STOTRAM

Shiv Tandav Stotram

शिव तांडव स्तोत्रम्

🙏 Shiva ✍️ Ravana 🗣️ Sanskrit 📜 15 verses 👁 42 reads Suggest a correction
Shiva

The Shiv Tandav Stotram is a majestic Sanskrit hymn describing the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva — the Tandava that simultaneously creates, sustains, and destroys the universe. It was composed by Ravana, the scholar-king of Lanka, who despite his role as antagonist in the Ramayana was a devoted Shaiva and a master of Vedic knowledge.

Written in the Druta Vilambita meter, the stotram is celebrated for its rapid, rolling rhythm and dense alliteration — qualities that make it as much a feat of Sanskrit poetry as a devotional text. Reciting it is believed to invoke Shiva's blessings and cultivate mental strength and spiritual resolve.

Verse 1
जटाटवीगलज्जलप्रवाहपावितस्थले गलेऽवलम्ब्य लम्बितां भुजङ्गतुङ्गमालिकाम् | डमड्डमड्डमड्डमन्निनादवड्डमर्वयं चकार चण्डताण्डवं तनोतु नः शिवः शिवम् ||
Jaṭāṭavīgalajjalapravāhapāvitasthale gale'valambya lambitāṃ bhujaṅgatuṅgamālikām | ḍamaḍḍamaḍamaḍamaḍḍamanninādavaḍḍamarvayaṃ cakāra caṇḍatāṇḍavaṃ tanotu naḥ śivaḥ śivam ||
With his neck consecrated by the flow of water flowing from his matted hair, which is like a thick forest, and wearing a lofty garland of serpents around his neck; Lord Shiva, the auspicious one, performed the fierce Tandava dance to the rhythmic sound of 'damad-damad' of the damaru. May He shower blessings upon us.
Verse 2
जटाकटाहसम्भ्रमभ्रमन्निलिम्पनिर्झरी- विलोलवीचिवल्लरीविराजमानमूर्धनि | धगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वलल्ललाटपट्टपावके किशोरचन्द्रशेखरे रतिः प्रतिक्षणं मम ||
Jaṭākaṭāhasambhramabhramannilimpanirjharī- vilolavīcivallarīvirājamānamūrdhani | dhagaddhagaddhagajvalallalāṭapaṭṭapāvake kiśoracandraśekhare ratiḥ pratikṣaṇaṃ mama ||
My interest is constant in Lord Shiva, whose head is glorified by the rows of moving waves of the celestial Ganga flowing through the deep well of his matted hair; whose forehead glows with the brilliant fire of 'dhag-dhag'; and who wears the young moon on his head.
Verse 3
धराधरेन्द्रनन्दिनीविलासबन्धुबन्धुर- स्फुरद्दिगन्तसन्ततिप्रमोदमानमानसे | कृपाकटाक्षधोरणीनिरुद्धदुर्धरापदि क्वचिद्दिगम्बरे मनो विनोदमेतु वस्तुनि ||
Dharādharendranandinīvilāsabandhubandhura- sphuraddigantasantatipramodamānamānase | kṛpākaṭākṣadhoraṇīniruddhadurdharāpadi kvaciddigambare mano vinodametu vastuni ||
May my mind find bliss in the Lord, whose mind is delighted by the charming presence of Parvati (the daughter of the mountain king); whose compassionate glance can stop even the most difficult calamities; and who is clad in the directions (Digambara).
Verse 4
जटाभुजङ्गपिङ्गलस्फुरत्फणामणिप्रभा- कदम्बकुङ्कुमद्रवप्रलिप्तदिग्वधूमुखे | मदान्धसिन्धुरस्फुरत्त्वगुत्तरीयमेदुरे मनो विलोदद्भुतं बिभर्तु भूतभर्तरि ||
Jaṭābhujaṅgapiṅgalasphuratphaṇāmaṇiprabhā- kadambakuṅkumadravapraliptadigvadhūmukhe | madāndhasindhurasphurattvaguttarīyamedure mano vilodadbhutaṃ bibhartu bhūtabhartari ||
May my mind find extraordinary joy in the Lord of all beings, whose directions are anointed with the saffron-like red glow emanating from the jewels on the hoods of the serpents in his hair, and who wears the skin of a mighty elephant as an upper garment.
Verse 5
सहस्रलोचनप्रभृत्यशेषलेखशेखर- प्रसूनधूलिधोरणीविधूसराङ्घ्रिपीठभूः | भुजङ्गराजमालया निबद्धजाटजूटकः श्रियै चिराय जायतां चकोरबन्धुशेखरः ||
Sahasralocanaprabhṛtyaśeṣalekhaśekhara- prasūnadhūlidhoraṇīvidhūsarāṅghripīṭhabhūḥ | bhujaṅgarājamālayā nibaddhajāṭajūṭakaḥ śriyai cirāya jāyatāṃ cakōrabandhuśekharaḥ ||
May Lord Shiva, whose footstool is greyed by the dust of flowers falling from the crowns of Indra and all the other gods, and whose matted hair is bound by the king of serpents, grant us eternal prosperity.
Verse 6
ललाटचत्वरज्वलद्धनञ्जयस्फुलिङ्गभा- निपीतपञ्चसायकं नमन्निलिम्पनायकम् | सुधामयूखलेखया विराजमानशेखरं महाकपालिसम्पदेशिरोजटालमस्तु नः ||
Lalāṭacatvarajvaladdhanañjayasphuliṅgabhā- nipītapañcasāyakaṃ namannilimpanāyakam | sudhāmayūkhalekhayā virājamānaśekharaṃ mahākapālisampadeśirojaṭālamastu naḥ ||
May we obtain the wealth of the matted hair of Shiva, who destroyed the god of love (Kama) with the sparks of fire burning on his forehead; who is worshipped by the leader of the gods (Indra); and who is adorned with the crescent moon.
Verse 7
करालभालपट्टिकाधगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वल- द्धनञ्जयाहुतीकृतप्रचण्डपञ्चसायकम् | धराधरेन्द्रनन्दिनीकुचाग्रचित्रपत्रक- प्रकल्पनैकशिल्पिनि त्रिलोचने रतिर्मम ||
Karālabhālapaṭṭikādhagaddhagaddhagajvalad- dhanañjayāhutīkṛtapracaṇḍapañcasāyakam | Dharādharendranandinīkucāgracitrapatraka- prakalpanaikaśilpini trilocane ratirmama ||
My devotion is to the three-eyed Lord, who offered the five-arrowed god of love as an oblation to the fire burning 'dhag-dhag' on his forehead, and who is the only artist capable of drawing decorative patterns on the person of Parvati.
Verse 8
नवीनमेघमण्डली निरुद्धदुर्धरस्फुरत्- कुहूनिशीथिनीतमः प्रबन्धबद्धकन्धरः | निलिम्पनिर्झरीधरस्तनोतु कृत्तिसिन्धुरः कलानिधानबन्धुरः श्रियं जगद्धुरन्धरः ||
Navīnameghamaṇḍalī niruddhadurdharasphurat- kuhūniśīthinītamaḥ prabandhabaddhakandharaḥ | Nilimpanirjharīdharastanotu kṛttisindhuraḥ kalānidhānabandhuraḥ śriyaṃ jagaddhurandharaḥ ||
May the bearer of the universe, who carries the Ganga, whose neck is dark like the midnight of a new moon obscured by clouds, and who is the repository of all arts, grant us prosperity.
Verse 9
प्रफुल्लनीलपङ्कजप्रपञ्चकालिमप्रभा- वलम्बिकण्ठकन्दलीरुचिप्रबद्धकन्धरम् | स्मरच्छिदं पुरच्छिदं भवच्छिदं मखच्छिदं गजच्छिदान्धकच्छिदं तमन्तकच्छिदं भजे ||
Praphullasīlapanka-japrapañcakālimaprabhā- valambikaṇṭhakandalīruciprabaddhakandharam | Smaracchidaṃ puracchidaṃ bhavacchidaṃ makhacchidaṃ Gajacchidāndhakacchidaṃ tamantakacchidaṃ bhaje ||
I worship the destroyer of Smara (Kama), the destroyer of Pura (Tripura), the destroyer of worldly bonds, the destroyer of Daksha's sacrifice, the destroyer of the elephant-demon Gaja, the destroyer of Andhaka, and the conqueror of death (Yama).
Verse 10
अखर्वसर्वमङ्गलाकलाकदम्बमञ्जरी- रसप्रवाहमाधुरीविजृम्भणामधुव्रतम् | स्मरच्छिदं पुरच्छिदं भवच्छिदं मखच्छिदं गजच्छिदान्धकच्छिदं तमन्तकच्छिदं भजे ||
Akharvasarvamaṅgalākalākadambamañjarī- rasapravāhamādhurīvijṛmbhaṇāmadhuvratam | Smaracchidaṃ puracchidaṃ bhavacchidaṃ makhacchidaṃ Gajacchidāndhakacchidaṃ tamantakacchidaṃ bhaje ||
I worship Lord Shiva, who is like a bee buzzing around the sweet flow of nectar from the flowers of the auspicious arts of Goddess Parvati; the destroyer of Kama, Tripura, and death.
Verse 11
जयत्वदभ्रविभ्रमभ्रमद्भुजङ्गमश्वस- द्विनिर्गमत्क्रमस्फुरत्करालभालहव्यवाट् | धिमिद्धिमिद्धिमिध्वनन्मृदङ्गतुङ्गमङ्गल- ध्वनिक्रमप्रवर्तित प्रचण्डताण्डवः शिवः ||
Jayatvadabhravibharamabhramadbhujaṅgamaśvasa- dvinirgamatkramasphuratkarālabhālahavyavāṭ | Dhimiddhimiddhimidhvananmṛdaṅgatuṅgamaṅgala- dhvanikramapravartita pracaṇḍatāṇḍavaḥ śivaḥ ||
Victory to Shiva, whose fierce Tandava is set in motion by the series of auspicious sounds from the mrdanga beating 'dhimid-dhimid', and whose forehead fire glows as the serpents in his hair breathe out intensely.
Verse 12
दृषद्विचित्रतल्पयोर्भुजङ्गमौक्तिकस्रजो- र्गरिष्ठरत्नलोष्ठयोः सुहृद्विपक्षपक्षयोः | तृणारविन्दचक्षुषोः प्रजामहीमहेन्द्रयोः समप्रवृत्तिकः कदा सदाशिवं भजाम्यहम् ||
Dṛṣadvicitratalpayorbhujaṅgamauktikasrajo- rgariṣṭharatnaloṣṭhayoḥ suhṛdvipakṣapakṣayoḥ | Tṛṇāravindacakṣuṣoḥ prajāmahīmahendrayoḥ samapravṛttikaḥ kadā sadāśivaṃ bhajāmyaham ||
When will I be able to worship Lord Sadashiva with an equal mind toward a hard stone and a soft bed, a serpent and a pearl necklace, a precious gem and a clod of earth, a friend and an enemy, and a commoner and a king?
Verse 13
कदा निलिम्पनिर्झरीनिकुञ्जकोटरे वसन् विमुक्तदुर्मतिः सदा शिरः स्थमञ्जलिं वहन् | विमुक्तलोललोचनो ललामभाललग्नकः शिवेति मन्त्रमुच्चरन् कदा सुखी भवाम्यहम् ||
Kadā nilimpanirjharīnikuñjakoṭare vasan vimuktadurmatiḥ sadā śiraḥ sthamañjaliṃ vahan | Vimuktalolalocano lalāmabhālalagnakaḥ śiveti mantramuccaran kadā sukhī bhavāmyaham ||
When will I be happy, living in a cave near the celestial Ganga, with my hands folded over my head, cleared of evil thoughts, and chanting the mantra 'Shiva', while fixing my gaze on the Lord's forehead?
Verse 14 (Phalshruti)
इमं हि नित्यमेवमुक्तमुत्तमोत्तमं स्तवं पठन्स्मरन्ब्रुवन्नरो विशुद्धिमेति सन्ततम् | हरे गुरौ सुभक्तिमाशु याति नान्यथा गतिं विमोहनं हि देहिनां सुशङ्करस्य चिन्तनम् ||
Imaṃ hi nityamevamuktamuttamottamaṃ stavaṃ paṭhansmaranbruvannaro viśuddhimeti santatam | Hare gurau subhaktimāśu yāti nānyathā gatiṃ vimohanaṃ hi dehināṃ suśaṅkarasya cintanam ||
Whoever daily recites, remembers, and speaks this excellent hymn constantly attains purity. He quickly achieves deep devotion to Lord Shiva, the Guru. There is no other way to liberation, for the contemplation of Lord Shankara removes all delusions.
Verse 15 (Conclusion)
पूजावसानसमये दशवक्त्रगीतं यः शम्भुपूजनपरं पठति प्रदोषे | तस्य स्थिरां रथगजेन्द्रतुरङ्गयुक्तां लक्ष्मीं सदैव सुमुखीं प्रददाति शम्भुः ||
Pūjāvasānasamaye daśavaktragītaṃ yaḥ śambhupūjanaparaṃ paṭhati pradoṣe | tasya sthirāṃ rathagajendraturaṅgayuktāṃ lakṣmīṃ sadaiva sumukhīṃ pradadāti śambhuḥ ||
At the end of a prayer, whoever recites this song of the ten-headed Ravana during the Pradosha time (evening), Lord Shambhu grants them stable wealth with chariots, elephants, and horses, and remains pleased with them forever.

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