Five habits
- Hold long vowels. Make ā, ī, ū, e, ai, o and au about twice as long as a, i and u.
- Breathe the aspirates. Add a puff of breath to kh, gh, ch, jh, th, dh, ph and bh.
- Close with the anusvara. Hum the ṁ through the nose: "oṁ", "śāntiṁ".
- Echo the visarga lightly. "Namaḥ" is a soft "namaha"; do not pronounce a full extra syllable.
- Pause at the dandas. Take a breath at the single danda (।) at the end of a half-verse and the double danda (॥) at the end of a verse.
Common mistakes
- Saying ś and ṣ like s — "śiva" is "Shiva", "viṣṇu" is "Vishnu"
- Reading c as "k" — "candra" is "chandra"
- Reading th as English "th" — "artha" is "art-ha"
- Shortening long vowels — "rāma" not "rama"
- Dropping the ending: "namaḥ" not "nama"
Practise with a mantra
Gayatri mantra
ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः ।
तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि ।
धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥
oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ |
tat savitur vareṇyaṃ bhargo devasya dhīmahi |
dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt ||
Notice the long ū in "bhūr", the visargas in "bhuvaḥ" and "svaḥ", the aspirated "bh" and "dh", and the pause at each danda.
Vedic mantras are also chanted with svaras (pitch accents), which are learned from a teacher; the tips above apply to all Sanskrit recitation.
Frequently asked questions
Why is pronunciation important in Sanskrit?
Tradition holds that the sound of a mantra carries its power, and a changed sound can change the meaning of a word.
What are the danda marks?
The single danda (।) marks the end of a half-verse and the double danda (॥) the end of a verse; pause and breathe at them.