ॐ श्रां श्रीं श्रौं सः चन्द्राय नमः ॥
Frequently asked questions about Chandra Mantra
When is the Chandra beej mantra chanted?
On Mondays, and on Purnima above all - Sharad Purnima being the chief night of the year for it. Evening after moonrise, before a white flower and a ghee lamp, is the usual practice.
What is the prescribed count?
Eleven thousand is the classical sankhya for Chandra, taken as a sankalpa over a period. A mala of a hundred and eight daily is the ordinary practice.
What does the Moon govern in a chart?
The mind, emotions, the mother, comfort and nourishment. Vedic astrology reads temperament from the Moon rather than the Sun, which is why the Rashi is taken from it - see the Janma Rashi calculator.
What is given in daan for the Moon?
Rice, milk, sugar, white cloth and silver on a Monday, with service to the mother. Care of one's own sleep and mind is what the tradition adds, and it is not a metaphor.
Does it help with anxiety or low mood?
Chandra upasana is prescribed for an afflicted Moon and many find the japa steadying. Where there is real distress, get proper medical help as well - the tradition never asked anyone to choose between the two.
About the Chandra Mantra - Om Shraam Shreem Shraum Sah Chandraya Namah
The Chandra Mantra - the beej mantra of Chandra (the Moon), chanted for mental peace, emotional balance and a strong Moon.
Meaning
With the lunar seed-syllables, the mantra bows to Chandra, the cooling Moon god, lord of the mind, emotions and nourishment.
Benefits
Chanted on Mondays to strengthen a weak Moon, calm the mind, ease emotional distress and bring peace, contentment and harmony.
How the Mantra Is Built
The seeds Shraam Shreem Shraum carry the lunar sound sha - soft, cooling, watery - through the three vowel energies (aa, ee, au), followed by the release syllable Sah and the salutation Chandraya Namah, "to Chandra, the Moon." In the Vedic scheme the Moon is the mind itself (manas): emotions, memory, the mother, nourishment and inner peace all live in its light. Strengthening Chandra is therefore always, at heart, a practice of steadying the mind.
How to Chant
Chant on Mondays, in the evening or at moonrise, facing north or north-west; white is the Moon's colour, so a white asana, white flowers, rice kheer or plain milk are the traditional accompaniments. The classical vowed count for Chandra is 11,000 repetitions; the everyday practice is one mala of 108 each Monday. Purnima (full moon) evenings are the strongest monthly occasion, and the Mondays of Shravan the strongest season - the Moon Calendar lists every Purnima and Amavasya of the year.
When Astrology Prescribes It
The Chandra mantra is prescribed for a debilitated Moon (in Scorpio), a waning dark-Moon birth, or the Moon besieged by malefics - showing as anxiety, sleeplessness, emotional turbulence, strained ties with the mother, or a mind that will not rest. It is also the steady companion through Chandra dasha. Your Moon sign (Janma Rashi) - the anchor of the whole Vedic chart - comes from the Moon's position at birth: find yours with the Janma Rashi calculator.
Chandra's japa is likewise paired with gentler observances: the Somvar (Monday) vrat, worship of Shiva - on whose crown the crescent Moon rests - and Monday charity of milk, rice or white cloth. The Moon's gemstone is the pearl (moti), set in silver, though as with every graha stone it should be taken up only on proper astrological advice. For the mind, the tradition adds its simplest prescription: regular sleep, calm company and unhurried evenings.
The Chandra Mantra - Om Shraam Shreem Shraum Sah Chandraya Namah above is given in both Devanagari (Sanskrit) and Roman transliteration so you can read it in whichever script you are comfortable with - switch between the two using the buttons above, share the link, or download a PDF.
A mantra is a compact formula for japa, not a long hymn. Forty-verse hymns live under Chalisa; lamp-songs under Aarti; longer stotras under Stotram. Browse every formula on the Mantra index. Count repetitions with the online japa mala counter.
