JAYA SRILA PRABHUPADA 

BASIC MRIDANGA HANDBOOK 
November 2008 
 
 
 
 
DO NOT DISTRIBUTE 
DO NOT COPY

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 Sri Mridanga Pranama Mantra
Namo Jagannatha sutayo
Namo mrdanga namah
Labanga rasa madhuri
Sahasra guna samyuktang
Namo mrdanga namo namah
Namo baladevayo namo namah

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the son of Sri Jagannatha Misra (Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu). I offer obeisances
unto the mrdanga from which sweet and necterean sounds emanates. I offer my obeisances again and again unto the
mrdanga who has thousands of good qualities. And I offer my obeisances unto Lord Baladeva who assumes the form of
the mrdanga to serve Lord Chaitanya.

IMPORTANT NOTES   
   
‐ Mridanga is also known as the khol  ‐ Generally, big end goes with weaker hand. Small 
  end goes with strong hand 
‐ The sound of the khol creates auspiciousness exactly   
like the sound of the conch shell  ‐ Nowadays there are different varieties of 
  mridangas: 
‐ The mridanga is the direct expansion of Krishna’s 
flute from Goloka and also of Lord Baladev,  • Clay drums with leather straps and leather head. 
therefore it is considered and respected like the  • Metal drums with leather straps and leather head. 
Lord’s paraphernalia  • Fiberglass drums with leather straps and leather 
  heads. 
‐ Mridanga playing is considered a type of yoga and  • Balaram Mridangas ‐ Fiberglass body and plastic 
everyday practice of 30 minutes or more is required  heads 
 
‐ The mridanga that produces the best sound is 22‐23 
‐ Clay drums produce best sound 
inches in length with 4 and 8 inch diameters on the 
 
small and big heads respectively 
‐ Don’t put down mridangas with leather heads 
 
standing up when the surface is wood or ceramic 
‐ The mantras used in this book are from the 
(where it absorbs cold or moisture). This will ruin or 
Garanhati music sampradaya originating from 
tighten the big head 
Narottama das Thakura 
 
 
Vocabulary 
‐ Before playing one must offer obeisances to the 
 
mridanga with the mantra above. 
Tehai ‐ repetitive finishing percussion triad (3) composition 
 
played in a pleasant meter to coincide with the opening 
‐ It is very important to say the mantra aloud when 
meter (sam) is called tehai – the finishing triad. 
one practices. One will not have difficulty in singing 
 
and playing at the same time afterwards 
Hatuti ‐  a pleasant and carefully setup rhythmic composition 
 
played on a Mridanga instrument with the accompaniment 
‐ Small head called “dayan” 
of cymbals (kartals) heralding the auspicious advent of Lord 
Big head called “bayan” 
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and to focus the attention of the 
 
audience before commencing kirtana performance. 
‐ Put strap over your right shoulder and under your 
 
left arm (for right‐handed people) 

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 HAND PRACTICE I
HASTA SADHANA
(very important to loosen the hands)

Mantra 1. BIJA MANTRA. tere kheta….

Explanation. “te” right hand four fingers closed sound

“re” right hand with thumb in middle of the small head of mridanga (open)
“khe” left hand closed sound
“ta” right hand with four fingers open sound.

Mantra 2. tere kheta tere tere kheta…

Explanation. same as previous.

Mantra 3. tere kheta tere kheta tere tere tere kheta…

Explanation. same as previous.

Mantra 4. tikhi takhi tere kheta, kheta takhi tere kheta…

Explanation. “ti” same as te.

“khi” same as khe.
“ta” right hands four fingers open sound
“khi” same as khe.
“tere kheta” all ready you have
“khe” left hand close sound
“ta” this is special with thumb same as re
“ta” right hand four fingers open sound
“khi” same as that.
tere kheta all ready you have.

Mantra 5. tere kheta tere kheta tere tere tere kheta ;

tikhi takhi tere kheta, kheta takhi tere kheta

So now try to play everything together as 5. Please practice this mantra for a long time, and your hand will
become powerful.

Mantra 6. ghene nere ghena geda, khene nere khena kheta…

Explanation. “ghe” left hand open sound

“ne” right hand with thumb like re
“nere” same as tere non different
“ghe” left hand open sound
“na” right hand four fingers open sound same as ta
“ge” left open sound but it is not strong sound
“da” right hand four fingers close sound like te but it is more stronger than te
“khe” left hand close sound or flat sound
“ne” right hand with thumb same as re
“nere” same as tere. all ready you have.
“khe” all ready you have.
“na” same as ta
“khe” all ready you have
“ta” right hand four fingers open sound.

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**Extra Credit:

Mantra 7. Ghene nere ghena geda, ghene nere ghena, ghene nere ghena
khene nere khena kheta, khena nere khena, khena nere khena.

Explanation. see mantra 6.

This mantra requires serious concentration

Mantra 8. tere kheta tere tere kheta tere tere tere kheta
khete tete tete kheta tete kheta khete tete kheta tak tere kheta
tikhi takhi tere kheta, kheta takhi tere kheta.

Explanation. “tere kheta tere tere kheta tere tere tere kheta” same as before
“khe” with left hand flat sound
“te” right hand with thumb like re
“tete” same as tere
“tete” same as tere
“khe” left hand flat sound
“ta” right hand four fingers open sound.
“tak” right hand four fingers close sound
“tere kheta” all ready you have
“ti” same as te
“khi” all ready you have
“ta” right hand four fingers open sound
“khi” same as before
“tere kheta” all ready you have.
“khe” same as khi
“ta” same as re with thumb; this ta is special
“ta” right hand four fingers open sound.
“khi” same as khe.
“tere kheta” all ready you have.

Mantra 9. ghene ne ghene ne ghene nere ghena, ghene nere ghena tak tere kheta,
khene ne khene ne khene nere khena, khene nere khena tak tere kheta.

Explanation. “ghe” left hand open sound

“ne” right hand with thumb
“ne” right hand with four finger open
“ghene ne” same as before.
“ghene” left hand open sound and right hand with thumb
“nere” the same as tere
“ghena” left hand open sound and right hand with four fingers open.
“tak” right hand four fingers close sound it is stronger than te
“tere kheta” all ready you have
“khe” left hand close sound
“ne” right hand with thumb
“ne” right hand four finger open sound
“khene” left hand close and right with thumb
“nere” same as tere
“khena” khe left hand close sound and na same as ta
“tak” right hand four fingers same as te but it is stronger then te
“tere kheta” all ready you have before

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 HAND PRACTICE I
HASTA SADHANA
MANTRA SHEET
Click on mantra to view video

Mantra 1. tere kheta….

Mantra 2. tere kheta tere tere kheta…

Mantra 3. tere kheta tere kheta tere tere tere kheta…

Mantra 4. tikhi takhi tere kheta, kheta takhi tere kheta…

Mantra 5. tere kheta tere kheta tere tere tere kheta ;

tikhi takhi tere kheta, kheta takhi tere kheta

Mantra 6. ghene nere ghena geda, khene nere khena kheta…

Mantra 7. Ghene nere ghena geda, ghene nere ghena, ghene nere ghena
khene nere khena kheta, khena nere khena, khena nere khena.

Mantra 8. tere kheta tere tere kheta tere tere tere kheta
khete tete tete kheta tete kheta khete tete kheta tak tere kheta
tikhi takhi tere kheta, kheta takhi tere kheta.

Mantra 9. ghene ne ghene ne ghene nere ghena, ghene nere ghena tak tere kheta,
khene ne khene ne khene nere khena, khene nere khena tak tere kheta.

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 KIRTAN SECTION I
***IMPORTANT NOTES:

The official mrdanga course is divided into four parts with the practice, hatuti, kirtan, and bhajan mantras. So far we have
only covered some practice mantras. There are many many hatuti mantras which are the foundations of kirtan. We don’t
have the time to go through all of them, so we will only learn the first part of the first hatuti mantra (which has many parts).
This mantra is the foundation for kirtana mantras throughout this section and beyond.

Kirtana etiquette:

“While playing mridanga it is important to follow the kirtana leader not lead him. It is also important to play softer than the
song itself. The mridanga sound should not be so loud that it buries the song. In a garland, for example, the strings hold
the flowers together. It is not possible to make a garland without strings, but it is not possible without flowers either. Both
the flowers and strings are equally important. The flowers are compared to the song and the strings that hold it together is
the mridanga. But just as in a garland the strings are not the most prominent thing, the mridanga is less prominent than
the song itself. To play louder than the song is only disturbing to the song. This is the basic understanding according to
the Acariyas. One must be especially careful to play properly for Krishna. Use bonafide mantras coming from a bonafide
Goudiya vaishnava music Sampradaya. It is very important that junior mridanga players follow behind more experienced
mridanga players.”

*Mantras marked with an asterisk are not bonafide mantras so to speak. They are just there to help as introduction.

Vocabulary Review:

Tehai - repetitive finishing percussion triad (3) composition played in a pleasant meter to coincide with the opening meter
(sam) is called tehai – the finishing triad.

Hatuti - a pleasant and carefully setup rhythmic composition played on a Mridanga instrument with the accompaniment of
cymbals (kartals) heralding the auspicious advent of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and to focus the attention of the
audience before commencing kirtana performance.

HATUTI MANTRA 1
FOUNDATION OF KIRTAN

HATUTI MANTRA 1 (part 1 only). jha ghenere ghena, jha ghenere ghena, jha ghena…
da guru gur, da guru gur, da gur…

Explanation. “jha” both hands open

“ghe” left hand open
”nere” same as tere
“ghe” left hand open sound
“na” right hand four fingers open like ta
“jha” both hands open sound
”ghe” left hand open sound
“na” same as ta

You play “jha ghenere ghena” but you have to say “da guru gur.” Saying is as important as playing, because afterwards
you can lead kirtana while playing mridanga. So, for that reason, you have to make it a habit in the beginning. When you
get “da guru gur da guru gur da gur” you should forget the “jha ghenere ghena jha ghenere ghena jha ghena.” At first,
from the beginning, all the mantras should be played very slow and clear. Then gradually increase the speed. It is the
basic system of playing and learning Mridanga.

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 KIRTAN MANTRAS
ALL KINDS OF AROTI MANTRAS

FIRST SPEED

MANTRA. khik khi neda gida gida dhei / ta uru tete ta

Explanation. "khik" left hand only, closed strong sound

"khi" left hand closed sound
"neda"- “ne” right index finger up, closed sound; “da” both hands open sound;
"gida"- 'gi' left hand, open; 'da' both hands, open;
"dhei" like "jha" but stronger;
"ta" right four fingers
"uru" like "terete" - 'te’ right four fingers; ‘re’ thumb; ‘te’ same;
“tete” – first “te” is right hand four fingers closed; second “te” is like “re” thumb
"ta" right hand four fingers open

If playing “uru” is too difficult at first, you can skip it and leave a pause for it. Instead of “uru” pause for a split second.
Eventually you should learn it the proper way.

MANTRA. khik khi neda gida gida dhei / tak ta tak thini thini ta

Explanation. "khik" left hand only, closed strong sound

"khi" left hand closed sound
"neda"- “ne” right index finger up, closed sound; “da” both hands open sound;
"gida"- 'gi' left hand, open; 'da' both hands, open;
"dhei" like "jha" but stronger;
tak - right three fingers closed
ta – right index finger open
thini – first ‘thi’ is right index finger closed, second ‘ni’ right three fingers closed
ta – right index finger open

This mantra has many variations. You will usually start the kirtan with this beat.

SECOND SPEED

These mantras are played a little faster than the first speed ones. There are also many variations to these.

MANTRA. da <SP> tete take dhena

Explanation. “da” like jha

“<SP>” slight pause space
“tete” – ‘te’ small hand index finger;
next ‘te’ both hands, big side like khe (flat) and small hand 3 fingers
“take” – ‘ta’ small hand four fingers and ‘ke’ big hand open (special)
dhena” – ‘dhe’ like jha and ‘na’ like ta

MANTRA. ta <SP> tete take dhena

Explanation. “ta” small hand four fingers open

Others are same as previous mantra.

MANTRA. daghi tete take dhena

Explanation. “daghi” – ‘da’ like jha, ‘ghi’ big hand open

Others are same as previous mantra.

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 THIRD SPEED

The first four mantras in this section are usually called “double” because they are played at double the speed than the
second speed mantras. You will notice that some of the mantras are the same from the last section. But this time the
mantras are played a little differently to accommodate the faster speed.

MANTRA. ghe <SP> tete <SP>ke dhena

Explanation. “ghe” big hand open

“tete” – ‘te’ both hands, big side like khe (flat) and small hand 3 fingers
next ‘te’ small hand index finger
“ke” big hand open (special)
“dhena” – ‘dhe’ both hands, big like ghe (open) and small hand 3 fingers
‘na’ small hand index finger

MANTRA. daghi tete take dhena

Explanation. “daghi”-- "da" both hands-Ieft, open sound; right, index finger;
"ghi" only left hand, open;
“tete” - "te" right hand, three fingers close sound;
"te" both hands-left like "khe" (flat), right, index finger;
“take” - "ta" right index finger, open sound;
"ke" left open, not strong (special)
"dhe" both hands-right, 3 fingers open; left,open sound;
"na" right index finger, open.

This third speed mantra has to be played with twice the speed of the second speed "daghi tete take dhena".

MANTRA. ta <SP> tete take dhena

Explanation. “ta” small hand index finger open

Others are same as previous mantra.

MANTRA. da <SP> tete take dhena

Explanation. “da” both hands-Ieft, open sound; right, index finger

Others are same as previous mantra.

TRANSITION FROM SECOND TO THIRD SPEED

MANTRA1: kheta kheta khe

Explanation: "khe" both left hand closed, right hand open like ta
"ta" right hand open 4 fingers

MANTRA 2: khe khe khe khe kheta kheta khe

Explanation: same as above

MANTRA 3: take take tak

Explanation: "take" 'ta' both hands closed like 'khe'; "khe" left hand open;
"tak" both hands closed--Ieft like "khe"; and right, four fingers open;

MANTRA 4: tak tak tak tak take take tak

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These next two mantras can be played during “madhur madhur madhur baje” during gaura arotik and in some Hare
Krishna kirtans that follow the same beat. Put emphasis on “dhei”

MANTRA.* dhei te te, ta te te, ta te te, ta da da

Explanation. “dhei” – both hands, big hand open, small hand three fingers
“te” small hand index finger
“ta” small hand three fingers
“da” like jha

MANTRA. dhei ta thei, tak ta thei, tak ta thei, tak da da da

Explanation. "dhei" same as "jha" but louder

"ta" right hand four fingers
"thei" both hands-left like "khe" (flat), right like "ta" (open);
"tak" like "te" but with a strong closed sound;
"da" both hands open.

The next mantra is a very simplified version of what you can play at “nitai gaura haribol…” You play “ta” at the first “bol” in
‘haribol’ and then continue eight times before it comes back to the first ‘haribol’ and repeat.

MANTRA.* ta da da

Explanation. ta- small hand three fingers open

da- both hands – small hand index finger open, big hand open

Or you can also play this for "Jaya Prabhupada", "Jaya Nrsirnhadeva" “Nitai Gaur Haribol”

MANTRA: dhei da dheita kheta kheta

Explanation: "dhei" both hands, loud sound; "da" both hands but not strong;
"ta" right hand, four fingers open;
"kheta" 'khe' left hand closed; 'ta' right four fingers open.

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 TEHAIS

A Tehai (ending) is often the repetition of a mantra played three times. Notice the last repetition of the three is missing a
sound at the very end. That last sound is actually the sound from the next kirtan mantra you are going to play. For
instance, you can play first speed “khik khi neda gida gida dhei / ta uru tete ta.” Then end with “tere kheta jha, tere kheta
jha, tere kheta.” After this last “kheta” go back to “dhei / ta uru tete ta….” and so on. Same for other tehais. This is the
basic system for connecting beats.

These next tehais are played from “hare hare” – end of Hare Krishna mahamantra.

TEHAI 1. tere kheta jha, tere kheta jha, tere kheta…

TEHAI 2. kheta kheta jha, kheta kheta jha, kheta kheta…

TEHAI 3. kheta guru gur dhei, kheta guru gur dhei, kheta guru gur…

These next tehais are played from “rama rama” – last four syllables of Hare Krishna mahamantra.

TEHAI 4. dada gade ghine jha, dada gade ghine jha, dada gade ghine…

Explanation. "dada" both hands open twice;

“gade” - "ga" only left hand open; "de" same as "te" very closed sound;
“ghine” - "ghi" only left hand, very strong open sound; "ne" same as "ta" open sound;

TEHAI 5. tere kheta gade ghine dheiya, tere kheta gade ghine dheiya, tere kheta gade ghine…

Explanation. "dheiya" - 'dhei' like ‘jha' but stronger; 'ya' like ‘ta'.

**EXTRA CREDIT.
Kot tete geghe tete kota kota geghe tete Kot tete geghe tete kota geghe neta kheta
Kot tete geghe tete kota kota geghe tete Ta klanta tete kota gade ghine
tere kheta gade ghine dheiya Khi guru gur da da jha
tere kheta gade ghine dheiya Khi guru gur da da jha
tere kheta gade ghine Khi guru gur

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 KIRTAN SECTION I
MANTRA SHEET
HATUTI MANTRA 1 (part 1 only). jha ghenere ghena, jha ghenere ghena, jha ghena…
da guru gur, da guru gur, da gur…

MANTRA. khik khi neda gida gida dhei / ta uru tete ta

MANTRA. khik khi neda gida gida dhei / tak ta tak thini thini ta

MANTRA. da <SP> tete take dhena

MANTRA. ta <SP> tete take dhena

MANTRA. daghi tete take dhena

MANTRA. ghe <SP> tete <SP>ke dhena

MANTRA 1: kheta kheta khe

MANTRA 2: khe khe khe khe kheta kheta khe

MANTRA 3: take take tak

MANTRA 4: tak tak tak tak –take take tak

MANTRA. dhei te te, ta te te, ta te te, ta da da

MANTRA. dhei ta thei, tak ta thei, tak ta thei, tak da da da

MANTRA. ta da da

MANTRA: dhei da dheita kheta kheta

TEHAI 1. tere kheta jha, tere kheta jha, tere kheta…

TEHAI 2. kheta kheta jha, kheta kheta jha, kheta kheta…

TEHAI 3. kheta guru gur dhei, kheta guru gur dhei, kheta guru gur…

TEHAI 4. dada gade ghine jha, dada gade ghine jha, dada gade ghine…

TEHAI 5. tere kheta gade ghine dheiya, tere kheta gade ghine dheiya, tere kheta gade ghine…

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