Mantra and japa
Sacred sound as a devotional medium, and counted repetition of a formula or divine name.
Sacred sound is a devotional medium in its own right. A mantra, a Sanskrit formula or divine name, is repeated aloud, whispered or silently; counted repetition is japa, traditionally tallied on a mala of 108 beads. Perhaps the most widely known example, the Gayatri mantra from the Rig Veda, is traditionally recited at the junctures of the day. Particular mantras attach to particular deities and needs.
A mantra is a Sanskrit formula or a divine name, and in this tradition sound is a devotional medium in its own right rather than a vehicle for meaning. A mantra may be said aloud, whispered, or repeated silently, and each of those is understood to work differently.
Counted repetition is japa, traditionally tallied on a mala of 108 beads so the count can be kept without attention going to counting. Particular mantras attach to particular deities and particular needs, and some are given by a teacher at initiation rather than taken up freely.
The best-known example is the Gayatri, a verse from the Rig Veda traditionally recited at the junctures of the day. The Mahamrityunjaya, addressed to Shiva as Tryambaka, is the one most associated with illness and long life, and families sometimes arrange sustained repetition of it by count during a serious illness.
Does it have a text?
This is the one Hindu form here that does point at fixed texts. Their language is Sanskrit, written in Devanagari, and not Hindi: Hindi shares the script but is a modern language, and the mantras are Vedic. The Gayatri is Rig Veda 3.62.10 and the Mahamrityunjaya is Rig Veda 7.59.12, both far older than any copyright and both publishable in principle. Neither is printed here yet, because every text on this site is verified by comparing two independently maintained editions character by character, and that pair of Devanagari sources has not been established.
Terms on this page
- mantra
- A sacred sound, syllable, name or verse, usually Sanskrit, repeated aloud or silently as worship; particular mantras attach to particular deities and purposes.
- japa
- The counted, meditative repetition of a mantra or divine name, traditionally tallied on a mala, a loop of 108 beads.
When it comes up
Other forms of prayer in Hindu
- Puja — Ceremonial Hindu worship offered to a deity at a home shrine or in a temple.
- Darshan — Seeing and being seen by the deity, and the main point of most Hindu temple visits.
- Aarti — The Hindu ceremony of light, in which a flame is circled before the deity.
- Bhajan and kirtan — Devotional song, and the shared call-and-response singing of divine names.
- Vrata — A vowed Hindu observance, most often a fast kept on days tied to a chosen deity.
This page describes a practice. It does not tell you how to perform it, or whether you should. Practice varies by region, community and household far more than a page like this can carry, and nobody credentialed in the tradition has signed anything here. The full dossier names its sources.