Pashupati Ashtakam
Pashupati Ashtakam
pazupatyaSTakam
pazupatIndupatiM dharaNIpatiM bhujagalokapatiM ca satIpatim |
praNatabhaktajanArtiharaM paraM bhajata re manujA girijApatim ||1||
na janako jananI na ca sodaro na tanayo na ca bhUribalaM kulam |
avati ko'pi na kAlavazaM gataM bhajata re manujA girijApatim ||2||
murajaDiNDimavAdyavilakSaNaM madhurapaJcamanAdavizAradam |
pramathabhUtagaNairapi sevitaM bhajata re manujA girijApatim ||3||
zaraNadaM sukhadaM zaraNAnvitaM ziva ziveti ziveti nataM nRNAm |
abhayadaM karuNAvaruNAlayaM bhajata re manujA girijApatim ||4||
naraziroracitaM maNikuNDalaM bhujagahAramudaM vRSabhadhvajam |
citirajodhavalIkRtavigrahaM bhajata re manujA girijApatim ||5||
makhavinAzakaraM zazizekharaM satatamadhvarabhAjiphalapradam |
pralayadagdhasurAsuramAnavaM bhajata re manujA girijApatim ||6||
madamapAsya ciraM hRdi saMsthitaM maraNajanmajarAmayapIDitam |
jagadudIkSya samIpabhayAkulaM bhajata re manujA girijApatim ||7||
hariviraJcisurAdhipapUjitaM yamajanezadhanezanamaskRRtam |
trinayanaM bhuvanatritayAdhipaM bhajata re manujA girijApatim ||8||
pazupateridamaSTakamadbhutaM viracitaM pRthivIpatisUriNA |
paThati saMzaRNute manujaH sadA zivapurIM vasate labhate mudam ||9||
iti zrIpazupatyaSTakaM sampUrNam ||
About This Stotram
Overview
Pashupati Ashtakam is a nine-verse Sanskrit hymn dedicated to Lord Shiva in his aspect as Pashupati, the lord and protector of all living beings. The verses address Shiva's supreme sovereignty over all creatures, his consort Parvati (Girija), and the futility of worldly existence without divine grace. The text belongs to the Shaiva devotional hymn tradition.
What are the benefits of chanting Pashupati Ashtakam?
- Invokes Shiva's protection from suffering and worldly obstacles
- Promotes spiritual progress and orientation toward liberation (moksha)
- Deepens the practitioner's sense of surrender to Shiva's sovereignty
- Brings peace of mind through focused meditation on Pashupati's qualities
When is the best time to recite this?
The ashtakam is recited in the morning or evening. Mondays, Pradosha days, and Maha Shivaratri are especially appropriate times, as these are associated with Shiva worship.
What is the historical and traditional background?
Pashupati is one of Shiva's oldest epithets, appearing in the Vedic Rigveda (2.33.14) and the Atharva Veda's Shri Rudram. The concept of Pashupati as the lord who liberates beings from bondage (pasha) is central to the Pashupata school of Shaiva philosophy, one of the earliest Shaiva sects. This particular ashtakam's author and composition date are not established; it belongs to the body of Sanskrit Shaiva devotional poetry that crystallized during the medieval period. The Pashupati form is also the primary deity of the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.
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
- Parvati Vallabha Ashtakam — a parallel ashtakam to Shiva as Parvati's consort, sharing the same hymn structure and Shaiva orientation
- Lingashtakam — another widely recited Shaiva ashtakam, praising Shiva through the linga symbol