mantra

plural mantras

1. HinduismThe hymn portions of the Vedas; any passage of these used as a prayer.First known use 1808

   This mantra is also known as Guru Mantra or Savitri Mantra. The mention of Gayatri Mantra is found in all the four Vedas where its essence has been explained repeatedly. The Rig Veda, the oldest of the Vedic scriptures, has mentioned about […]

   2001, Gautam Chatterjee, Sacred Hindu Symbols, Abhinav Publications, →ISBN, page 36

   Synonyms: incantation, intonation, recitation

2. A phrase repeated to assist concentration during meditation.First known use 1956

   However, the five-syllable mantra is unique, for according to Kukai, it unleashes the power of emptiness already impregnated in each letter as a primeval episode of the Dharmakaya's cosmic meditation in which he created all sorts of mantras […]

   1999, Ryûichi Abé, The Weaving of Mantra: Kûkai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse, Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 300

3. broadlyA slogan or phrase often repeated.

   The pre-match mantra from the Scotland camp may have been of it not being a “must win” game but that fooled no-one, Poland’s win in Georgia earlier last night simply crystallised how vital it was for the Scots not to lose any more ground at this stage of an intensely competitive campaign.

   2014 November 14, Stephen Halliday, “Scotland 1-0 Republic of Ireland: Maloney the hero”, in The Scotsman

   Synonyms: catchphrase, phrase, saying, slogan