Shri Durga Ashtottara Shatanamavali (108 names)

When it is sung or recited

When it is chanted: traditionally during the nine days of Chaitra and Sharad Navratri, especially on Ashtami and Navami, during the Durga Puja festival, and on Tuesdays and Fridays, which many families keep for the Goddess. Several printed editions of the Durga Saptashati also place this list of names at the start of the reading. Many families chant it as part of their daily puja to the Goddess as well.

How to chant

How to chant: say Om, then the name, then Namah, for example 'Om Durgayai Namah'. Take a mala (rosary) of 108 beads and say one name for each bead, so one full round of the mala completes the 108 names. Without a mala, simply read or listen to the names in order. Ask a priest or elder to guide pronunciation. Lighting a lamp and offering a flower is traditional but not required.

Please note

There are several lists of 108 names of Goddess Durga. This is the list given in the Durga Ashtottara Shatanama Stotra of the Vishvasara Tantra, running from Sati, Sadhvi and Bhavaprita to Brahmavadini, and it appears in the same order on several well-known sites. The name Ananta occurs twice in this list, at places 25 and 103 (once for the one whose form has no end, and once for the one who is beyond destruction), so it is given twice here as well and is counted both times on the mala. The name meaning 'mind' is printed as Mana on some sites and as Manorupa on others; Manorupa is used here. Another widely used list of Durga's names begins with Durga, Shiva and Mahalakshmi; if your family or temple follows that one, use your own book.

Text compared with: sanskritdocuments.org, hindutone.com, smartpuja.com, drikpanchang.com. A comparison with printed editions is still in progress. Wording differs between sources, so follow your priest’s version.