by Shantala Sriramaiah | Mar 31, 2025 | Chanting practice
The Nakṣatra Sūktam is not merely a poetic hymn—it is a luminous map of the cosmos as lived and experienced through sacred time. Each verse is an invocation to a star, a force, a deity who governs a portion of our celestial rhythm. To chant these verses is to align...
by Shantala Sriramaiah | Feb 7, 2025 | Chanting practice, Festival chanting
The Śrī Rudram is one of the most powerful and transformative hymns of the Vedas, a sacred invocation that reveals the all-pervasive nature of Rudra—both as the cosmic force of destruction and renewal, and as Śiva, the auspicious reality that is the foundation of...
by Shantala Sriramaiah | Jan 17, 2025 | Chanting practice, Sūktams
In the Vedas, Śraddhā is revered as both an attitude and a divine presence, guiding seekers towards truth and understanding. Unlike andha-viśvāsa (blind faith), Śraddhā does not demand unquestioning belief. Instead, it invites inquiry, comprehension, and a journey...
by Shantala Sriramaiah | Jan 6, 2025 | Chanting practice, Festival chanting
For the last four years, I have had the privilege of teaching a worldwide group of dedicated Śiva devotees the magnificent prayer known as Rudram. This prayer, a jewel from the Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda, is both a challenge and a blessing—a journey that transforms all who...
by Sophia French | Dec 23, 2024 | Chanting practice, Personal & community, Uncategorized
Krupa compares reciting Veda to the work of Leonardo Da Vinci, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Salvador Dalí — you can’t experience any of them in a hurry. “Take your time to take them in,” advises Krupa… By Sophia Ann French The first time I heard Krupa recite Veda in an...
by Shantala Sriramaiah | Nov 17, 2024 | Chanting practice
In collaboration with INDICA, we launched our first Chanting teacher training program in 2022. We are thrilled that our second cohort from this program graudated on 16 Nov 2024. Learning to teach mantras from both the Veda as well as the daily prayer Hindu tradition...