Verse 2.296

Sanskrit text and transliteration:

भूयोऽल्पीयःफलत्वं च बाह्यमानसयोर्जपे ।
अतो मानसमुख्यत्वमितरस्यास्तु गौणता ॥ २९६ ॥

bhūyo'lpīyaḥphalatvaṃ ca bāhyamānasayorjape |
ato mānasamukhyatvamitarasyāstu gauṇatā || 296 ||

English translation of verse 2.296:

Further, mental repetition and oral repetition (of mantras) are said to yield abundant and meagre fruits (respectively). Hence the importance of mental repetition. The other one is in the secondary sense.

Notes:

This verse gives yet another reason to show why the Yajur-mantra, etc., must be understood in the sense of mental states. Japa is of two kinds—mānasika and vācanika. If a mantra is repeated mentally, it is called mānasika-japa. But if it is repeated orally, i.e., through the word of mouth, it is called vācanika-japa. It has been said that the mānasika-japa, i.e., the mental repetition of a mantra, is a thousand times more effective than the repetition of it through the word of mouth. It means that mental repetition is what is primarily enjoined. This again lends support to the view that the Yajur-veda, etc., must be understood as particular mental states and not as an aggregate of external sounds.