Here are precise Sanskrit mantras traditionally used for Chandra Darshan, grouped by purpose, with clean Devanagari text and standard variants for practice.
Moola Mantram & Beeja Mantram
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ॐ सोम सोमाय नमः — Chandra moola mantra for japa during darshan and arghya.
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ॐ श्रां श्रीं श्रौं सः चन्द्राय नमः — Common beeja-mantra form for Chandra shanti and vrata japa.
Gayatri Mantram
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ॐ क्षीरपुत्राय विद्महे अमृतत्वाय धीमहि । तन्नो चन्द्रः प्रचोदयात्॥ — Widely taught Gayatri invoking Chandra as Kshīraputra and Amṛtatva-svarupa.
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ॐ पद्मद्वाजाय विद्महे हेमरूपाय धीमहि । तन्नो चन्द्रः प्रचोदयात्॥ — Alternate Gayatri invoking Padmadwaja and Hema-rupa epithets.
Arghya mantra (for water-milk offering)
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क्षीरोदार्णवसम्भूत अत्रिगोत्रसमुद्भव । गृहाणार्ध्यं शशाङ्केदं रोहिण्य सहितो मम॥ — Recited while offering arghya toward the crescent.
Dhyana and kavacham (short dhyana and protection verses)
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समं चतुर्भुजं वन्दे केयूरमकुटोज्वलम् । वासुदेवस्य नयनं शङ्करस्य च भूषणम्॥ — Brief dhyana before japa or kavacha.
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शशी पातु शिरोदेशं भालं पातु कलानिधिः । चक्षुषी चन्द्रमाः पातु श्रुती पातु निशापतिः॥ — Opening of Chandra Kavacham for protection during observance.
Additional traditional names/epithets for japa
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ॐ चन्द्राय नमः, ॐ निशाकराय नमः, ॐ इन्दवे नमः — Simple nama-japa forms used between darshan and aarti.
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Moola or beeja mantra japa is commonly done in counts of 11, 27, 54, or 108 immediately after sighting the crescent and offering arghya on Chandra Darshan evening.
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Either Gayatri may be chanted 3–11 times post-arghya, followed by a short aarti and naivedya; both forms are acceptable in common praxis across panchang sources.