher, that which brings us from darkness to light
Wahe is a word of ecstasy like wow!
Ram is a word for the infinite
Das means servant
Altogether, the words can be taken to mean: great is the wisdom that flows through the one who serves the infinite.
In chanting this mantra, on some level, you recognize the infinite as well is the presence of the infinite in you. The experience can be healing, elevating, inspiring, as well as humbling.
Chanting the Mantra
You can turn any task into an elevating experience when you chant a mantra while you do it. By all means, chant mantras as you go through your daily routine. However, to create a more meditative experience while chanting the Guru Ram Das chant, following are some tips.
Posture: sit cross legged on the floor or in a chair with your feet flat against the floor. Spine should be long, chin slightly tucked, shoulders relaxed.
Mudra: choose one of the following options
Rest your hands in your lap, palms up, right hand in the left.
Place your hands in gyan mudra, touching the tip of the index finger to the tip of the thumb, resting your hands, palms up, on your knees.
Press your left palm against the centre of your chest, the heart centre, and rest the right hand on top.
Bring your hands to prayer pose, palms pressed together at the centre of the chest.
Focus: close your eyes and focus at the brow point, just above the bridge of the nose, between the eyebrows.
Mantra: chant out loud in a monotone voice or chant along with one of the many musical versions.
Guru Guru Wahe Guru
Guru Ram Das Guru
Time: chant for 3-31 minutes
Many Kundalini mantras are available for streaming at Sikhnet.com. You can also purchase tracks at Spirit Voyage, Sat Nam EU, itunes, and Bandcamp where you can more directly support the musicians behind the melodies. (Check out our Guru Ram Das Chant playlist on Spotify for some of our favorites.)