Siva Stavarajah
IAST English
Bhagavan Rudra - The Father of the Universe
Śiva Stavarājaḥ – Brief Introduction
Śiva Stavarājaḥ is a powerful hymn composed by Kāvyakaṇṭha Vāsiṣṭha Śrī Gaṇapati Muni in praise of Bhagavān Śiva as the supreme ruler, protector, and inner reality of the universe. The hymn presents Śiva not merely as a deity of one form or shrine, but as the all-pervading Divine Presence who shines in the sky, in the heart of the earth, in the hearts of beings, and in the subtle principle behind all life.
The opening verses invoke Śiva as the compassionate Lord of the worlds, adorned with the moon, seated in the purity of the white mountain, and appealed to for the protection of Bhārata. The hymn carries a strong national and spiritual prayer: the poet seeks Śiva’s grace for the suffering land, for the upliftment of people, and for strength of wisdom.
Philosophically, the hymn moves between the formless and the formed aspects of Śiva. Śiva is described as subtle, attributeless, beyond ordinary grasp, yet also as assuming a golden, divine form for the sake of contemplation and devotion. The poet identifies Śiva with the vast cosmic principles of light, space, sound, wind, prāṇa, and divine consciousness. Through names such as Hara, Rudra, Paśupati, Śakra, Pavana, Maghavān, and Tārāgni, the hymn shows how many divine names and functions point to one supreme reality.
The later verses become deeply personal and devotional. Śiva is praised as friend, relative, father, mother, guide, protector, king, deity, eye, ear, mind, intellect, speech, prāṇa, Self, and everything. Thus the hymn beautifully unites Vedic cosmology, Vedantic insight, devotion, and a prayer for the welfare of the nation.
In essence, Śiva Stavarājaḥ is a majestic hymn that celebrates Śiva as the cosmic Lord, the inner Self, the source of all divine powers, and the compassionate protector of devotees and the world.
॥ kāvyakaṇṭha vāsiṣṭha śrīgaṇapatimuni viracitam śivastavarājaḥ ॥
prathamaḥ śaśivadanāvargaḥ
amṛtamayūkhaṃ mukuṭamanargham ।
jayati dadhāno jagadadhirājaḥ ।। 1 ।।
sakalabudhaughe viphalavidhāne ।
asati śaraṇye matimatigaṇye ।। 2 ।।
duritavisārapratamasi loke ।
ṛṣikulajānāṃ sadasi saśoke ।। 3 ।।
atiduradṛṣṭānnaraniyuteṣu ।
api mitamattuṃ dhanarahiteṣu ।। 4 ।।
uditavirodhāsvayutabhidāsu ।
catasṛṣu jātiṣvabalatamāsu ।। 5 ।।
muhurapi lole kṣitisuraśīle ।
ajagaṇakalpe bhujabhavasaṅghe ।। 6 ।।
caturavirodhivrajahṛtasārām ।
aviranetanetrasrutajaladhārām ।। 7 ।।
bharatadharitrīṃ bhuvananṛpālaḥ ।
avatu dayāluḥ sitagiriśālaḥ ।। 8 ।।
aruṇadharitrīdhara hara dūnām ।
bharatadharitrīmava śiva dīnām ।। 9 ।।
satuhinarociḥśakalakamaste ।
sakaruṇagaurīramaṇa namaste ।। 10 ।।
hara bharatakṣmājanavaradūtam ।
kuru caritārthaṃ gaṇapatimetam ।। 11 ।।
asi sitaśaile hara hatagātrī ।
tava kimu dṛṣṭyāṃ na bharatadhātrī ।। 12 ।।
purajita īḍyaṃ vilasati gurvyām ।
sitagirināma sthalamidamurvyām ।। 13 ।।
sthalamidamacchakṣitidhararūpam ।
hṛdayamilāyā apahatapāpam ।। 14 ।।
hṛdiva narāṇāṃ sitanaganāma ।
hṛdapi dharāyāstava śiva dhāma ।। 15 ।।
kṣitihṛdaye vā vilasati nityaḥ ।
tribhuvanamadhye śiva iti satyaḥ ।। 16 ।।
prabhumiha santaḥ pratikhagagolam ।
vidurimamantarviracitaśālam ।। 17 ।।
iyamakhilābhyo bahutaralīlā ।
narahṛdayākhyā tava śiva śālā ।। 18 ।।
dvitīyo mukulavargaḥ
uddīpyat kiraṇaṃ citraṃ śrīśaraṇam ।
kāmāreścaraṇaṃ bhūyānnaḥ śaraṇam ।। 19 ।।
satyaḥ ko'pi śivo nityaḥ pālayitā ।
madhye yo jagatāṃ sa dhyeyaḥ satatam ।। 20 ।।
nāstyetasya tanurvastve kvāpi na saḥ ।
matyā'bhāṇi punaḥ satyādhārapadam ।। 21 ।।
uktaṃ sūkṣmatamaṃ dvedhaikaṃ paramam ।
rūpaṃ rūpatayā kiñca sthānatayā ।। 22 ।।
so'ṇuḥ syādaṇuto dhātaiṣāṃ jagatām ।
tacchaktirmahato vijñeyā mahatī ।। 23 ।।
gatvā tiṣṭhati nā yatsvaṃ hārdapadam ।
agrāhyasya vibhostasya dhyānamidam ।। 24 ।।
dṛṣṭyā sā bhuvanaṃ sṛṣṭvā śāstumidam ।
haimaṃ divyavapurjagrāheti viduḥ ।। 25 ।।
sūkṣmaṃ syādaguṇaṃ haimaṃ syātsaguṇam ।
devasyādivibhorevaṃ dve vapuṣī ।। 26 ।।
bhāṣāmātravapuḥ pūrvaṃ syādavapuḥ ।
anyadbhaktimatāṃ buddhigrāhyavapuḥ ।। 27 ।।
bibhradbhāti jagatsāmrājyaṃ gagane ।
haimo'sau puruṣaḥ siddhānāṃ bhuvane ।। 28 ।।
vācā navyavidāmadhyakṣaḥ sa paraḥ ।
indraḥ pūrvavidāmasmākaṃ tu haraḥ ।। 29 ।।
pratyuṣṇāṃśutayā tanvā bimbatayā ।
pratyaṇḍaṃ prabhutāṃ dhatte so'dbhutayā ।। 30 ।।
abhre rājati yo bibhrāṇo bhuvanam ।
śubhrāge ca vibhuḥ sa bhrājiṣṇuyaśāḥ ।। 31 ।।
gauro'yaṃ gagane śuklaḥ śubhranage ।
ekeyantu bhidā māyārūpakṛtā ।। 32 ।।
haimaṃ bhūtapate śuklaṃ vā śiva te ।
rūpaṃ yaḥ smarati prājño'yaṃ jayati ।। 33 ।।
abhre ye marutaḥ śubhre bhūbhṛti te ।
keśānāṃ damanā īśāna pramathāḥ ।। 34 ।।
dāso'haṃ marutaḥ pātāro jagataḥ ।
bhūtā vā bhavatāṃ stotā pāpahṛtām ।। 35 ।।
stūyantāṃ suhṛdaḥ sarve sarvavidaḥ ।
īśānānucarāḥ sarvābhīṣṭakarāḥ ।। 36 ।।
tṛtīyaḥ tanumadhyāvargaḥ
hartā duritānāṃ dhartā jagatāṃ naḥ ।
bhartā guhamātuḥ kartāstu śubhasya ।। 37 ।।
pātā bhuvanānāṃ dhātā ca vidhātā ।
netā pramathānāṃ trātā bhavatānnaḥ ।। 38 ।।
kartā bhuvanānāṃ bhartā'pi ca hartā ।
khyāto'vatu devastāto marutāṃ naḥ ।। 39 ।।
kartuṃ svaratīdaṃ bhartuṃ pravibhāti ।
hartuṃ ya udāste tartuṃ praṇumastam ।। 40 ।।
kartuṃ bhuvanaṃ vāgbhartuṃ bhavabhāte ।
hartuṃ khalu bhadrā yogāmalanidrā ।। 41 ।।
kāryatrikametatkartuṃ bahavo no ।
ekasya tu kāryairnāmāni bahūni ।। 42 ।।
kṣmārkendupatibhyaḥ tribhyaḥ puruṣebhyaḥ ।
sargasthitibhaṅgā khyātiḥ khalu bhāktā ।। 43 ।।
teṣvanyatamaṃ yat kāryatrikahetum ।
kecidbuvate sā bhāktā na kimuktiḥ ।। 44 ।।
adhyakṣaparo'yaṃ sākṣādiva vādaḥ ।
ekā yadahantā tasyāpi parasya ।। 45 ।।
meyaḥ śiva sarvo golātmakalokaḥ ।
sīmārahitosāvekastava nākaḥ ।। 46 ।।
lakṣmīpatisaṅkhyā yāvadravilokam ।
gaurīpatireko rājatyadhinākam ।। 47 ।।
ekaika inaḥ syāt pratyabjabhavāṇḍam ।
sarvāṇḍagamekaṃ prāhuḥ khamakhaṇḍam ।। 48 ।।
ātmānamutāho tātaṃ khacarāṇām ।
āhosvidadhīśaṃ dhyāyāma surāṇām ।। 49 ।।
taṃ vyomacarāṇāṃ jīvaṃ pavamānam ।
tātaṃ śivamāhurnāthaṃ maghavānam ।। 50 ।।
yadyapyakhilānāmātmā gururīśaḥ ।
ukto marutāṃ tu prāthamyata eṣaḥ ।। 51 ।।
abhre vicarantaṃ bhāntaṃ ninadantam ।
asmatpitaraṃ taṃ vande bhagavantam ।। 52 ।।
yāntaṃ pavamānaṃ bhāntaṃ maghavānam ।
nāke ninadantaṃ gāyanti śivaṃ tam ।। 53 ।।
bhāto gaganāgneryātaḥ pavanasya ।
tārasya ca rūpaṃ nānekamapāpam ।। 54 ।।
caturtho vasumatīvargaḥ
nityaṃ svarati yo vyāpyābhramakhilam ।
gāyanti kavayastaṃ tāramamalam ।। 55 ।।
tārāhvayavapuḥ śambhorabhayadam ।
bhānoḥ kiraṇavadvai bhūtikamidam ।। 56 ।।
taṃ puṣkaraguṇaṃ gāyantu bahavaḥ ।
sa tvagnirajaro divyaḥ śivaravaḥ ।। 57 ।।
yadroditi viyaddeśe'navaratam ।
bhadraṃ budhagaṇo rudraṃ bhaṇati tam ।। 58 ।।
saṅgharṣaṇavaśādrājatyalamayam ।
pānīyamucitaṃ prāhurharihayam ।। 59 ।।
tāraḥ sa gagane na tveva marutām ।
sarvatra ca mahān prāṇo janimatām ।। 60 ।।
tasyaiva gagane prāṇasya carataḥ ।
bhaṅgāḥ punarime vātāḥ kumabhitaḥ ।। 61 ।।
rudraḥ sa ninadan rājantsa maghavā ।
vātaḥ sa vicaran nityaṃ divi yuvā ।। 62 ।।
evaṃ guṇavaśādekasya bahutā ।
tārātmakavapurdṛṣṭyā nigaditā ।। 63 ।।
kecitpaśupatiṃ śakraṃ ca pavanam ।
devatrayamiti prāhurguṇavaśāt ।। 64 ।।
vyāpto divi sataścidvahniratulaḥ ।
nāmāntaravaśāttārāgniramalaḥ ।। 65 ।।
ākramya sakalaṃ bhāntaṃ bahubalam ।
gāyāmi vimalaṃ cidvahnimatulam ।। 66 ।।
mitraṃ mama śivo bandhurnama śivaḥ ।
tāto mama śivo mātā mama śivaḥ ।। 67 ।।
netā mama śivastrātā mama śivaḥ ।
rājā mama śivo daivaṃ mama śivaḥ ।। 68 ।।
cakṣurmama śivaḥ śrotraṃ mama śivaḥ ।
svāntaṃ mama śivo buddhirmama śivaḥ ।। 69 ।।
vāṇī mama śivaḥ prāṇo mama śivaḥ ।
ātmā mama śivaḥ sarvaṃ mama śivaḥ ।। 70 ।।
anyapramṛditaṃ svaṃ deśamavitum ।
vīrya ṃ mama dhiyaḥ saṃvardhaya vibho ।। 71 ।।
gāyatramanaghastotraṃ gaṇapateḥ ।
etacchṛṇu dayāyuktaḥ paśupate ।। 72 ।।
।। iti śrībhagavanmaharṣiramaṇāntevāsino vāsiṣṭhasya narasiṃhasūnorgaṇapateḥ kṛtiḥ śivastavarājaḥ samāptaḥ ।।