Immediate and short term effect of mantra chanting on visual memory of college students using digit symbol substitution

Abstract

BACKGROUND Mantras are the repetition of words and phrases of special significance, and can be said out either loud or internally. Mantras provide a vital tool in concretising your desired thoughts through repeated chanting. Mantra is a complete set of words from the Vedas attributed to the deities or devas INTRODUCTION Mantras are sound that develop energy in the form of vibrations and repeating on which one is protected. Mantras are especially composed chants to bring about different patterns of resonant waves to achieve the desired result. Mantras provide a vital tool in concretising your desired thoughts through repeated chanting. Mantras have come down to us from great sadhus, saints, rishis and yogis, who recited mantra for years and spread the motivation to us to follow them. Mantras are strung together as syllables, help to establish health, harmony and happiness at the individual, family and at social levels. The aim of the study is to study the effect of mantra chanting on visual memory in college students using Digit Symbol Substitution Test. METHODOLOGY Thirty two subjects were studied, (26 male and 6 female), with a mean age group of (25.97±4.6). College students of S Vyasa University, Prasanati Kutiram. Subjects who were doing MSc in yoga therapy in the same university were selected. The information about the study was given in prior to the initiation and the need for the study was explained and a signed informed consent was obtained from the subjects. The required sample size was calculated using G power. Those Students who are not health and those students under any medication were excluded from the study. DESIGN: Two group pre post design was used. The intervention was chanting of three Mantras, Mahamrityunjaya mantra, Gayatri mantra and Durga mantra, for a period of ten days, and for a duration of one hour every day. DSST questionnaire were given before the test on day one, before the intervention on day ten, and post to the intervention of mantra chanting on day ten. The One hour intervention for ten days included three different Mantras. These three Mantras were selected from the scriptures for better results. These mantras were trained to the students a week before the intervention. RESULT The study used a within group comparison between the pre-post outcomes of the short term mantra intervention group which showed a very significant reading and immediate mantra intervention group showed a less significant reading. CONCLUSION Significant of mantra chanting on improving the visual memory of college going students have been understood by the marking done by the subjects on DSST. It is also been understood that short term effect by ten days chanting is much significant than immediate effect of mantra chanting done for a day. The study concludes that the mantra chanting should be included in the course career curriculum of college students for an improvement in their visual memory.