There are 114 chakras in human body. The three s of Sanskrit Letters (श,ष, स) are used for awakening the root chakra. The letter स् is a dental sounds like s in ‘seen’, ष् is a cerebral sound like sh in “shun” while the श् is a palatal sound like “sh” in “brush”. These three “S” akshara mantras are associated with manifestation.
root chakra mantras
| Sanskrit Letters | English Letters | Sanskrit Type | Type in English |
| स | s | दन्तय | Dental |
| श | Ś | तालव्य | Palatal |
| ष | Ṣ | मूर्धन्य | Cerebral |
The Muladhara Chakra, in Sanskrit means base, root or support. This root chakra has four petals, and each petal has a beej mantra. The mantras of the four petals of the root chakra are: vaṁ, śaṁ, ṣaṁ, saṁ. When you balance the root chakra with the beej mantras you bring more joy, abundance and manifesting power.
The five mantras of the root chakras are : Laṁ, vaṁ, śaṁ, ṣaṁ, saṁ.
There are three sibilants in Sanskrit. Sibilants make the hissing “s” sound. The sound is made by focusing the air intensely through a narrow channel.
- स represents the sound “S”, when tongue touches the teeth. For eg the words starting with “S” such as saw, see, sow, etc.
- श represents the sound “sh”, when the tongue touches the front part of your palate. These letters are pronounced with the help of the jaw. For eg show, sheen, etc.
- ष also represents the sound “khsh”, when the tongue touches the inner part of your palate.
More Examples:
स (sa):
- सत्य (satya) – truth
- सुन्दर (sundara) – beautiful
- सर्व (sarva) – all, every
श (śa):
- शक्ति (śakti) – power
- शिक्षा (śikṣā) – education, instruction
- शब्द (śabda) – word
ष (ṣa):
- षट्कोण (ṣaṭkoṇa) – hexagon
- षष्ठी (ṣaṣṭhī) – the sixth day of a lunar month
- अष्टाङ्ग (aṣṭāṅga) – eight parts (referring to the eight limbs of yoga)
These examples illustrate the distinct sounds of स (sa), श (śa), and ष (ṣa) in Sanskrit.