Mantra
Sacred Sanskrit sound formulas, with meaning, correct pronunciation and guidance on when to chant them.
Karpur Gauram Karunavataram
The four-line Shiva stuti sung at the end of almost every aarti in North India, whichever deity the aarti was for. What each phrase means, why it closes the aarti, and how to say it correctly.
Read more →MantraSantoshi Mata Mantra: Om Shri Santoshi Mahamaya
The dhyana mantra recited in the Friday Santoshi Mata vrat, which calls her Mahamaya, the giver of Ganesha's joy and the goddess who loves Friday, with the short name mantra "Jai Maa Santoshiye Devi Namo Namah".
Read more →MantraOm Shri Shyam Devaya Namah: Khatu Shyam Mantra
The name mantra of Khatu Shyam Baba, "salutations to Lord Shyam", chanted 108 times by his devotees on Ekadashi and before darshan at Khatu, along with the everyday call "Jai Shri Shyam".
Read more →MantraRadha Rani's 28 Names (Radha Naam Mantra)
Four short verses that string together twenty-eight names of Shri Radha, from Raseshvari, queen of the rasa dance, to Bhavavyadhivinashini, healer of the sickness of worldly life. Recited before her aarti and on Radhashtami.
Read more →MantraHey Gauri Shankarardhangi: Parvati Mantra
The best-known prayer to Maa Parvati for a good marriage: "O Gauri, half of Shankar, as you are dear to Shankar, make me dear to a beloved husband." With it, the short name mantras of Parvati and of Shiva-Parvati together.
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.