Just as when we blow air into a flute, it produces some musical sound. In the same way when the pranavayu or the life force flows through the Brahmanadi and hits the minute subtle holes in the Chakra , it reverberates with sounds like “लँ” (Lam), “वँ” (Vam), “रँ “(Ram), “यँ”(Yam), etc. These special sounds are called the mantras of the Chakras. When the Pranavayu reaches the Muladhara Chakra through the Brahmnadi, the sound of लँ (Lam) is produced when it hits the subtle holes of this Chakra. This sound therefore, is called the Mantra or the Tattvabija of the Muladhara Chakra. Similarly, the वँ (Vam) sound is produced in the Swadhisthana Chakra. The रँ (Ram) sound is produced in the Manipur Chakra, the यँ (Yam) sound is produced in the Anahata Chakra, and the “हँ” (Ham) sound is produced in the Vishuddhi Chakra and in the Agya Chakra the sound of “ॐ (Aum) is produced. The route that the Pranavayu takes to reach the Chakras is warped; for this reason, when the Pranavayu accesses the Chakras, its gait varies from one to the other in all the Chakras. This gait is sometimes like a hopping ram or dipping like a crocodile in some and leaping like a deer in another. This movement or the gait of the Pranavayu is called the vehicles (vahana) of the Chakras. The vehicle (vahana) of Muladhara Chakra is the Airavat elephant which means that the speed of the life force in this Chakra is as fast as the Airavat elephant. In the Swadhisthana Chakra, the speed of the life force is like a crocodile dipping in the water, so the vehicle (vahana) of this Chakra is called a crocodile. In the Manipur Chakra, the speed of the life force is like a ram, so the vehicle (vahana) of this Chakra is a ram. In the Anahata Chakra, the speed of the life force is like a deer, so the vehicle (vahana) of this Chakra is a deer. In the Vishuddhi Chakra, the pace of the Pranavayu is slow like an elephant, that’s why the vehicle (vahana) of this Chakra is an elephant.
~ Avharyasri