Durga Mantra

The 4 Durga Mantras

"Durga Mantra" is not a single verse. These are the forms in traditional use, each with its own purpose and count.

Durga Beej Mantra

"Duṁ" is Durga's own seed syllable; the rest is a salutation by name. This is the one usually given to someone beginning the practice, and the easiest to hold through a sustained daily round.

Count: 108 daily

Navarna Mantra

The nine-syllable mantra tradition calls her best-known — "navarna" means nine syllables. Aiṁ, hrīṁ and klīṁ are the three seed syllables of her three principal forms (Mahasaraswati, Mahalakshmi and Mahakali), and the mantra addresses her as Chamunda, the slayer of the demons Chanda and Munda.

Count: 108, or through all nine nights of Navratri

Durga Gayatri Mantra

Built on the Gayatri metre. It names her Katyayani — the form she is said to have taken in the sage Katyayana's household — and Kanyakumari, "the virgin goddess", then asks that Durga direct the intellect. Published collections give other versions too, naming her Mahashulini or Girija instead; the sense of each stays close to the others.

Count: 108

Sarva Mangala Mangalye (Devi Mahatmyam)

A verse from the Devi Mahatmyam, part of the Durga Saptashati, recited as a standalone prayer more often than counted on a mala. It calls her the auspiciousness within all auspicious things, the fulfiller of every rightful aim, worthy of refuge, three-eyed, and bows to her as both Gauri, Shiva's consort, and Narayani, Vishnu's.

When and how to chant

Day: Tuesday and Friday in the weekly cycle, and the nine nights of Navratri above all

• Morning or evening, both kept, through the nine nights of Navratri above all; Tuesday and Friday are the days kept in the weekly cycle.
• Face north or east. Red flowers — hibiscus especially — and a red cloth or chunri are the usual offerings.
• A rudraksha or red-thread mala is traditional; count in rounds of 108.
• Fasting through some or all of Navratri is widely kept alongside the chanting; a kalash and akhand jyot (unbroken lamp) are set up in many households for the nine days.

What tradition holds

Durga is approached for protection and courage specifically — tradition holds her as the form Shakti takes when the situation calls for a fight rather than patience, which is why her mantras are turned to in genuine difficulty rather than minor setbacks. The Navarna mantra is kept as sustained sadhana through Navratri, while the Devi Mahatmyam verse is recited more informally, as a prayer of its own. These are the reasons tradition gives for keeping them; they are not a claim about what any chant guarantees.

Watch and chant along

Related mantras

Frequently asked questions