Mantra Gyan
Test your knowledge of sacred mantras, beej syllables, stotras, and the deities and source texts behind them.
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1. The Gayatri Mantra is famous for having how many syllables?
- • 16 syllables
- • 32 syllables
- • 108 syllables
- ✓ 24 syllables
Answer: The Gayatri Mantra has 24 syllables, drawn from Rig Veda 3.62.10 and attributed to Rishi Vishwamitra.
Read the full story →2. Which Rishi is the Gayatri Mantra traditionally attributed to?
- • Rishi Vasishtha
- ✓ Rishi Vishwamitra
- • Rishi Agastya
- • Rishi Markandeya
Answer: The Gayatri Mantra, from Rig Veda 3.62.10, is attributed to Rishi Vishwamitra.
Read the full story →3. The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is associated with the story of which boy who was saved from death?
- • Dhruva
- • Prahlada
- ✓ Markandeya
- • Nachiketa
Answer: The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is linked to Markandeya, the boy whom Shiva declared immortal by emerging from the Linga to save him from Yama.
Read the full story →4. What is unique about the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra among healing mantras?
- • It is the longest mantra in the Vedas
- ✓ It is the only healing mantra attested in three of the four Vedas
- • It can only be chanted at night
- • It has exactly 108 syllables
Answer: The Mahamrityunjaya is the only healing mantra attested in three of the four Vedas, appearing in the Rig, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas.
Read the full story →5. Om Namah Shivaya is known as the Panchakshari Mantra because it has how many syllables (excluding Om)?
- • Three
- ✓ Five
- • Seven
- • Eight
Answer: Om Namah Shivaya is the Panchakshari (five-syllable) Mantra: Na, Ma, Shi, Va, Ya.
Read the full story →6. In Om Namah Shivaya, the five syllables represent the five elements. Which element does 'Shi' represent?
- • Earth
- • Water
- ✓ Fire
- • Space
Answer: In Om Namah Shivaya, Na is earth, Ma is water, Shi is fire, Va is air, and Ya is space.
Read the full story →7. The beej (seed) syllable 'Shreem' belongs to which deity?
- • Saraswati
- ✓ Lakshmi
- • Durga
- • Ganesha
Answer: Shreem is the Lakshmi (Sri) beej, the seed of auspiciousness and abundance.
Read the full story →8. The Vagbhava beej 'Aim', the seed of speech and learning, is the principal syllable of which goddess?
- • Lakshmi
- ✓ Saraswati
- • Kali
- • Bhuvaneshwari
Answer: Aim is the Vagbhava beej of Saraswati, the seed of speech, learning, and articulate expression.
Read the full story →9. The Kama beej 'Kleem', the seed of divine attraction, is associated primarily with which deity?
- ✓ Krishna
- • Shiva
- • Hanuman
- • Surya
Answer: Kleem is the Kama beej, Krishna's seed syllable, carrying the principle of divine attraction.
Read the full story →10. In the Mahabharata, who reveals the Vishnu Sahasranama (the thousand names of Vishnu) to Yudhishthira?
- • Krishna
- • Vyasa
- ✓ Bhishma
- • Arjuna
Answer: On his bed of arrows, Bhishma reveals the thousand names of Vishnu to Yudhishthira.
Read the full story →11. The Lalita Sahasranama (thousand names of Goddess Lalita) comes from which source text?
- • Rig Veda
- ✓ Brahmanda Purana
- • Bhagavad Gita
- • Ramayana
Answer: The Lalita Sahasranama is found in the Brahmanda Purana, within the Lalitopakhyana.
Read the full story →12. A Kavacha (such as Narayana Kavacham or Devi Kavacham) is best described as which type of mantra composition?
- ✓ A mantra of armour and protection
- • A mantra for gaining wealth
- • A wedding hymn
- • A funeral chant
Answer: Kavacha literature is the 'armour of mantras' that assigns a deity to guard each part of the body, woven from Sanskrit syllables for protection.
Read the full story →13. Om Namo Narayanaya is known as the Ashtakshara Mantra because it consists of how many syllables?
- • Five
- • Six
- • Twelve
- ✓ Eight
Answer: Om Namo Narayanaya is the Ashtakshara (eight-syllable) Mantra dedicated to Vishnu/Narayana.
Read the full story →14. In the classification of Japa, which type refers to silent, mental repetition of a mantra?
- • Vachika japa
- • Upamshu japa
- ✓ Manasika japa
- • Likhita japa
Answer: Manasika japa is the silent, mental repetition of a mantra; Vachika is audible and Upamshu is whispered.
Read the full story →15. According to the anatomy of a mantra, which of the following is one of its six mandatory components?
- • Mudra
- ✓ Rishi (the seer)
- • Tilaka
- • Prasada
Answer: A mantra's six mandatory components are rishi, devata, chhanda, beej, shakti, and viniyoga; the rishi is the seer of the mantra.
Read the full story →16. The Hanuman Chalisa, composed by Tulsidas in Awadhi, contains how many chaupais (main verses)?
- • 24
- ✓ 40
- • 100
- • 108
Answer: The Hanuman Chalisa has 40 chaupais (the word 'chalisa' itself means forty), framed by opening and closing dohas.
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