Ramcharitmanas Balkand Mangalacharan — Benefits & How to Chant
श्रीरामचरितमानस बालकाण्ड मंगलाचरण
Complete guide to chanting correctly for maximum benefit
Benefits of Chanting Ramcharitmanas Balkand Mangalacharan
Invokes Saraswati, Ganesha, Shiva-Parvati and the Guru for wisdom and an auspicious start
Traditionally recited before reading any portion of the Ramcharitmanas
Removes obstacles (vighna) and bestows success on study, recitation and new works
Establishes shraddha (faith) and vishvasa (conviction) needed for spiritual realization
Salutes Sita and Rama as the Supreme
fixing the mind on Brahman before the epic
Grants clarity of intellect and purity of speech to the reciter
How to Chant Ramcharitmanas Balkand Mangalacharan
Instructions
Recite these six Sanskrit shlokas slowly and clearly at the very start of any Ramcharitmanas reading or recitation, with folded hands and a focused mind. They form the prescribed mangalacharan (auspicious invocation) of the Bala Kanda. Pronounce the Sanskrit carefully, pausing at each shloka, before continuing into the Awadhi text. Many devotees recite the full set once at the opening of a daily or ceremonial parayan.
Spiritual Significance
Reciters of the Ramcharitmanas hold that beginning a parayan without the mangalacharan leaves it incomplete, whereas opening with these verses removes obstacles so that the reading proceeds smoothly to its fruitful end; the very first shloka invoking Saraswati and Ganesha is also chanted by students to bless learning and eloquence.
Origin & History
Source: Ramcharitmanas, Bala Kanda — opening Mangalacharan (Goswami Tulsidas)
Author: Goswami Tulsidas
Goswami Tulsidas opened his Ramcharitmanas at Ayodhya in 1574 with a sequence of Sanskrit benedictory shlokas before turning to Awadhi. Following the tradition of mangalacharan, he first invokes Saraswati and Ganesha (sound and meaning, and remover of obstacles), then Shiva and Parvati as faith and conviction, the Guru as embodied knowledge, Valmiki and Hanuman as the lords of poetry and devotion, mother Sita as the power behind creation, and finally Lord Rama as the supreme Brahman beyond all causes — thereby consecrating the entire work and the act of its reading.