Recitation of hymns, of God's name, mantras and the sacred scriptures is nothing but an effort to retrace and revive our relation with God. This recitation is akin to the mewing of a wandering cat who seeks its young or the search undertaken for a lost child with the help of its name and other physical details. Recitation of God's name fulfils this purpose. The human being is lost and he seeks God by recitation.

To further elaborate the need and importance of recitation; in Indian mythology, the distress call of Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas, while being disrobed in the assembly of the kauravas and the repeated distressed trumpeting of Gaja, the elephant, to retrieve himself from Grah, the Crocodile, serve as lucid examples. The physical disrobing of Draupadi was an echo of the assault upon her honor which exposed her to the crude public gaze of the Assembly. Recitation of God's name may be equated with the anguished cry of the elephant seeking physical protection and the distraught appeal of Draupadi to guard her honor.

Today man is in great pain and anguish, as he is leading life at a very lowly level of existence, engulfed in greed, lust, anger and desire, causing sorrow and mental restlessness. But very few of us realize this. The result is that his relation with God is totally snapped and constant dwelling on worldly desires and pleasures deter him from adopting the path to God. He is in utter darkness and needs light to emerge from this state of limbo. This light may be that of God alone. The enunciation of God's name and chanting of sacred hymns is known as the path of recitation to reach God. But mechanical and uninvolved recitation not followed by good deeds and ideas leads to nowhere. It is like electrical energy which when harnessed properly and utilized in a disciplined way, provides many comforts but if handled carelessly and thoughtlessly, proves destructive and damaging. Likewise, God, in his form of Rudra, punishes those who involve themselves in immoral and unkind activities. It would be too simplistic to conclude that God can be propitiated by mere mechanical recitation. The grace of God can be achieved only by adopting the right path, through self-refinement of the individual.

Man is affected by the forces, tendencies and ideas prevalent in a particular social system. In a world where desire, greed, lust and anger reign supreme, some daily exercise to cleanse the mind is a must. To invoke God and His Glory is of paramount importance. This can be achieved in the first stage by chanting His Name or by the recitation of hymns and sacred scriptures in praise of God. Psychology has shown that recollection leads to the establishment of a mental co-relation which in turn leads to attainment and the realization of the idea or the object.

There are four basic steps to educate the consciousness. The first is learning. At this stage basic awareness and memorizing is emphasized. It is not sufficient just to read and listen. In order to internalize the basics, one has to learn and repeat what one has learnt, over and over a certain period, that is, learning by rote. That is why parade is compulsory for the Army. Sports persons, musicians and artistes perform their daily exercise. Repetition is an integral part of learning. Likewise, to realize God and attain the necessary light, one has to resort to the repeated chanting of His Holy Name in the initial stages. This would help in consolidating the effort and make an indelible impression of God and His Glory on the so far uninitiated, and not fully receptive, human mind. This is a very crucially important step in the realization of God, the Supreme. The second basic step is called Retention. Retention is the internalizing of what one has learnt and making it a part of oneself. The third important step in this sequence is Recall which means sifting and co-relating the fragmented pieces of memory and coalescing them together to form a picture. This leads to the fourth and last stage in the process, known as Recognition. This consists of transplanting this picture from the level of the unconscious to that of the conscious, connecting to it into a belief and, in turn, into a conviction.

There is restlessness in life because of dissociation of self from the universal self, just like the zig-zag and undirected flight of a kite whose string is broken. If the link is broken neither can the puppet display its dance nor can electrical equipment operate in the absence of its connecting wires. The relationship between soul and God is eternal. But owing to the excessive involvement in the senses, resulting in illusion, this relationship has been forgotten. To be conscious of this and to re-establish the link, one has to resort to the fourth and the last stage, that of Recognition, in which the individual self realizes the Divine Light within and is able to realize the concept of 'TAT TVAM ASI' - 'Thou art that'. Having arrived at this stage, a soul behaves in a divine way and ultimately attains Divinity. This is the stage of oneness with God or the union of the self with the Universal Self.

There has to be a tremendous effort at a conscious level to achieve the ultimate realization of God. The story of Prahlad depicts the importance of recitation of God's Name and the results accruing there-from. Similar is the instance of Yudhisthir who insisted only on reciting `Satyam Vad' 'speak the truth' whereas his fellow students completed the prescribed course of studies. His conviction lay in imbibing the value of the truth inherent in ideas and deeds and thereby attaining perfection. The main idea is, that by recitation, one is involved with God and regular practice instills a belief in His greatness and affects His closeness, which leads to the attainment of Divinity. We daily observe that soaking a garment overnight in a dye colors the garment, the proximity of a shrub to a sandalwood tree results in the fragrance of the tree spreading to the shrub and the falling rose petals invariably scent the earth upon which they drop.

There is a physical significance to recitation also. Its importance can be explained on the basis of scientific theories. The human body and the human mind contain innumerable centers and circles of divine power and various levels of consciousness which, if involved and channelised in a systematic and organized way can render extra-sensory and outstanding results. The result of these practices and efforts is the attainment of spiritual prowess. The practice of recitation plays a pivotal role in achieving this spiritual prowess by enhancing the human intellect and the internal divinity of the soul.

The human mouth is said to be a very important centre of fire, the centre of all energy. This fire is described by many names and it connotes all the activities undertaken by the human body system. It includes the various subsystem from the mouth to the intestinal organs. This fire in its tangible manifestation helps the process of digestion in the human body. In fact, the mouth is that divine centre of sacred fire which not only helps the digestion process but is also the origin of the power of speech. The centre of fire in the human mouth at the physical and tangible level helps the digestion process and in its refined form, is the cause of speech. It also elevates the divine consciousness. All three functions are vital and of paramount importance. The importance of digestion and the power of speech need no explanation. But the crucial function of elevating the divine consciousness is not widely recognized and is realized by only the initiated few.

The hymn of Goddess Gayatri, widely known as 'Gayatri Mantra', is accorded the highest recognition in Indian system of thought. It is known as the Lord of Mantra (Guru Mantra). Its recitation is immensely helpful for the refinement of the individual self and the elevation of the innermost consciousness. Gayatri Mantra has been termed as 'Vedmata' 'the mother of the Vedas' as it contains the innermost secrets of sacred knowledge of the Vedas. The whole science of recitation and meditation relates to this concept of mystical power.

Speech does not simply convey information, feeling, expression, sentiment, inspiration and in many situations, even power, is conveyed through it. That is why speech is able to create friendship as well as enmity. It helps in the rise and fall of a person or an organization. Bitter speech leads to anger whereas tragic information affects people in a very decisive and traumatic way. Speeches based on facts, logic and enthusiasm and delivered sentimentally, are able to hypnotize the masses. Draupadi's few chosen stinging words uttered to insult Duryodhana, caused Mahabharat, the Great War, which destroyed civilization. Thus it is evident that speech is not limited to the conveying of information alone. With the flow of words, a certain amount of energy is transmitted which arouses the consciousness of the audience in a desired direction.

In physical science speech is explained as vibration of the waves, but this fails to account for the sensitive power of words which effectively affect the human consciousness. The latter can be interpreted on the metaphysical level only. In recitation this meta-physical effect of speech is utilized in a refined and organized way. The theory of recitation dwells upon the above mentioned metaphysical power of words, which is able to generate tremendous energy of consciousness, capable of affecting the mind and body of the person involved and which creates mystical vibrations in the cosmos, which in turn affects people, circumstances and the whole atmosphere.

The Mantras have been selected on the principle of accoustics. The power of Gayatri Mantra is outstanding. But its meaning is quite simple. The main emphasis of the Gayatri Mantra lies in its prayer for wisdom. There are innumerable Mantras, hymns and poems in all languages, expressing the same meaning. But these cannot be equated with the Gayatri Mantra and do not produce the same results. The particular combination and interweaving of words has been uppermost in the minds of Rishis, who composed these Mantras. There are Mantras which may be interpreted to convey some meaning but in fact they do not convey any specific meaning. It seems futile to attempt a meaningful interpretation of words like, hreem, shreem, kleem, etc. These have been composed, based on their potential to create powerful vibrations and an impact on the person involved, by affecting the atmosphere.

In recitation, there is a system of varying the levels of sound and there exists a tradition of mass recitation or group chanting. These practices are devised to create powerful vibrations.  Recitation of mantras has an internal as well as an external effect. Fire not only warms up the site of burning but also radiates heat waves in the surrounding area. The sound of recitation creates vibrations like the water currents in the deeper layers of ocean and the air in outer atmosphere. This recitation affects various centers of power in the human body and mind and creates its own effect. Vibrations of a definite wavelength create mysterious forces and wonderful effects.. The march of soldiers in a particular style on a bridge is prohibited as it can create vibrations which can damage the bridge. This illustrates how a simple action can create wonderful effects.

Recitation is done in a certain organized pattern and its results and effect can be illustrated scientifically in a laboratory. Recitation of mantras, in methodical order, creates wonderful results. The different organs and various centers of power in human body are affected by recitation and the resulting vibrations stir the consciousness and create a unique awakening and sharpen the intellect. One feels elevated, awakened and supremely confident. This exercise has a direct impact on one's psyche. The whole exercise can be compared to typing on a paper with the help of a typewriter, where words are in the mind, and the matter is printed on paper with the help of fingertips.

It is a well-known fact that when we rub both palms together, both heat and energy are produced. Even an elementary student of science knows that friction leads to heat and electricity. Likewise, in recitation, steady and modulated chanting of mantras creates a type of friction which, in turn, affects the breathing process and regulates the circulation of blood. The activated friction process affects the body and causes a rekindling of the internal consciousness of the man, just as a runner's body is warmed by initial exercise to prepare him for the race. This rekindling does not merely represent hyper activity at the physical level; it also contains the seeds of divine attainment.  There are some sound waves beyond the audible range of the human ear. But their vibrations can be experienced with the help of certain equipment. Such sound waves are called supersonic waves.

Man has limited ability to receive and absorb sound. But the universe contains innumerable, powerful, sound waves beyond the audible range of the human ear. Had the human ear the power to catch all these sound waves, life would have been unimaginably difficult and unlivable. It is a well-known fact that light travels much faster than sound. That is why one sees the smoke first and then hears the sound of the cannon when it is fired. Everywhere, where light and sound are together, sound reaches after the light has made its impact. But the same sound in a radio broadcast, travels with the velocity of light and is heard at the same time all over the world when these waves are superimposed on electromagnetic waves. Likewise, electromagnetic waves are used to control and direct, transmit signals and to monitor the flight of a rocket launched into space from an earth-based station. These waves acquire tremendous power after being converted into laser rays. The extensive use of laser technology in the medical field is well-known.

Recitation produces and co-ordinates such supersonic waves which are beyond the audible range of the human ear. The mantras recited with faith, devotion and determination undergo a similar process and create a very powerful effect just as the messages broadcast at a radio station can be heard all over the whole world when superimposed on electromagnetic waves. This is the unique feature of the recitation process, that it not only transforms the world but illuminates and radiates the personality of the person involved. This does not happen either at the radio station or in the instruments producing laser rays. But the recitation process has this dual power to affect the environment as well as the person involved, that is, the 'Sadhak'.
In recitation, generally the Gayatri Mantra is used. Another practice of recitation involves no direct use of any mantra and in this process meditation and recitation are used simultaneously. This method of recitation is known as unrecited recitation or "Prana Gayatri” (ajapa jaap). In meditation the regulated breathing process creates peculiar, but inaudible sound waves, which can be experienced or even heard after a consistent and long term practice of meditation. This practice is termed as nada yog, in which those practising it. develop the capability to hear different sounds such as even the sounds of several instruments and of nature. This unrecited recitation is also termed as "SOHAM SADHANA". This may be understood as "words produced without any impact". There are two theories about the sound waves as nada yog. According to one theory these waves are the reaction of the interplay of five elements of Nature and of `Sat', 'Raj', and `Tam', the three virtues. The other theory lays down that these words are created due to the vibrations and waves resulting from the circulation of blood, the contraction and relaxation and the inhaling and exhaling processes of respiration. Thus these are the results of some kind of impact. The sound produced and the mantras recited result due to the play and interplay of tongue, lips, palate and vocal chords and thus recitation may also be understood as the result of impact produced.

More importance has been attached to the sound waves not depending on impact, as these are produced or caused by universal consciousness, whereas those depending on impact or vibrations originate due to interplay of natural forces and elements.

The learned believe that the inner consciousness of the soul, by its very nature, remains active and awakened and causes the feeling of unity with the universal consciousness. This feeling of unity may be understood to be the main idea behind the theory of "SOHAM"; "THAT I AM". This theory is supported by the well-established philosophy of Advait. This system of worship involves the regulated exercise of breathing known as "Pranayam" which is nothing but an effort to rekindle and awaken the feeling of unity with God. The inner consciousness is not able to distinguish between the soul and the body. All the time it is concerned with the pleasure and comforts of the body and objects and persons connected with it. Often the soul is identified with the body. This is a great illusion and is the root cause for all unjust, unethical and immoral deeds. Ultimately it results in all-round distress and profound sorrow. How to realize it and avoid the pitfalls of worldly pleasures and the resulting sorrow has been of great concern and is the prime cause of attempts to understand 'the real nature of the self. It is precisely to avoid tailing into this illusion and these pleasures, that the concept of enlightenment and systems of worship have been developed.

The concept of "SOHAM", `THAT I AM' is known as divine knowledge or divine philosophy or the concept of enlightenment. This enables the soul to realise its real nature and pre-supposes freedom from illusion. Here "I" denotes- the assertion of inner consciousness, the enlightened soul.  The ancient seers have concluded that the soul devoid of illusion and concerns of bodily well-being i.e. an enlightened soul, is itself the Brahma.

The object of worship is nothing but cleansing the body of habitual pleasures and lust and purifying the mind. The enhancement of all-round purity of thought and deed is the real effort to realize God. The unity of soul and God is propounded in many religious texts. It is also preached by the spiritual teachers and is understood and widely recognized. But this is not enough. This realization must filter through to the deepest levels of inner consciousness. Conviction, when translated into devotion, activates the mind and channelises the physical forces to convert it into pious deeds. The sense of enlightenment, developed as Supreme conviction of the inner consciousness, transforms the whole being and results in life full of divinity. Then, and only then, will there be real identification and real unity, and the worshipper and God the Almighty will be one and the same.

Thus it is evident that recitation is not only the utterance of some particular words or mantra but it is the sum total of the interplay of the power of speech, of thought processes, of vitality of the inner self and of the strength of feeling. Such a recitation is the real recitation capable of fulfilling and transforming the life of the person involved. This important system of worship can definitely result in the overall development of the human being.