Sanskrit Shlokas and The Phonological Loop, Working Memory and Sensorimotor–Vocal Learning

Abstract

The phonological loop is a central component of contemporary models of working memory and is implicated in verbal learning, language acquisition, and short-term retention of auditory–verbal material. This manuscript synthesizes evidence from cognitive psychology, neuroscience, psycholinguistics, and sensorimotor learning to argue that learning phonetically dense chants—exemplified by the Śiva Tāṇḍava Stotra (STS)—constitutes a natural, high-load training regimen for the phonological loop and associated executive systems. First, classical and contemporary working memory models (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974; Baddeley, 1992, 2000) are reviewed, with emphasis on the phonological store and articulatory rehearsal processes. Second, cognitive load theory (Sweller, 1988; Paas, Renkl, & Sweller, 2003), Gestalt principles of auditory grouping, and predictive/rhythmic frameworks (Goswami, 2011) are used to explain how rhythmic and prosodic scaffolds reduce extraneous load and facilitate chunking. Third, sensorimotor learning accounts (Shadmehr & Wise, 2005; Dayan & Cohen, 2011) and embodied language theories (Pulvermüller, 2013) are used to model how vocal–motor practice and auditory feedback refine articulatory sequences and consolidate procedural memory. Empirical support from neurophysiological and structural imaging studies—ranging from vagal/autonomic modulation during chanting (Bernardi et al., 2001; Kalyani et al., 2011) to structural brain differences in Vedic chanters (Kumar et al., 2021)—is integrated to demonstrate measurable effects on memory circuits. Applying these frameworks to the STS, the manuscript presents a mechanistic account showing how its phonotactic density, sandhi phenomena, and metrical (chandas) constraints create high intrinsic load that is managed through rhythmic chunking, thereby training the phonological loop, enhancing sensorimotor–vocal integration, and producing transfer to broader working memory functions. The paper closes by proposing empirical tests (behavioral, EEG/fMRI, and longitudinal training studies) and discussing implications for pedagogy and neurorehabilitation.