Composed by Ravana — Shaiva Stotram

जटाटवीगलज्जल प्रवाहपावितस्थले
Jatā-ṭavī-galaj-jala-pravāha-pāvita-sthale
"In the place purified by the flow of water cascading from the forest of his matted locks..." — Verse 1
15
Verses
Ravana
Composer
Tandava
Theme
Uttara Ramayana
Source
The Shiva Tandava Stotram is an extraordinary 15-verse hymn composed by Ravana, king of Lanka, describing Shiva's great Tandava dance. Each verse is a cascade of long Sanskrit compound words (samasas) that recreates the very rhythm of the Tandava in sound. It is one of the most powerful and beloved hymns in the Shaiva tradition — and one of the most linguistically sophisticated poems in classical Sanskrit.
Composer
Ravana (King of Lanka)
Verses
15 (incl. 2 phalashruti)
Deity
Lord Shiva (Mahadeva)
Best recited
Monday, Mahashivratri, dawn
Ravana, the Tandava, and Shaiva philosophy
Most know Ravana as the villain of the Ramayana who abducted Sita. But the full story is more complex: Ravana was also a supreme scholar, master of the Vedas, a gifted musician (he played the veena made from his own arm), and Shiva's most passionate devotee. The Shiva Tandava Stotram, according to the Uttara Ramayana tradition, was composed by Ravana after he tried to uproot Mount Kailash to bring it to Lanka — his impatience to see Shiva at any time. Shiva pressed down with his toe, trapping Ravana. Ravana sang the Tandava Stotram in praise, Shiva relented, and gave him the Chandrahas sword. The stotram is a reminder that devotion, not morality, is Shiva's primary criterion.
The Tandava is not just dance — it is the rhythm of the cosmos. In Hindu cosmology, Shiva performs two dances: the destructive Tandava (performed in graveyards, with fire, associated with Bhairava) and the graceful Lasya (performed with Parvati). The universe itself is thought to be in constant motion — atoms vibrating, galaxies spinning — and this eternal motion is described as Shiva's Tandava. The Nataraja icon (Shiva dancing in the ring of fire) depicts this: the flame of destruction in one hand, the drum of creation in another, one foot on the demon of ignorance (Apasmara), one foot raised in liberation.
Embedded within the Shiva Tandava Stotram is repeated reference to Om Namah Shivaya — the Panchakshara mantra (five sacred syllables: Na-Ma-Shi-Va-Ya). The final verse explicitly names this as the mantra for liberation. Each syllable corresponds to one of the five elements: Na = Earth, Ma = Water, Shi = Fire, Va = Air, Ya = Ether. Together they represent the complete universe — and its dissolution back into Shiva.
It is theologically significant that the greatest stotram to Shiva was composed not by Brahma, Vishnu, or a sage — but by a demon king. This reflects a core Shaiva principle: Shiva accepts devotion from anyone, regardless of their position in the moral hierarchy. Ravana's knowledge of the Vedas, his mastery of Sanskrit, and his passionate devotion make the stotram one of the most sophisticated Sanskrit compositions ever written — each verse a complex chain of compound words (samasas) that creates a rushing, percussive rhythm that mimics the Tandava itself.
Original Sanskrit (Devanagari) · IAST transliteration
जटाटवीगलज्जलप्रवाहपावितस्थले गलेऽवलम्ब्य लम्बितां भुजङ्गतुङ्गमालिकाम् । डमड्डमड्डमड्डमन्निनादवड्डमर्वयं चकार चण्डताण्डवं तनोतु नः शिवः शिवम् ॥१॥
jaṭāṭavīgalajjalapravāhapāvitasthale gale'valambya lambitāṃ bhujaṅgatuṅgamālikām | ḍamaḍḍamaḍḍamaḍḍamanninādavaḍḍamarvayaṃ cakāra caṇḍatāṇḍavaṃ tanotu naḥ śivaḥ śivam ||1||
जटाकटाहसम्भ्रमभ्रमन्निलिम्पनिर्झरी विलोलवीचिवल्लरीविराजमानमूर्धनि । धगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वलल्ललाटपट्टपावके किशोरचन्द्रशेखरे रतिः प्रतिक्षणं मम ॥२॥
jaṭākaṭāhasambhramabhramannilimpanirjharī vilolavīcivallarīvirājamānamūrdhani | dhagaddhagaddhagajjvalallalāṭapaṭṭapāvake kiśoracandraśekhare ratiḥ pratikṣaṇaṃ mama ||2||
धराधरेन्द्रनन्दिनीविलासबन्धुबन्धुर स्फुरद्दिगन्तसन्ततिप्रमोदमानमानसे । कृपाकटाक्षधोरणीनिरुद्धदुर्धरापदि क्वचिद्दिगम्बरे मनो विनोदमेतु वस्तुनि ॥३॥
dharādharendranandinīvilāsabandhubandhura sphuraddigantasantatipramodamānamānase | kṛpākaṭākṣadhoraṇīniruddhadurdharāpadi kvaciddigambare mano vinodametu vastuni ||3||
जटाभुजङ्गपिङ्गलस्फुरत्फणामणिप्रभा कदम्बकुङ्कुमद्रवप्रलिप्तदिग्वधूमुखे । मदान्धसिन्धुरस्फुरत्त्वगुत्तरीयमेदुरे मनो विनोदमद्भुतं बिभर्तु भूतभर्तरि ॥४॥
jaṭābhujaṅgapiṅgalasphuratphaṇāmaṇiprabhā kadambakuṅkumadravapraliptadigvadhūmukhe | madāndhasindhurasphurattvaguttarīyamedure mano vinodamadbhutaṃ bibhartu bhūtabhartari ||4||
सहस्रलोचनप्रभृत्यशेषलेखशेखर प्रसूनधूलिधोरणी विधूसराङ्घ्रिपीठभूः । भुजङ्गराजमालया निबद्धजाटजूटकः श्रियै चिराय जायतां चकोरबन्धुशेखरः ॥५॥
sahasralocanaprabhṛtyaśeṣalekhaśekhara prasūnadhūlidhoraṇī vidhūsarāṅghripīṭhabhūḥ | bhujaṅgarājamālayā nibaddhajāṭajūṭakaḥ śriyai cirāya jāyatāṃ cakorabandhuśekharaḥ ||5||
ललाटचत्वरज्वलद्धनञ्जयस्फुलिङ्गभा निपीतपञ्चसायकं नमन्निलिम्पनायकम् । सुधामयूखलेखया विराजमानशेखरं महाकपालिसम्पदेशिरोजटालमस्तु नः ॥६॥
lalāṭacatvarajvaladdhanañjayasphuliṅgabhā nipītapañcasāyakaṃ namannilimpanāyakam | sudhāmayūkhalekhayā virājamānaśekharaṃ mahākapālisampadeśirojaṭālamastu naḥ ||6||
करालभालपट्टिकाधगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वलद् धनञ्जयाहुतीकृतप्रचण्डपञ्चसायके । धराधरेन्द्रनन्दिनीकुचाग्रचित्रपत्रक प्रकल्पनैकशिल्पिनि त्रिलोचने रतिर्मम ॥७॥
karālabhālapaṭṭikādhagaddhagaddhagajjvalad dhanañjayāhutīkṛtapracaṇḍapañcasāyake | dharādharendranandinīkucāgracitrapatraka prakalpanaikaśilpini trilocane ratirmama ||7||
नवीनमेघमण्डली निरुद्धदुर्धरस्फुरत् कुहूनिशीथिनीतमः प्रबन्धबद्धकन्धरः । निलिम्पनिर्झरीधरस्तनोतु कृत्तिसिन्धुरः कलानिधानबन्धुरः श्रियं जगद्धुरंधरः ॥८॥
navīnameghamaṇḍalī niruddhadurdharasphurat kuhūniśīthinītamaḥ prabandhabaddhakandharaḥ | nilimpanirjharīdharastanotu kṛttisindhuraḥ kalānidhānabandhuraḥ śriyaṃ jagaddhuraṃdharaḥ ||8||
प्रफुल्लनीलपङ्कजप्रपञ्चकालिमप्रभा वलम्बिकण्ठकन्दलीरुचिप्रबद्धकन्धरम् । स्मरच्छिदं पुरच्छिदं भवच्छिदं मखच्छिदं गजच्छिदान्धकच्छिदं तमन्तकच्छिदं भजे ॥९॥
praphullanīlapaṅkajaprapañcakālimaprabhā valambikaṇṭhakandalīruciprabaddhakandharam | smaracchidaṃ puracchidaṃ bhavacchidaṃ makhacchidaṃ gajacchidāndhakacchidaṃ tamantakacchidaṃ bhaje ||9||
अखर्वसर्वमङ्गलाकलाकदम्बमञ्जरी रसप्रवाहमाधुरीविजृम्भणामधुव्रतम् । स्मरान्तकं पुरान्तकं भवान्तकं मखान्तकं गजान्तकान्धकान्तकं तमन्तकान्तकं भजे ॥१०॥
akharvasarvamaṅgalākalākadambamañjarī rasapravāhamādhurīvijṛmbhaṇāmadhuvratam | smarāntakaṃ purāntakaṃ bhavāntakaṃ makhāntakaṃ gajāntakāndhakāntakaṃ tamantakāntakaṃ bhaje ||10||
जयत्वदभ्रविभ्रमभ्रमद्भुजङ्गमश्वसद् विनिर्गमत्क्रमस्फुरत्करालभालहव्यवाट् । धिमिद्धिमिद्धिमिध्वनन्मृदङ्गतुङ्गमङ्गल ध्वनिक्रमप्रवर्तितप्रचण्डताण्डवः शिवः ॥११॥
jayatvadabhravibhramabhramadbhujaṅgamaśvasad vinirgamatkramasphuratkarālabhālahavyavāṭ | dhimiddhimiddhimidhvananmṛdaṅgatuṅgamaṅgala dhvanikramapravartitapracaṇḍatāṇḍavaḥ śivaḥ ||11||
दृषद्विचित्रतल्पयोर्भुजङ्गमौक्तिकस्रजोर् गरिष्ठरत्नलोष्ठयोः सुहृद्विपक्षपक्षयोः । तृणारविन्दचक्षुषोः प्रजामहीमहेन्द्रयोः समप्रवृत्तिकः कदा सदाशिवं भजाम्यहम् ॥१२॥
dṛṣadvicitratalpayorbhujaṅgamauktikasrajor gariṣṭharatnaloṣṭhayoḥ suhṛdvipakṣapakṣayoḥ | tṛṇāravindacakṣuṣoḥ prajāmahīmahendrayoḥ samapravṛttikaḥ kadā sadāśivaṃ bhajāmyaham ||12||
कदा निलिम्पनिर्झरीनिकुञ्जकोटरे वसन् विमुक्तदुर्मतिः सदा शिरःस्थमञ्जलिं वहन् । विमुक्तलोललोचनो ललामभाललग्नकः शिवेति मन्त्रमुच्चरन्कदा सुखी भवाम्यहम् ॥१३॥
kadā nilimpanirjharīnikuñjakoṭare vasan vimuktadurmatiḥ sadā śiraḥsthamañjaliṃ vahan | vimuktalolalocano lalāmabhālalagnakaḥ śiveti mantramuccarankadā sukhī bhavāmyaham ||13||
इमं हि नित्यमेवमुक्तमुत्तमोत्तमं स्तवं पठन्स्मरन्ब्रुवन्नरो विशुद्धिमेतिसंततम् । हरे गुरौ सुभक्तिमाशु याति नान्यथा गतिं विमोहनं हि देहिनां सुशङ्करस्य चिन्तनम् ॥१४॥
imaṃ hi nityamevamuktamuttamottamaṃ stavaṃ paṭhansmaranbruvannaro viśuddhimetisaṃtatam | hare gurau subhaktimāśu yāti nānyathā gatiṃ vimohanaṃ hi dehināṃ suśaṅkarasya cintanam ||14||
पूजावसानसमये दशवक्त्रगीतं यः शम्भुपूजनपरं पठति प्रदोषे । तस्य स्थिरां रथगजेन्द्रतुरङ्गयुक्तां लक्ष्मीं सदैव सुमुखीं प्रददाति शम्भुः ॥१५॥
pūjāvasānasamaye daśavaktragītaṃ yaḥ śambhupūjanaparaṃ paṭhati pradoṣe | tasya sthirāṃ rathagajendraturaṅgayuktāṃ lakṣmīṃ sadaiva sumukhīṃ pradadāti śambhuḥ ||15||
When
Monday mornings, Mahashivratri, daily during Shravan month
Repetitions
1x, 3x, or 11x recitations as per devotion
Key benefits
Removal of fear, confidence, protection from enemies, Shiva's grace
Note
Some Vaishnavas avoid it (Ravana's authorship); fully accepted in Shaiva tradition
Explore more Shiva stotrams & mantras
The Shiva Tandava Stotram is a sacred Hindu devotional hymn (stotram) dedicated to Shiva. VedKosh provides its complete text in Hindi and English with transliteration for regional readers.
Reciting the Shiva Tandava Stotram with devotion is traditionally believed to invoke the grace of Shiva, calm and focus the mind, and create an auspicious, sattvic atmosphere. It is practised as an act of bhakti (devotion) rather than for any guaranteed material outcome.
The Shiva Tandava Stotram can be recited during daily morning or evening worship of Shiva, and especially on the deity's sacred days and festivals. A clean, quiet space and a steady, devotional mind are the main requirements.
Updated for 2026
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Independently reviewed for authenticity. Please verify meanings and rituals yourself before following.