यावज्जीवं जपेन्नित्यमष्टोत्तरसहस्रकम् अनन्यस्तत्परो भूत्वा स याति परमां गतिम्
He should recite daily, throughout his life, one thousand and eight times, being devoted to nothing else; thus he attains the highest state.
जपेदक्षरलक्षं वै चतुर्गुणितमादरात् नक्ताशी संयमी यस्स पौरश्चरणिकः स्मृतः
He should recite one hundred thousand syllables, four times that amount with devotion; one who eats only at night and is self-restrained is known as a performer of the prescribed rite.
यः पुरश्चरणं कृत्वा नित्यजापी भवेत्पुनः तस्य नास्ति समो लोके स सिद्धः सिद्धदो भवेत्
He who, having performed the preliminary rites, becomes a constant reciter—there is no one equal to him in the world; he is accomplished and becomes a bestower of accomplishment.
स्नानं कृत्वा शुचौ देशे बद्ध्वा रुचिरमानसम् त्वया मां हृदि संचिंत्य संचिंत्य स्वगुरुं ततः
Having bathed, in a pure place, with a mind made serene, you should contemplate me in your heart, and then likewise your own teacher.
उदङ्मुखः प्राङ्मुखो वा मौनी चैकाग्रमानसः विशोध्य पञ्चतत्त्वानि दहनप्लावनादिभिः
Facing north or east, keeping silence, with mind concentrated, having purified the five elements by means such as fire and water,
मन्त्रन्यासादिकं कृत्वा सफलीकृतविग्रहः आवयोर्विग्रहौ ध्यायन्प्राणापानौ नियम्य च
Having performed the placing of the mantra and related rites, making the body fruitful, meditating on both our forms, and restraining the in-breath and out-breath,
विद्यास्थानं स्वकं रूपमृषिञ्छन्दो ऽधिदैवतम् बीजं शक्तिं तथा वाक्यं स्मृत्वा पञ्चाक्षरीं जपेत्
Recalling the seat of the mantra, its own form, the seer, the meter, the presiding deity, the seed, the power, and the statement, one should recite the five-syllabled mantra.
उत्तमं मानसं जाप्यमुपांशुं चैवमध्यमम् अधमं वाचिकं प्राहुरागमार्थविशारदाः
Mental recitation is said to be the highest, muttered recitation is considered intermediate, and spoken recitation is called the lowest by those skilled in the meaning of the scriptures.
उत्तमं रुद्रदैवत्यं मध्यमं विष्णुदैवतम् अधमं ब्रह्मदैवत्यमित्याहुरनुपूर्वशः
The highest is said to have Rudra as its deity, the intermediate has Vishnu as its deity, and the lowest has Brahma as its deity, in this order.
यदुच्चनीचस्वरितैःस्पष्टास्पष्टपदाक्षरैः मंत्रमुच्चारयेद्वाचा वाचिको ऽयं जपस्स्मृतः
When the mantra is pronounced aloud with high and low tones, with clear or unclear syllables and words, this is called spoken recitation.
जिह्वामात्रपरिस्पंदादीषदुच्चारितो ऽपि वा अपरैरश्रुतः किंचिच्छ्रुतो वोपांशुरुच्यते
When it is uttered only by a slight movement of the tongue, or softly, so that others do not hear it or hear it only a little, this is called muttered recitation.
धिया यदक्षरश्रेण्या वर्णाद्वर्णं पदात्पदम् शब्दार्थचिंतनं भूयः कथ्यते मानसो जपः
When, with the mind, one contemplates the sequence of syllables, letter by letter, word by word, and reflects on the meaning of the words, this is called mental recitation.
वाचिकस्त्वेक एव स्यादुपांशुः शतमुच्यते साहस्रं मानसः प्रोक्तः सगर्भस्तु शताधिकः
Spoken recitation counts as one, muttered recitation is said to be a hundred, mental recitation is said to be a thousand, and the one with retention is a hundred more.
प्राणायामसमायुक्तस्सगर्भो जप उच्यते आद्यंतयोरगर्भो ऽपि प्राणायामः प्रशस्यते
Recitation accompanied by breath control is called 'with retention'; even without retention at the beginning and end, breath control is praised.
चत्वारिंशत्समावृत्तीः प्राणानायम्य संस्मरेत् मंत्रं मंत्रार्थविद्धीमानशक्तः शक्तितो जपेत्
Restraining the breath for forty cycles, one should remember the mantra; knowing the meaning of the mantra, one should recite according to one's ability.
पञ्चकं त्रिकमेकं वा प्राणायामं समाचरेत् अगर्भं वा सगर्भं वा सगर्भस्तत्र शस्यते
One should perform breath control five, three, or one time, whether with or without retention; among these, the one with retention is praised.
सगर्भादपि साहस्रं सध्यानो जप उच्यते एषु पञ्चविधेष्वेकः कर्तव्यः शक्तितो जपः
Recitation with retention, even if a thousand, is called accomplished; among these five types, one should perform recitation according to one's ability.
अङ्गुल्या जपसंख्यानमेकमेवमुदाहृतम् रेखयाष्टगुणं विद्यात्पुत्रजीवैर्दशाधिकम्
Counting recitations on the fingers is said to be one; with lines (on the hand), it should be known as eight times more; with putrajīva seeds, ten more.
शतं स्याच्छंखमणिभिः प्रवालैस्तु सहस्रकम् स्फटिकैर्दशसाहस्रं मौक्तिकैर्लक्षमुच्यते
A hundred is with conch or gems, a thousand with coral; with crystal, ten thousand is said, with pearls, a hundred thousand.
पद्माक्षैर्दशलक्षन्तु सौवर्णैः कोटिरुच्यते कुशग्रंथ्या च रुद्राक्षैरनंतगुणितं भवेत्
With lotus seeds, it is said to be a million; with gold, ten million; with knots of kusa grass or with rudraksha beads, it becomes countless times more.
त्रिंशदक्षैः कृता माला धनदा जपकर्मणि सप्तविंशतिसंख्यातैरक्षैः पुष्टिप्रदा भवेत्
A rosary made with thirty beads grants wealth when used for recitation; one with twenty-seven beads bestows nourishment.
पञ्चविंशतिसंख्यातैः कृता मुक्तिं प्रयच्छति अक्षैस्तु पञ्चदशभिरभिचारफलप्रदा
A rosary of twenty-five beads grants liberation; with fifteen beads, it yields the results of magical rites.
अंगुष्ठं मोक्षदं विद्यात्तर्जनीं शत्रुनाशिनीम् मध्यमां धनदां शांतिं करोत्येषा ह्यनामिका
The thumb confers liberation, the index finger destroys enemies, the middle finger grants wealth, and the ring finger brings peace.
अष्टोत्तरशतं माला तत्र स्यादुत्तमोत्तमा शतसंख्योत्तमा माला पञ्चाशद्भिस्तु मध्यमा
A rosary of one hundred and eight beads is considered the highest; one of a hundred beads is excellent, and one of fifty beads is middling.
चतुः पञ्चाशदक्षैस्तु हृच्छ्रेष्ठा हि प्रकीर्तिता इत्येवं मालया कुर्याज्जपं कस्मै न दर्शयेत्
A rosary of fifty-four beads is said to be best for the heart; thus, one should perform recitation with the rosary and not show it to anyone.
कनिष्ठा क्षरिणी प्रोक्ता जपकर्मणि शोभना अंगुष्ठेन जपेज्जप्यमन्यैरंगुलिभिस्सह
The little finger is called 'kṣariṇī' and is auspicious for recitation; the mantra should be recited with the thumb together with the other fingers.
अंगुष्ठेन विना जप्यं कृतं तदफलं यतः गृहे जपं समं विद्याद्गोष्ठे शतगुणं विदुः
Recitation done without the thumb is fruitless; at home, it is considered equal, but in a cow-pen, it is said to be a hundred times greater.
पुण्यारण्ये तथारामे सहस्रगुणमुच्यते अयुतं पर्वते पुण्ये नद्यां लक्षमुदाहृतम्
In a sacred forest or garden, it is said to be a thousand times greater; on a holy mountain, ten thousand times; at a river, a hundred thousand times.
कोटिं देवालये प्राहुरनन्तं मम सन्निधौ सूर्यस्याग्नेर्गुरोरिंदोर्दीपस्य च जलस्य च
In a temple, it is said to be ten million times greater, and in My presence, infinite; likewise, in the presence of the sun, fire, teacher, moon, lamp, and water.
विप्राणां च गवां चैव सन्निधौ शस्यते जपः तत्पूर्वाभिमुखं वश्यं दक्षिणं चाभिचारिकम्
Recitation is praised in the presence of Brahmins and cows; facing east brings mastery, facing south is for magical rites.