Mrudapi Cha Chandanam
Mrudapi Cha Chandanam
मृदपि च चन्दनम्
मृदपि च चन्दनमस्मिन् देशे ग्रामो ग्रामः सिद्धवनम् ।
यत्र च बाला देवीस्वरूपा बालाः सर्वे श्रीरामाः ॥
हरिमन्दिरमिदमखिलशरीरं
धनशक्ती जनसेवायै
यत्र च क्रीडायै वनराजः
धेनुर्माता परमशिवा
नित्यं प्रातः शिवगुणगानं
दीपनुतिः खलु शत्रुपरा ॥ 1 ॥
भाग्यविधायि निजार्जितकर्म
यत्र श्रमः श्रियमर्जयति
त्यागधनानां तपोनिधीनां
गाथां गायति कविवाणी
गङ्गाजलमिव नित्यनिर्मलं
ज्ञानं शंसति यतिवाणी ॥ 2 ॥
यत्र हि नैव स्वदेहविमोहः
युद्धरतानां वीराणां
यत्र हि कृषकः कार्यरतः सन्
पश्यति जीवनसाफल्यं
जीवनलक्ष्यं न हि धनपदवी
यत्र च परशिवपदसेवा ॥ 3 ॥
रचन: श्री जनार्दन हेग्डे
About This Stotram
Overview
Mrudapi Cha Chandanam is a short three-verse Sanskrit devotional hymn whose opening line translates as "even the earth is sandalwood." The verses present a perspective in which ordinary elements of the natural world — earth, forests, villages, children, the body, and cattle — are identified with sacred and divine realities. The text belongs to the broader Hindu devotional tradition of recognizing the divine in all of creation, though its specific origin and authorship are unknown.
What are the benefits of chanting Mrudapi Cha Chandanam?
- Cultivates the contemplative practice of seeing divinity in everyday life
- Supports a devotional attitude toward the natural environment
- Encourages spiritual awareness as part of daily living
- Connects personal practice to the broader recognition of cosmic sacredness
When is the best time to recite this?
Morning and evening devotional practice are appropriate contexts for this hymn. It can be incorporated into daily prayer as a contemplative opening or closing verse.
What is the historical and traditional background?
The specific origin of Mrudapi Cha Chandanam is not traceable to a known ancient scripture, Purana, or classical commentarial tradition. The text is not attributed to a named rishi, acharya, or poet. Its themes — the identification of Siddhavanam (a forest of attainment), the body as Hari's temple, and Dhenu Mata (the cow mother) with Paramashiva — are consistent with devotional concepts found across multiple Vaishnava and Shaiva traditions. The composition likely reflects the broader folk or regional devotional literature associated with seeing sacredness in the environment, a perspective found in texts like the Bhagavata Purana and in the poetry of the Bhakti movement.
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
- Vishnu Sahasranama — a Vaishnava text sharing the perspective of Hari's presence pervading all existence
- Shiva Panchakshara Stotram — a Shaiva hymn connecting natural elements to the divine, reflecting a similar sensibility