Saraswati mantra: Saraswati Namastubhyam, Ya Kundendu and Om Aim

Meaning: "Salutation to you, Saraswati, giver of boons, who takes any form at will. I am beginning my studies — may success be mine always."

When it is chanted: Before study and exams; many children learn it beside the Vakratunda shloka.

Meaning: "May Saraswati protect me — she who is white as jasmine, the moon and a garland of frost, who wears white, whose hands are graced by the veena, who sits on a white lotus, who is ever honoured by Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and the gods, the goddess who takes away every trace of dullness of mind."

When it is chanted: Sung in school assemblies and at the start of Saraswati puja.

Meaning: "Om, aim — salutation to Saraswati." Aim is the seed syllable of speech and learning.

When it is chanted: 108 times before study, and on Basant Panchami.

1. Keep to one mantra; changing mantras every few days is the commonest way a practice fades.
2. Sit at the same time each day, after a bath if you can, facing east or north.
3. Chant on a mala of 108 beads — one mala is the customary measure — and turn the mala at the larger meru bead rather than crossing it.
4. Say the words clearly, at a pace you can keep; attention matters more than speed.
5. The traditional time for Saraswati is Basant Panchami; any day is fine for a daily practice.

Mantra practice belongs to a tradition of devotion and reflection. It is not a substitute for medical, legal or financial help, and no mantra comes with a promised result.

The traditional list of Saraswati's 108 names, each with its transliteration and meaning, numbered as it is recited.