Most of Sanskrit words sound magic and not evolving. Chanting "Om" sounds magic. But according to JK, even chanting Coca Cola ! Coca Cola !Coca Cola ! can results in same effect.
The repetitive use of mantras to a subtle form of intoxication or a "drug" due to their ability to alter mental states.
https://youtu.be/I-KvlFiY9Rs?si=xy9YK4T0HiiyzDsB
Trying to recollect a story. One person studied Sanskrit out of his interest in London. But not interested Sanskrit Mantra for his marriage in Tamilnadu. But after lot of family insistence, he agreed for a hindu priest's chanting in his marriage. He slapped the priest during the marriage ceremony because instead of marriage mantra, priest chanted funeral mantra. A similar mishap example is here (https://btg.krishna.com/from-ritual-to-spiritual/). Mishaps do happen as Sanskrit speakers are not many, and many do not understand Sanskrit. Total Sanskrit speakers can only fill the half of the cricket stadium (25,000).
Not many speak in Latin and sounds magic. Latin is not evolving, so it makes sense to name most scientific names in Latin (Homo Sapiens, Wise (Sapiens) Human (Homo).
Osho compared repetitive mantra use to a "subtle drug" in Yoga: The Alpha and the Omega, Vol. 10, noting that chanting, like "Aum," creates chemical changes in the body, potentially leading to dependency. He warned that excessive, mechanical chanting can induce a hypnotic, addictive state, dulling awareness and hindering the goal of pure consciousness.
Ramana Maharshi: Emphasized self-inquiry ("Who am I?") to realize the non-dual self, rejecting external rituals and authorities, much like Krishnamurti’s "truth is a pathless land" and Osho’s focus on inner awakening. "Om" can aid concentration but are secondary to self-inquiry according to Ramana Maharshi.
Western philosopher Alan Watts, in The Way of Zen, he notes that mantras can become a "crutch" if used obsessively, dulling the mind rather than awakening it.
According to inner Engineering Sadhguru, mantras like "Aum" or "Shiva Shambho," as vibrational tools that can shift energy patterns, enhance focus and spiritual growth when use with awareness. According to Sadhguru, the risk is more about ineffectiveness than dependency.
Buddha emphasized mindfulness, direct insight (vipassana), and liberation through understanding the Four Noble Truths, rather than reliance on rituals or repetitive practices like mantras. But 500 years after the Buddha's death, Mahayana Buddhism emerged, mantras came back into Buddhism. Vipassana, which means "to see things as they really are", is an ancient meditation.
