What is likhit japa?
Likhit japa is written japa: copying a divine name or mantra by hand, again and again, usually in ruled notebooks, as well as or instead of saying it aloud or on a mala. It is best known in Rāma devotion, where the name of Rāma, or Sītā Rām, is written thousands of times and the notebooks are kept or offered.
Practice differs between communities and teachers; this page describes the practice, it does not prescribe one.
Japa, written down
Japa is the repetition of a mantra or divine name, and likhit means written. Spoken japa is usually counted on a mala; written japa is counted by the page. Japa's library entry for the Rāma chant Sri Ram Jai Ram describes it as sung in kīrtan and written as likhit japa, the practice of copying the name by hand in ruled notebooks
.
Rām nām
The practice of the name of Rāma runs through North Indian devotion from Kabīr and Tulsīdās onward, and it cuts across caste and sectarian lines. Writing the name is one of its oldest forms, alongside singing it in kīrtan and counting it on a tulasī mala.
Rām nām banks
In some places, filled notebooks are deposited at a Rām nām bank, which keeps a record of how many names each person has written. Business Standard reported in 2017 on one in Ayodhya, the International Shri Sita Ram Naam Bank, where devotees write Shri Sita Ram
in red ink in notebooks the bank gives out free, return them when they are full, and collect new ones.
Counting written japa
Written japa is usually counted by the page or the notebook: a ruled page holds a known number of names, so the total is pages times names. Some people combine it with spoken japa, saying the name as they write it.
Questions
Which mantra is written in likhit japa?
Most often the name of Rāma (Rām, Sītā Rām, or Śrī Rām Jay Rām) but people write other names and mantras too, as their tradition or teacher suggests.
Do I need a special notebook for likhit japa?
No single kind is required. Many people use ruled notebooks made for the purpose, and some Rām nām banks give them out free.
Can Japa count likhit japa?
Japa does not record handwriting. You can count the name as you write it, or add a number counted elsewhere, such as a finished page, to that day's total.
Read the texts
Sources
- Japa practice library, Sri Ram Jai Ram (practice and lineage notes)
- Tulsīdās, Rāmcaritmānas, on the name of Rāma
- Business Standard (ANI), UP bank where 'Ram Naam', not cash, is deposited, 12 April 2017
Count it in Japa
Japa counts spoken japa with a tap, and lets you add a count kept somewhere else (on your own mala, or a page of written names) so one day's total holds both.
Counting is free and unlimited on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. No account, no ads, no subscription. Japa is an independent app and is not endorsed by any teacher, lineage or community.