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Mantra · Shankara's 17 verses asking the man-lion for his hand out of samsara

Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalamba Stotram

श्रीमत्पयोनिधिनिकेतनचक्रपाणे भोगीन्द्रभोगमणिराजितपुण्यमूर्ते । योगीश शाश्वत शरण्य भवाब्धिपोत लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

Also known as Lakshmi Nrisimha Karunarasa Stotram

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 Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalamba Stotram is

The Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalamba Stotram is a hymn to Narasimha seated with Lakshmi, attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, and named for the plea that closes sixteen of its seventeen verses: lakshmi nrisimha mama dehi karavalambam, 'Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand'. Some printings call it the Lakshmi Nrisimha Karunarasa Stotram. It is written in the fourteen-syllable vasantatilaka metre. Verses 1 and 2 picture the Lord on the serpent Adishesha in the ocean of milk, his feet pressed by the crowns of Brahma, Indra and Rudra. Verses 3 to 12 then describe worldly life, samsara, as one trap after another: a forest fire, a fisherman's net, a bottomless well, a charging elephant, a venomous snake, a tree of sin, an ocean of crocodiles, a forest of beasts, and finally the noose of Yama's servants. Verse 13 is a litany of Vishnu's names, verse 14 describes the four-armed image holding discus and conch and embracing Lakshmi, and verse 17 names Shankara as the poet.

A fire lit under Shankara's body

The account most often attached to this hymn belongs to the Amaruka episode of Shankara's life, as retold in the Thanjavur commentary of Brahmashri Muthukrishna Sastri. To answer questions put to him by Ubhaya Bharati, the wife and debate judge of the scholar Mandana Mishra, Shankara is said to have left his own body in a cave in the care of his disciples and entered the body of King Amaruka, who had just died on a hunt. The revived king ruled so well that his ministers guessed a yogi was living inside him and, to keep him there, ordered every unattended corpse in the kingdom to be burned. According to tradition, the servants found Shankara's body and had set one limb alight when Padmapada and the other disciples reached him. Shankara returned, and with the flames on him began this stotra; tradition holds that Narasimha appeared and put out the fire. Some tellings say it was his hands that were burned. A second tradition links Narasimha to Shankara through the Kapalika Ugra Bhairava, who asked for Shankara's head as a sacrifice: in Madhava's Shankara Digvijaya, Padmapada, possessed by Narasimha, kills the Kapalika, and Shankara then calms him with a hymn to Narasimha. Notably, the verses themselves never mention a burning body; the only fire in them is the forest fire of samsara in verse 3.

The mantra, in six scripts

DevanagariSanskrit & Hindiश्रीमत्पयोनिधिनिकेतनचक्रपाणे भोगीन्द्रभोगमणिराजितपुण्यमूर्ते । योगीश शाश्वत शरण्य भवाब्धिपोत लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

Tamilஶ்ரீமத்பயோநிதிநிகேதநசக்ரபாணே போகீந்த்ரபோகமணிராஜிதபுண்யமூர்தே । யோகீஶ ஶாஶ்வத ஶரண்ய பவாப்திபோத லக்ஷ்மீந்ருஸிம்ஹ மம தேஹி கராவலம்பம் ॥

Teluguశ్రీమత్పయోనిధినికేతనచక్రపాణే భోగీన్ద్రభోగమణిరాజితపుణ్యమూర్తే । యోగీశ శాశ్వత శరణ్య భవాబ్ధిపోత లక్ష్మీనృసింహ మమ దేహి కరావలమ్బమ్ ॥

Kannadaಶ್ರೀಮತ್ಪಯೋನಿಧಿನಿಕೇತನಚಕ್ರಪಾಣೇ ಭೋಗೀನ್ದ್ರಭೋಗಮಣಿರಾಜಿತಪುಣ್ಯಮೂರ್ತೇ । ಯೋಗೀಶ ಶಾಶ್ವತ ಶರಣ್ಯ ಭವಾಬ್ಧಿಪೋತ ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮೀನೃಸಿಂಹ ಮಮ ದೇಹಿ ಕರಾವಲಮ್ಬಮ್ ॥

Malayalamശ്രീമത്പയോനിധിനികേതനചക്രപാണേ ഭോഗീന്ദ്രഭോഗമണിരാജിതപുണ്യമൂര്തേ । യോഗീശ ശാശ്വത ശരണ്യ ഭവാബ്ധിപോത ലക്ഷ്മീനൃസിംഹ മമ ദേഹി കരാവലമ്ബമ് ॥

EnglishRoman transliterationśrīmatpayonidhiniketanacakrapāṇe bhogīndrabhogamaṇirājitapuṇyamūrte | yogīśa śāśvata śaraṇya bhavābdhipota lakṣmīnṛsiṃha mama dehi karāvalambam ||

“O glorious one who dwells in the ocean of milk, holder of the discus, whose sacred form shines with the gems on the hoods of the serpent king; Lord of yogis, eternal refuge, boat across the ocean of worldly life: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.”

श्रीमत्पयोनिधिनिकेतनचक्रपाणे: śrīmatpayonidhiniketanacakrapāṇe — O glorious one dwelling in the ocean of milk, holder of the discus
भोगीन्द्रभोगमणिराजितपुण्यमूर्ते: bhogīndrabhogamaṇirājitapuṇyamūrte — O sacred form lit by the gems on the serpent king's hoods
योगीश: yogīśa — O lord of yogis
शाश्वत: śāśvata — O eternal one
शरण्य: śaraṇya — O refuge
भवाब्धिपोत: bhavābdhipota — O boat across the ocean of worldly life
लक्ष्मीनृसिंह: lakṣmīnṛsiṃha — O Lakshmi Narasimha
मम: mama — to me
देहि: dehi — give
करावलम्बम्: karāvalambam — the support of your hand

Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalamba Stotram lyrics in full

Seventeen verses in the order most widely chanted today; the first sixteen close on the refrain and the last names Shankara as the poet.

All 17 verses, in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:

Download the Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalamba Stotram PDFAll 17 verses with their meanings, in Sanskrit. Free to print and keep.

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Verse 1

श्रीमत्पयोनिधिनिकेतनचक्रपाणे भोगीन्द्रभोगमणिराजितपुण्यमूर्ते ।
योगीश शाश्वत शरण्य भवाब्धिपोत लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

O glorious one who dwells in the ocean of milk, holder of the discus, whose sacred form shines with the gems on the hoods of the serpent king; Lord of yogis, eternal refuge, boat across the ocean of worldly life: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 2

ब्रह्मेन्द्ररुद्रमरुदर्ककिरीटकोटिसङ्घट्टिताङ्घ्रिकमलामलकान्तिकान्त ।
लक्ष्मीलसत्कुचसरोरुहराजहंस लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

O lord radiant with the pure lustre of your lotus feet, against which press the crown tips of Brahma, Indra, Rudra, the Maruts and the Sun; royal swan among the lotuses of Lakshmi's bosom: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 3

संसारदावदहनाकरभीकरोरुज्वालावलीभिरतिदग्धतनूरुहस्य ।
त्वत्पादपद्मसरसीरुहमागतस्य लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

My body is scorched by the fierce, wide flames of the forest fire of worldly life, and I have come to the lotus pool of your lotus feet: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 4

संसारजालपतितस्य जगन्निवास सर्वेन्द्रियार्थबडिशाग्रझषोपमस्य ।
प्रोत्कम्पितप्रचुरतालुकमस्तकस्य लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

O refuge of the world, I have fallen into the net of worldly life, like a fish caught on the hook of the sense objects, my palate and head shaking violently: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 5

संसारकूपमतिघोरमगाधमूलं सम्प्राप्य दुःखशतसर्पसमाकुलस्य ।
दीनस्य देव कृपया पदमागतस्य लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

I have fallen into the dreadful, bottomless well of worldly life, crowded with hundreds of serpents of sorrow; O Lord, I am helpless and have come to your feet through your grace: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 6

संसारभीकरकरीन्द्रकराभिघातनिष्पीड्यमानवपुषः सकलार्तिनाश ।
प्राणप्रयाणभवभीतिसमाकुलस्य लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

O remover of all suffering, my body is crushed by the blows of the trunk of the terrifying elephant of worldly life, and I am shaken by the fear of death and of rebirth: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 7

संसारसर्पविषदिग्धमहोग्रतीव्रदंष्ट्राग्रकोटिपरिदष्टविनष्टमूर्तेः ।
नागारिवाहन सुधाब्धिनिवास शौरे लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

My form is ruined, bitten by the fierce, sharp, poison-smeared fangs of the serpent of worldly life; O rider of Garuda, dweller in the ocean of nectar, Shauri: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 8

संसारवृक्षमघबीजमनन्तकर्मशाखायुतं करणपत्रमनङ्गपुष्पम् ।
आरुह्य दुःखफलितं पततो दयालो लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

O compassionate one, I climbed the tree of worldly life, whose seed is sin, whose branches are endless deeds, whose leaves are the senses, whose flowers are desire and whose fruit is sorrow, and now I am falling: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 9

संसारसागरविशालकरालकालनक्रग्रहग्रसितनिग्रहविग्रहस्य ।
व्यग्रस्य रागनिचयोर्मिनिपीडितस्य लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

My body is seized by the terrible crocodiles and sea monsters of time in the vast, fearsome ocean of worldly life, and I am tossed and battered by its waves of attachment: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 10

संसारसागरनिमज्जनमुह्यमानं दीनं विलोकय विभो करुणानिधे माम् ।
प्रह्लादखेदपरिहारपरावतार लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

O lord, ocean of compassion, look upon me, helpless and bewildered as I sink in the ocean of worldly life; you took form to end Prahlada's distress: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 11

संसारघोरगहने चरतो मुरारे मारोग्रभीकरमृगप्रचुरार्दितस्य ।
आर्तस्य मत्सरनिदाघसुदुःखितस्य लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

O Murari, I wander in the dreadful forest of worldly life, tormented by the many fierce beasts of desire, and I suffer in the burning heat of envy: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 12

बद्ध्वा गले यमभटा बहुतर्जयन्तः कर्षन्ति यत्र भवपाशशतैर्युतं माम् ।
एकाकिनं परवशं चकितं दयालो लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

Where the servants of Yama tie my neck, threaten me again and again, and drag me away bound by hundreds of ropes of worldly life, I am alone, helpless and afraid; O merciful one, Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 13

लक्ष्मीपते कमलनाभ सुरेश विष्णो यज्ञेश यज्ञ मधुसूदन विश्वरूप ।
ब्रह्मण्य केशव जनार्दन वासुदेव लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

O lord of Lakshmi, lotus-naveled one, lord of the gods, Vishnu, lord of sacrifice, sacrifice itself, slayer of Madhu, whose form is the universe; protector of the virtuous, Keshava, Janardana, Vasudeva: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 14

एकेन चक्रमपरेण करेण शङ्खमन्येन सिन्धुतनयामवलम्ब्य तिष्ठन् ।
वामेतरेण वरदाभयपद्मचिह्नं लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

You stand holding the discus in one hand and the conch in another, embracing the daughter of the ocean with another, while your right hand shows the boon-giving and fear-dispelling gestures marked with the lotus: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 15

अन्धस्य मे हृतविवेकमहाधनस्य चोरैर्महाबलिभिरिन्द्रियनामधेयैः ।
मोहान्धकारकुहरे विनिपातितस्य लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

I am blind, robbed of the great wealth of discernment by the powerful thieves called the senses, and thrown into the dark pit of delusion: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 16

प्रह्लादनारदपराशरपुण्डरीकव्यासादिभागवतपुङ्गवहृन्निवास ।
भक्तानुरक्तपरिपालनपारिजात लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥

O dweller in the hearts of Prahlada, Narada, Parashara, Pundarika, Vyasa and other great devotees; wish-granting tree who cares for those devoted to you: Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand.

Verse 17

लक्ष्मीनृसिंहचरणाब्जमधुव्रतेन स्तोत्रं कृतं शुभकरं भुवि शङ्करेण ।
ये तत्पठन्ति मनुजा हरिभक्तियुक्तास्ते यान्ति तत्पदसरोजमखण्डरूपम् ॥

This auspicious hymn was made on earth by Shankara, a bee at the lotus feet of Lakshmi Narasimha. The verse says that those who recite it with devotion to Hari reach his lotus feet, whose nature is undivided.

The syllable people get wrong

In the refrain word karāvalambam (करावलम्बम्), kara, 'hand', is joined to avalamba, 'support', so the second syllable is a long rā: say ka-RAA-va-lam-bam. Saying a short 'kara-valambam' breaks the compound in the wrong place and loses the long vowel that makes it 'support of the hand'.

When the Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalamba Stotram is chanted

Weekday. Thursday

Festival. Narasimha Jayanti

Questions

It means 'Lakshmi Narasimha, give me the support of your hand'. Mama is 'to me', dehi is 'give', and karavalambam is 'a hand to hold on to', the hand held out to someone falling or drowning. The image fits the verses it closes: in each the speaker is sinking in a well, falling from a tree, swept by waves or dragged off by Yama's servants, and asks only to be caught.

Older prints, such as the 1912 Brihat Stotra Ratnakara from Bombay, give a 13-verse form in a different order, ending with a verse that opens yanmayaya and names Shankara. The form chanted most widely today has 17 verses and adds, among others, verse 12 on Yama's servants, verse 14 on the four-armed image and verse 16 naming Prahlada, Narada and Vyasa. Some collections append further verses in the same refrain after the seventeenth.

Yes. The 44th Jeer of the Ahobila Matha, Srimad Azhagiya Singar known as Mukkur Swami, composed a separate Lakshmi Nrisimha Karavalamba Stotram. It keeps the same closing line as Shankara's hymn but its other lines are entirely different. Shankara is also credited with a short five-verse hymn, the Lakshmi Nrisimha Pancharatnam, which is not the Karavalamba and does not use this refrain.

Verse 17 is the phala shruti, the verse that states the fruit of the hymn. It names the author as Shankara, calling him a bee at the lotus feet of Lakshmi Narasimha, and describes the hymn as auspicious. The verse says that those who recite it with devotion to Hari reach his lotus feet, whose nature is undivided. It is the only verse that drops the refrain.

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Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalamba Stotram

What the Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalamba Stotram is

A fire lit under Shankara's body

The mantra, in six scripts

Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalamba Stotram lyrics in full

The syllable people get wrong

When the Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalamba Stotram is chanted

Questions

Have your chart read before you decide

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