As a longtime meditator and spiritual seeker, mala beads have become an integral part of my practice. For the uninitiated, a mala is a set of 108 beads plus one guru bead, traditionally used for keeping count while reciting a mantra during meditation. The mala provides a tactile way to anchor and deepen one’s practice.
In this article, I will share 27 powerful mantras for mala Beads that you can use with your mala beads, along with tips for how to choose the perfect mantra to support your unique spiritual path.
Key Takeaways
- Mantras distill potent vibrational frequencies that realign consciousness with awakened presence
- Mala beads allow tangible tracking of mantra repetitions during meditation
- Together this practice calms the mind, deepens spiritual connection with the Divine
- Experiment with different Sanskrit, Tibetan, Hindu mantras to find your vibrational match
- Use this guide’s examples as starting points to create meditation rituals with mantras that most inspire and uplift you
Why Use Mantras with Mala Beads
Mantras are sacred syllables that have spiritual potency and purifying vibrations. By focusing on the repetition of a mantra during japa meditation, we can move into deeper states of mindfulness and awareness.
Mala beads provide a tangible way to keep track of the number of times you repeat your chosen mantra. Typically the beads have 108 beads plus one guru bead to signify the start and end of the mantra cycle. The guru bead also represents paying respects to your teacher.
The Yoga Nomads highlight the importance of choosing the right mantra for your mala beads, suggesting that the choice can significantly enhance your meditation experience.
Together, mantra repetition using mala beads serves to focus the mind, open the heart, and connect us more deeply with the divine and our higher selves.
Want to give it a try with your own mala? Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Hold your mala beads comfortably in your right hand, then bring your hands together at your heart in prayer position
- Set your intention – what do you want to manifest or cultivate in your meditation practice today?
- Begin reciting your chosen mantra aloud or silently to yourself while using your right thumb to pull each bead toward you to keep track
- When you’ve completed a round of 108 repetitions plus the guru bead, pause and take a few mindful breaths
- Repeat for as many full rounds as you’d like, keeping your intention and mantra repetition as your point of focus
Tip: Be patient and gentle with your wandering mind – simply bring your focus back to the mantra and the movement of the mala beads through your fingers whenever the mind strays. With regular practice, you’ll be amazed at the peace, insight, and connection with your higher self that can unfold.
Now that you know the basics of how to meditate with mala beads, let’s explore 27 potent mantras to use in your practice…
1. Om
- Meaning: Represents the primordial sound of creation, encompassing all that ever was, is and will be
- Benefits: Instills a sense of unity with all of creation; powerful for reducing stress
- How to Recite:
- “Om” – Rhymes with “home”
- Draw out the “ooohm” sound
- Feel it vibrate through your entire body as you chant
“Om” is the most well-known and universally chanted Sanskrit mantra. It appears at the beginning and end of many Hindu prayers, texts, and songs, affirming the divinity in all beings and things.
In the yoga tradition, it’s considered the root mantra from which all other mantras emanate. Due to its supremely peaceful and harmonizing vibration, I like to include Om in my own practice when I’m seeking to instill a sense of wholeness and connection to the Divine.
Try chanting Om using your mala beads and notice the soothing, centering effect it has on your mind and spirit.
2. Om Namah Shivaya
- Meaning: “I bow to Shiva,” referring to the Hindu god often depicted as a divine dancer who both creates and destroys
- Benefits: Grounds energy in the body; centers the mind; dispels negativity
- How to Recite:
- Ohm Nah-mah She-Vah-yah
- Let the long “a” sounds resonate as you breathe the mantra with intention
Om Namah Shivaya is one of the most beloved Hindu mantras for invoking the divine energy known as Shiva. As the great destroyer and regenerator, Shiva represents eliminating the ego so our true self can shine through.
In my practice, I recite this mantra for mala beads to clear away negative or blocked energy and move into a more enlightened state of being. The rhythmic cascade of sounds in this mantra feel centering and soothing.
As I breathe the sounds through the core of my body, I visualize negativity dissolving, illuminating the Shiva – or inner divinity – in myself and all humanity. This mantra leaves me feeling refreshed, renewed and connected spiritually.
3. Om Mani Padme Hum
- Meaning: “Hail to the jewel in the lotus” – referring to the awakened consciousness that sits in the core of our being like a pearl nestled within a lotus flower
- Benefits: Awakens compassion, stimulates wisdom and inner transformation
- How to Recite:
- Om– Mani – Padmay – Hum
- Chant slowly, emphasizing each syllable equally
Om Mani Padme Hum is perhaps the most widely used Tibetan Buddhist mantra. Popularized by the Dalai Lama, this mantra invokes Chenrezig, the bodhisattva of compassion.
In Buddhism, the lotus flower represents our true nature – luminous, open-hearted awareness that emerges from the “muddy waters” of hardship and chaos. Mani Padme reminds us to recognize the preciousness in ourselves while cultivating compassion for all beings.
I like to hold this mantra in mind when I need to make an important decision from the heart. The humming vibration and imagery help me get out of “overthinking mode” and into a more open, flowing state to discern the wise path forward. This is my favorite mantra to recite on my mala when I need to step into my own wisdom and connect with universal compassion.
4. Aham Brahmasmi
- Meaning: “I am the Absolute Reality” – affirming your true Self as identical to the Ground of All Being
- Benefits: Awakens direct experience of unity consciousness beyond ego; powerful for self-realization
- How to Recite:
- Ah-ham Bram-maz-mi
- Emphasize the “Bram” syllable; let it rumble deep in your core
Table of additional mantras
| Mantra | Meaning | Benefits | How to Recite |
|---|---|---|---|
| So Ham | “I am He” – Establishes awareness of the Divine within | Awakens direct experience of inner divinity; purifies mind | Soooooo Hummmm |
| Om Shanti | “Peace” | Cultivates deep inner/outer peace | Ommm Shan-tea |
| Hare Krishna | “Oh Energy of Divine Bliss” – referring to Krishna as source of spiritual ecstasy | Opens heart channels; awakens unconditional love | Harray Kreesh-nah |
| Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya | “Oh Divine One within all beings” – referring to Krishna dharmic scripture | Aligns with dharma – right action in harmony with all life | Ohm Nah-mo Bah-gah-vah-tay Vah-soo-day-vah-yah |
This mystical Sanskrit mantra originates from the Mahavakyas, or “Grand Pronouncements” of Vedic scriptures. I think of it as the ultimate nondual declaration of unity consciousness – the I AM presence that connects us to the beating heart of the universe itself.
When I need to get out of feeling separate, small or doubting my place in the grand scheme of things, Aham Brahmasmi realigns me with my highest self. Chanting it makes me feel held, healed and whole beyond words, as I drink in the mantra’s silently thunderous vibration. Truly a mala mantra for the ages that lives up to its lofty name.
5. Hari Om
- Meaning: “Oh Divine Spirit” – Hari refers to supreme reality; Om signifies the vibration of creation
- Benefits: Deepens spiritual awareness; brings stillness and focus
- How to Recite:
- Huh-ree Ohm
- Emphasize the long “Ohmmm” sound
Hari translates as “Divine remover of sins,” indicating supreme reality beyond name and form. Paired with Om, this popular Hindu mantra serves to lift consciousness into awakened presence beyond thought and ego.
I especially love chanting Hari Om upon waking in the morning, while taking shower or while making tea or breakfast. It helps start my day centered in stillness and spiritual mindset rather than jumping into doing mode. The sweet, lilting sounds remind me of my connection to the sacred in the ordinary moments of life.
As part of my evening winding-down routine, I also like to recite Hari Om on my mala in meditation to clear any leftover stress or mental busyness from the day. This mantra’s peaceful current washes over me, carrying me gently into the flow of the present moment.
6. Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha
- Meaning: “Om, to Tara the mother of liberation from samsara” – referring to the divine feminine Buddha of enlightened activity
- Benefits: Increases feminine Shakti energy; enhances clarity and liberating wisdom
- How to Recite:
- Om Tar-ay Too-tar-ay Too-ray Sva-ha
- Enunciate each syllable clearly and distinctly
If you want to call in fierce grace, protection and the radical wisdom of the divine feminine, Green Tara is your goddess. Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha invokes Tara in her emanation as the great liberator who guides all beings past danger into the safe refuge of awakened mind.
I especially recite thisEastern spiritual traditions mantra on my mala beads during turbulent or challenging times when I want to let go of fear and lean into Tara’s supremely skillful means. The mantra’s earthy, meditative beat feels like a steady drum ushering me into clarity of discernment, releasing attachment to outcomes while aligning me with my inner wisdom.
Ultimately Tara shows us through this mantra that liberation from suffering comes from within, by awakening to our unchanging buddhanature beneath the swirling surface currents of life.
7. Om Mani Padme Hum
- Meaning: “Hail to the jewel in the lotus” – referring to the awakened consciousness that sits in the core of our being like a pearl nestled within a lotus flower
- Benefits: Awakens compassion, stimulates wisdom and inner transformation
- How to Recite:
- Om– Mani – Padmay – Hum
- Chant slowly, emphasizing each syllable equally
We’re coming back around to Om Mani Padme Hum because it bears repeating as one of my all-time favorite Tibetan Buddhist mantras. With its sublime invocations of the lotus (purity of mind) and precious jewel (buddhanature), this mantra has become ubiquitous with the Dalai Lama and compassion teachings.
Don’t let its popularity fool you into underestimating its profound power though! The humming, trance-like quality of Om Mani Padme Hum has an almost alchemical ability to open the heart, unfold wisdom and reconnect with our buddhanature – the awakened potential of every sentient being.
I find chanting this mantra a few rounds on my mala beads while taking some mindful breaths floods my nervous system with a sense of expansive peace. By softening my body and mind, I can let go of anxious overthinking and open into clarity of intuitive discernment.
8. Sat Nam
- Meaning: “Truth is my identity” – affirming awareness of one’s true essential nature
- Benefits: Grounding and centering; dispels ego agitation; connects with steady inner calm
- How to Recite:
- Sah-t Nahm
- Enunciate evenly with a lift at the end
In the yogic tradition, our true essence – beyond societal roles and ego – has qualities of purity, luminosity and stillness. Sat Nam means recognizing and affirming this changeless essential Self as the only real identity there is.
I especially love reciting this kundalini yoga mantra when I notice my mind spinning its wheels in self-judgment, people pleasing or trying to force solutions. Turning inward to repeat Sat Nam reconnects me with my steady inner clarity that exists before thought. Reorienting to this silent awareness dispels stress and anxiety, realigning me with wise discernment beyond ego.
The simple, rhythmic sounds have an incredibly grounding effect – the perfect mantra for mala meditation when you need to get out of mental overwhelm and come back home to your heart.
9. Om Ah Hum
- Meaning: Represents body, speech and mind unified as enlightened awareness
- Benefits: Purifies negativity; strengthens concentration; connects with inner guru for guidance
- How to Recite:
- Om– Ah- Hum
- Chant slowly, emphasizing each syllable equally
In Tibetan Buddhism, Om Ah Hum signifies a sacred formula for invoking the cosmic subatomic structure of our true nature. By unifying these seed syllables with breath and awareness, we can enter nondual states beyond thought and connect with inner wisdom.
I especially appreciate this mantra when I’m seeking clarity around a complex situation with no clear solution in sight. Turning inward to Om Ah Hum’s powerful invocation and resting meditation helps interrupt the tendency to overthink.
In the spaciousness of not-knowing, I can get quiet, listen deeply and let innovative solutions bubble up intuitively from beyond my rational mind. The mantra serves as a tuning fork realigning my limited perspective with limitless possibility sourced through my inner guru.
10. Lokah Samastah
- Meaning: “May all beings everywhere be happy and free”
- Benefits: Awakens goodwill & compassion; sends blessings
This uplifting peace prayer comes from Hindu scriptures. With its call for all creatures across the universe to dwell in a state of enlightened bliss, chanting this mantra on your mala beads sends powerful vibrations of metta (loving-kindness).
I like to use Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu as a closing mantra after meditation to dedicate the merit and good energy generated to the benefit of all beings. This practice helps me step back into the everyday world remembering that we’re all interconnected – when one of us evolves in consciousness, we lift the consciousness of life everywhere.
11. Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha
- Meaning: “Om, salutations to Ganesh, remover of obstacles” – referring to the elephant-headed deity known for clearing hurdles along the spiritual path
- Benefits: Breaks through stuck places/patterns, invokes beginnings & new blessings, removes obstacles
- How to Recite:
- Om Gam Gah-nah-paht-ah-ye Nahm-ah-ha
- Accentuate the first part of the mantra
Before undertaking any new venture from creative projects to life transitions, Hindus first invoke the benefic energy of Ganesh with Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha. As Lord of Thresholds who ushers us across new beginnings, chanting this mantra breaks up stuck energy and clears the path ahead.
Whenever I feel blocked or challenged by outer circumstances, using my mala beads to repeat this Ganesh mantra dissolves the grip of fear-based thinking. By calling in divine support, I can approach difficulties from a faith-filled state of allowing and compassion. This mantra helps me get into receivership mode to welcome assistance and solutions from spirit.
12. Om Shri Dhanvantre Namaha
- Meaning: “Om and salutations to the being of divine healing” – referring to Dhanvantri as physicain of the gods
- Benefits: Activates healing, uplifts vital life-force energy, supports wellbeing & wholeness
- How to Recite:
- Om Shree Dhun-vun-tray Nahm-ah-ha
- Apply emphasis to the long first “A” sound
In the Vedic tradition, Lord Dhanvantri emerged from the primordial ocean of milk holding the nectar of immortality. Known as the father of Ayurvedic medicine, this healing deity can dispel illness on mental, emotional and physical levels.
If you or loved ones have health issues, call upon divine healing support with the potent sounds of Om Shri Dhanvantre Namaha. This mantra invokes restorative blessings from the cosmic physician residing subtly in plants, earth and our own cells. It’s also useful to strengthen immunity or when recovering from illness.
Chanting this mantra on your mala beads kindles vibrational resonance with health and harmony on levels seen and unseen – renewing your vital life force with each repetition.
13. Om Shanti Om
- Meaning: “Peace, peace, peace”
- Benefits: Cultivates deep serenity, soothing heart-mind agitation
- How to Recite:
- Ohm – Shan-tee – Ohm
- Chant slowly, emphasizing the “Shan” and “Ohm” sounds
We touched briefly on Om Shanti earlier. Now let’s linger here with this sublime triple peace invocation known to still the busiest minds. Shanti means peace in Sanskrit – radiating it outward over the first and last intonations of Om serves to envelope your awareness in a blanket of serenity.
If your nervous system feels taxed, anxious or overloaded, mala meditation with Om Shanti Om never fails to melt away the stress. By consciously elongating the resonate sounds, I feel my entire body relax into the underlying peace always alive within me.
This mantra dissolves separation consciousness, reconnects me with steady inner calm before thought arises. Om Shanti Om weaves a wordless lullaby loosening the knots of a too-full mind until only spacious, blissful stillness remains.
14. Om Asato Maa Sad-Gamaya
- Meaning: “Lead me from untruth to truth”
- Benefits: Guides spiritual awakening, revealing higher reality behind illusions
- How to Recite:
- Ohm – Uh-sah-toh Maah – Suhgd-gah-my-uh
- Enunciate clearly and separately
This mantra comes from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishads, expressing the soul’s longing to wake up from the dream of separation. Asat means transitory or false perceptions, while Sat indicates the unchanging truth of unity consciousness.
We can transcend suffering when we stop clinging to changing appearances and awaken to the deathless awareness silently permeating all life. Om Asato Maa guides us continually deeper into this enlightened state where inner freedom dwells.
I especially appreciate chanting this when I notice myself stressed about surface level concerns like money, reputation or trying to control how things appear. Reciting Asato Maa returns me to faith in the unseen web of unity beneath transient forms – easing attachment and realigning priorities with spirit.
15. Om Rudraya Namaha
- Meaning: “Salutations to Rudra” – the fierce, transformative form of Lord Shiva
- Benefits: Burns away stuck patterns and negativity, purifies body, mind & soul
- How to Recite:
- Ohm Rooh-drah-yah Nahm-ah-ha
- Emphasize the “Roo” syllable
As the combustive form of Lord Shiva who annihilates illusion, Rudra holds radical transformational power – like a forest fire that destroys diseased trees so new growth can emerge.
Chanting Om Rudraya Namaha invokes this fierce, purifying Shiva energy to incinerate negative thought patterns, unhealthy behaviors or addiction tendencies still haunting you. The mantra’s potent vibration sears through obstacles on the path to wholeness and authenticity.
I call on Rudra during intense emotional cleanses, to banish lingering depression or when I feel haunted by the past. This is a powerful mantra for banishing ghosts – both inner and outer! After turning within to Rudra’s purifying flames, I feel lightness reborn from the ashes of old pain.
16. Om Hanumate Namah
- Meaning: “Salutations to Lord Hanuman” – referring to the beloved monkey deity known as embodiment of selfless service & devotion
- Benefits: Inspires strength, courage and overcoming all odds to attain highest aims
- How to Recite:
- Ohm – Hah-noo-mah-teh Nahm-ah-hah
- Enunciate clearly with emphasis on the “Hanu” syllable
In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Hanuman takes superhuman leaps and risks to rescue Sita – embodiment of the spiritual heart – from the demon Ravana. His devotion to truth and dharma provides inspiration in trying times.
I turn inward to repeat Om Hanumate Namah when preparing for challenging transitions, important exams or any undertakings stretching my comfort zone requiring endurance and faith. Hanuman stirs up courage, tenacity and resolute focus serving a higher purpose.
Chant this mantra to kindle creative resilience, bold innovative thinking and audacity to do what’s needed despite fear or uncertainty. Let Hanuman’s example compel extraordinary effort – fueling realization of your own spiritual heroic potential!
17. Om Gum Ganapatayei Namah
- Meaning: “Om, I merge with the Lord of Transformation who clears obstacles”- referring to Ganesh
- Benefits: Breaks through blocks or limiting patterns, invokes new beginnings
- How to Recite:
- Om Gam Gah-nah-paht-yea-yea Nah-mah-ha
- Accentuate 1st part of mantra
Earlier we covered Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha for connecting with Ganesh’s grace to remove obstacles and initiate new growth. Om Gum Ganapatayei Namah takes that power a step further, signifying merging into embodied oneness with this beneficent deity.
While the usual Ganesh mantra calls for support externally, chanting Om Gum tunes into Ganesh energy awakening from within your own consciousness. Here, Ganesh also represents the Higher Self who clears limitations to embody your full divine potential.
Use this when facing inner or outer hurdles to dissolving separation between you and your awakened nature. Let Ganesh’s tusks sever clinging attachments, his knowing wisdom cut through false identities so your light can shine through!
18. Om Sri Mahalakshmyai Namah
- Meaning: “Om and salutations to the Great Mother who takes away all suffering” – referring to goddess Lakshmi
- Benefits: Attracts prosperity, wealth and abundance on all levels
- How to Recite:
- Om Shree- Maha-luck-shmeye Nah-mah-ha
- Emphasize 1st part of mantra
As goddess of prosperity, Lakshmi’s blessings emanate divine supply – not just financially but overflowing health, joyful relationships, creative flow, career success and realization of heartfelt dreams.
I chant Om Sri Mahalakshmyai Namah upon waking or before important meetings or events to invoke Lakshmi’s beneficence. Her golden light activation dissolves any blocks to receiving abundance in my life.
Whenever lack, playing small or poverty mindset creeps in, Lakshmi’s mantra reopens the floodgates of infinite divine provision available when we align with our highest purpose. Chanting this mantra fills me with faith to take inspired action from a space of trust and allowing.
19. Om Shree Dhanvantre Namaha
- Meaning: “Om and salutations to the Divine Healer” – referring to Dhanvantri holding all secrets of holistic harmony
- Benefits: Activates full-spectrum healing and wellbeing
- How to Recite:
- Om Shree Dhun-vunn-tray Nah-mah-ha
- Accentuate 1st part of mantra
Earlier we covered a version of Dhanvantri’s healing mantra for rejuvenating vital force and physical health. Now let’s invoke this Ayurvedic deity’s full restorative powers for integrative wellness.
Whereas Om Shri Dhanvantre Namaha focuses on the body dimension, Om Shree Dhanvantre Namaha activates holistic healing through Dhanvantri’s total mastery of mind-body medicine.
By honoring all levels of our being, this fuller mantra brings relief from mental and emotional suffering – cleansing toxic thinking patterns, soothing frayed nerves or mending wounded hearts. Uplifted energy translates into greater peace and contentment carrying you through with grace.
20. Om Shri Mahaganadhipataye Namah
- Meaning: “Om and salutations to the great guide” referring to the satguru or inner wisdom teacher
- Benefits: Awakens inner guru connection; reveals intuitive clarity; guides one home to their true nature
- How to Recite:
- Ohm-Shree-Maha-Gah-nah-deek-pot-ahye- Nahm-ah-ha
- Enunciate clearly, emphasize “Maha” & “Namah”
In Eastern spiritual traditions, a satguru represents the embodiment of ultimate truth – an enlightened master who can transmit direct experience of nondual realization beyond intellectual concepts.
By attuning inward to the satguru – or inner wisdom guide – we access our own deepest knowing that illuminates the path ahead clearly when the thinking mind cannot see. This becomes invaluable in moving through stuck places or life transitions.
I especially appreciate chanting Om Shri Mahaganadhipataye Namah when I feel directionless or question what steps to take next. Opening to receive transmissions of intuitive clarity from the inner guru dissolves overthinking spirals. Suddenly the next right action emerges obviously from within to carry me forward.
21. Om Namah Shivaya
Let’s revisit this beloved classic for more layers of meaning…
- Meaning: “I bow to Shiva” – referring to Divine source of creation and destruction, driving the cycle of death and rebirth
- Benefits: Grounds energy in the body; Stillness and space for inner wisdom; Dispels negativity
- How to Recite:
- Ohm- Nah-mah- She-va-ya
- Enunciate clearly, feel it resonate through your core
On one level, Om Namah Shivaya honors Lord Shiva – the Hindu deity often depicted in meditative pose as Divine Yogi. As primal architect of existence, Shiva wields the power to dissolve all forms back into unmanifest potential as Absolute Reality behind all illusions.
This relates metaphorically to releasing rigid ego attachment, so our timeless free essence can come forth. Chanting this mantra creates space for inner wisdom to guide us beyond limited perspectives.
Energetically, “Na-Ma” represents paying homage – negating the ego so we may know our unity with all “That Which Is”. The long “Eeeeee” in “Shivaaaaaa” mimics the sound of Shiva’s cosmic damaru drum setting the rhythm of creation.
Vibrating Om Namah Shivaya channels Shiva’s supreme stillness within, while echoing his ecstatic dance dissolving all suffering. As the great yogi lord Pashupati — named for protector of animals indicating lord of the senses — Shiva teaches us to harness energies skillfully.
This mantra’s frequencies cut through destructive patterns —stilling fluctuations of consciousness — allowing inner light of truth to shine brightly!
22. Om Gum Shrim Maha Lakshmamya Namaha
- Meaning: “Om and salutations to the Great Goddess Lakshmi, bestower of success, wealth and prosperity.”
- Benefits: Invokes blessings of abundance; dissolves scarcity consciousness; attracts financial prosperity
- How to Recite:
- Ohm Gum Shreem Mah-ha Luck-shme-mya Nah-mah-ha
- Enunciate clearly with emphasis on “Luckshme”
23. Om Shrim Hrim Klim Adya Kalika Param Eshwari Swaha
- Meaning: “Salutations to Adya Kalika, the Primordial Force who transcends time and space.” Refers to Kali as the great Divine Mother Goddess.
- Benefits: Releases fear and anger, destroys illusions, activates fierce grace to cut through obstacles
- How to Recite:
- Om Shreem Hreem Kleem Ah-dya Kah-lee-kah Pah-rahm Esh-wah-ree Swa-hah
- Enunciate every syllable clearly and slowly
24. Om Namo Narayanaya
- Meaning: “Salutations to the primal source of all.” Refers to Narayana or Vishnu, the divine sustainer of all creation.
- Benefits: Grounds awareness in faith; relinquishes control and attachment; reconnects to support of the Absolute
- How to Recite:
- Om Nam-oh Nar-ah-yah-nah-yah
- Breathe fully between each word
25. Om Klim Krishnaya Govindaya Gopijana Vallabhaya Namah
- Meaning: “Salutations to Krishna, divine lover who plays joyfully with the devoted.”
- Benefits: Opens the heart, awakens pure love and devotion; enhances enjoyment, playfulness and connection with the Divine Beloved
- How to Recite:
- Om Kleem Krish-nah-yah Go-vin-dah-yah Go-pee-jah-nah Val-lab-hai-yah Nah-mah
- Enunciate each word slowly and clearly
26. Om Aim Saraswatyai Namah
- Meaning: “Salutations to Mother Saraswati”, goddess of art, music, wisdom and consciousness
- Benefits: Enhances creativity, learning and knowledge; refines speech, writing and discernment
- How to Recite:
- Om Aim Sah-ras-vaht-yai Nah-mah
- Accentuate 1st part of mantra
27. Om Rasne Namah
- Meaning: “Salutations to the essence of divine nectar.” Refers to principle of Amrit or immortal bliss.
- Benefits: Awakens joyful aliveness; enhances vitality; dissolves stuckness by connecting to flow of supreme pleasure
- How to Recite:
- Om Rahs-nay Nah-mah
- Allow the “Rahs” sound to resonate
The Power of Mantras for Malas
Hopefully, by now you have a deeper appreciation for the profound gifts mantras offer – especially when paired with mala beads to amplify their spiritual potency.
By repeating these ancient incantations in rhythmic resonance with the breath and movement of the beads through your fingers, you create a powerful centering technique. The practice serves to calm the mind, open the heart and attune you to inner wisdom guiding you to truth.
While I’ve shared 27 of my top picks here, don’t limit yourself! Explore and experience a variety of different mantras to see which resonate most strongly for you and your evolving practice over time.
May these humble words illuminate your path to inner peace and awakening. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti!
FAQ on Mantras for Mala Beads
Q: How to choose a mantra for your mala beads during meditation?
A: Choosing a mantra is a deeply personal process. The mantra should reflect your intentions or spiritual goals. You can either create your own mantra or choose from a list of mala mantras such as the famous Gayatri mantra, Aham Prema which means “I am divine love”, or the Green Tara mantra known as the “Mother” in Sanskrit.
Q: What is the significance of chanting a mantra 108 times in meditation practice?
A: This practice, known in Sanskrit as Japa meditation, has a deep-rooted significance in many traditions. The number 108 is considered sacred, and to chant a mantra 108 times is believed to bring about spiritual transformation. It brings the mind to a state of deep meditation where you consistently meditate on one mantra with each pass over the next bead on the mala.
Q: What is the role of mala mantras in meditation?
A: Mala mantras play a central role in mantra meditation. The repetition of the mantra helps to quiet the mind and combines with the tactile sensation of the beads to maintain focus. Chanting different mantras can also promote specific benefits according to their meanings, aligning with your spiritual practice.
Q: Can you use only one mantra in your meditation practice?
A: Yes, you can stick to one mantra in your meditation practice. However, as your intentions and focus change, you may choose to adopt different mantras that align better with your current spiritual aspirations.
Q: How to choose a mala for mantra chanting?
A: When choosing a mala, you should consider the kind of energy you want to bring into your practice. Different types of beads are said to have different properties. However, the perfect mala for you is one that you are drawn to in instilling your intentions and mantra into the prayer beads.
Q: What is the purpose of the guru bead in a 108 beads mala?
A: The guru bead is the starting and ending point in the recitation of mantras on the mala. When you reach this bead, instead of passing over it, you flip the mala around and continue in the opposite direction. This bead serves as a reminder of your spiritual goals and intentions.
Q: How is a mantra used in Kundalini yoga?
A: In Kundalini yoga, the use of mantras is essential. Mantras are chanted in a form called kirtan which is viewed as a high form of meditation. Chanting these mantras helps align the energy and intention of the yoga practice to reach higher states of consciousness.
Q: Can reciting mantras help set intentions during meditation?
A: Absolutely. Reciting a mantra is a powerful way to set intentions. As you repeat the mantra, mentally or aloud, it becomes engrained in your consciousness. The more you recite it, the more it permeates your being, helping to manifest your intentions.
Q: Why is Sanskrit often used for mala mantras?
A: Sanskrit is an ancient language used in many spiritual practices. The sounds of each mantra when chanted or meditated upon are meant to open up certain energies. When Sanskrit mantras are pronounced correctly, they activate the energy and intention inherent in the mantra.
Q: Can you chant different mantras with the same mala?
A: It’s a personal preference. Some people stick to one mantra with one mala, believing that the mala becomes synced with the energy of that mantra. Others believe that the key factor is your intention, and thus, you can use the same mala for different mantras.
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