Mantra before sleeping in Sanskrit

Deep Dive

The short answer

Om Shanti — ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः — is the one to start with before sleep. Peace said three times: for the world, for those around you, and for yourself. The rest of the list below is there because different nights ask for different things, but a single mantra kept for a fortnight will do more than a rotation of six.

Start with: Om Shanti (ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः).
Count: 108 — one mala — or fewer, chanted slowly.
When: in the last twenty minutes before bed, lights already low.

5 Sanskrit mantras before sleep

Each of these is given in Devanagari, in transliteration, and with what it actually says — a mantra you cannot translate is one you will chant at rather than with.

Om Shanti — ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः — Peace said three times: for the world, for those around you, and for yourself. Short, and traditionally tripled. Traditionally 108 repetitions.
So Hum — सोऽहम् — “I am that.” So on the inhale, Hum on the exhale. Two, one per breath. Traditionally 108 repetitions.
Om Namah Shivaya — ॐ नमः शिवाय — “I bow to Shiva” — and, read inwardly, a bow to the stillness Shiva stands for. Five syllables (na-mah-shi-vā-ya), which is why it is called the Panchakshari mantra. With the leading Om it is six. Traditionally 108 repetitions.
Om — ॐ — Not a request or a name. Three sounds and the silence after them, which is the part that matters. A-U-M, plus the silence. Traditionally 108 repetitions.
Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra — ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् । उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान् मृत्योर्मुक्षीय माऽमृतात् ॥ — A prayer for healing and release: may we be freed from what binds us as easily as a ripe cucumber falls from its stem. A full Rigvedic verse (7.59.12), not a short phrase — expect it to take a breath and a half. Traditionally 108 repetitions.

How to chant them

The mantras differ; the method does not. This is the sequence to use before sleep, and it takes about ten minutes.

Lights low, phone out of the room, sitting or lying on your side.
Three natural breaths first. Do not begin on a rushed inhale.
One repetition per exhale, at whisper volume — aloud will wake you up.
Let it go mental as it settles. If you lose count, you were falling asleep, which is the point.
Do not set a bell to end it. Ending is what sleep is for.

Pronunciation, without the anxiety about it

Sanskrit pronunciation is worth taking seriously and is not worth being frightened of. The tradition is clear that intention carries a mantra a long way, and every teacher has corrected every student.

Read the transliteration slowly once before chanting it at speed.
Long vowels are long: shi-vā-ya, not shi-va-ya. That is most of it.
Listen to a recording once, then stop listening and chant it yourself.
An imperfect mantra chanted daily beats a perfect one chanted twice.

What usually goes wrong

A list like this one is most often misused in the same three ways, and all three are avoidable.

Chanting a different mantra from the list each day, so none becomes familiar.
Chanting loudly or fast, which stimulates instead of settling.
Treating the list as a menu rather than a starting point — pick one, keep it for two weeks, then judge.

The sleep verse: Nidra Devi

Of all the mantras said at night, this is the one that is actually about sleep. It greets the goddess who is present in every being in the form of sleep, which makes it a salutation rather than a request — you are not asking for rest, you are acknowledging it as something already here. It comes from the Devi Mahatmya (Durga Saptashati), and it is the traditional verse for this hour.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु निद्रारूपेण संस्थिता।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः॥

ya devi sarva-bhuteshu nidra-rupena samsthita |
namas-tasyai namas-tasyai namas-tasyai namo namah ||

Lying down, eleven or twenty-seven times, said in the mind rather than aloud. It is longer than a one-word mantra, so let the pace fall to the breath instead of keeping count on the fingers.

Key Takeaways

Start with Om Shanti (ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः) before sleep, at 108 repetitions or fewer, slowly.
One mantra for a fortnight beats a rotation of six — familiarity is what makes the sound work as a cue.
Pronunciation matters and perfection does not; read the transliteration once, then chant it daily.

Practise this on Mantra Repeater

The three things this post asks of you — a count you do not have to hold in your head, a sit that ends without you checking the clock, and a breath pace the mantra can ride on — are the three things the app does. Use them together with Om Shanti.

A complete session, start to finish: three minutes of breathwork, one mala of Om Shanti on the player, then five minutes of silent meditation. Mantra Repeater is free to start on the web, iOS and Android.

Mantra Options

Om Shanti
So Hum
Om Namah Shivaya
Om
Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra

Environment Setup

Dim lights, cool room, phone in another room, and a softer pillow to cue rest.

FAQs

Which mantra is best before sleep?

Om Shanti — ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः. Peace said three times: for the world, for those around you, and for yourself. Keep it for two weeks before deciding whether it suits you.

Do I have to chant in Sanskrit?

No. Sanskrit is traditional and the sound patterns are part of what the practice works with, but a mantra in a language you feel something in will be chanted more often, and frequency is the mechanism.

How many times should each be chanted?

108 — one mala — is the standard for all of them. 27 is an honest quarter on a short day, and 1,008 is for festival days and intensives.

Can I chant more than one?

You can, but not while you are still learning one. Pick a single mantra for the first fortnight; a rotation prevents the familiarity the practice depends on.

Out loud or silently?

Whisper or mental, always — chanting aloud before bed tends to wake you up.

Chant it in your own voice

Record the mantra once, loop it hands-free, and let the app count the mala for you.

Download the app Chant on the web