by Shantala Sriramaiah | Sep 14, 2026 | Chanting practice, Courses, Festival chanting, Sādhanā
Today is Gaṇeśa caturthi. The ten days of our annual Gaṇapati sādhanā begins. Gaṇapati, or Gaṇeśa, is a devatā we all hold dear, and it is an auspicious day to contemplate what he brings us. The Gaṇapati Atharvaśīrṣa is a short upaniṣad from the Atharva Veda, chanted...
by Shantala Sriramaiah | Sep 12, 2026 | Chanting practice, Retreats
The Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad is the tenth prapāṭhaka of the Taittirīya Āraṇyaka, in the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda, Taittirīya śākhā. It is also known as the Yājñikī Upaniṣad. A student comes to most upaniṣads through their questions. What becomes of a man when he dies, Naciketas...
by Shantala Sriramaiah | Sep 7, 2026 | Chanting practice, Courses, Shanti Mantras
When we speak about sound practices, we almost always speak about what we receive. Calm. Bliss. A sense of settling. Something arrives, and we let it in. Vedic chant works the other way round. The mantra asks. It asks for your eyes, your ears, your breath, your voice,...
by Shantala Sriramaiah | Sep 1, 2026 | Chanting practice, Sūktams
The Oṣadhi Sūktam is a hymn to the healing plants. Across twenty mantras they are addressed as living powers, invoked by name as mothers and goddesses, and entreated to do their work: to enter the body, drive out illness, and carry the person across to health. They...
by Shantala Sriramaiah | Jul 29, 2026 | Chanting practice, Festival chanting
At the end of the course of study, the teacher of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad gives the departing student a parting address. It is a set of plain instructions. Speak the truth. Do what is right. Do not be negligent about your recitation. Look after your parents and your...
by Shantala Sriramaiah | Jun 13, 2026 | Chanting practice, Courses, Sādhanā, Studying Online
Most people today know the sun salutation from āsana practice. It is a set of postures, a way of greeting the sun with the body. In the Veda the salutation to the sun takes another form. It is mantric. It is offered in sound. Here the ṛṣis recognise the sun and...
