The mantras or sounds used in the Transcendental Meditation program come from a tradition of knowledge that is thousands of years old, the Vedic tradition, whose origins are buried in antiquity.Scholars of the Vedic tradition recognize that these ancient mantras were originally used in a way that was not associated with meaning — that is, they were used for their sound value, for the effect produced by the very sound itself.
Vedic and Sanskrit scholars maintain that if any religious connotations were to be associated with these ancient mantras, it would be a departure from the mantras’ original use and would have come much later in the historical timeline of Indian culture. But historical scholarship does not hold that any standardized (or commonly agreed upon) religious meanings were ever prescribed to these ancient mantras — despite isolated, unsupported assertions one may find on the Internet.
More about the mantras and their traditional origins
What if I meditate using a mantra that has a meaning?
Why are the TM mantras kept private?
So once I learn, I can’t teach the TM technique to others?
