Hinduism
Hinduism includes many schools, scriptures and forms of devotion. Some honour the divine through many forms, others as one ultimate reality; there is no single founder or creed.
Many voices: Vaishnava, Shaiva, Shakta, Smarta and many regional traditions differ widely.
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Prayers, Mantras & Chants
Traditional textThe Gayatri MantraHindu — Vedic · Rig Veda 3.62.10Read the prayer
Oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṃ bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt May we attain that excellent glory of Savitar the God: So may he stimulate our prayers.
- Attribution:
- Rig Veda, hymn to Savitr
- Source:
- Rig Veda 3.62.10
- Version:
- English: Ralph T. H. Griffith (1896), public domain. Spanish: Lightkeepers rendering.
Note: Customs about who recites it and how vary between communities; some teach it through initiation.
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Traditional textAsato mā — Lead me from darkness to lightHindu — Upanishadic · Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.3.28Read the prayer
Asato mā sad gamaya Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya Mṛtyor mā amṛtaṃ gamaya Oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ Lead me from the unreal to the real. Lead me from darkness to light. Lead me from death to immortality. Om, peace, peace, peace.
- Attribution:
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad
- Source:
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.3.28
- Version:
- Plain literal rendering by Lightkeepers — not an authoritative translation
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Traditional textMantraOm (Aum)Hindu, also used in Buddhist, Jain and Sikh contexts · Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad 1Read the prayer
Om (A-U-M) Chanted slowly on the out-breath, often three times. The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad describes it as standing for all that is: past, present, future and beyond.
- Attribution:
- Sacred syllable described in the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad
- Source:
- Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad 1
Note: Treat the syllable with respect; many people avoid using it as decoration.
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Traditional textMantraOm Namaḥ ŚivāyaHindu — Shaiva devotionRead the prayer
Om Namaḥ Śivāya Meaning: "Om, I bow to Shiva" — often understood as bowing to the auspicious, or to one's own inner divinity.
- Attribution:
- The words namaḥ śivāya appear in the Śrī Rudram (Yajurveda); the five-syllable mantra is central in Shaiva practice
- Version:
- Meaning: plain literal rendering by Lightkeepers
Note: Commonly repeated with a mala (108 beads).
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Traditional textMantraOm Gaṃ Gaṇapataye NamaḥHindu — devotion to Ganesha, often chanted before beginningsRead the prayer
Om Gaṃ Gaṇapataye Namaḥ Meaning: "Om, (seed sound) Gam, salutations to Ganapati (Ganesha), lord of the people."
- Attribution:
- Traditional mantra; gaṃ is Ganesha's seed syllable, explained in the Gaṇapati Atharvaśīrṣa
- Version:
- Meaning: plain literal rendering by Lightkeepers
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Traditional textMantraMahā Mṛtyuñjaya MantraHindu — Vedic, addressed to Tryambaka (Shiva) · Rig Veda 7.59.12Read the prayer
Oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭi-vardhanam urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt We worship the three-eyed One, fragrant, who nourishes all. As a ripe cucumber is freed from its vine, may we be freed from death, not from immortality.
- Attribution:
- Rig Veda
- Source:
- Rig Veda 7.59.12
- Version:
- Meaning: plain literal rendering by Lightkeepers
Note: Often chanted for wellbeing and at times of illness or grief. It is a devotional practice, not medical treatment.
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