Question: How can one pick a mantra?

Sri Chinmoy: Only if one is spiritually advanced, he can choose a mantra. Otherwise he is committing a Himalayan blunder. Only a spiritual Master can offer a mantra to a disciple or to a seeker on the strength of his oneness with everybody’s soul. Now, if you happen to be my disciple and it is the Will of the Supreme that I give you a mantra, then I can immediately enter into your soul, become one with your soul and get the mantra from your soul. The soul knows which mantra is most applicable to the seeker’s spiritual life, and this mantra will be of great help to the seeker in realising, revealing and fulfilling God. So, if you do not have a Master, then please pray and meditate for a couple of years and then, I assure you, from deep within your soul will offer you a mantra. Otherwise, there are thousands of mantras written in Indian scriptures, and you may select one that fascinates your mind or outer being. But that particular mantra may not be your mantra at all. So it is always advisable to follow a specific path and get the mantra from the spiritual Master.