What Can You Chant/Sing/Quote From Memory?

[Vinidra]

So I was thinking earlier about the handful of different "things" I've managed to memorize when it comes to Hinduism and thought it would be interesting to see what other people know by memory. So I thought I'd start this thread to satisfy my curiosity.

For example, I've memorized almost all of my short, simple puja, except the individual deities' dhyanams (still have to read those off, but I'm getting there). I can (usually) chant the 100 names of Kali that begin with "K" and the 108 names of Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Durga. I also know the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam and the Saraswati stotram that begins "Namaste Sharade Devi, Kashmira Pura Vasini..." (don't know the official name for that one).

So far, that's all I can do from memory, aside from short things, like Gayatri mantras and such. I know it's not very much, but my memory is *terrible*, lol. I'm currently trying to learn the 108 names of Ganesha, the Kalika Ashtakam, and the Durga Chalisa, with varying amounts of success.

So what about y'all? What can you chant/sing/quote for us from memory? (Bonus points if you know so much, you can't remember all that you know!) And is there anything else you would like to learn?

 

[Vinayaka]

I know less than you. Two astottarams (Sivan, and Ganesha) are the longest ones. I'd love to learn Sri Rudram. Memory is a valued tool in Hinduism, especially with priests. Some can do a whole lot, (like 10 hours, or more) before getting out a book.

 

[Viraja]

I'm a native Hindu, which means from childhood I'm exposed to the various hymns, some learned on my own and many for competitions and such .

I know Hanuman Chalisa, Lakshmi Ashtottaram, Adhitya Hrudayam, Durga Ashtottaram, Venkatesa Ashtottaram and various smaller hymns by-heart. I wish to know Vishnu Sahasranamam by heart but offlate my memory too is pretty bad and I know it would be quite a challenge. The others I mentioned are ones I learnt when very young, in my late teens.

Regardless of what I know, I only chant the Hare Krishna mahamantra these days all the time I pray and therefore the rest are useless, even if I may know them.

 

[Vinidra]

Thanks for your answers, guys! I love when people satisfy my curiosity, lol.

I know less than you. Two astottarams (Sivan, and Ganesha) are the longest ones. I'd love to learn Sri Rudram. Memory is a valued tool in Hinduism, especially with priests. Some can do a whole lot, (like 10 hours, or more) before getting out a book.

Memory is very much a valued tool in Hinduism, and I'm always in awe of people who can remember a lot. Learning Sri Rudram would be awesome, too!

I'm a native Hindu, which means from childhood I'm exposed to the various hymns, some learned on my own and many for competitions and such .

I know Hanuman Chalisa, Lakshmi Ashtottaram, Adhitya Hrudayam, Durga Ashtottaram, Venkatesa Ashtottaram and various smaller hymns by-heart. I wish to know Vishnu Sahasranamam by heart but offlate my memory too is pretty bad and I know it would be quite a challenge. The others I mentioned are ones I learnt when very young, in my late teens.

Regardless of what I know, I only chant the Hare Krishna mahamantra these days all the time I pray and therefore the rest are useless, even if I may know them.

Oh, that's fantastic! It would be great to learn the Vishnu Sahasranam as well.

I've always heard it's best to chant the same mantra every time, anyway, so it sounds like you're doing it right.

 

[SalixIncendium]

The only mantras I can recite from memory are the Pavamana mantra:

Om
Asato ma sad gamaya
Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya
Mrtyor ma amrtam gamaya
Om shanti shanti shanti

And the Nataraja mantra:

Nararaj, Nataraja
Jai Shiva Sankara Nataraja
Shivaraj, Shivaraja
Shambho Sankara Shivaraja


My spelling of these is probably atrocious. Apologies for that.

 

[JustGeorge]

I don't have much memorized; my memory is very, very bad. But, over time, I've memorized a chant to Ganesh that I say at the beginning of a puja, and Lingashtakam.

 

[Vinayaka]

I don't have much memorized; my memory is very, very bad. But, over time, I've memorized a chant to Ganesh that I say at the beginning of a puja, and Lingashtakam.

"Shuklam Bharatanum Vishnum ...." ? or Gananaam Tva Ganapati hum Havamahe..." Excuse my poor transliteration.

 

[JustGeorge]

"Shuklam Bharatanum Vishnum ...." ? or Gananaam Tva Ganapati hum Havamahe..." Excuse my poor transliteration.

Vakratunda mayhakaya, suryakote samhaprada... (very poor spelling, I am sure, apologies)

 

[Vinayaka]

Vakratunda mayhakaya, suryakote samhaprada... (very poor spelling, I am sure, apologies)

I was wrong ... for the 3 millionth time in my life.

 

[JustGeorge]

I was wrong ... for the 3 millionth time in my life.

If you're only at 3 million, I'd say you're doing pretty good.

 

[ajay0]

So I was thinking earlier about the handful of different "things" I've managed to memorize when it comes to Hinduism and thought it would be interesting to see what other people know by memory. So I thought I'd start this thread to satisfy my curiosity.

For example, I've memorized almost all of my short, simple puja, except the individual deities' dhyanams (still have to read those off, but I'm getting there). I can (usually) chant the 100 names of Kali that begin with "K" and the 108 names of Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Durga. I also know the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam and the Saraswati stotram that begins "Namaste Sharade Devi, Kashmira Pura Vasini..." (don't know the official name for that one).

So far, that's all I can do from memory, aside from short things, like Gayatri mantras and such. I know it's not very much, but my memory is *terrible*, lol. I'm currently trying to learn the 108 names of Ganesha, the Kalika Ashtakam, and the Durga Chalisa, with varying amounts of success.

So what about y'all? What can you chant/sing/quote for us from memory? (Bonus points if you know so much, you can't remember all that you know!) And is there anything else you would like to learn?

I used to envy people who had such prodigious memories in terms of chants and songs, and wondered the secret behind it.

Reading a book of Mata Amritanandamayi , I got the answer for it.

Mata Amritanandamayi states that a relaxed mind has superior memorising abilities.

Hindu children living in pious homes usually chant these names in evening during prayers. Since this takes place in the presence of grandparents in a serene and relaxing atmosphere, they are able to quickly memorise it easily.

Similarly there are many who had memorized the quran and they are called Hafeez. Yoga Master Bharat Thakur who founded Artistic Yoga, had studied sufism as well and memorized the quran, and hence he is referred to as a Hafeez.

Practice of yoga and pranayama also relaxes the mind and enhances memorizing abilities. Aurobindo had stated of how his memory developed after practice of pranayama.

As per Mata Amritanandamayi, a tense mind reduces memorising ability. Often students writing exams may not remember what they had studied due to intense tension or pressure.

During stressful moments we may have had experiences of not remembering things which we usually know well. On such occasions , the right thing to do is to relax and chill by deep breathing or meditation or other means for a period of time. This enables us to remember what we had forgotten.

If we are in a relaxed state of mind and enjoy the learning process, our memories can perform at optimal levels.

 

[Jainarayan]

1. Mantra Pushpam ... yes, the whole thing. It took me forever. But I chant just the first and last stanzas at the end of my puja, though sometimes I chant the whole thing.

om yopam puṣpam veda
puśpavan prajāvan paśuman bhavati
chandramava apam puṣpam
puśpavan prajāvan pasuman bhavati
ya evam veda yopam ayatanam veda ayatanavan bhavati

rājādhi rājāya prasahya sāhine
namo vayaṃ vaiśravaṇāya kūrmahe
same kāmān kāma kāmāya māśyam
kāmeśvaro vaiśravaṇo dadhātu
kuberāya vaiśravaṇāya mahārājāya namaḥ

2. Lingaśtakam ... yes, the whole thing. It took me forever. Odd that a Vaiśnava can chant a Śaiva mantra or stotram, huh? I can't chant the śrī kṛṣṇāṣṭottara śatanāmāvaliḥ (maybe I should learn it, ya think?) but I love Lord Śiva too, and learned the Lingaśtakam. I chant om karpuragauram karunavataram ... , and oṁ sarvamangala mangalye śive sarvārtha sadhike... in my puja.

Btw, I don't know if I should pour water on my tiny lingam and Nandi anymore. They're getting residue from the water, and I'm not sure I'm really worshipping Him properly. I could do a tiny abishekam following the temple procedure. I think @Vinayaka once told me I could use tamarind juice/nectar to clean the lingam. It's black jade.

3. Śantakaram bhujagaśayanam, śuklam bharadharam viśnum ... , more mantras for my puja. I have laminated cards I use but that's really only to satisfy my Asperger's. I can do puja from memory.

4. oṁ jaya jagadīśa hare I sing it in my puja during the final aarati with the pancadeepa:

 

[Aupmanyav]

Unfortunately, nothing. But my way is analysis and not chanting - Jnana Yoga.
Members, you can easily check the spelling on internet.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Unfortunately, nothing. But my way is analysis and not chanting - Jnana Yoga.

Some jnanis find chanting practical...and may even enjoy doing it.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Some jnanis find chanting practical...and may even enjoy doing it.

They are wize. They know what works for them.

 

[Jainarayan]

I used to envy people who had such prodigious memories in terms of chants and songs, and wondered the secret behind it.

Reading a book of Mata Amritanandamayi , I got the answer for it.

Mata Amritanandamayi states that a relaxed mind has superior memorising abilities.

Hindu children living in pious homes usually chant these names in evening during prayers. Since this takes place in the presence of grandparents in a serene and relaxing atmosphere, they are able to quickly memorise it easily.

One weekend at temple there was a large group of children: preteens, early teens and younger children, who chanted the Sri Vishnu Sahasranama. They were in perfect unison, perfect timing, not missing a beat ... from memory. No booklets, no cheat sheets. I can't remember a 108 line mantra, I even flub it reading my cards, and they chanted a 30 minute stotra from memory!

 

[mangalavara]

I chant om karpuragauram karunavataram ... , and oṁ sarvamangala mangalye śive sarvārtha sadhike... in my puja.

I also know the latter śloka.

oṁ jaya jagadīśa hare I sing it in my puja during the final aarati with the pancadeepa

Ah, I envy you!

 

[mangalavara]

The only mantras I can recite from memory are the Pavamana mantra:

Om
Asato ma sad gamaya
Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya
Mrtyor ma amrtam gamaya
Om shanti shanti shanti

And the Nataraja mantra:

Nararaj, Nataraja
Jai Shiva Sankara Nataraja
Shivaraj, Shivaraja
Shambho Sankara Shivaraja

I recently memorized the Pavamāna mantra. Listening to Swami Sarvapriyananda chant it at the beginning of almost every talk helped.

 

[Vinidra]

Ok, y'all, please don't hate me for the late replies. I sort of forgot I posted this thread.

The only mantras I can recite from memory are the Pavamana mantra:

Om
Asato ma sad gamaya
Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya
Mrtyor ma amrtam gamaya
Om shanti shanti shanti

And the Nataraja mantra:

Nararaj, Nataraja
Jai Shiva Sankara Nataraja
Shivaraj, Shivaraja
Shambho Sankara Shivaraja


My spelling of these is probably atrocious. Apologies for that.

Oh, those are good ones, though! I have tried to get the Pavamana mantra to stick, but I get it mixed up a lot.

I don't have much memorized; my memory is very, very bad. But, over time, I've memorized a chant to Ganesh that I say at the beginning of a puja, and Lingashtakam.

That's awesome! I can relate to the bad memory, too. It's hard to memorize anything for me.

I used to envy people who had such prodigious memories in terms of chants and songs, and wondered the secret behind it.

Reading a book of Mata Amritanandamayi , I got the answer for it.

Mata Amritanandamayi states that a relaxed mind has superior memorising abilities.

Hindu children living in pious homes usually chant these names in evening during prayers. Since this takes place in the presence of grandparents in a serene and relaxing atmosphere, they are able to quickly memorise it easily.

Similarly there are many who had memorized the quran and they are called Hafeez. Yoga Master Bharat Thakur who founded Artistic Yoga, had studied sufism as well and memorized the quran, and hence he is referred to as a Hafeez.

Practice of yoga and pranayama also relaxes the mind and enhances memorizing abilities. Aurobindo had stated of how his memory developed after practice of pranayama.

As per Mata Amritanandamayi, a tense mind reduces memorising ability. Often students writing exams may not remember what they had studied due to intense tension or pressure.

During stressful moments we may have had experiences of not remembering things which we usually know well. On such occasions , the right thing to do is to relax and chill by deep breathing or meditation or other means for a period of time. This enables us to remember what we had forgotten.

If we are in a relaxed state of mind and enjoy the learning process, our memories can perform at optimal levels.

That is very interesting. I mean, it makes total sense now that you mention it, but I have just never thought of it like that before. Good to know!

1. Mantra Pushpam ... yes, the whole thing. It took me forever. But I chant just the first and last stanzas at the end of my puja, though sometimes I chant the whole thing.

om yopam puṣpam veda
puśpavan prajāvan paśuman bhavati
chandramava apam puṣpam
puśpavan prajāvan pasuman bhavati
ya evam veda yopam ayatanam veda ayatanavan bhavati

rājādhi rājāya prasahya sāhine
namo vayaṃ vaiśravaṇāya kūrmahe
same kāmān kāma kāmāya māśyam
kāmeśvaro vaiśravaṇo dadhātu
kuberāya vaiśravaṇāya mahārājāya namaḥ

2. Lingaśtakam ... yes, the whole thing. It took me forever. Odd that a Vaiśnava can chant a Śaiva mantra or stotram, huh? I can't chant the śrī kṛṣṇāṣṭottara śatanāmāvaliḥ (maybe I should learn it, ya think?) but I love Lord Śiva too, and learned the Lingaśtakam. I chant om karpuragauram karunavataram ... , and oṁ sarvamangala mangalye śive sarvārtha sadhike... in my puja.

Btw, I don't know if I should pour water on my tiny lingam and Nandi anymore. They're getting residue from the water, and I'm not sure I'm really worshipping Him properly. I could do a tiny abishekam following the temple procedure. I think @Vinayaka once told me I could use tamarind juice/nectar to clean the lingam. It's black jade.

3. Śantakaram bhujagaśayanam, śuklam bharadharam viśnum ... , more mantras for my puja. I have laminated cards I use but that's really only to satisfy my Asperger's. I can do puja from memory.

4. oṁ jaya jagadīśa hare I sing it in my puja during the final aarati with the pancadeepa:

View attachment 72507

I bow to your superior memorization abilities!

Unfortunately, nothing. But my way is analysis and not chanting - Jnana Yoga.
Members, you can easily check the spelling on internet.

That's perfectly ok, too.

One weekend at temple there was a large group of children: preteens, early teens and younger children, who chanted the Sri Vishnu Sahasranama. They were in perfect unison, perfect timing, not missing a beat ... from memory. No booklets, no cheat sheets. I can't remember a 108 line mantra, I even flub it reading my cards, and they chanted a 30 minute stotra from memory!

That's really impressive! I can manage to remember a few of the 108 name chants, but not a sahasranama.

I also know the latter śloka.



Ah, I envy you!

I recently memorized the Pavamāna mantra. Listening to Swami Sarvapriyananda chant it at the beginning of almost every talk helped.

Oh, yes, hearing other people chant things helps me. That's how I learn them, actually. I look them up on YouTube to get the correct pronunciations, and then I read along with the chanting and try to keep up (very badly, at first).