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Japa Meditation

Japa is a form of meditation where the practitioner repeats a mantra to himself. The word 'Japa' is derived from the Sanskrit root 'jap' which means 'to utter in a low voice' or 'to speak internally'. It can be performed either in the mind or by quietly chanting the mantras. The meditation practise tools used most commonly are 'mala' or prayer beads. Japa is used in both Hinduism and Buddhism.

japa in ireland hare krishna monk chants japa Om







Mantra for Japa Meditation

The ancient Vedic texts of India recommend one mantra above all others, the maha-mantra. 'Maha' is a prefix which means 'great' or 'the best'. This mantra consists of the names Hara, Krishna and Rama. Hara is the supreme feminine principal and the greatest embodiment of pure love. Krishna is the supreme masculine principal and the all-attractive being. And Rama is the ultimate reservoir of spiritual pleasure. Below is the mantra written in both Devanagari and Latin text.


krishna mantra devanagari sanskrit

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare



Each word is in the vocative case in Sanskrit grammar, which means the names are being called out. So Hara changes to Hare and is pronounced something like Huh'ray.

spiritual master chants japa meditation Below is a link to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada chanting japa (pictured). In the photo Srila Prabhupada is holding the japa mala (prayer beads)in a cotton bead bag.

Audio external link to Maha-mantra japa





In japa one can choose whether to pronounce the last 'a' syllable of 'Rama'. For ease of speech and to keep the flow the names can run into each other so the syllable appears omitted. However, in kirtan (chanting with music) this 'a' syllable is pronounced.



Japa Meditation Video

This is soft chanting on beads, therefore you need to turn up the volume to hear it!