Guru Paduka Stotram
Guru Paduka Stotram
गुरु पादुका स्तोत्रम्
अनन्तसंसार-समुद्रतार-
नौकायिताभ्यां गुरुभक्तिदाभ्याम् ।
वैराग्यसाम्राज्यद-पूजनाभ्यां
नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् ॥ 1 ॥
कवित्ववाराशि-निशाकराभ्यां
दौर्भाग्य-दावाम्बुद-मालिकाभ्याम् ।
दूरीकृतानम्र-विपत्तिताभ्यां
नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् ॥ 2 ॥
नता ययोः श्रीपतितां समीयुः
कदाचिदप्याशु दरिद्रवर्याः ।
मूकाश्च वाचस्पतितां हि ताभ्यां
नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् ॥ 3 ॥
नालीकनीकाश-पदाहृताभ्यां
नानाविमोहादि-निवारिकाभ्याम् ।
नमज्जनाभीष्ट-ततिप्रदाभ्यां
नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् ॥ 4 ॥
नृपालिमौलि-व्रजरत्नकान्ति-
सरिद्विराजज्झष-कन्यकाभ्याम् ।
नृपत्वदाभ्यां नतलोकपङ्क्तेः
नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् ॥ 5 ॥
पापान्धकारार्क-परम्पराभ्यां
तापत्रयाहीन्द्र-खगेश्वराभ्याम् ।
जाड्याब्धि-संशोषण-वाडवाभ्याम्
नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् ॥ 6 ॥
शमादिषट्कप्रद-वैभवाभ्यां
समाधिदान-व्रतदीक्षिताभ्याम् ।
रमाधवाङ्घ्रि-स्थिरभक्तिदाभ्यां
नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् ॥ 7 ॥
स्वार्चापराणा-मखिलेष्टदाभ्यां
स्वाहासहायाक्ष-धुरन्धराभ्याम् ।
स्वान्ताच्छभाव-प्रदपूजनाभ्यां
नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् ॥ 8 ॥
कामादिसर्प-व्रजगारुडाभ्यां
विवेकवैराग्य-निधिप्रदाभ्याम् ।
बोधप्रदाभ्यां द्रुतमोक्षदाभ्यां
नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् ॥ 9 ॥
About This Stotram
Overview
The Guru Paduka Stotram is a nine-verse Sanskrit hymn venerating the sandals (paduka) of the spiritual teacher (guru) as a symbol of the guru's presence, guidance, and the path to liberation. The paduka in Indian devotional tradition represents the guru's feet — the primary focus of reverence in the guru-disciple relationship. The text is widely attributed to Adi Shankaracharya and belongs to the Advaita Vedanta tradition.
What are the benefits of chanting Guru Paduka Stotram?
- Recitation cultivates devotion toward one's guru and the guru-parampara
- Said to remove impediments on the path of spiritual practice
- Associated with the development of detachment (vairagya) and discriminative wisdom
- Recited to invoke the guru's grace and guidance in spiritual life
When is the best time to recite this?
Guru Purnima (the full moon in the month of Ashadha) is the primary occasion for this stotram. It is also recited on the anniversary of one's guru's birth or mahasamadhi, and during spiritual retreats or at the start of a period of intensive practice.
What is the historical and traditional background?
Adi Shankaracharya (c. 788–820 CE) is the philosopher-saint who consolidated Advaita Vedanta and established four monastic centers (mathas) across India, including those at Sringeri, Dwarka, Puri, and Badrinath. His writings span philosophical commentaries, independent stotrams, and instructional texts for disciples. The Guru Paduka Stotram reflects the central importance of the guru-shishya relationship in the Shankaracharya lineages, where the guru is understood to transmit the knowledge of non-dual reality (brahmavidya). The formal attribution is traditional; text-critical confirmation within his documented works is limited.
Available scripts
This text is available in 14 scripts: devanagari, tamil, telugu, kannada, malayalam, gujarati, bengali, iast, gurmukhi, oriya, assamese, sinhala, itrans, hk. Use the script selector above to switch between them.
Related Texts
- Gurvashtakam — an eight-verse hymn, also attributed to Shankaracharya, on the primacy of the guru in spiritual life
- Dakshinamurti Stotram — Shankaracharya's hymn to Shiva in the form of the silent guru