Van Mantra

Any who knows JJ Abrams, knows he loves himself a good name. Where else to start but with Van Mantra, who we see in the videos between puzzles at EthanHaasWasRight.com (EHWR from here on in). I instantly picked up on "mantra." That's a Sanskirt word for the spirituality of words, sounds and vibrations. Think of them like poems. They were used in the Vedas, the classical Hindu texts that forms the basis for all of Hinduism. Among the Vedas is the Upanishads - the philosophical works I studied in college - of which the famous Bhagavad Gita is a part of. The Bhagavad Gita is a conversation between Krishna (the supreme god in Hindu tradition) and Arjuna, a warrior price. During the conversation, Krishna explains Arjuna his duties and these explanations form part of the basis of Yago practice, among others.

Literally translated, Mantra comes from man which means "to think" and tra which means "tool." So it's "thinking tool" or "instrument of thought."

But what of the first name? Van? It could be sort for something else, but since we were given Van, I'll work with Van. First thing you think of when you hear the word "van" is, well, a van. So, perhaps Van Mantra means something like, "the vessel of the instrument of thought." Not bad, but I figured I could do better.

How about this: van n.: the leading units moving at the head of an army. Ever heard of a vanguard?

Ah ha! A movie about some sort of attack seems better served by "the leading units moving at the head of an army" than by a soccer mom and her mini-van. So, Van Mantra seems to mean: the lead units of an army of the instrument of thought.

Soldiers who are spreading information, or misinformation depending on who you believe.

That seems to tie in better with Van Mantra's cut-scene ramblings about building up an army. Which leads to a thought: is Van Mantra the characters' name or is it the name of some underground army?

Now I have to go re-read the Bhagavad Gita.