An eight verse stotram that praises Lord Shiva and shows his greatness, Shiva Rudrashtakam is recited to show respect and devotion towards the famous Lord worshiped by millions. Revered as the epitome of benevolence, Lord Shiva is popular for his anger. Mahadeva is believed to be the easiest to please the deity. If worshiped with devotion and faith, Lord Shiva blesses the devotees abundantly and takes away all the worries and grievances.
Shiva Rudrashtakam means the eight verses hymn praising the Rudra form of Shiva which was seen at the beginning of the universe. Every verse of Rudrashtakam describes the glories of Lord Shiva. It is chanted to understand the Lord and his power. The hymn is composed by the Hindu poet Tulsidas in the fifteenth century as a part of the celebrated work ‘Ram Charit Manas’.
विभुं व्यापकं ब्रह्मवेदस्वरूपम् ।
निजं निर्गुणं निर्विकल्पं निरीहं
चिदाकाशमाकाशवासं भजेऽहम् ॥ १॥
गिरा ज्ञान गोतीतमीशं गिरीशम् ।
करालं महाकाल कालं कृपालं
गुणागार संसारपारं नतोऽहम् ॥ २॥
तुषाराद्रि संकाश गौरं गंभीरं
मनोभूत कोटिप्रभा श्री शरीरम् ।
स्फुरन्मौलि कल्लोलिनी चारुगङ्गा
लसद्भालबालेन्दु कण्ठे भुजङ्गा ॥ ३॥
चलत्कुण्डलं भ्रू सुनेत्रं विशालं
प्रसन्नाननं नीलकण्ठं दयालम् ।
प्रियं शंकरं सर्वनाथं भजामि ॥ ४॥
प्रचण्डं प्रकृष्टं प्रगल्भं परेशं
अखण्डं अजं भानुकोटिप्रकाशम् ।
त्रयः शूल निर्मूलनं शूलपाणिं
भजेऽहं भवानीपतिं भावगम्यम् ॥ ५॥
कलातीत कल्याण कल्पान्तकारी
सदा सज्जनानन्ददाता पुरारी ।
चिदानन्द संदोह मोहापहारी
प्रसीद प्रसीद प्रभो मन्मथारी ॥ ६॥
न यावत् उमानाथ पादारविन्दं
भजन्तीह लोके परे वा नराणाम् ।
न तावत् सुखं शान्ति सन्तापनाशं
प्रसीद प्रभो सर्वभूताधिवासम् ॥ ७॥
न जानामि योगं जपं नैव पूजां
नतोऽहं सदा सर्वदा शम्भु तुभ्यम् ।
जरा जन्म दुःखौद्य तातप्यमानं
प्रभो पाहि आपन्नमामीश शम्भो ॥ ८॥
रुद्राष्टकमिदं प्रोक्तं विप्रेण हरतोषये ।
ये पठन्ति नरा भक्त्या तेषां शम्भुः प्रसीदति ॥
Namam Meesana nirvana roopam,Vibhum vyapakam Brahma Veda swaroopam l
Nijam nirgunam nirvikalpam nireeham,Chidakasamaakasa vasam Bhajeham ll
I salute Lord Ishana, who manifests taking a Form, he pervades everywhere,
He is Veda incarnate, Vibhu moksha personified, master of all,
I worship the Lord who wears sky as a garment, who remains absorbed in his self which is beyond any changes, free from movement and beyond the cycles of nature.
Niraakara monkaara moolam thureeyam ,Giraa jnana gotheethamesam gireesam l
Karalam maha kala kalam krupalam,Gunaa gara samsara param athoham ll
Salutations to Lord Rudra who is formless and the root from where the sacred Omkara arises, who is beyond the three states of life,
He is the Lord who is beyond the knowledge, speech, sense, He is the giver of grace,
He is the perfect one who is the embodiment of compassion, He takes the terrible form of Mahakala to tear apart Time, I bow down to Him who helps cross the material world.
Thushaaraadhi sankasa gowram gabheeram,Mano bhootha koti prabha sree sareeram l
Sphuran mouli kallolini charu ganga,Lasaddala balendu kante bhujanga.ll
Fair-skinned Lord resembling a mountain, serene and unmoved, whose beauty and grace is greater than a million Kamadevas, ever glowing,
Over whose head, the beautiful Ganga river flows towards the worlds,
Over whose forehead the newly risen moon shines spreading its rays, around whose neck adorns the beautiful serpents.
Chalath kundalam bru sunethram vishaalam,Prasannananam neela kandam dhayalam l
Mugadheesa charmambaeam munda malam Priyam shankaram sarva nadham bhajami ll
I worship Lord Rudra whose ear-rings sway near his face, who has large beautiful eyes and striking eyebrows,
Who is cheerful, blue-necked, kind, compassionate and understanding,
Whose clothes are made of animal skins and whose neck is adorned with a garland of skulls,
I chant his name, the dearest of all, Lord of all.
Prachandam prakrushtam Prakalbham paresam,Akhandam ajam bhanu koti prakasam l
Thraya soola nirmoolanam soola panim,Bhajeham bhavani pathim bhava gamyam ll
Salutations to Lord Rudra, who is terrible, eminent and strong, the highest Lord,
Who is unborn and complete, with the effulgence of million suns,
Who has a trident in hand the three spikes of which uproots the three kinds of griefs,
I chant the name of Bhavani’s husband, who can be attained by devotion only.
Kalatheetha kalyani kalpanthakari,Sada sajjananda datha purari l
Chidananda sandoha mohapahari,Praseeda praseeda prabho mamamadhari ll
I worship the one whose auspicious nature is beyond time and the creations of this world,
Who brings an end to the worldly entanglements, Giver of eternal bliss,
Enemy of Tripura, Kamadeva’s destroyer, bless me O Lord, be gracious to me.
Na yavad Umanada padaravindam ,Bhajantheeha loke pare vaa naraanaam l
Na thath sukham shanthi santhapa nasam,Praseedha prabho Sarva bhoothadhivasam ll
I offer my salutations to Lord Rudra, Husband of Parvati until we worship your lotus feet,
Peace and joy cannot be attained in this world or heaven,
Or the end of sorrows, O Lord residing in the heart of all, be pleased with me.
Na janami yogam , japam , naiva poojaam,Nathoham sada sarvadha Shambhu thubhyam l
Jara janma dukhogha thathpyamanam,Prabho pahi aapannamameesa Shambho ll
O Lord Shiva, I do not know penance, yoga or worship,
But I respect you always, O my Lord, be my savior,
Protect me from the sorrows of birth, old age, and death,
Protect me from the grief of suffering, Protect me O Lord.
Rudhrashtakamidham proktham Viprena hara thoshaye l
Ye padanthi naraa bhakthya thesham Shambhu praseedathi ll
This Rudrashtaka has been composed by the Wise to please Shiva,
Those who recite it with devotion; Lord Shiva will be pleased on them.
Ithi Sri Goswami Thulasi dasa krutham Sri Rudhrashtakam sampurnam ll
Thus ends Rudrashtakam composed by Sri Goswami Tulsidas.
- Regular recitation of Rudrashtakam brings peace of mind and keeps away all the evil things from your life, making you healthy, wealthy and prosperous.
- Chanting the Rudra stotra pleases Lord Shiva and gets you his blessings.
- Whoever reads or listens to the stotram daily in the morning and in the evening gets blessed by Lord Shiva.
- Anybody reading the stotram once in his lifetime receives its results. His sins reduce and his mind moves forth towards devotion.
- Recitation of Rudrashtakam also fulfills our material wishes. However, in this hymn, we do not ask for anything from God.
- Chanting the names and qualities of Lord Shiva incorporates his qualities within us.
- This stotram can also reduce the ill effects of astrological problems. The one who starts worshipping Shiva is protected by him. He will never again face any problem of Graha dosha.
- Shiva Rudrashtakam improves our spiritual strength. We get closer to moksha.
- Our mind is filled with power upon reciting the stotram on a regular basis. The mind becomes fresh, energetic and tiredness vanishes.
- The one who recites the Rudrashtakam feels strong, stable, positive, happy and peaceful. We feel a happiness that was never experienced before.
How to Chant Shiva Rudrashtakam Stotra
To achieve desired results, the Rudrashtakam Stotram should be recited on a regular basis in the early morning after taking bath and sitting in front of idol or picture of Lord Shiva. It is advisable to first understand the meaning of the Rudrashtakam stotram and then start chanting it to maximize the effects.
You should recite the stotram slowly while remembering the glory and greatness of Shiva as described in the hymn. You should try to imagine the qualities and characteristics of Lord Shiva while chanting the verses.
Recite the mantra for five times or eleven times in the beginning and increase it gradually as you practice. When you start chanting, you feel calmness, peace, and oneness with Lord Shiva.