On Memorizing Ślokas (Part 2): Focus on Meaning, Not Just the Sequence of Words

Before diving into today’s topic, I want to quickly mention that the posts in this verse memorization series aren’t being written in any particular order. There’s a lot to explore on this subject, and I’m simply sharing thoughts as they come to me. Everything you’ll read below started coming to my mind just before maṅgala-ārati this morning, and I’m sending it out just few hours later. That’s about all I can manage right now. In fact, I probably won’t write another post until after Kārtika or once we’ve wrapped up the Gauḍīya Gīti-guccha project. Although, writing this post wasn’t on my to-do list for today, so maybe there will still be more coming. 😋

Merely Memorizing a Sequence of Sanskrit Words is Difficult and Short-Lived

In my experience, one of the most effective ways to memorize ślokas isn’t just about repeating them over and over—it’s about understanding the overall meaning of the verse and what each line is actually saying. We should focus more on the meaning of each phrase or line than on simply memorizing the sequence of words.

If you’re only trying to remember the next Sanskrit word in sequence, recalling it becomes much more challenging and less likely to stick. But if you take the time to contemplate what the verse is expressing, letting the essential message guide your memory, you’ll find it much easier to recall the verse with clarity and ease.

How Actors Memorize Their Lines

I recently came across an interesting article by John Seamon about how actors memorize their lines. Here are the first two paragraphs, though I recommend reading the whole thing:

After a recent theater performance, I remained in the audience as the actors assembled on stage to discuss the current play and the upcoming production that they were rehearsing. Because each actor had many lines to remember, my curiosity led me to ask a question they frequently hear: “How do you learn all of those lines?”

Actors face the demanding task of learning their lines with great precision, but they rarely do so by rote repetition. They did not, they said, sit down with a script and recite their lines until they knew them by heart. Repeating items over and over, called maintenance rehearsal, is not the most effective strategy for remembering. Instead, actors engage in elaborative rehearsal, focusing their attention on the meaning of the material and associating it with information they already know. Actors study the script, trying to understand their character and seeing how their lines relate to that character. In describing these elaborative processes, the actors assembled that evening offered sound advice for effective remembering.

The Power of Explaining a Verse

These same principles are easily practiced when you explain a śloka—whether to others or to yourself. When you explain a verse—or even better, when you engage in a discussion about it—you’re compelled to dig deeper, contemplating not just the words, but also the mood, the flow, how it connects to your own life, and drawing parallels with what you’ve read or heard from our ācāryas. The more you engage with the meaning in this way, the more naturally your mind will connect the words and lines of whatever verse you're studying. The essence of the verse becomes your guide to memorization, rather than just a random string of Sanskrit words. Or put differently, the underlying meaning becomes the trigger for recalling the words of a verse, and you’ll find verses automatically popping into your head in conversations or different life experiences.

Explaining or discussing a verse makes memorization not just easier but far more juicy and enriching. It compels you to think more deeply about the verse, and you often end up making connections you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.

You've likely experienced how talking through a problem with a friend can bring insights you might never have arrived at on your own. I’ve noticed this same principle at play over the past couple of weeks during our recent online Sva-niyama Dvādaśakam programs: understanding the verses in ways I wouldn’t have on my own. And usually, what we talk about, we end up thinking about. This applies even to the highest practice of bhakti: kīrtana. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda wrote in his song Vaiṣṇava Ke: kīrtana prabhāve, smaraṇa hoibe—“Through the potency of kīrtana (glorification), smaraṇa (remembrance) will naturally arise.”

Memorizing ślokas then becomes more than just an exercise in retention—it becomes a deeply immersive experience of contemplation. When approached with humility and a mood of prayer, these verses hold immense power to support and deepen our spiritual practice. We'll discuss more about what our ācāryas have taught on how to approach these verses in a future post.

I’d like to wrap up this up by sharing some details about how I’ve been learning verses, in case you find anything useful or practical.

My Current Method for Memorizing Verses

1. I start by looking at the translation of verse and trying to match as many words in the Sanskrit to the translation as I can.
2. There are often words I can’t figure out, even with the translation. Recently, I’ve been using ChatGPT to help break down the meaning of individual Sanskrit words. But be careful—ChatGPT makes plenty of mistakes and is quite good at being misleading. I also use this online Sanskrit dictionary by pasting words in there. Since Sanskrit words change form due to grammar and sandhi, if a word doesn’t show up in the dictionary, I’ll ask ChatGPT which base form of the word I should use to look it up.
3. Once I understand the meanings of the words, I spend some time seeing how they fit together and I take a step back to look at the verse as a whole.
4. I then focus on memorizing one line at a time. Once I can recall it somewhat, I try to write it down from memory on an index card. Usually, I recall just a couple of words at a time and double-check them before writing (since I’m using a pen!).
5. I take that card with me on my morning walk. I have plenty of rounds to get through, so there’s no rush to finish or move on to the next verse.
6. Lately, as I mentioned before, I’ve been explaining the verses in the middle of our focus sessions, which has been incredibly helpful for memorizing. If you have a friend who can be a sounding board for you, I highly recommend explaining the verses to them—it makes a big difference.
7. Lastly, I give each verse a title—usually six words or so—and pick one or two key words that represent the verse. This is especially useful when remembering the order of a series of verses.

I’m currently developing a system for using my index cards, and I’m excited about it. Once I’ve used it for a bit longer, I’ll share the details. Okay, that's all for now. Haribol!

P.S. We will be starting our program to memorize the verses of Śrī Govardhana-vāsa-prārthanā-daśakam the day after tomorrow. You can find out more details about how to join that here.