Native to India, Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages in the world. The Binary Number System, which is the basis for modern day computing, originated from Sanskrit.
Combinatorics, which is a stream of mathematics that deals with the study of permutations and combinations, and has incredible number of applications in modern designs and technology like machine learning; was originally written in Sanskrit more than 2300 years ago (300 BCE).
Across the world, Sanskrit is not only looked at as an ancient language that originated in India, but also as a fascinating language. Wondering why? Well, it’s not only because it sounds beautiful, it’s also because its sound has something to do with science – especially resonance.
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Resonance is the occurrence of a vibrating object causing another object to vibrate at higher amplitude.
While sounds from the words of most other languages produce some kind of random and repetitive shapes, the sounds that emerge from the Sanskrit words form very distinct patterns. This attribute is what makes Sanskrit very unique as a language.
Metaphorically speaking, think of the sounds created by the gentleman in the video below as the sounds created by the words in Sanskrit, and the various patterns that are created on the black disc as the vibrations Sanskrit words create in the human mind.
There are many reasons why Sanskrit is very special as a language. But here’s one interesting reason: This article in the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence cites that Sanskrit, as a natural language, is best suited for the current work in the advancement of AI.
NASA has showed its fascination for Sanskrit too, by naming an Intelligent Assistant for the Earth Science Community as MATA, which is the Sanskrit name for Earth.
There are departments of Sanskrit in many world renowned universities, like Columbia, Brown, University of Texas, Oxford, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Sydney among many others.
Scientific Research on Mantra Chanting
There’s a research paper by Dr. James F Hartzell that studied the happening in the brains of Vedic Pandits while they chant mantras.
A Pandit is a Hindu scholar learned in Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy and religion, who is also a practicing priest.
The word Vedic is related to the Vedas, which is any (one) of the four collections forming the earliest body of Indian scripture in Sanskrit: Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda.
The study found that mantra chanting significantly impacts the hippocampus part of the brain, which is a small but a very important part of the brain responsible for memory, attention, and working memory.
Wondering why is the hippocampus so important? Well, if I were to give you a string of seven random numbers right now, say 13, 27, 61, 17, 29, 34 and 81, and ask you to recall them after a few minutes from now; it is your working memory which will handles that task.
If I were to ask you to recall the same set of numbers in the same order tomorrow, it taps into your short-term memory. And if I quiz you about it a year from now, your long-term memory takes over. In fact, the human brain has its own way to store and retrieve information.
Studies show that Mantra Chanting strengthen the working, short term and long term memory processes, which can help kids improve their focus, recall ability, and their overall cognitive abilities. Let’s delve a little deeper!
The study by Dr. Hartzell was a collaboration between him, Dr. Tanmay Nath, Dr. Nandini Chatterjee Singh, and the National Brain Research Center in Haryana, India.
They worked with 42 volunteers, of whom 21 were professionally trained Sanskrit Pandits, who had spent seven or more years of their childhood intensely studying and chanting the Shukla Yajur Veda. The other 21 were age-matched college students from a nearby institution.
Here’s what they found: The Pandits had a significantly larger hippocampus, the part of the brain that plays a key role in memory and learning. And that’s not all, the connections between the left and right sides of their brains were much stronger, and the volume of their prefrontal cortex – which helps with decision-making and focus, was noticeably greater too.
And here’s the kicker: The Pandits didn’t even need to know the meaning of the mantras for these changes to happen! Simply chanting them with the right intonation—like how kids often recite verses for the Bhagavad Gita Chanting competitions, was enough to rewire their brains.
You can watch the findings of the study from Dr. Hartzell himself in this video:
Why Mantra Chanting in Schools?
Now, here’s a question we should all think about: If something as simple as chanting can boost memory, focus, and brain connectivity, why aren’t we encouraging this in schools more widely? After all, education isn’t just about filling children with facts and making them strong physically through play, but also about strengthening their minds too. And Sanskrit mantra chanting is a simple yet powerful tool to do just that.
Here’s the answer: Sanskrit mantra chanting is thriving not only in Indian schools but also many schools across the world, including renowned schools like the St. James Schools, London, UK,
Here’s a video of the students of the school chanting mantras at the Queen’s Baton Relay, way back in 2010.
2 Science-Backed Benefits of Chanting Sanskrit Mantras
While we may be discussing the benefits of chanting Sanskrit mantras for school going children, it is important to underline that these benefits do hold good, equally, for adults too.
a) Emotional Development
The scientific benefits of chanting mantras are not restricted to improving memory alone. It’s also a game-changer for managing emotions! Let’s be clear here. Emotions aren’t just an adult thing. Young children, and for that matter even kids have to face and deal with emotional challenges as they grow.
Their Emotional Quotient or EQ is constantly developing, and how they handle their feelings depends a lot on their environment – which is not in their control.
This is where every parent, educator and caregiver of a child has something to dwell on five words for a while and think about deeply. Here are the five words:
Children learn what they see.
That’s why kids mirror the adults around them. If they are glued to the phone all the time, then the parents should ask themselves whether they’re seen with their phones most of the time when they’re with their children? If there’s constant argument among adults at home, kids pick up on it and behave in a similar way.
They’re watching us. They’re learning from us. And let’s remind ourselves once again:
Children learn what they see.
Their brains are changing, especially in areas like the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision-making and self-control. If this part of their brain is not well developed, this leads to emotional ups-and-downs. This is why parents’ role in emotional development is very crucial.
Add the pressures of strained relationships among adults at home, the social challenges, and everyday challenges they may have at school, even young children can easily lose control of their emotions.
And here’s where chanting can help!
Chanting promotes calmness, focus, and balance, giving kids a steady anchor to manage these emotional waves. As parents, teachers and caregivers, it becomes important that we guide them through these times – and it starts with being mindful of what we are when they look at us.
b) Clarity of Thinking
Chanting mantras has another powerful benefit: It brings clarity of thinking. This goes beyond emotional regulation and memory. It’s about how children approach problems and make decisions.
Just think about it: When solving a problem, most of us stick to the familiar paths, like Path A or Path B. But sometimes, there’s a completely unexpected and innovative Path Y, which is a fresh solution we may not have considered at all.
This is where chanting helps train the brain to think more creatively and flexibly, making it easier to spot these out-of-the-box solutions – which is especially relevant for students.
A fascinating study looked at the effects and benefits of Om mantra chanting by school going children on a regular basis, and found that students who practiced chanting on a daily basis noticed improvements across different parameters. They could:
- Hold attention longer
- Focused better
- Remembered more, and
- Learned faster
Overall, their study habits became more effective, which helped them perform better in exams.
Having said, kids are more likely to embrace chanting as a practice consistently – only if they see the benefits of mantra chanting for themselves. If parents, teachers and caregivers were to share the outcomes of studies like this to the children and explain how it improves their cognitive abilities, it will help them understand the “Why Chanting?” part of the equation.
But again: Children learn what they see.
This automatically means adults need to set an example – first! Simply put, if you want your child to embrace these practices, you can start by doing it yourself. Chant a mantra every day – even if it is only for just five minutes.
Start small, be consistent and make it a family habit. When children see you practicing something meaningful, they’re much more likely to follow suit. It’s a beautiful way to pass on values and skills that will serve them for life.
Conclusion
In today’s world, we tend to focus a lot on Intelligence Quotient or IQ. But kids need so much more than just IQ. They need Emotional Quotient or EQ, which supports to enhance their creativity, innovative thinking and intuitive understanding of things.
Most of all, it helps build Adversity Quotient (if you will), which is the ability to look at challenges in the eye, deal with it, overcome it, and bounce back from the trenches.
And here’s the good news: All these qualities can be nurtured in a child – for which mantra chanting can play a critical role. It doesn’t stop there. Whether it’s for children or adults, mantras are powerful tools for creating a more centered, present, and harmonious life. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful gift to pass on to your next generation?