Lissajous Mantras

How it works

Each mantra becomes a single continuous shape that morphs over time. Four properties of Sanskrit phonetics control the drawing:

• Place (sthāna) — where in the mouth a sound is made — sets the axis of the shape. Throat sounds are vertical, lip sounds are horizontal.
• Openness (prayatna) — how open the vocal tract is — sets the width. Stops produce thin lines, vowels open into ellipses or circles.
• Voicing (ghoṣa) — whether the vocal cords hum — sets the weight of the stroke. Voiced sounds like ga draw heavier and brighter than unvoiced ones like ka.
• Aspiration (prāṇa) — the puff of breath — adds a soft halo around the line. Kha breathes; ka doesn't.

Take aum: A is a throat vowel, so the shape starts as a tall vertical ellipse. U is a lip vowel, so it rounds into a circle. M closes the lips, collapsing the circle into a horizontal line.

This is a simplified, archetypal model. Nasality and vowel length are not yet distinguished — a/ā and i/ī look identical.