About this stotra
This heart-touching shloka shows a devotee's complete surrender at the feet of the Divine when he addresses the Lord, his Ishta Devata (loving Deity) as:
You alone are my mother and father
You alone are my relative and friend
You alone are knowledge and wealth
You alone are my all, O God of Gods.
For such a devoted heart, every relationship merges into the divine relationship. The mother's love, father's protection, friend's companionship, and all knowledge and wealth are seen as expressions of the Divine. This kind of devotion transforms daily life - each interaction becomes sacred, each relationship a pathway to experiencing the Divine's presence.
The line "tvameva vidyā draviṇaṃ tvameva" recognises the Divine as both knowledge (vidyā) and wealth (draviṇaṃ) - the two primary pursuits of human life. And in such pursuits, any achievements become the Lord's grace, and all setbacks become the Lord's teaching.
The repetition of "tvameva" (You alone are) emphasises the completeness of this recognition - That everything belongs to the Divine.
The culmination of the prayer "tvameva sarvaṃ mama devadeva" - "You alone are my everything, O Lord of Lords" is the devotee's final, complete surrender. Everything merges into their beloved Deity - there is nothing else, no one else. Just pure and total love.
॥ १ ॥♪ CHANTING NOW
Verse 1
Tvameva Matha Cha – Verse 1
त्वमेव माता च पिता त्वमेव
त्वमेव बन्धुश्च सखा त्वमेव
त्वमेव विद्या द्रविणं त्वमेव
त्वमेव सर्वं मम देव देव
tvameva mātā ca pitā tvameva
tvameva bandhuśca sakhā tvameva
tvameva vidyā draviṇaṃ tvameva
tvameva sarvaṃ mama deva deva
You alone are my mother, and You alone are my father. You alone are my relative and my friend. You alone are knowledge and wealth. You alone are everything to me, O Lord of Lords.
Word by word
- त्वमेव (tvameva)
- You alone
- माता (mātā)
- mother
- च (ca)
- and
- पिता (pitā)
- father
- त्वमेव (tvameva)
- You alone
- त्वमेव (tvameva)
- You alone
- बन्धुः (bandhuḥ)
- relative
- च (ca)
- and
- सखा (sakhā)
- friend
- त्वमेव (tvameva)
- You alone
- त्वमेव (tvameva)
- You alone
- विद्या (vidyā)
- knowledge
- द्रविणं (draviṇaṃ)
- wealth
- त्वमेव (tvameva)
- You alone
- त्वमेव (tvameva)
- You alone
- सर्वं (sarvaṃ)
- everything
- मम (mama)
- to me
- देव (deva)
- O Lord
- देव (deva)
- of Lords
