Mantra
Sacred Sanskrit sound formulas, with meaning, correct pronunciation and guidance on when to chant them.
Lakshmi Gayatri Mantra
A Gayatri-pattern mantra invoking Lakshmi as the consort of Vishnu and goddess of prosperity.
Read more →MantraSurya Gayatri Mantra
A Gayatri-pattern mantra invoking Surya as Aditya, source of light and illumination.
Read more →MantraDurga Gayatri Mantra (Katyayanaya Vidmahe)
The Vedic Gayatri of Durga, "Katyayanaya vidmahe, Kanyakumari dhimahi, tanno Durgih prachodayat", which closes the series of Gayatris in the Mahanarayana Upanishad. It addresses the Goddess as Katyayani and as the virgin Kanyakumari, and is chanted especially in Navratri.
Read more →MantraHanuman Gayatri Mantra
A Gayatri-pattern mantra invoking Hanuman as Anjaneya, son of the wind, chanted for wisdom, strength and protection.
Read more →MantraShani Gayatri Mantra
A Gayatri-pattern mantra invoking Shani Dev, son of the sun, chanted for relief from a difficult Saturn period.
Read more →MantraHanuman Mahabal Prapti Mantra
A mantra chanted for physical strength, courage and resilience, invoking Hanuman as Anjaneya, the son of Anjana.
Read more →MantraOm Shum Shukraya Namah – ॐ शुं शुक्राय नमः
Om Shum Shukraya Namah (ॐ शुं शुक्राय नमः) is the traditional naam mantra of Shukra (Venus). Its meaning, pronunciation, jaap vidhi, the 108-times chanting method, Friday practice, the Shukra beej mantra and its traditional benefits.
Read more →MantraOm Kreem Kalikayai Namah: Kali Mantra
Maa Kali's most widely chanted mantra, built on her seed syllable "Kreem", and the six-syllable Om Kreem Kalike Svaha. What the bija means, how to chant it at home, and where the longer tantric mantras belong.
Read more →MantraNavgrah Mantra – Beej Mantras of All Nine Planets
All nine Navagraha beej mantras in one place, from Surya to Ketu, with the day, the traditional japa count and the Gayatri of each graha, how to choose which planet's mantra to chant, and links to a full page on every planet.
Read more →MantraSaraswati Gayatri Mantra – Om Aim Vagdevyai Vidmahe
The Saraswati Gayatri, "Om Aim Vagdevyai Vidmahe Kamarajaya Dhimahi, Tanno Devi Prachodayat", in Sanskrit and English: what Aim, Vagdevi and Kamaraja mean, why students chant it before study, and how to chant it on Vasant Panchami and in Navratri.
Read more →MantraKrishna Gayatri Mantra – Om Devakinandanaya Vidmahe
The Krishna Gayatri, "Om Devakinandanaya Vidmahe Vasudevaya Dhimahi, Tannah Krishnah Prachodayat", in Sanskrit and English with word-by-word meaning, why it names Devaki and Vasudeva, how it relates to the Vishnu Gayatri, and how to chant it in Kartik, on Ekadashi and at Janmashtami.
Read more →MantraShri Krishna Govind Hare Murari (Krishna Naam Mantra)
"Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murare, He Natha Narayana Vasudeva": a verse of Krishna's names from the Govinda Damodara Stotra, which asks the tongue to drink this nectar alone. The Sanskrit original, what each name means, and the much-loved Hindi bhajan built on it.
Read more →MantraYa Devi Sarvabhuteshu (Devi Stuti from the Durga Saptashati)
The gods' hymn from chapter 5 of the Durga Saptashati: the Devi who lives in every being as intelligence, sleep, hunger, shakti, faith, mother and even delusion. All the "Ya devi" stanzas in their textual order, with meaning, and how they are sung in Navratri.
Read more →MantraTwameva Mata Cha Pita Twameva (Prayer of Surrender)
"You alone are my mother and my father": the four-line Sanskrit prayer that ends countless aartis and school assemblies. Where it is actually found (the Pandava Gita, in Gandhari's voice), what each line says, and how it is used.
Read more →MantraOm Kalabhairavaya Namah (Bhairav Mantra)
The simple name-mantra of Kaal Bhairav, chanted on Kalashtami and in times of fear: what each word means, how to do japa safely at home, and why the bija-mantra forms are better learned from a guru.
Read more →MantraAnnapurne Sadapurne (Annapurna Mantra)
The best-known prayer to Maa Annapurna, said before meals and while cooking: it asks the ever-full goddess, Shiva's beloved, for alms, but the alms it wants are knowledge and detachment.
Read more →MantraGangam Vari Manohari (Ganga Mantra)
A two-line Sanskrit prayer to Ganga's water, recited while bathing, sprinkling Gangajal or doing her aarti: the river that fell from Vishnu's feet and flows on Shiva's head, asked to purify the one who prays.
Read more →MantraMangalam Bhagwan Vishnu
A short verse of auspiciousness to Vishnu, sung at weddings and at the start of new undertakings: "Auspicious is Lord Vishnu, auspicious the one with Garuda on his banner, auspicious the lotus-eyed; Hari is the very abode of auspiciousness."
Read more →MantraSangachhadhvam (Vedic Sangathan Mantra)
The closing hymn of the Rigveda, recited as a prayer for unity: "walk together, speak together, may your minds be in harmony; common be your counsel, your assembly, your mind and your intention." Rigveda 10.191.2–4.
Read more →MantraSvasti Na Indro (Svasti Mantra)
The Vedic blessing recited at the start of almost every Hindu ceremony: "May Indra of great fame grant us wellbeing; may all-knowing Pushan, Tarkshya whose wheel is unbroken, and Brihaspati grant us wellbeing." From the Rigveda (1.89.6).
Read more →MantraDhanvantari Mantra
The mantra of Lord Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods and form of Vishnu who rose from the churning of the ocean holding the pot of amrit. Chanted for health and healing, and above all on Dhanteras, which is Dhanvantari Jayanti.
Read more →MantraKuber Mantra (Om Yakshaya Kuberaya)
The principal mantra of Kuber, the treasurer of the gods, known as the Kubera Panchatrimshakshari (thirty-five-syllable) mantra: "Om, to the Yaksha Kuber, son of Vishrava, lord of wealth and grain, grant me abundance of wealth and grain, svaha." Chanted on Dhanteras and Diwali.
Read more →MantraChandra Beej Mantra
The seed mantra of Chandra, the Moon among the nine planets: "Om shram shrim shraum sah chandramase namah", with the classical dhyana verse that pictures him white as curd and conch, born from the ocean of milk, the jewel on Shiva's crown. Chanted on Mondays.
Read more →MantraBilvapatra Mantra (Tridalam Trigunakaram)
The verses recited while offering bel (bilva) leaves to Shiva, from the Bilvashtakam tradition: the three-leafed bilva, shaped like the three gunas, Shiva's three eyes and three-pronged weapon, destroys the sins of three births.
Read more →What makes a mantra a mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word or short verse — most often in Sanskrit — repeated with focused intention, either aloud or silently. Unlike an ordinary prayer composed freely in the moment, a mantra is fixed: the same exact words, in the same order, said to work through the vibration and rhythm of the sound itself as much as through its literal meaning.
How mantras on this site are organised
Each mantra page gives you the original Sanskrit, an English transliteration so you can pronounce it correctly even without reading Devanagari script, its meaning, and practical guidance — how many times it's traditionally chanted, on which day, and for what purpose. Some, like the Gayatri Mantra, are meant for universal daily use; others, like a specific deity's Beej (seed) mantra, are more targeted.
Getting started with japa
If you're new to mantra chanting, our guide on japa, the practice of mantra repetition, explains how a 108-bead mala is used and the traditional forms of chanting — spoken, whispered and silent.