Upanishads · Jābāladarśana 2.13
॥
Devanāgarī
जपस्तु द्विविधः प्रोक्तो वाचिको मानसस्तथा
Transliteration (IAST)
japastu dvividhaḥ prokto vāciko mānasastathā
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
जपः तु द्वि-विधः प्रोक्तःjapaḥ tu dvi-vidhaḥ proktaḥrepetition, however, is said to be twofold
वाचिकः मानसः तथाvācikaḥ mānasaḥ tathāvocal and mental, likewise
Translation
"Repetition, however, is said to be twofold: vocal and mental, likewise."
Version
a4510bedb46c · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The division of repetition into vachika ("vocal") and manasa ("mental") is common in books on yoga, and the following three lines will examine it in detail. Let us name in advance where this examination will lead, for it will arrive at a position the Vaishnava side directly overturns; and it is better to know beforehand where the discourse is going. The book will say: the quieter, the better. Aloud — the lowest grade; in a whisper — a thousand times higher; silently, in the mind — a thousand times higher still.
This ladder is found everywhere in books on yoga and has its own ground, which must be acknowledged. Repetition aloud is more easily distracted and more easily becomes mechanical; repetition in the mind demands more attention and is therefore deeper. This ground is true for one who sits alone. And it is precisely here that the fork lies where the two sides part — because the question is: for whom does one repeat?
If repetition is an exercise, it is done for oneself, and then quieter truly is better. If repetition is a message, it is done also for those nearby, and then louder is better. We shall return to this examination two lines on, where the book will state its own rule directly; here it is enough to note that both sides accept the very division into vocal and mental. The dispute is not over whether repetition aloud and repetition silently exist, but over which of the two is higher.