About this stotra
The Shiva Pratah Smaranam is a devotional hymn of three verses composed by Ādi Śaṅkarācārya, intended to be recited at dawn as an act of remembrance of Lord Shiva. The title means "morning remembrance of Shiva" — pratah (dawn) and smaranam (remembrance).
Each verse opens with a different devotional expression — smarāmi (I remember), namāmi (I bow), bhajāmi (I worship) — and ends with the same refrain identifying Shiva as saṃsāra-roga-haram auṣadham advitīyam — the incomparable remedy for the affliction of saṃsāra. This refrain gives the hymn its central teaching: Shiva is not merely a deity to be adored, but the ultimate cure for the fundamental human condition of bondage and suffering.
The three verses describe Shiva's divine iconography (the Ganga, Nandi, the trident, the khaṭvāṅga), his cosmic role as Ardhanārīśvara and the cause of creation, sustenance, and dissolution, and his transcendent nature beyond all name and form.
Shiva Pratah Smaranam lyrics and meaning
॥ १ ॥♪ CHANTING NOW
Verse 1
प्रातः स्मरामि भवभीतिहरं सुरेशं गङ्गाधरं वृषभवाहनमम्बिकेशम् ।
खट्वाङ्गशूलवरदाभयहस्तमीशं संसाररोगहरमौषधमद्वितीयम् ॥
prātaḥ smarāmi bhava bhīti haraṃ sureśaṃ gaṅgā dharaṃ vṛṣabha vāhanam ambikeśam .
khaṭvāṅga śūla varada abhaya hastam īśaṃ saṃsāra roga haram auṣadham advitīyam ..
At dawn I remember Shiva — the remover of the fear of worldly existence, the lord of gods, the bearer of the Ganga, whose vehicle is the bull Nandi, the lord of Ambika — who holds the khaṭvāṅga and trident, and whose hands grant boons and fearlessness; the incomparable remedy for the affliction of saṃsāra (worldly bondage).
Word by word
- प्रातः (prātaḥ)
- in the morning
- स्मरामि (smarāmi)
- I remember
- भवभीतिहरं (bhavabhītiharam)
- remover of fear of existence (bhava:existence | bhīti:fear | haram:remover)
- सुरेशं (sureśam)
- lord of gods (sura:gods | īśam:lord)
- गङ्गाधरं (gaṅgādharam)
- bearer of Ganga (gaṅgā:Ganga | dharam:bearer)
- वृषभवाहनम् (vṛṣabhavāhanam)
- bull as vehicle (vṛṣabha:bull | vāhanam:vehicle)
- अम्बिकेशम् (ambikeśam)
- lord of Ambika (ambikā:Ambika | īśam:lord)
- खट्वाङ्गशूलवरदाभयहस्तम् (khaṭvāṅgaśūlavaradābhayahastam)
- with skull-topped staff, trident, boon-giving and fearless hands (khaṭvāṅga:skull-topped staff | śūla:trident | varada:boon-giving | abhaya:fearless | hastam:hand)
- ईशं (īśam)
- lord
- संसाररोगहरम् (saṃsārarogaharam)
- remover of worldly disease (saṃsāra:worldly | roga:disease | haram:remover)
- औषधम् (auṣadham)
- medicine
- अद्वितीयम् (advitīyam)
- incomparable
॥ २ ॥♪ CHANTING NOW
Verse 2
प्रातर्नमामि गिरिशं गिरिजार्धदेहं सर्गस्थितिप्रलयकारणमादिदेवम् ।
विश्वेश्वरं विजितविश्वमनोभिरामं संसाररोगहरमौषधमद्वितीयम् ॥२॥
prātar namāmi giriśaṃ girijārdhadehaṃ sarga sthiti pralaya kāraṇam ādi devam .
viśveśvaraṃ vijita viśva manobhirāmaṃ saṃsāra roga haram auṣadham advitīyam ..2..
At dawn I bow to Girisha, whose body is half Girija, the primordial deity who is the cause of creation, sustenance, and dissolution; the lord of the universe, pleasing to the minds of all the worlds — the incomparable remedy for the affliction of saṃsāra (worldly bondage).
Word by word
- प्रातः (prātaḥ)
- in the morning
- नमामि (namāmi)
- I bow
- गिरिशं (giriśaṃ)
- Lord of the mountains
- गिरिजार्धदेहं (girijārdhadehaṃ)
- with half body of Girijā (girijā:Girijā | ardha:half | dehaṃ:body)
- सर्गस्थितिप्रलयकारणम् (sargasthitipralayakāraṇam)
- cause of creation, maintenance, dissolution (sarga:creation | sthiti:maintenance | pralaya:dissolution | kāraṇam:cause)
- आदिदेवम् (ādidevam)
- primordial deity (ādi:primordial | devam:deity)
- विश्वेश्वरं (viśveśvaraṃ)
- Lord of the universe (viśva:universe | īśvaraṃ:Lord)
- विजितविश्वमनोभिरामं (vijitaviśvamanobhirāmaṃ)
- conqueror of minds, pleasing (vijita:conqueror | viśva:world | manaḥ:mind | abhirāmaṃ:pleasing)
- संसाररोगहरम् (saṃsārarogaharam)
- remover of worldly afflictions (saṃsāra:worldly | roga:afflictions | haram:remover)
- औषधम् (auṣadham)
- medicine
- अद्वितीयम् (advitīyam)
- incomparable
॥ ३ ॥♪ CHANTING NOW
Verse 3
प्रातर्भजामि शिवमेकमनन्तमाद्यं वेदान्तवेद्यमनघं पुरुषं महान्तम् ।
नामादिभेदरहितं षड्भावशून्यं संसाररोगहरमौषधमद्वितीयम् ॥३॥
prātar bhajāmi śivam ekam anantam ādyaṃ vedānta vedyam anaghaṃ puruṣaṃ mahāntam .
nāmādibheda rahitaṃ ṣaḍbhāvaśūnyaṃ saṃsāra roga haram auṣadham advitīyam ..3..
At dawn I worship Shiva — the one, infinite, primordial; knowable through Vedanta, pure, the great Purusha; free from all distinctions of name and form, devoid of the six modifications of existence — the incomparable remedy for the affliction of saṃsāra (worldly bondage).
Word by word
- प्रातः (prātaḥ)
- in the morning
- भजामि (bhajāmi)
- I worship
- शिवम् (śivam)
- auspicious one
- एकम् (ekam)
- one
- अनन्तम् (anantam)
- infinite
- आद्यं (ādyaṃ)
- primordial
- वेदान्तवेद्यम् (vedāntavedyam)
- known through Vedanta (vedānta:Vedanta | vedyam:known)
- अनघम् (anagham)
- sinless
- पुरुषम् (puruṣam)
- Purusha
- महान्तम् (mahāntam)
- great
- नामादिभेदरहितम् (nāmādibhedarahitam)
- free from name distinctions (nāma:name | ādi:and others | bheda:distinctions | rahitam:free from)
- षड्भावशून्यम् (ṣaḍbhāvaśūnyam)
- devoid of six changes (ṣaḍ:six | bhāva:changes | śūnyam:devoid)
- संसाररोगहरम् (saṃsārarogaharam)
- cure for worldly disease (saṃsāra:worldly | roga:disease | haram:cure)
- औषधम् (auṣadham)
- medicine
- अद्वितीयम् (advitīyam)
- incomparable
॥ ४ ॥♪ CHANTING NOW
Verse 4
प्रातः समुत्थाय शिवं विचिन्त्य श्लोकत्रयं येऽनुदिनं पठन्ति ।
ते दुःखजातं बहुजन्मसञ्चितं हित्वा पदं यान्ति तदेव शम्भोः ॥ ४॥
prātaḥ samutthāya śivaṃ vicintya ślokatrayam ye'nudinaṃ paṭhanti .
te duḥkhajātaṃ bahujanmasañcitaṃ hitvā padaṃ yānti tadeva śambhoḥ .. 4..
A person who brings Shiva in his 'dhyana' daily in the morning and then recites these three Slokas, he becomes free of all the accumulated miseries of many births and attains the blissful stage of Shiva.
Word by word
- प्रातः (prātaḥ)
- in the morning
- समुत्थाय (samutthāya)
- having arisen
- शिवं (śivam)
- Shiva
- विचिन्त्य (vicintya)
- meditating
- श्लोकत्रयम् (ślokatrayam)
- a triad of verses
- ये (ye)
- who
- अनुदिनम् (anudinam)
- daily
- पठन्ति (paṭhanti)
- recite
- ते (te)
- they
- दुःखजातम् (duḥkhajātam)
- accumulated miseries (duḥkha:misery | jātam:accumulated)
- बहुजन्मसञ्चितम् (bahujanmasaṃcitam)
- accumulated over many births (bahu:many | janma:births | saṃcitam:accumulated)
- हित्वा (hitvā)
- having abandoned
- पदम् (padam)
- state
- यान्ति (yānti)
- attain
- तदेव (tadeva)
- that very
- शम्भोः (śambhoḥ)
- of Shambhu
ॐ
