There are two soft "na"s and one hard "Na" in the mantra. The second type of Na is pronounced by the tip of the tongue hitting the roof of the mouth (the centre of the hard palate)- the tongue has to curl in the process of making this sound. The tongue is placed just behind the teeth when making this sound. One is the usual "na" like in English, e.g. Chanting all the "na" sounds the same way. The mantra means salutations/namo to Narayana).Ĥ. (This is incorrect- the "ya" at the end of Narayana, means 'to Narayana'. ![]() Some people even accidentally forget to say the final "ya" sound altogether and say Naaraayana instead of Naaraayanaaya. saying "Naaraayanaay" (incorrect) instead of Naaraayanaaya.ģ. Deleting the short "a" at the end of the mantra entirely i.e. saying Naaraayanaayaa (incorrect) instead of Naaraayanaaya (correct).Ģ. Elongating the short "a" at the end of the mantra into a long "aa". Some common errors in chanting the Om Namo Naaraayanaaya mantra:Ģ. the long "aa" should last about twice as long as the short "a". Whether chanting the mantra slowly or quickly, whether it is said mentally or vebally, the ratio of the short to long vowels needs to be about 1: 2. Naaraayanaaya is said with two long "aa"s followed by a short "a", then another long "aa" followed by a final short "a". Let me therefore write this mantra in such a way as to reflect the short and long "a" vowels: It is less obvious in the usual way in which this mantra is written in English, namely Om Namo Narayanaya. When written in Sanskrit, it is perfectly clear where the short and long "a" sounds are. The Om Namo Narayanaya mantra contains three short "a"s and three long "aa"s. But we say it in a way that sounds about right). The duration of pronunciation of a long vowel "aa" is supposed to be roughly twice as long as the short vowel "a" (in practice, we do not measure this precisely of course. For example the short "a" and the long "aa". In Sanskrit, there are long and short vowels. The Gurus of course say that spiritual goals of everlasting peace, wisdom and bliss are the best. One can recite it to fulfill any desire, material or spiritual. This mantra is a famous moksha mantra - it can grant everything, both material and spiritual. Therefore I will write a little here about the correct pronunciation of the ashtakshara mantra of Vishnu, namely Om Namo Narayanaya (based on my understanding of this). Correct pronunciation of a sattvic pure mantra elevates and transforms the mind and body, even without any knowledge of its meaning- so say the Gurus/saints. Having said that, a mantra is a special sound energy, it is the body of the deity in sound form. God knows when we are calling Him/Her via mantra chanting, and will respond even if the pronunciation is not perfect, if we do it with love and sincerity. ![]() While devotion when chanting a mantra is extremely important for spiritual progress, correct pronunciation (as far as one is able) is also very useful.
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