Shankha

Shankha

It is a seashell. It is used in pujas and is worshiped as weapon "astra". In ancient India kshatriyas used shankha to convening troops. There are shankhas of various forms and sizes. Sometimes it’s decorated with metal, stones, carving and painting. Shankha with through hole is used as an instrument for making sound, whole shankha is used in pujas. Nathas may also use the whistle of nadi as shankha. They wear this whistle around neck on the black thread "janeo". The shankha is associated with the practices of emergence the anahata-nada sound (form of subtle sound vibration) which arises without causes; this sound emanates from the heart and uncovers unconditioned happiness to yogin. There is also carpal shankha-mudra for listen to the internal sound of anahata-nada. Seashell is used by yogis during rituals, they blow in it doing pujas or aratis to make a sound which is symbolized Shabda-Brahman.

śaṇkha gāyatrī mantra

sat namo ādeś | gurujī ko ādeś | oṁ guru jī| śaṇkha śaṇkha saṇjoga bhayā jñāna godaḍī caṇcala vilayā | nirbhe jogī beparavāī , ādakā śabd siṇgāro bhāī || tum ham alila puruśa tīno milavā bhāī me to pūcho piṇḍa kī avadhū jogī raī | arvad narvad dhundhukārā, śabda na svāla na ekokārā || maragaī gaurā rah gayā ruṇḍa; śivale paharā gal me muṇḍa | hār cām pinjar kā nalā śaṭ darśan le ghālī galā || amṛta kūpī le āge dharī; jal thal me mātā gaurayā kharī | jal me karī mīna kī thāpa, pāc śaṇkha chaṭī gāyatrī gaurā; le nikasī apane hātha || parho śaṇkha gāyatrī sār gaṇgā nadī bhavasāgar tār | ambe devī kā japo jāpa paḍe piṇḍa kā par har pāp || uṭho nārāyaṇ karo pasāū cār caukaḍī jīva ko dījai ṭhāū | śaṭmāsa jogī haṭhanigraha karai, ekotra sai puruśālai amarāpur tarai || parho veda gāyatrī sār piṇḍa prāṇa udhragati tār | gāyatrī sāvitrī caupagī cauvedī sune siṇgī rupekhurī caṇvar puchī || tāve varaṇī jamaghaṇṭī nadī vaitaraṇī tār, rākha rākha mātā śambhuśiva gāyatrī rākha, aghora piṇḍa paḍantā rākha | brahma viśnu maheśvarasākha | sat bole satvādī nar, guru vācā tat sār | śaṇkha gāyatrī saṇmbhālo bahuḍī na lai aytār ||oṁ guru jī gaṇgā jamunā sarasvatī tīno akhaṇḍa kavāra | śaṇkha ġharai śiva pūjiye prāṇi pāve mokṣa dvāra | itanā śaṇkha gāyatrī mantra sampūrṇa bhayā | srī nātha jī guru jī ko ādeś | ādeś |

The mantra from the book of Yogi Vilasnath "Shri Natha Rahasya"