A blissful journey through sacred sound into the healing arms of the Universal Mother. Using an array of exotic instruments from around the globe including sitar, Turkish mey, didgeridu, violin and an array of world percussion, Universal Mother weaves its way into the heart, with Vicki’s divine vocals and the vocal mastery of Sri Lankan maestro Sarangan Ranganathan Powerful vedic chant, Buddhist mantras and devotional songs with their roots running deeply into the classical music of India are beautifully attuned to a winning contemporary formula. In Universal Mother Ron Ragel and Vicki Hansen as IndiaJiva have created a collection of songs that the listener will find both inspirational and healing. In many Indian spiritual traditions the Universal mother is the power or shakti of God Almighty which appears as mind and matter. In these traditions it is believed that the Universal Mother holds the world together and ‘runs the whole show.’ It is her supreme power that makes all things possible and she is worshipped as the embodiment of the Divine. There is nothing sweeter in this world than the love of a mother for a child. For her child the mother is ready to lay down her life. The Vedas say “Mathru Devo Bhava”; i.e, honour your mother as God. The first name or syllable which a young infant utters is the name of the beloved mother because the human mother is simply a manifestation of the Universal Mother. All women are different forms of the Divine Mother. When we worship the Universal Mother with intense faith and devotion, her grace can grant us self realization and bring forth the enjoyment of supreme bliss. We chose the name ‘ Universal Mother’ for this album as it best expresses the essence that we wished to bring into this project. The music and mantras we have chosen have their roots running deeply into the classical music of India; yet they are beautifully attuned to contemporary times. The music of Universal Mother weaves its’ way through classic Vedic chants to North Indian ragas to devotional songs or bhajans, in which many different rasas or emotions are expressed through a rich variety of vocal and instrumental styles that draw from both indigenous sounds and contemporary influences. Tracks 1. Om Shrim Gan Om shrim gan saubhagya ganapataye varavarada sarvajanam mein vashamaa naya namaha. A mantra of divine syllables or sounds which when chanted with devotion secures the devotee with blessings from the Divine 2. Shri Ma SHRI MA, KALI MA, ADHI MA, PAHI MA Amantra with reverence to the Universal mother in her expression as Kali, the original, the pure one. 3. Durgati Haarni Durga A traditional bhajan or devotional song in praise of the Divine Goddess Durga 4. Om Shrim Hreem OM SHREEM HREEM GLEEM GLAUM GUM GANAPATYE VARAVARADHA SARAVAJANAM MEIN VASHAMAHA YE SVAHA A bija mantra or mystic seed letters of powerful sounds to dispel negativity and to invoke the Deities by penetrating the planes of human consciousness and reaching the experience of God. ‘Remove us from the clutches of pain and death and liberate us from the cycle of death and rebirth”. 5. Asato Ma ASA TO MA SAD GA MA YA, TA MA SO MA JYO TI RA GA MA YA, MRIT YOR MA AM RI TAM GA MA YA A universal prayer that simply says “Oh mother lead us from the unreal to the real, from the darkness to light from death to immortality”. 6. Hori Bina Tera A devotional song based on raag Asawari 7. Om Tryambakam OM TRYAMBAKAMYA JAMAHAE SU GHANDHIN PUSHTI VARDHANAM URVAA RUKAMIVA BHANDHANAN MRITYOR MUKSHEEYA MAARITAT A powerful mantra to Lord Shiva that asks for safety and protection to overcome the fear of death. “Lord Shiva, I meditate on you. Bless me with health and immortality. As easily as the ripe cucumber is severed from the bondage of the creeper, remove us from the clutches of pain and death and liberate us from the cycle of death and rebirth”. 8. Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo All the benefits of the Lotus Sutra can be realized by chanting the six syllables Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Nam derives from Sanskrit which means to take refuge in the Buddha, so it is submitting oneself to Myoho Renge Kyo. The other three words have Japanese pronunciation and come from the Chinese title of the Lotus Sutra. Myoho literally means the mystic law and is the essential principle of the Universe. Renge means the lotus flower, a symbol for simultaneous cause and effect. Kyo means Sutra, the teachings of the Buddha.