India’s ancient heritage of chanting
mantras has been appreciated time and again by various scholars across the
globe. It has been found that memorising Vedic mantras can increase the size of
our brain and enhance our problem solving and cognitive skills!
The influence of the West and
pressure of learning foreign languages, for suitable career options, have made
Sanskrit quite old fashioned despite its immense potential.
James Hatrzell, a neuroscientist,
conducted research on 21 Pandits who regularly chanted Sanskrit mantras.
Similar study was conducted by AIIMS on Gayatri Mantra. The conclusions were
startling! The MRI test results confirmed a 10% increase in grey matter across
both cerebral hemispheres.
In a world of shrinking attention
spans, where we are flooded with information daily, and children display a
range of attention deficit disorders, ancient Indian wisdom has much to offer.
Even introducing small amounts of chanting and recitation could have an amazing
effect on our brains.
