Shlokas

The Gayatri Mantra, Rigveda 3.62.10: a prayer to Savitr, the Sun's divine light, to inspire and illumine our understanding.

The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, Rigveda 7.59.12, a Vedic verse to Tryambaka (Rudra) for healing, long life and freedom from the fear of death.

A one-verse Sanskrit invocation asking seven sacred rivers to be present in the water of a bath or ritual, so that it carries their holiness.

The Upanishadic peace prayer 'Saha navavatu': teacher and student ask together for protection, nourishment, vigour and freedom from hatred.

A beloved prayer for the happiness, health and welfare of all beings, that none may suffer, closed with a threefold 'Shanti'.

A short anonymous Ganesha verse, 'Agajanana padmarkam', in which devotees meditate on the elephant-faced, one-tusked Lord day and night.

'Manojavam maruta-tulya-vegam', a Hanuman shloka praising him as swift as thought and wind, master of his senses and Rama's messenger.

A Sanskrit dhyana verse on the white-robed, moon-hued, four-armed, gracious-faced Lord, chanted to calm all obstacles before worship or study.

The Mahalakshmi Ashtakam, eight verses praising Goddess Mahalakshmi, with three closing verses on the fruit of reciting it. Credited to Indra.

A Hanuman shloka naming eight gifts of remembering him: intellect, strength, fame, courage, fearlessness, health, alertness and eloquence.

The Rama Raksha Stotram: 38 verses of protection from Rama, traditionally credited to the sage Budha Kaushika, chanted for safety and courage.

A single Sanskrit verse praising Shiva, white as camphor and full of compassion, who dwells in the heart together with Bhavani.

The Rudrashtakam: eight Sanskrit stanzas to Shiva and a ninth on its fruit, in Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas (Uttara Kanda, after Doha 107).

Durga Saptashloki: seven verses to the Goddess, gathered from the Devi Mahatmya, recited for protection and the fulfilment of wishes.

A two-line Sanskrit prayer to Saraswati, spoken by students before a lesson or Vidyarambha, asking that their study succeed.

Sri Saraswati Stotram (Agastya Krutam): 21 verses praising Saraswati's white radiance, with salutations and a closing note on its fruits.

Sri Venkatesha Suprabhatam with its Stotram, Prapatti and Mangalasasanam: the dawn hymn that wakes Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala.

Krishna Ashtakam: eight Sanskrit verses of praise, each ending 'Krishnam vande jagadgurum', and a ninth verse on the fruit of reciting it.

Aditya Hridayam: the 31 verses in which sage Agastya teaches Rama a hymn to the Sun on the battlefield, from Valmiki's Yuddha Kanda.

The Pavamana prayer from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28: lead me from untruth to truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality.

From Narasimha Purana 17: Vyasa teaches his son Shuka the eight-syllable mantra Om Namo Narayanaya, with its method, colours and fruits.

A Sanskrit verse of total surrender: offering every action of body, speech, mind, and senses to Lord Narayana, echoing Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2.36.

The Narayani Stuti, from chapter 11 of the Devi Mahatmya in the Markandeya Purana, praises the Goddess as the supreme power behind creation.

Subrahmanya Pancharatnam, five verses and a closing verse of benefits to Lord Subrahmanya (Murugan), each ending in a prayer for refuge.

The Devi Stuti from the Devi Mahatmya (5.9-5.80), in which the gods praise the Goddess as present in every being as intelligence, sleep and compassion.

The Tulasi Upanishad, a short Vaishnava text that includes the verse 'Yanmule sarva-tirthani', honoring holy basil as the beloved of Vishnu.