Last Updated on February 28, 2026 by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Shree Maa and Swamiji have given us a series of sankalpas starting Oct 23, 2025 to honor the Das Mahavidyas. We will focus on one Mahavidya a month and chant Her mool mantra and gayatri. For the month of March 2026, it is Maa Shodashi and the sankalpa is to chant 2000 MALAS as a group of her mantra starting Mar 1st 2026 and completing Mar 31st 2026 .
Please listen to Swamiji’s exposition on the Maa Shodashi mantra and gayatri here
For this sankalpa – One mala is 108 repetitions of the Shodashi mool mantra followed by ONE repetition of the Shodashi Gayatri.
Are you in? Would you like to join ?
If so, you can post on our Global Devi Mandir Telegram Group or on our India Devi Mandir WhatsApp Group and let us know you are joining the sankalpā.
Alternatively you can also confirm your participation via email to chandimaakijai@yahoo.com.
Please provide your name and also country where located. You can also post on the above groups, or send an email to the id above to ask any questions regarding the sankalpa.
The mool mantra for Maa Shodashi is
Click Shodashi Mool Mantra to listen to Swamiji chant the Shodashi Mool Mantra.
Remember to chant the above mantra 108 times and then end the mala by chanting one mantra of the Shodashi Gayatri below
Click Shodashi Gayatri to listen to Swamiji chant the Shodashi Gayatri.
Here is a short Q&A regarding the sankalpa:
Q1 – While chanting the mantra, should I sit on an āsanā, or is it ok to sit on a chair?
A1- You can do mantra japā while in an āsanā AND also while doing normal everyday tasks ie without an āsanā
Q2- Are there any rules to follow while doing the Japā, like taking a bath before starting the practice.
A2- There are no specific rules. Just do it
Q3 – Is there a minimum number of mantras that I should chant as an individual?
A2 – You can chant as many or as few mantras as you want. Obviously the more the better towards reaching our group target, and more importantly for your own bhāvā during this auspicious time.
Q4- How to do I report the number of mantras I chanted?
A4 – You can reply to the message that Nanda Maa posts on the either the Global Telegram group of the India WhatsApp Group. She will request your counts once or twice a week and you can respond with the total number you have chanted from the beginning of the sankalpa until the point you report.
Have more questions regarding this sankalpā? Just post in any one of the groups, or to the email mentioned above, and we will respond.
Here is a list of participants and their totals so far
| Name | Location (Country) | Total #Malas Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Ananya | USA | |
| Aurobindo Das | Spain | 109 |
| Bhavini | USA | 3 |
| Brahmaani | India | |
| Bridget LeRoy | 1 | |
| Gautama (Shiva) | New Zealand | 15 |
| Georgina Craig | UK | 20 |
| Gopi (and kids) | UK | 28 |
| Graeme DeVil | South Africa | 21 |
| Harish Bahuguna | India | 150 |
| Harsh Kumar Agarwal | India | 16 |
| Jasmina | Canada | 101 |
| Jaya Cruz | Brazil | |
| Jebani Love | USA | 11 |
| Kripananda (Kip) | New Zealand | 138 |
| Lakshmi | USA | 30 |
| Laura Witt | USA | 3 |
| Nanda | USA | 11 |
| Neil | Canada | 77 |
| Nelson Majano | ||
| Nirmal Shankar | USA | 80 |
| Prasad Nair | USA | |
| Quentin | France | 12 |
| Ramneek Sharma | India | |
| Rashmi Kanpur | India | 160 |
| Rich S | Spain | 63 |
| Ritu Bali | India | 75 |
| Sadhana Dutta | USA | 181 |
| Saneh Sharma | USA | |
| Saru | USA | 15 |
| Saswati | USA | 22 |
| Shaila Datta | USA | |
| Shila Maa | USA | 25 |
| Somanath | USA | 3 |
| Suravi Saraswati | USA | 12 |
| Uma Wason | USA | 560 |
| Usha | Canada | 90 |
| Vasantha | USA | 70 |
| Vindra Ragoonanan | Trinidad and Tobago | 32 |
| Udit Sunil | India | 11 |
| TOTAL # Malas | 2145 |