Learn to Chant
The order of the recitation, and how to give each Sanskrit sound its proper voice.
The order of recitation
A full recitation moves through the ritual preface and into the names in a fixed sequence:
- Viniyoga — the dedication that names the seer, metre, and deity.
- Aṅga-nyāsa and kara-nyāsa — placing the mantra upon the body and hands.
- Dhyāna — three ślokas of visualisation.
- The thousand names — verses 1 through 201.
- Phalaśruti — the verses declaring the fruit of recitation.
- Uttarāṅga — the closing names that complete the thousand.
Pronouncing the transliteration
Throughout this edition the Sanskrit is given both in Devanāgarī and in IAST — the International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, where small marks above and below the letters carry the exact sounds. The marks are not decorative; each one changes the word. A few that most often trip up new reciters:
| Mark | Sound |
|---|---|
| ā | long a, as in father — held twice as long as a |
| ī | long i, as in machine |
| ū | long u, as in rude |
| ṛ | vocalic r — a short “ri”, tongue tapping the ridge (as in river) |
| ṝ | the same vocalic r, held long |
| ḷ | vocalic l — a brief “li” |
| e, o | always long, as in prey and go |
| Mark | Sound |
|---|---|
| ś | palatal “sh”, as in shy — tongue near the palate |
| ṣ | retroflex “sh” — tongue curled back toward the roof of the mouth |
| s | plain dental s, as in sun |
| ṅ | “ng”, as in sing |
| ñ | “ny”, as in canyon |
| ṇ, ṭ, ḍ | retroflex n, t, d — tongue curled back behind the ridge |
| c | “ch”, as in church (not “k”) |
| ṃ | anusvāra — a humming nasalisation of the preceding vowel |
| ḥ | visarga — a soft breath that echoes the vowel (…aḥ → “a-ha”) |
| kh, gh, ch, jh, ṭh, ḍh, th, dh, ph, bh | aspirated — the same consonant with an audible puff of breath |
Pace and breath
The metre of the hymn is anuṣṭup — verses of four feet, eight syllables each. Let the rhythm be even and unhurried; the daṇḍa (the upright stroke “।” in the Devanāgarī, “·” in the transliteration) marks a natural pause for breath. Sit upright, settle the breath first, and let each name land fully before moving to the next. The meaning matters as much as the sound — keeping the story of each name in mind turns recitation into contemplation.
When you are ready, begin with the dhyāna or go straight to Verse 1.