https://japomala.com/guides/Plain guides to counting japa: how to use a mala, why it has 108 beads, the sumeru bead, sava lakh jaap, anushthan and how many times to chant. https://japomala.com/guides/how-to-do-japa-with-a-mala/https://japomala.com/guides/how-to-do-japa-with-a-mala/Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTHow to hold a japa mala and why the fingers sit where they do, why you turn at the sumeru instead of crossing it, and how to count japa on your fingers. https://japomala.com/guides/vaikhari-upamshu-manasika-japa/https://japomala.com/guides/vaikhari-upamshu-manasika-japa/Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe three ways of saying japa, aloud, whispered and in the mind, why the tradition ranks them as it does, and two more forms, likhita japa and ajapa japa. https://japomala.com/guides/why-108-beads-on-a-mala/https://japomala.com/guides/why-108-beads-on-a-mala/Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTWhy japa malas have 108 beads, what the number means in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions, why some malas have 54 or 27 beads, and what the 109th bead is for. https://japomala.com/guides/what-is-the-sumeru-bead/https://japomala.com/guides/what-is-the-sumeru-bead/Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTWhat the sumeru bead is, why it is never counted or crossed, and the less-known parts of a mala, from marker beads to the Tibetan counters that track a lakh. https://japomala.com/guides/sava-lakh-jaap/https://japomala.com/guides/sava-lakh-jaap/Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTSava lakh jaap is 1,25,000 repetitions of a mantra, or 1,158 malas of 108. How many malas a day it takes, how many days, and how to plan and keep count. https://japomala.com/guides/what-is-a-mala-made-of/https://japomala.com/guides/what-is-a-mala-made-of/Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTWhat japa malas are made of and what each material carries, from rudraksha and tulsi to sphatik crystal, sandalwood, red sandalwood and lotus seed. https://japomala.com/guides/what-is-anushthan/https://japomala.com/guides/what-is-anushthan/Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTWhat anushthan means, how a japa anushthan differs from a sankalpa or daily practice, the usual counts, and how to plan one so you finish on the day you set. https://japomala.com/guides/how-many-times-to-chant-a-mantra/https://japomala.com/guides/how-many-times-to-chant-a-mantra/Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTHow many times to chant a mantra: why the answer is counted in malas of 108, the few numbers traditions set, and how long each takes for short and long mantras. https://japomala.com/scenarios/japa-on-a-commute/https://japomala.com/scenarios/japa-on-a-commute/Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTA plan for japa on a bus, train or walk, with whispered or silent chanting, counting without looking, and how many malas fit a 30-minute commute. https://japomala.com/scenarios/16-rounds-a-day/https://japomala.com/scenarios/16-rounds-a-day/Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra take about 90 minutes. A plan that splits them across a working day, what to do on bad days, and how to keep count. https://japomala.com/mantras/gayatri-mantra/https://japomala.com/mantras/gayatri-mantra/Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe Gayatri Mantra in Devanagari and English letters, written 108 times, with how to chant and count it on a mala and how long 108 repetitions take. https://japomala.com/mantras/mahamrityunjaya-mantra/https://japomala.com/mantras/mahamrityunjaya-mantra/Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe Mahamrityunjaya Mantra in Devanagari and English letters, written 108 times, with how to chant it on a mala, how long it takes and sava lakh jaap. https://japomala.com/mantras/om-namah-shivaya/https://japomala.com/mantras/om-namah-shivaya/Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTOm Namah Shivaya in Devanagari and English letters, written 108 times, with how to chant the Panchakshara mantra on a mala and how long 108 takes. https://japomala.com/mantras/hare-krishna-mahamantra/https://japomala.com/mantras/hare-krishna-mahamantra/Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe Hare Krishna Mahamantra in Devanagari and English letters, how to chant it on japa beads, what 16 rounds means and how long it takes, written out 108 times. https://japomala.com/mantras/radhe-radhe/https://japomala.com/mantras/radhe-radhe/Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTHow to do Radha naam jap, counting Radhe Radhe on a mala of 108, how long 11,000 takes, and a free online counter for Radha naam jap.