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Mantra · Shankara's 14 rhyming couplets tracing Ganga from Vishnu's foot to sea

Ganga Stotram

देवि सुरेश्वरि भगवति गङ्गे त्रिभुवनतारिणि तरलतरङ्गे । शङ्करमौलिविहारिणि विमले मम मतिरास्तां तव पदकमले ॥

Also known as Ganga Mantra

In Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.

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What the Ganga Stotram is

The Ganga Stotram, the Sanskrit hymn many people look for as a Ganga mantra, is a prayer to the river as goddess and mother, opening 'Devi Sureshvari Bhagavati Gange'. Tradition attributes it to Adi Shankaracharya, and the text signs itself: verse 14 calls its author 'Shankara, the servant of Shankara', that is, of Shiva. It runs to fourteen couplets in the pajjhatika metre, which verse 13 names outright, a measure counted in syllable lengths, sixteen to each quarter, and each line rhymes across its halves, gange with tarange, vimale with kamale. Verses 1 to 3 greet her by her names and ask that the mind rest at her feet. Verses 4 to 10 say what drinking her water, bathing in her stream and living on her banks are held to bring. Verse 11 wishes only to be near her in any form, and verses 12 to 14 give the hymn's own phala. The page then adds the separate bathing shloka 'Gange cha Yamune', which calls seven rivers into any water.

A river's whole legend in fourteen couplets

The hymn carries no account of its own writing, and no traditional source says where it was composed. Tradition does place Shankara at Kashi on the Ganga's bank, where, after a bath in the river, he is said to have met an outcaste with four dogs and answered him with the Manisha Panchakam. Verse 11 of this hymn uses the same word, shvapaca, when it says that even an unclean outcaste near the Ganga is better placed than a king far from her. What the verses do instead is gather the river's legends into her names. Verse 3 calls her the water that washed Hari's feet; the Bhagavata Purana relates that when Vishnu as Vamana took his great stride, his toenail pierced the shell of the universe and the waters beyond poured in as the Ganga. Verse 1 places her on Shiva's head, and verse 2 names her Bhagirathi. Verse 5 calls her mother of Bhishma, recalling the Mahabharata account in which she married King Shantanu and bore eight Vasus cursed by the sage Vasishtha, of whom only the eighth, Bhishma, was spared. Verse 10 names her Alakananda, the Himalayan stream that meets the Bhagirathi at Devprayag, and verse 6 follows her at last into the ocean.

The mantra, in six scripts

DevanagariSanskrit & Hindiदेवि सुरेश्वरि भगवति गङ्गे त्रिभुवनतारिणि तरलतरङ्गे । शङ्करमौलिविहारिणि विमले मम मतिरास्तां तव पदकमले ॥

Tamilதேவி ஸுரேஶ்வரி பகவதி கங்கே த்ரிபுவநதாரிணி தரலதரங்கே । ஶங்கரமௌலிவிஹாரிணி விமலே மம மதிராஸ்தாம் தவ பதகமலே ॥

Teluguదేవి సురేశ్వరి భగవతి గఙ్గే త్రిభువనతారిణి తరలతరఙ్గే । శఙ్కరమౌలివిహారిణి విమలే మమ మతిరాస్తాం తవ పదకమలే ॥

Kannadaದೇವಿ ಸುರೇಶ್ವರಿ ಭಗವತಿ ಗಙ್ಗೇ ತ್ರಿಭುವನತಾರಿಣಿ ತರಲತರಙ್ಗೇ । ಶಙ್ಕರಮೌಲಿವಿಹಾರಿಣಿ ವಿಮಲೇ ಮಮ ಮತಿರಾಸ್ತಾಂ ತವ ಪದಕಮಲೇ ॥

Malayalamദേവി സുരേശ്വരി ഭഗവതി ഗങ്ഗേ ത്രിഭുവനതാരിണി തരലതരങ്ഗേ । ശങ്കരമൌലിവിഹാരിണി വിമലേ മമ മതിരാസ്താം തവ പദകമലേ ॥

EnglishRoman transliterationdevi sureśvari bhagavati gaṅge tribhuvanatāriṇi taralataraṅge | śaṅkaramaulivihāriṇi vimale mama matirāstāṃ tava padakamale ||

“O Goddess, queen of the gods, blessed Ganga, who carries the three worlds across, with your restless, rippling waves. O pure one who plays on the head of Shiva, may my mind rest at your lotus feet.”

देवि: devi — O Goddess
सुरेश्वरि: sureśvari — queen of the gods
भगवति: bhagavati — blessed one
गङ्गे: gaṅge — O Ganga
त्रिभुवनतारिणि: tribhuvanatāriṇi — who carries the three worlds across
तरलतरङ्गे: taralataraṅge — with rippling waves
शङ्करमौलिविहारिणि: śaṅkaramaulivihāriṇi — who plays on Shiva's head
विमले: vimale — O pure one
मम: mama — my
मतिरास्तां: matirāstāṃ — may my mind rest
तव: tava — your
पदकमले: padakamale — at the lotus feet

Ganga Stotram lyrics in full

Fourteen verses in the pajjhatika metre; the printed closing line follows verse 14, and the bathing shloka Gange cha Yamune is given last.

All 16 verses, in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:

Download the Ganga Stotram PDFAll 16 verses with their meanings, in Sanskrit. Free to print and keep.

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Verse 1

देवि सुरेश्वरि भगवति गङ्गे त्रिभुवनतारिणि तरलतरङ्गे ।
शङ्करमौलिविहारिणि विमले मम मतिरास्तां तव पदकमले ॥

O Goddess, queen of the gods, blessed Ganga, who carries the three worlds across, with your restless, rippling waves. O pure one who plays on the head of Shiva, may my mind rest at your lotus feet.

Verse 2

भागीरथि सुखदायिनि मातस्तव जलमहिमा निगमे ख्यातः ।
नाहं जाने तव महिमानं पाहि कृपामयि मामज्ञानम् ॥

O Bhagirathi, giver of happiness, O Mother, the glory of your waters is proclaimed in the Vedas. I do not know your greatness; O compassionate one, protect me, ignorant as I am.

Verse 3

हरिपदपाद्यतरङ्गिणि गङ्गे हिमविधुमुक्ताधवलतरङ्गे ।
दूरीकुरु मम दुष्कृतिभारं कुरु कृपया भवसागरपारम् ॥

O Ganga, river that flows as the water which washed the feet of Vishnu, whose waves are white as snow, the moon and pearls. Take away the burden of my wrong deeds, and in your kindness carry me across the ocean of worldly existence.

Verse 4

तव जलममलं येन निपीतं परमपदं खलु तेन गृहीतम् ।
मातर्गङ्गे त्वयि यो भक्तः किल तं द्रष्टुं न यमः शक्तः ॥

Whoever has drunk your pure water has surely attained the highest state. O Mother Ganga, the verse says that Yama, lord of death, cannot even look upon one who is devoted to you.

Verse 5

पतितोद्धारिणि जाह्नवि गङ्गे खण्डितगिरिवरमण्डितभङ्गे ।
भीष्मजननि हे मुनिवरकन्ये पतितनिवारिणि त्रिभुवनधन्ये ॥

O Jahnavi Ganga, uplifter of the fallen, whose breaking waves are adorned by the great mountains they cut through. O mother of Bhishma, daughter of the great sage, you who stop the fallen from falling further, blessed in all three worlds.

Verse 6

कल्पलतामिव फलदां लोके प्रणमति यस्त्वां न पतति शोके ।
पारावारविहारिणि गङ्गे विमुखयुवतिकृततरलापाङ्गे ॥

The verse says that whoever bows to you, who grant fruits in this world like the wish-fulfilling creeper, does not fall into sorrow. O Ganga, who flows playfully into the ocean, your restless side-glance is like that of a young woman who has turned her face away.

Verse 7

तव चेन्मातः स्रोतः स्नातः पुनरपि जठरे सोऽपि न जातः ।
नरकनिवारिणि जाह्नवि गङ्गे कलुषविनाशिनि महिमोत्तुङ्गे ॥

O Mother, the verse says that one who has bathed in your stream is not born again from a womb. O Jahnavi Ganga, you who keep people from hell, destroyer of impurity, lofty in your greatness.

Verse 8

पुनरसदङ्गे पुण्यतरङ्गे जय जय जाह्नवि करुणापाङ्गे ।
इन्द्रमुकुटमणिराजितचरणे सुखदे शुभदे भृत्यशरण्ये ॥

O you who spare us from taking an impure body again, whose waves are holy: victory, victory to you, Jahnavi, whose glance is full of compassion. Your feet shine with the jewels of Indra's crown; you give happiness and auspiciousness and are the refuge of your servants.

Verse 9

रोगं शोकं तापं पापं हर मे भगवति कुमतिकलापम् ।
त्रिभुवनसारे वसुधाहारे त्वमसि गतिर्मम खलु संसारे ॥

O blessed Goddess, take away my illness, grief, suffering and sin, and the whole crowd of my wrong thoughts. O essence of the three worlds, necklace of the earth, you alone are my refuge in this worldly life.

Verse 10

अलकानन्दे परमानन्दे कुरु करुणामयि कातरवन्द्ये ।
तव तटनिकटे यस्य निवासः खलु वैकुण्ठे तस्य निवासः ॥

O Alakananda, supreme bliss, compassionate one worshipped by the distressed, show me your mercy. The verse says that one who lives near your banks surely lives in Vaikuntha.

Verse 11

वरमिह नीरे कमठो मीनः किं वा तीरे शरटः क्षीणः ।
अथवा श्वपचो मलिनो दीनस्तव न हि दूरे नृपतिकुलीनः ॥

Better to be a tortoise or a fish here in your water, or a thin lizard on your bank, or even a poor and unclean outcaste near you, than to be born in a royal family far away from you.

Verse 12

भो भुवनेश्वरि पुण्ये धन्ये देवि द्रवमयि मुनिवरकन्ये ।
गङ्गास्तवमिमममलं नित्यं पठति नरो यः स जयति सत्यम् ॥

O ruler of the world, holy and blessed Goddess whose form is flowing water, daughter of the great sage. The verse says that the person who recites this pure hymn to Ganga every day truly wins.

Verse 13

येषां हृदये गङ्गाभक्तिस्तेषां भवति सदा सुखमुक्तिः ।
मधुराकान्तापज्झटिकाभिः परमानन्दकलितललिताभिः ॥

The verse says that those who hold devotion to Ganga in their hearts always have happiness and liberation. This praise is sung in sweet and lovely verses of the pajjhatika metre, graceful and filled with supreme joy.

Verse 14

गङ्गास्तोत्रमिदं भवसारं वाञ्छितफलदं विमलं सारम् ।
शङ्करसेवकशङ्कररचितं पठति सुखी स्तव इति च समाप्तः ॥

This hymn to Ganga is the essence of existence, pure and precious, and the verse says it grants what one desires. Composed by Shankara, the servant of Shiva, it makes happy the one who recites it; so the hymn is complete.

Closing

इति श्रीमच्छङ्कराचार्यविरचितं गङ्गास्तोत्रं सम्पूर्णम् ॥

Thus ends the Ganga Stotram composed by the revered Shankaracharya.

Ganga Mantra 1

गङ्गे च यमुने चैव गोदावरि सरस्वति ।
नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरि जलेऽस्मिन् संनिधिं कुरु ॥

O Ganga, Yamuna, and also Godavari and Sarasvati, O Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri: be present in this water. It is recited while bathing or when water is taken for worship.

The syllable people get wrong

Jāhnavi (जाह्नवि, verses 5, 7 and 8) is often said 'jahn-vi' or 'jaan-havi'. The h comes before the n: say JAAH-na-vi, a long aa, a breathed h, then a light n, with three syllables.

When the Ganga Stotram is chanted

Festival. Ganga Dussehra

Questions

It is traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, the teacher usually dated to around the 8th century CE. The hymn names its author in verse 14 as 'Shankara, the servant of Shankara', a play on his own name and Shiva's, and the printed closing line calls it the Ganga Stotram composed by Shankaracharya. As with many hymns credited to him, the attribution rests on this signature and on tradition rather than on any early record of when it was written.

The last three. Verse 12 says that the person who recites this pure hymn to the Ganga every day truly wins. Verse 13 says that those who hold devotion to her in their hearts always have happiness and liberation, and names the pajjhatika metre in which the praise is sung. Verse 14 calls the hymn the essence of existence, says it grants what one desires, signs Shankara's name and ends with 'iti ca samaptah', so it is complete.

It is a statement of preference. The verse says it is better to be a tortoise or a fish in the Ganga's water, a thin lizard on her bank, or even a poor, unclean outcaste living near her, than to be born into a royal family far from her. The point is that nearness to the river outweighs birth and rank, an idea the earlier verses prepare by saying that those who live on her banks live in Vaikuntha.

It is a separate, anonymous shloka, not part of Shankara's hymn. It calls on seven rivers, Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Sarasvati, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri, to be present in 'this water'. It is said while bathing and when water is offered or set aside for worship, so that any water stands for the sacred rivers. The Hindi lamp-song 'Om Jai Gange Mata' is different again and has its own page, the Ganga Aarti.

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