Shiva Tandava Stotram
Shiva Tandava Stotram
Shiva Tandava Stotram
śiva tāṇḍava stotram
jaṭāṭavīgalajjalapravāhapāvitasthale
galevalambya lambitāṃ bhujaṅgatuṅgamālikām |
ḍamaḍḍamaḍḍamaḍḍamanninādavaḍḍamarvayaṃ
cakāra caṇḍatāṇḍavaṃ tanotu naḥ śivaḥ śivam || 1 ||
jaṭākaṭāhasambhramabhramannilimpanirjharī-
-vilolavīcivallarīvirājamānamūrdhani |
dhagaddhagaddhagajjvalallalāṭapaṭṭapāvake
kiśoracandraśekhare ratiḥ pratikṣaṇaṃ mama || 2 ||
dharādharendranandinīvilāsabandhubandhura
sphuraddigantasantatipramodamānamānase |
kṛpākaṭākṣadhoraṇīniruddhadurdharāpadi
kvaciddigambare mano vinodametu vastuni || 3 ||
jaṭābhujaṅgapiṅgalasphuratphaṇāmaṇiprabhā
kadambakuṅkumadravapraliptadigvadhūmukhe |
madāndhasindhurasphurattvaguttarīyamedure
mano vinodamadbhutaṃ bibhartu bhūtabhartari || 4 ||
sahasralocanaprabhṛtyaśeṣalekhaśekhara
prasūnadhūlidhoraṇī vidhūsarāṅghripīṭhabhūḥ |
bhujaṅgarājamālayā nibaddhajāṭajūṭaka
śriyai cirāya jāyatāṃ cakorabandhuśekharaḥ || 5 ||
lalāṭacatvarajvaladdhanañjayasphuliṅgabhā-
-nipītapañcasāyakaṃ namannilimpanāyakam |
sudhāmayūkhalekhayā virājamānaśekharaṃ
mahākapālisampadeśirojaṭālamastu naḥ || 6 ||
karālaphālapaṭṭikādhagaddhagaddhagajjvala-
ddhanañjayādharīkṛtapracaṇḍapañcasāyake |
dharādharendranandinīkucāgracitrapatraka-
-prakalpanaikaśilpini trilocane matirmama || 7 ||
navīnameghamaṇḍalī niruddhadurdharasphurat-
kuhūniśīthinītamaḥ prabandhabandhukandharaḥ |
nilimpanirjharīdharastanotu kṛttisindhuraḥ
kalānidhānabandhuraḥ śriyaṃ jagaddhurandharaḥ || 8 ||
praphullanīlapaṅkajaprapañcakālimaprabhā-
-vilambikaṇṭhakandalīruciprabaddhakandharam |
smaracchidaṃ puracchidaṃ bhavacchidaṃ makhacchidaṃ
gajacchidāndhakacchidaṃ tamantakacchidaṃ bhaje || 9 ||
agarvasarvamaṅgalākalākadambamañjarī
rasapravāhamādhurī vijṛmbhaṇāmadhuvratam |
smarāntakaṃ purāntakaṃ bhavāntakaṃ makhāntakaṃ
gajāntakāndhakāntakaṃ tamantakāntakaṃ bhaje || 10 ||
jayatvadabhravibhramabhramadbhujaṅgamaśvasa-
-dvinirgamatkramasphuratkarālaphālahavyavāṭ |
dhimiddhimiddhimidhvananmṛdaṅgatuṅgamaṅgala
dhvanikramapravartita pracaṇḍatāṇḍavaḥ śivaḥ || 11 ||
dṛṣadvicitratalpayorbhujaṅgamauktikasrajor-
-gariṣṭharatnaloṣṭhayoḥ suhṛdvipakṣapakṣayoḥ |
tṛṣṇāravindacakṣuṣoḥ prajāmahīmahendrayoḥ
samaṃ pravartayanmanaḥ kadā sadāśivaṃ bhaje || 12 ||
kadā nilimpanirjharīnikuñjakoṭare vasan
vimuktadurmatiḥ sadā śiraḥsthamañjaliṃ vahan |
vimuktalolalocano lalāṭaphālalagnakaḥ
śiveti mantramuccaran sadā sukhī bhavāmyaham || 13 ||
imaṃ hi nityamevamuktamuttamottamaṃ stavaṃ
paṭhansmaranbruvannaro viśuddhimetisantatam |
hare gurau subhaktimāśu yāti nānyathā gatiṃ
vimohanaṃ hi dehināṃ suśaṅkarasya cintanam || 14 ||
pūjāvasānasamaye daśavaktragītaṃ yaḥ
śambhupūjanaparaṃ paṭhati pradoṣe |
tasya sthirāṃ rathagajendraturaṅgayuktāṃ
lakṣmīṃ sadaiva sumukhiṃ pradadāti śambhuḥ || 15 ||
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About This Stotram
Overview
The Shiva Tandava Stotram is a Sanskrit hymn of 15 verses attributed to Ravana, the scholarly king of Lanka, describing Lord Shiva's cosmic Tandava dance with vivid imagery of elemental forces, celestial serpents, and the drumbeat of creation and dissolution. It is one of the most widely recited Shaiva hymns and is known for its complex meter and dramatic poetic style. The text belongs to Shaiva devotional literature and is not drawn from a canonical Puranic or Vedic scripture.
What are the benefits of chanting Shiva Tandava Stotram?
- Associated with removal of sins and obstacles through invocation of Shiva's fierce creative energy
- Recitation is said to grant strength and courage by meditating on Shiva's power
- Supports mental focus and concentration through the demands of its complex meter
- Leads toward spiritual liberation (Moksha) according to traditional accounts of the text
When is the best time to recite this?
The stotram is commonly recited during morning and evening prayers. Maha Shivaratri, the Shravana month, and Chaturdashi (fourteenth lunar day) are the most fitting occasions. It is also recited during periods of personal difficulty.
What is the historical and traditional background?
Traditional accounts place the composition of the Shiva Tandava Stotram in the Treta Yuga, linking it to the Ramayana narrative in which Ravana lifts Mount Kailasa to demonstrate devotion; Shiva pins the mountain down, and Ravana sings this hymn to obtain release. While the text's historical date cannot be confirmed, it has been transmitted continuously within Shaiva traditions and is regarded as an important example of Sanskrit devotional poetry. Its attribution to Ravana — portrayed as both devotee and adversary — makes it distinctive within Hindu hymnology.
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
- Shiva Mahimna Stotram — another major Sanskrit hymn praising Shiva's cosmic greatness, similarly regarded as highly potent in Shaiva tradition
- Shivashtakam — a shorter 8-verse ashtakam to Shiva, recited alongside the Tandava Stotram in many devotional contexts