Ramana Maharshi · Sacred audio
The sacred sounds of Arunachala
Arunachala has always been a place of sound as much as of silence: the Vedic chanting of Sri Ramanasramam, the hymns Ramana wrote to the hill, and the bhajans that rise from the town. Here is what to listen for and where to find the authentic recordings.
The chanting of Sri Ramanasramam
The ashram that grew around Ramana Maharshi keeps a daily rhythm of sacred sound. The twice-daily Vedaparayana, the chanting of the Vedas, is the backbone of that rhythm, and with it the ashram chants Ramana’s own hymns and the core texts of the tradition. To hear it in person, see visiting Sri Ramanasramam; to hear it from a distance, see below.
Ramana’s hymns to the hill
Ramana wrote five hymns to Arunachala, and the greatest of them is the Aksharamanamalai, the “Marital Garland of Letters”: 108 verses sung to the hill in the voice of a longing bride. It is chanted daily at the ashram and is carried around the Girivalam path by devotees, so that on a full-moon night you may hear it from the walkers around you.
The ashram's own app and radio
Sri Ramanasramam has made much of its treasury genuinely accessible in the modern way ~ through an official app and online audio streams / radio that carry the chanting, the hymns, talks, and readings from the works. This is the simplest way for someone far from Arunachala to have the authentic sound of the ashram in their pocket. Search for the official Sri Ramanasramam app and its online radio, and prefer these to unofficial re-uploads, which are often incomplete or of poor quality ~ and which do not support the ashram that preserves the tradition.
The bhajans of the town
Beyond Ramanasramam's contemplative chanting runs the other great current of Arunachala's sound ~ the warm, rhythmic bhajans of the devotional path. The Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram resounds with the singing of the Name morning and evening, and the mantra he loved ~ Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram ~ can be found in recordings from his ashram's official channels. On a full-moon night, the whole Girivalam road becomes a river of song. If Ramanasramam's chanting is the sound of silence deepening, the town's bhajans are the sound of the heart pouring out ~ two devotions, one hill.
You need not understand a word of Sanskrit or Tamil for this to work on you ~ that is rather the point. Play the chanting quietly as you sit; let the Aksharamanamalai accompany your own walk, wherever you are; let the sound do what sound does, which is to gather the scattered mind and turn it, gently, homeward. Many who have been to Arunachala find that the recordings carry them straight back; many who have never been find that the sound is itself a kind of pilgrimage. For the hymns themselves, see the Five Hymns to Arunachala and the Aksharamanamalai.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I listen to Ramana Maharshi's ashram chanting?
Sri Ramanasramam has made much of its authentic audio ~ the twice-daily Vedaparayana (Vedic chanting), the Five Hymns, the Aksharamanamalai and the core texts ~ freely available through its official recordings, publications, app and online radio. It is best to listen through these official ashram channels, which preserve the tradition and support its work, rather than unofficial re-uploads.
What is the Aksharamanamalai chanting?
The Aksharamanamalai, the 'Marital Garland of Letters', is Ramana's greatest hymn to Arunachala, 108 verses sung to the hill in the voice of a longing bride. It is chanted daily at Sri Ramanasramam and carried around the Girivalam path by devotees. Recordings are available through the ashram's official channels.
Do I need to understand the language to benefit from the chanting?
No. The power of sacred chanting works below the level of meaning ~ its purpose is to still and gather the mind and turn it toward the divine, which it does regardless of whether you follow the Sanskrit or Tamil words. Many people play the chanting quietly while sitting, or let the hymns accompany their own walk, and find it a direct aid to inner quiet.
Last updated 13 October 2026.