Sri Ramashtakam (Rama Ashtakam)
Sri Ramashtakam (Rama Ashtakam)
श्री रामाष्टकं (राम अष्टकं)
भजे विशेषसुन्दरं समस्तपापखण्डनम् ।
स्वभक्तचित्तरञ्जनं सदैव राममद्वयम् ॥ 1 ॥
जटाकलापशोभितं समस्तपापनाशकम् ।
स्वभक्तभीतिभञ्जनं भजे ह राममद्वयम् ॥ 2 ॥
निजस्वरूपबोधकं कृपाकरं भवाऽपहम् ।
समं शिवं निरञ्जनं भजे ह राममद्वयम् ॥ 3 ॥
सदा प्रपञ्चकल्पितं ह्यनामरूपवास्तवम् ।
निराकृतिं निरामयं भजे ह राममद्वयम् ॥ 4 ॥
निष्प्रपञ्च निर्विकल्प निर्मलं निरामयम् ।
चिदेकरूपसन्ततं भजे ह राममद्वयम् ॥ 5 ॥
भवाब्धिपोतरूपकं ह्यशेषदेहकल्पितम् ।
गुणाकरं कृपाकरं भजे ह राममद्वयम् ॥ 6 ॥
महासुवाक्यबोधकैर्विराजमानवाक्पदैः ।
परं च ब्रह्म व्यापकं भजे ह राममद्वयम् ॥ 7 ॥
शिवप्रदं सुखप्रदं भवच्छिदं भ्रमापहम् ।
विराजमानदैशिकं भजे ह राममद्वयम् ॥ 8 ॥
रामाष्टकं पठति यः सुखदं सुपुण्यं
व्यासेन भाषितमिदं शृणुते मनुष्यः ।
विद्यां श्रियं विपुलसौख्यमनन्तकीर्तिं
सम्प्राप्य देहविलये लभते च मोक्षम् ॥ 9 ॥
इति श्रीव्यास प्रोक्त श्रीरामाष्टकम् ।
About This Stotram
Overview
Sri Ramashtakam is a Sanskrit ashtakam of nine verses dedicated to Lord Rama, an avatar of Vishnu. Each verse praises a different quality of Rama — his beauty, his power to remove sins and fear, his divine nature, and his capacity to grant liberation. The text belongs to the broader tradition of devotional Sanskrit poetry composed during the Bhakti period.
What are the benefits of chanting Sri Ramashtakam?
- Recitation is said to remove sins and purify the mind.
- Devotees chant it to dispel fear and anxiety.
- It is used as a meditative tool to focus on Rama's divine form.
- Regular chanting is associated with inner peace and spiritual clarity.
- It is believed to grant knowledge of one's true self.
When is the best time to recite this?
Sri Ramashtakam is recited during Rama Navami and Hanuman Jayanti. Morning and evening prayers are both suitable. Devotees also include it in daily worship as part of Rama puja.
Historical and traditional background
The author of Sri Ramashtakam is not recorded in available sources. The ashtakam format — eight or nine verses of equal meter — is a common structure in Sanskrit devotional literature. This composition likely emerged during the medieval Bhakti period, when poets and devotees across India composed accessible hymns for Rama worship. It follows the conventions of classical Sanskrit devotional poetry and has been transmitted through oral and manuscript traditions.
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 to read it in your preferred script.
Related Texts
- Sri Rama Sahasranama Stotram — a comprehensive enumeration of Rama's names, recited alongside this ashtakam during Rama Navami.
- Sri Sita Rama Stotram — praises Rama and Sita together and is recited in similar devotional contexts.