1. Study Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide and learn how all the letters are pronounced and what consonants and the long and short vowels are.
2. Read the English translation of a memorable verse and become familiar with it.
3. Study word-for-word meanings for the first line of verse.
4. Determine the meter of the first line of the verse (more below).
5. Chant the first line of the verse repeatedly until memorized, always keeping the meaning of each word in mind.
6. Proceed to the second line, then the third, and complete the verse. Share with your friends.
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HOW TO MEMORIZE VERSES:
1. Study Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide and learn how all the letters are pronounced and what consonants and the long and short vowels are.
2. Read the English translation of a memorable verse and become familiar with it.
3. Study word-for-word meanings for the first line of verse.
4. Determine the meter of the first line of the verse (more below).
5. Chant the first line of the verse repeatedly until memorized, always keeping the meaning of each word in mind.
6. Proceed to the second line, then the third, and complete the verse. Share with your friends.
SANSKRIT METER
The meter of a verse is the combination of light and heavy syllables that make up each line. A light syllable is held half as long as a heavy one (like an eighth note versus a quarter note in music).
1. A syllable is a combination of letters with one vowel sound.
2. A light syllable is one with a short vowel followed by less than two consonants.
3. A heavy syllable is one with a long vowel or with a short vowel followed by two or more consonants.
4. Ignore hyphens and spaces between words.
5. Aspirated consonants (ph, gh, jh, etc.) count as one consonant.
6. As soon as you see an anusvära (à) or a visarga (ù), the previous syllable is heavy.
7. The last syllable of each line is almost always heavy, regardless of other considerations.
The above is given in sutra form at the end of the Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide as follows: “There is no accentuation of syllables in Sanskrit, or pausing between words in a line, only a flowing of short and long (twice as long as the short) syllables. A long syllable is one whose vowel is long (ä, ai, au, e, é, o, è, ü) or whose short vowel is followed by more than one consonant (including ù and à). Aspirated consonants (consonants followed by and h) count as single consonants.”
Sample verses:
Srila Rupa Gosvami’s Mukunda-muktävalé
Text 4
yajïa-bhaìga-ruñöa-çakra-nunna-ghora-megha-cakra
våñöi-püra-khinna-gopa-vékñaëopajäta-kopa
kñipta-savya-hasta-padma-dhäritocca-çaila-sadma
gupta-goñöha rakña rakña mäà tathädya paìkajäkña
yajïa–sacrifice; bhaìga–broken; ruñöa–angered; çakra–indra; nunna–sent; ghora–terrible; megha–of clouds; cakra–hosts; våñöi–of rains; püra–by a flood; khinna–distressed; gopa–of the gopas; vékñaëa–seen; upajäta–manifested; kopa–anger; kñipa–placed; savya–left; hasta–hand; padma–lotus; dhärita–held; ucca–tall; çaila–mountain; sadma–abode; gupta–protected; goñöha–vraja; rakña–please protect; rakña–please protect; mäà–me; tathä–in that way; adya–now; paìkajäkña–O lotus-eyed lord.
O Lord, Indra became angry when his sacrifice was stopped, and he sent terrible clouds that sent down torrents of rain and produced great floods. You became angry to see the gopas troubled by the storm, and You lifted the great hill Govardhana with Your left lotuslike hand, thus protecting Vraja. O lotus-eyed Lord, please, please protect me in the same way.
CC Madhya 3, TEXT 181
aàhaù saàharad akhilaà
sakåd udayäd eva sakala-lokasya
taraëir iva timira-jaladhià
jayati jagan-maìgalaà harer näma
aàhaù—the resultant action of sinful life, which causes material bondage; saàharat—completely eradicating; akhilam—all; sakåt—once only; udayät—by rising; eva—certainly; sakala—all; lokasya—of the people of the world; taraëiù—the sun; iva—like; timira—of darkness; jala-dhim—the ocean; jayati—all glories to; jagat-maìgalam—auspicious for the whole world; hareù näma—the holy name of the Lord. name of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
As the rising sun immediately dissipates all the world’s darkness, which is deep like an ocean, so the holy name of the Lord, if chanted once without offenses, can dissipate all the reactions of a living being’s sinful life. All glories to that holy name of the Lord, which is auspicious for the entire world.
CC Antya 1, TEXT 160
kvacid bhåìgé-gétaà kvacid anila-bhaìgé-çiçiratä
kvacid vallé-läsyaà kvacid amala-mallé-parimalaù
kvacid dhärä-çälé karaka-phala-pälé-rasa-bharo
håsékäëäà våndaà pramadayati våndävanam idam
kvacit—somewhere; bhåìgé-gétam—the humming songs of the bumblebees; kvacit—somewhere; anila-bhaìgé-çiçiratä—coolness from the waves of the mild breezes; kvacit—somewhere; vallé-läsyam—the dancing of the creepers; kvacit—somewhere; amala-mallé-parimalaù—the pure fragrance of the mallikä flowers; kvacit—somewhere; dhärä-çälé—abounding in showers; karaka-phala-pälé—of pomegranate fruits; rasa-bharaù—overabundance of juice; håñékänäm—of the senses; våndam—to the group; pramadayati—is giving pleasure; våndävanam—the forest of Våndävana; idam—this.
TRANSLATION
My dear friend, this forest of Våndävana is giving great pleasure to our senses in various ways. Somewhere bumblebees are singing in groups, and in some places mild breezes are cooling the entire atmosphere. Somewhere the creepers and tree twigs are dancing, the mallikä flowers are expanding their fragrance, and an overabundance of juice is constantly flowing in showers from pomegranate fruits.
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