At many family gatherings there is a moment for a katha: before the aarti at a griha pravesh, between bhajans at a jagran, at a monthly satsang in the society hall, or in a Sunday class at the temple. Sometimes there is a pandit or an elder who tells it well. Often there is not, or the children cannot follow the language it is told in.
AudPod, the narration tool on Autunes, makes a narrated katha with devotional music under the voice. You decide the story, the language and the length; it gives you an audio file you can play on a speaker.
Where it fits
- A family puja where the children get a short katha in simple Hindi or English, explaining the occasion.
- A jagran, between bhajans, as a short katha of the devi or of Hanuman ji.
- A satsang group that wants a 10 or 20-minute katha read the same way each month.
- A temple's children's class: a 5-minute katha at the start, then discussion.
- Family abroad: the same katha in Hindi for grandparents and in English for the children.
What it should not replace
AudPod narrates a story; it does not perform a puja, recite mantras or replace the vidhi. If your family follows a fixed text, such as the five adhyays of the Satyanarayan katha read by your pandit, keep that as it is. An AudPod can sit beside it, for example a short version in simple words for the children afterwards.
When AudPod writes the katha from your idea, it is a retelling. Listen to it before the event, and ask an elder or your pandit if anything matters for the ritual.
How to make it
- Open AudPod.
- Choose "My script" if you have the katha written down (paste it in Devanagari for Hindi; leave a blank line where you want a pause), or "From an idea" if you want AudPod to write it.
- Choose the language and a Male or Female narrator.
- Choose the music: Devotional (sitar, tanpura, soft tabla), Peaceful flute, Festive for a celebration, Calm, or No music if bhajans are playing anyway. On Pro and Creator you can describe your own style, such as "dholak and manjira, like a jagran", and the music is composed fresh for that AudPod.
- Choose the length: 3 or 5 minutes on any plan, up to 10 on Pro, up to 20 on Creator.
- Press create. Allow about 15 minutes for a 20-minute AudPod, so make it a day before, not during the event.
Sample ideas
- "A 5-minute katha for a griha pravesh: why we worship Ganesh ji first, told simply for the whole family."
- "A katha of Maa Vaishno Devi for a jagran, 10 minutes, devotional tone, for adults."
- "The Satyanarayan katha in simple Hindi for children aged 8 to 12, 5 minutes, after the main puja."
- "Sudama visits Shri Krishna in Dwarka, a 10-minute katha on friendship for our monthly satsang."
Playing it at the event
Download it before the day. Downloads are free on Pro and Creator; on the free plan a download costs ₹9. Play it through a Bluetooth speaker, not a phone speaker, and test the volume in the room. The music already dips under the narrator's voice, so set the level for the voice.
For a bhajan or aarti in your own words, Autunes also makes sung devotional songs: see the devotional song generator. For more katha ideas, see Hindi katha audio.