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 (लं), vaṁ (वं), śaṁ (शं), ṣaṁ (षं), saṁ (सं).
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.