अथ जपभेदाः तल्लक्षणादि च—
त्रिविधो जपयज्ञः स्यात्तस्य भेदान्निबोधत ।
वाचिकश्च उपांशुश्च मानसश्च त्रिधा मतः ।
त्रयाणां जपयज्ञानां श्रेयान्स्यादुत्तरोत्तरः ॥
यदुच्चनीचस्वरितैः स्पष्टशब्दवदक्षरैः ।
मन्त्रमुच्चारयेद्व्यक्तं जपयज्ञः स वाचिकः ॥
शनैरुच्चारयेन्मन्त्रमीषदौष्ठौ प्रचालयेत् ।
किञ्चिच्छब्दं स्वयं विद्यादुपांशुः स जपः स्मृतः ॥
धिया यदक्षरश्रेण्या वर्णाद्वर्णं पदात्पदम् ।
शब्दार्थचिन्तनाभ्यासः स उक्तो मानसो जपः ॥
atha japa-bhedāḥ tal-lakṣaṇādi ca—
trividho japa-yajñaḥ syāt tasya bhedān nibodhata |
vācikaś ca upāṁśuś ca mānasaś ca tridhā mataḥ |
trayāṇāṁ japa-yajñānāṁ śreyān syād uttarottaraḥ ||
yad ucca-nīca-svaritaiḥ spaṣṭa-śabdavad-akṣaraiḥ |
mantram uccārayed vyaktaṁ japa-yajñaḥ sa vācikaḥ ||
śanair uccārayen mantram īṣad auṣṭhau pracālayet |
kiñcic chabdaṁ svayaṁ vidyād upāṁśuḥ sa japaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
dhiyā yad akṣara-śreṇyā varṇād varṇaṁ padāt padam |
śabdārtha-cintanābhyāsaḥ sa ukto mānaso japaḥ ||
(Nṛsiṁha Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 17.155–158)
“Now, the divisions of japa and their characteristics [are described]—‘Japa-sacrifice (yajña) shall be [known to be] of three types. Hear of the [three] divisions of this. The three types are known as verbal (vācika), sotto voce (upāṁśu) and mental (mānasa). There shall be successive superiority amid these three [types of] japa-sacrifices [i.e., they are listed in order from lesser to greater]. That which shall pronounce the mantra distinctly with clear, audible syllables and high and low pitches is [called] verbal (vācika) japa-sacrifice. That which shall pronounce the mantra [only] softly, move the lips [only] slightly, and make known [i.e., heard] some sound [only] to oneself is known as sotto voce (upāṁśu) japa. That which is a repetition of contemplation of the meaning of the words [in the mantra] with the mind [moving] from one phoneme to another phoneme in the series of syllables [within each word] and from one word to another word [throughout the mantra] is called mental (mānasa) japa.”