About this stotra
The Shiva Bhujanga Prayata Stotram is a devotional hymn attributed to Ādi Śaṅkarācārya, composed in the flowing bhujanga prayāta (serpent's glide) meter that gives it a distinctive wavelike rhythm. Addressed to Lord Shiva in his aspect as the supreme guru and bestower of liberation, the stotram weaves together praise of Shiva's cosmic form with veneration of the spiritual master who embodies that same divine wisdom.
The verses celebrate Shiva as an ocean of compassion (kṛpāsāgara), the granter of poetic eloquence, and the one whose lotus feet are worshipped by great ascetics. The hymn draws upon rich imagery — the Ganga flowing through matted locks appearing like a garland of jasmine at the throat, and Shiva as the rescuer of those drowning in the ocean of worldly existence (bhavāmbhodhi). Throughout, the devotee expresses complete surrender and trust in the Lord's grace.
Regular recitation of this stotram is said to invoke Shiva's blessings for spiritual awakening, poetic gift, and protection from the sufferings of saṃsāra.
Shiva Bhujanga Prayata Stotram lyrics and meaning
॥ १ ॥♪ CHANTING NOW
Verse 1
कृपासागरायाशुकाव्यप्रदाय
प्रणम्राखिलाभीष्टसन्दायकाय ।
यतीन्द्रैरुपास्याङ्घ्रिपाथोरुहाय
प्रबोधप्रदात्रे नमः शङ्कराय ॥1॥
kṛpāsāgarāyāśukāvyapradāya
praṇamrākhilābhīṣṭasandāyakāya ।
yatīndrairupāsyāṅghripāthōruhāya
prabōdhapradātrē namaḥ śaṅkarāya ॥1॥
Salutations to Śiva — who is an ocean of compassion, who quickly bestows the gift of eloquent poetry, who grants all the desired objects of those who bow before him, whose lotus-feet are worshipped by the foremost among ascetics (yatīndras), and who is the giver of supreme awakening (prabodha).
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Verse 2
चिदानन्दरूपाय चिन्मुद्रिकोद्य-
त्करायेशपर्यायरूपाय तुभ्यम् ।
मुदा गीयमानाय वेदोत्तमाङ्गैः
श्रितानन्ददात्रे नमः शङ्कराय ॥2॥
chidānandarūpāya chinmudrikōdya-
tkarāyēśaparyāyarūpāya tubhyam ।
mudā gīyamānāya vēdōttamāṅgaiḥ
śritānandadātrē namaḥ śaṅkarāya ॥2॥
To you — who are of the nature of consciousness-bliss (cid-ānanda), whose hand is upraised in the cin-mudrā (the gesture of supreme knowledge), whose form is synonymous with Īśa (the Lord), who are joyfully sung by the Upaniṣads (the highest limb of the Vedas), and who grant bliss to those who take refuge — I offer salutations.
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Verse 3
जटाजूटमध्ये पुरा या सुराणां
धुनी साद्य कर्मन्दिरूपस्य शम्भोः
गले मल्लिकामालिकाव्याजतस्ते
विभातीति मन्ये गुरो किं तथैव ॥3॥
jaṭājūṭamadhyē purā yā surāṇāṃ
dhunī sādya karmandirūpasya śambhōḥ
galē mallikāmālikāvyājatastē
vibhātīti manyē gurō kiṃ tathaiva ॥3॥
In the midst of your matted hair-knot (jaṭā-jūṭa), long ago dwelt the divine river of the gods. Now, in your form as a kamaṇḍalu-bearing Śambhu (holy ascetic), we perceive that very same Gaṅgā appearing at your neck — cleverly disguised as a garland of white jasmine flowers.
॥ ४ ॥♪ CHANTING NOW
Verse 4
नखेन्दुप्रभाधूतनम्रालिहार्दा-
न्धकारव्रजायाब्जमन्दस्मिताय ।
महामोहपाथोनिधेर्बाडबाय
प्रशान्ताय कुर्मो नमः शङ्कराय ॥4॥
nakhēnduprabhādhūtanamrālihārdā-
ndhakāravrajāyābjamandasmitāya ।
mahāmōhapāthōnidhērbāḍabāya
praśāntāya kurmō namaḥ śaṅkarāya ॥4॥
Salutations to the supremely peaceful one — whose moon-radiance from his toenails drives away the darkness in the hearts of bowing devotees, whose smile is gentle as a lotus, who is like the submarine volcanic fire (bāḍava-agni) for the deep ocean of great delusion — yet remains perfectly, supremely peaceful (praśānta).
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Verse 5
प्रणम्रान्तरङ्गाब्जबोधप्रदात्रे
दिवारात्रमव्याहतोस्राय कामम् ।
क्षपेशाय चित्राय लक्ष्म क्षयाभ्यां
विहीनाय कुर्मो नमः शङ्कराय ॥5॥
praṇamrāntaraṅgābjabōdhapradātrē
divārātramavyāhatōsrāya kāmam ।
kṣapēśāya chitrāya lakṣma kṣayābhyāṃ
vihīnāya kurmō namaḥ śaṅkarāya ॥5॥
To you — who give awakening to the inner lotus-hearts of bowing devotees, who shine uninterruptedly like the sun both day and night, who are also lord of the night (moon) — yet, wonderfully, are free from the defects of waxing and waning — salutations.
॥ ६ ॥♪ CHANTING NOW
Verse 6
प्रणम्रास्यपाथोजमोदप्रदात्रे
सदान्तस्तमस्तोमसंहारकर्त्रे ।
रजन्या मपीद्धप्रकाशाय कुर्मो
ह्यपूर्वाय पूष्णे नमः शङ्कराय ॥6॥
praṇamrāsyapāthōjamōdapradātrē
sadāntastamastōmasaṃhārakartrē ।
rajanyā mapīddhaprakāśāya kurmō
hyapūrvāya pūṣṇē namaḥ śaṅkarāya ॥6॥
Salutations to the unprecedented one of complete splendor — who grants joy to the lotus-faces of those who bow before him, who is the eternal destroyer of the masses of inner darkness, and who blazes with light even in the dark of night — the utterly unique, perfectly full one.
॥ ७ ॥♪ CHANTING NOW
Verse 7
नतानां हृदब्जानि फुल्लानि शीघ्रं
करोम्याशु योगप्रदानेन नूनम् ।
प्रबोधाय चेत्थं सरोजानि धत्से
प्रफुल्लानि किं भो गुरो ब्रूहि मह्यम् ॥7॥
natānāṃ hṛdabjāni phullāni śīghraṃ
karōmyāśu yōgapradānēna nūnam ।
prabōdhāya chētthaṃ sarōjāni dhatsē
praphullāni kiṃ bhō gurō brūhi mahyam ॥7॥
'I quickly cause the lotus-hearts of those who bow to bloom, certainly, by granting yoga,' says the Lord — and indeed, for their awakening, you hold those blossoming lotuses in this manner, filling them with the fragrance of divine knowledge.
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Verse 8
प्रभाधूतचन्द्रायुतायाखिलेष्ट-
प्रदायानतानां समूहाय शीघ्रम्।
प्रतीपाय नम्रौघदुःखाघपङ्क्ते-
र्मुदा सर्वदा स्यान्नमः शङ्कराय ॥8॥
prabhādhūtachandrāyutāyākhilēṣṭa-
pradāyānatānāṃ samūhāya śīghram।
pratīpāya namraughaduḥkhāghapaṅktē-
rmudā sarvadā syānnamaḥ śaṅkarāya ॥8॥
Salutations to you — whose radiance surpasses ten thousand moons, who quickly grants all desires to multitudes of bowing devotees, who stands opposed (as destroyer) to the long line of sorrows and sins of those who bow, and who joyfully grants all knowledge.
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Verse 9
विनिष्कासितानीश तत्त्वावबोधा -
न्नतानां मनोभ्यो ह्यनन्याश्रयाणि ।
रजांसि प्रपन्नानि पादाम्बुजातं
गुरो रक्तवस्त्रापदेशाद्बिभर्षि ॥9॥
viniṣkāsitānīśa tattvāvabōdhā -
nnatānāṃ manōbhyō hyananyāśrayāṇi ।
rajāṃsi prapannāni pādāmbujātaṃ
gurō raktavastrāpadēśādbibharṣi ॥9॥
O Lord, O Guru — the dust-particles (impurities) that have been expelled from the minds of bowing devotees by the knowledge of Truth, having nowhere else to seek refuge, have fallen at your lotus-feet. They have taken sole refuge there, with no other support.
॥ १० ॥♪ CHANTING NOW
Verse 10
मतेर्वेदशीर्षाध्वसम्प्रापकाया-
नतानां जनानां कृपार्द्रैः कटाक्षैः ।
ततेः पापबृन्दस्य शीघ्रं निहन्त्रे
स्मितास्याय कुर्मो नमः शङ्कराय ॥10॥
matērvēdaśīrṣādhvasamprāpakāyā-
natānāṃ janānāṃ kṛpārdraiḥ kaṭākṣaiḥ ।
tatēḥ pāpabṛndasya śīghraṃ nihantrē
smitāsyāya kurmō namaḥ śaṅkarāya ॥10॥
Salutations to the one who — with his compassion-saturated sidelong glances — leads the minds of bowing seekers along the path to the summit of the Vedas (Vedānta/Upaniṣads), and who is the swift destroyer of multitudes of sins.
॥ ११ ॥♪ CHANTING NOW
Verse 11
सुपर्वोक्तिगन्धेन हीनाय तूर्णं
पुरा तोटकायाखिलज्ञानदात्रे।
प्रवालीयगर्वापहारस्य कर्त्रे
पदाब्जम्रदिम्ना नमः शङ्कराय ॥11॥
suparvōktigandhēna hīnāya tūrṇaṃ
purā tōṭakāyākhilajñānadātrē।
pravālīyagarvāpahārasya kartrē
padābjamradimnā namaḥ śaṅkarāya ॥11॥
Salutations to the one who — long ago — quickly gave the knowledge of all things to Tōṭaka, who had not even a whiff of skilled speech; who thereby removed the pride of the other learned disciples; and the softness of whose lotus-feet is itself the greatest of all gifts.
॥ १२ ॥♪ CHANTING NOW
Verse 12
भवाम्भोधिमग्नान्जनान्दुःखयुक्तान्
जवादुद्दिधीर्षुर्भवानित्यहोऽहम् ।
विदित्वा हि ते कीर्तिमन्यादृशाम्भो
सुखं निर्विशङ्कः स्वपिम्यस्तयत्नः ॥12॥
bhavāmbhōdhimagnānjanānduḥkhayuktān
javāduddidhīrṣurbhavānityahō'ham ।
viditvā hi tē kīrtimanyādṛśāmbhō
sukhaṃ nirviśaṅkaḥ svapimyastayatnaḥ ॥12॥
'Having learned your fame — that you, in your incomparable compassion, desire to quickly lift up all people submerged in the ocean of existence and burdened with suffering — alas, I too have taken refuge in you.' Thus the devotee surrenders completely.
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Verse 13
॥इति श्रीशङ्कराचार्य भुजङ्गप्रयातस्तोत्रम्॥
॥iti śrīśaṅkarāchārya bhujaṅgaprayātastōtram॥
Thus ends the Bhujanga Prayāta Stotram composed by Śrī Śaṅkarācārya.
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