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Mantra · Appanacharya's salute to the saint of Mantralayam, with his stotram

Raghavendra Stotram

पूज्याय राघवेन्द्राय सत्यधर्मरताय च । भजतां कल्पवृक्षाय नमतां कामधेनवे ॥

Also known as Poojyaya Raghavendraya

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 Raghavendra Stotram is

The Raghavendra Stotram of Appanacharya is printed here with the couplet devotees call the Raghavendra mantra, "Pujyaya Raghavendraya satyadharmaratayacha": a salutation to Sri Raghavendra Tirtha (c. 1595-1671), the Madhva saint whose Brindavana stands at Mantralayam on the Tungabhadra. It calls him a kalpavriksha, the wish-granting tree, to those who worship him and a kamadhenu, the wish-granting cow, to those who bow to him. Its companion couplet, "Durvadi dhvanta ravaye", pictures him as a sun to the darkness of false doctrine and a moon to the blue lotuses that are the devotees of Vishnu. Both are traditionally credited to his disciple Appanacharya, and printed editions place them after Appanacharya's Sri Raghavendra Stotram, given here in full. The stotram opens by imagining the guru's speech as a river flowing from the teaching of Madhva, praises his learning and his lineage from Vijayindra and Sudhindra, sets the eight-syllable mantra "Om Sri Raghavendraya Namah" inside verse 16, and closes with a long phala shruti and the poet's signature verse.

A Hymn Finished from the Brindavana

Raghavendra Tirtha was born Venkatanatha at Bhuvanagiri, in present-day Tamil Nadu. Sudhindra Tirtha gave him sannyasa and his monastic name in 1621, and he went on to head the Madhva matha then based at Kumbakonam, writing some forty-five works, among them a celebrated gloss on the Nyaya Sudha. Late in life he asked the Nawab of Adoni for the village of Manchale, now Mantralayam, and in 1671, on the second day of the waning fortnight of Shravana, he entered a stone Brindavana there while still alive. According to tradition, his disciple Appanacharya was away at the time. Distressed by the flooded Tungabhadra and by the thought of losing his teacher, he composed the stotram as he hurried back, the verses pouring out one after another. When he reached Manchale the Brindavana had already been closed. He had come as far as the words "vibhutiratula" in verse 31 when grief stopped him, and tradition holds that a voice from within the Brindavana finished the line: "sakshi hayasyo'tra hi", Hayagriva is the witness here. Devotees take that phrase as the guru's own seal on the hymn. His followers also regard Raghavendra as a later birth of Prahlada and, before him, of Vyasaraja.

The mantra, in six scripts

DevanagariSanskrit & Hindiपूज्याय राघवेन्द्राय सत्यधर्मरताय च । भजतां कल्पवृक्षाय नमतां कामधेनवे ॥

Tamilபூஜ்யாய ராகவேந்த்ராய ஸத்யதர்மரதாய ச । பஜதாம் கல்பவ்ருக்ஷாய நமதாம் காமதேநவே ॥

Teluguపూజ్యాయ రాఘవేన్ద్రాయ సత్యధర్మరతాయ చ । భజతాం కల్పవృక్షాయ నమతాం కామధేనవే ॥

Kannadaಪೂಜ್ಯಾಯ ರಾಘವೇನ್ದ್ರಾಯ ಸತ್ಯಧರ್ಮರತಾಯ ಚ । ಭಜತಾಂ ಕಲ್ಪವೃಕ್ಷಾಯ ನಮತಾಂ ಕಾಮಧೇನವೇ ॥

Malayalamപൂജ്യായ രാഘവേന്ദ്രായ സത്യധര്മരതായ ച । ഭജതാം കല്പവൃക്ഷായ നമതാം കാമധേനവേ ॥

EnglishRoman transliterationpūjyāya rāghavendrāya satyadharmaratāya ca | bhajatāṃ kalpavṛkṣāya namatāṃ kāmadhenave ||

“Salutations to the revered Raghavendra, devoted to truth and dharma, who is a wish-fulfilling tree to those who worship him and a wish-granting cow to those who bow to him.”

पूज्याय: pūjyāya — to the one worthy of worship
राघवेन्द्राय: rāghavendrāya — to Raghavendra
सत्यधर्मरताय: satyadharmaratāya — devoted to truth and dharma
च: ca — and
भजतां: bhajatāṃ — for those who worship
कल्पवृक्षाय: kalpavṛkṣāya — to the wish-granting tree
नमतां: namatāṃ — for those who bow
कामधेनवे: kāmadhenave — to the wish-granting cow

Raghavendra Stotram lyrics in full

The two mantra couplets come first, followed by the 32 verses of the Sri Raghavendra Stotram ending with Appanacharya's signature verse. The printed closing line is given at the end.

All 35 verses, in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:

Download the Raghavendra Stotram PDFAll 35 verses with their meanings, in Sanskrit. Free to print and keep.

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Mantra 1

पूज्याय राघवेन्द्राय सत्यधर्मरताय च ।
भजतां कल्पवृक्षाय नमतां कामधेनवे ॥

Salutations to the revered Raghavendra, devoted to truth and dharma, who is a wish-fulfilling tree to those who worship him and a wish-granting cow to those who bow to him.

Mantra 2

दुर्वादिध्वान्तरवये वैष्णवेन्दीवरेन्दवे ।
श्रीराघवेन्द्रगुरवे नमोऽत्यन्तदयालवे ॥

Salutations to Sri Raghavendra Guru, supremely compassionate, who is a sun to the darkness of false doctrines and a moon to the blue lotuses that are the devotees of Vishnu.

Verse 1

श्रीपूर्णबोधगुरुतीर्थपयोब्धिपारा कामारिमाक्षविषमाक्षशिरः स्पृशन्ती ।
पूर्वोत्तरामिततरङ्गचरत्सुहंसा देवालिसेवितपराङ्घ्रिपयोजलग्ना ॥

The speech of Guru Raghavendra is pictured as a sacred river flowing from the ocean of the teaching of Sri Purnabodha (Madhva), touching the heads of Shiva and other gods. Swans, the wise, move on its countless waves of earlier and later arguments, and it clings to the lotus feet of the Supreme, served by hosts of gods.

Verse 2

जीवेशभेदगुणपूर्तिजगत्सुसत्त्व नीचोच्चभावमुखनक्रगणैः समेता ।
दुर्वाद्यजापतिगिलैर्गुरुराघवेन्द्रवाग्देवतासरिदमुं विमलीकरोतु ॥

That river is filled with great creatures, the doctrines of the difference of soul and Lord, the fullness of the Lord's qualities, the reality of the world and the gradation of beings, which swallow the goats of false argument. May this river of Guru Raghavendra's divine speech purify this person.

Verse 3

श्रीराघवेन्द्रः सकलप्रदाता स्वपादकञ्जद्वयभक्तिमद्भ्यः ।
अघाद्रिसम्भेदनदृष्टिवज्रः क्षमासुरेन्द्रोऽवतु मां सदाऽयम् ॥

Sri Raghavendra gives everything to those devoted to his two lotus feet. His glance is a thunderbolt that splits the mountain of sin; may this Indra among the gods of the earth always protect me.

Verse 4

श्रीराघवेन्द्रोहरिपादकञ्जनिषेवणाल्लब्धसमस्तसम्पत् ।
देवस्वभावो दिविजद्रुमोऽयमिष्टप्रदो मे सततं स भूयात् ॥

Sri Raghavendra gained every treasure by serving the lotus feet of Hari. Godlike in nature, he is like the tree of heaven; may he always grant me what I wish for.

Verse 5

भव्यस्वरूपो भवदुःखतूलसङ्घाग्निचर्यः सुखधैर्यशाली ।
समस्तदुष्टग्रहनिग्रहेशो दुरत्ययोपप्लवसिन्धुसेतुः ॥

His form is auspicious; his conduct is a fire to the heaps of cotton that are the sorrows of worldly life, and he is rich in joy and steadiness. He is able to restrain all evil influences and is a bridge across the ocean of hard-to-cross calamities.

Verse 6

निरस्तदोषो निरवद्यवेषः प्रत्यर्थिमूकत्त्वनिदानभाषः ।
विद्वत्परिज्ञेयमहाविशेषो वाग्वैखरीनिर्जितभव्यशेषः ॥

He is free of faults and blameless in appearance; his speech leaves opponents silent. His great excellence is known to the learned, and the flow of his words surpasses even the serpent Shesha.

Verse 7

सन्तानसम्पत्परिशुद्धभक्तिविज्ञानवाग्देहसुपाटवादीन् ।
दत्वा शरीरोत्थसमस्तदोषान् हत्त्वा स नोऽव्याद्गुरुराघवेन्द्रः ॥

Granting children, wealth, pure devotion, knowledge, and skill of speech and body, and removing all faults that arise from the body, may Guru Raghavendra protect us.

Verse 8

यत्पादोदकसञ्चयः सुरनदीमुख्यापगासादितासङ्ख्यानुत्तमपुण्यसङ्घविलसत्प्रख्यातपुण्यावहः ।
दुस्तापत्रयनाशनो भुवि महावन्ध्यासुपुत्रप्रदो व्यङ्गस्वङ्गसमृद्धिदो ग्रहमहापापापहस्तं श्रये ॥

The water that has touched his feet brings merit as great as bathing in the Ganga and other holy rivers. The verse says it removes the three kinds of suffering, gives good children to the childless, wholeness to the disabled, and removes evil planetary influences and great sins; I take refuge in him.

Verse 9

यत्पादकञ्जरजसा परिभूषिताङ्गा यत्पादपद्ममधुपायितमानसा ये ।
यत्पादपद्मपरिकीर्तनजीर्णवाचस्तद्दर्शनं दुरितकाननदावभूतम् ॥

Those whose limbs are adorned with the dust of his lotus feet, whose minds are like bees at the honey of those feet, and whose voices are worn out praising them: the very sight of such people is a forest fire to the forest of sins.

Verse 10

सर्वतन्त्रस्वतन्त्रोऽसौ श्रीमध्वमतवर्धनः ।
विजयीन्द्रकराब्जोत्थसुधीन्द्रवरपुत्रकः ॥

He is master of every system of learning and the one who spreads the doctrine of Sri Madhva. He is the excellent spiritual son of Sudhindra, who himself arose from the lotus hand of Vijayindra.

Verse 11

श्रीराघवेन्द्रो यतिराट् गुरुर्मे स्याद्भयापहः ।
ज्ञानभक्तिसुपुत्रायुर्यशः श्रीपुण्यवर्धनः ॥

May Sri Raghavendra, king of ascetics, my guru, remove my fear. He increases knowledge, devotion, good children, long life, fame, prosperity and merit.

Verse 12

प्रतिवादिजयस्वान्तभेदचिह्नादरो गुरुः ।
सर्वविद्याप्रवीणोऽन्यो राघवेन्द्रान्न विद्यते ॥

The guru who defeats opponents and holds dear the mark of the doctrine of difference: there is no one other than Raghavendra so skilled in every branch of learning.

Verse 13

अपरोक्षीकृतश्रीशः समुपेक्षितभावजः ।
अपेक्षितप्रदाताऽन्यो राघवेन्द्रान्न विद्यते ॥

He has directly seen the Lord of Lakshmi and has set aside desire. There is no one other than Raghavendra who so grants what is sought.

Verse 14

दयादाक्षिण्यवैराग्यवाक्पाटवमुखाङ्कितः ।
शापानुग्रहशक्तोऽन्यो राघवेन्द्रान्न विद्यते ॥

He is marked by compassion, kindness, detachment and skill in speech. There is no one other than Raghavendra with such power both to curse and to bless.

Verse 15

अज्ञानविस्मृतिभ्रान्तिसंशयापस्मृतिक्षयाः ।
तन्द्राकम्पवचःकौण्ठ्यमुखा ये चेन्द्रियोद्भवाः ।
दोषास्ते नाशमायान्ति राघवेन्द्रप्रसादतः ॥

Ignorance, forgetfulness, delusion, doubt, epilepsy and wasting disease, drowsiness, trembling, faltering speech and other faults born of the senses: the verse says these are destroyed by the grace of Raghavendra.

Verse 16

ॐ श्रीराघवेन्द्राय नमः इत्यष्टाक्षरमन्त्रतः ।
जपिताद्भावितान्नित्यं इष्टार्थाः स्युर्न संशयः ॥

The verse says that by daily repeating and meditating on the eight-syllable mantra "Om Sri Raghavendraya Namah", one's wishes are fulfilled, without doubt.

Verse 17

हन्तु नः कायजान् दोषान् आत्मात्मीयसमुद्भवान् ।
सर्वानपि पुमर्थांश्च ददातु गुरुरात्मवित् ॥

May the guru who knows the Self destroy our faults born of the body and those arising from ourselves and our own, and may he grant all the aims of human life.

Verse 18

इति कालत्रये नित्यं प्रार्थनां यः करोति सः ।
इहामुत्राप्तसर्वेष्टो मोदते नात्र संशयः ॥

The verse says that whoever offers this prayer daily at the three times of day obtains all wishes in this world and the next and rejoices, without doubt.

Verse 19

अगम्यमहिमा लोके राघवेन्द्रो महायशाः ।
श्रीमध्वमतदुग्धाब्धिचन्द्रोऽवतु सदाऽनघः ॥

Raghavendra, whose greatness is beyond the world's grasp and whose fame is great, the moon risen from the milk-ocean of Sri Madhva's doctrine, the sinless one, may he always protect us.

Verse 20

सर्वयात्राफलावाप्त्यै यथाशक्तिप्रदक्षिणम् ।
करोमि तव सिद्धस्य वृन्दावनगतं जलम् ।
शिरसा धारयाम्यद्य सर्वतीर्थफलाप्तये ॥

To gain the fruit of every pilgrimage, I walk around you, the perfected one, as far as I am able. Today I bear on my head the water from your Brindavana, to gain the fruit of all holy waters.

Verse 21

सर्वाभीष्टार्थसिद्ध्यर्थं नमस्कारं करोम्यहम् ।
तव सङ्कीर्तनं वेदशास्त्रार्थज्ञानसिद्धये ॥

For the fulfilment of all my wishes I bow to you, and I sing your praise to gain knowledge of the meaning of the Vedas and scriptures.

Verse 22

संसारेऽक्षयसागरे प्रकृतितोऽगाधे सदा दुस्तरे सर्वावद्यजलग्रहैरनुपमैः कामादिभङ्गाकुले ।
नानाविभ्रमदुर्भ्रमेऽमितभयस्तोमादिफेनोत्कटे दुःखोत्कृष्टविषे समुद्धर गुरो मा मग्नरूपं सदा ॥

Worldly life is an endless ocean, fathomless by nature and always hard to cross, full of the sea-monsters of every fault and tossed by waves of desire and the like, with whirlpools of confusion, foam of countless fears and the poison of sorrow. O Guru, always lift me out, for I am drowning in it.

Verse 23

राघवेन्द्रगुरुस्तोत्रं यः पठेद्भक्तिपूर्वकम् ।
तस्य कुष्ठादिरोगाणां निवृत्तिस्त्वरया भवेत् ॥

The verse says that whoever reads this hymn to Guru Raghavendra with devotion is quickly freed from leprosy and other diseases.

Verse 24

अन्धोऽपि दिव्यदृष्टिः स्यादेडमूकोऽपि वाक्पतिः ।
पूर्णायुः पूर्णसम्पत्तिः स्तोत्रस्यास्य जपाद्भवेत् ॥

The verse says that by reciting this hymn even the blind may gain divine sight and the deaf and dumb become masters of speech, and that full life and full prosperity follow.

Verse 25

यः पिबेज्जलमेतेन स्तोत्रेणैवाभिमन्त्रितम् ।
तस्य कुक्षिगता दोषाः सर्वे नश्यन्ति तत् क्षणात् ॥

The verse says that whoever drinks water consecrated with this hymn has all disorders of the stomach destroyed at once.

Verse 26

यद्वृन्दावनमासाद्य पङ्गुः खञ्जोऽपि वा जनः ।
स्तोत्रेणानेन यः कुर्यात् प्रदक्षिणनमस्कृती ।
स जङ्घालो भवेदेव गुरुराजप्रसादतः ॥

The verse says that even a lame or crippled person who reaches his Brindavana and walks around it and bows with this hymn becomes swift of foot by the grace of the king of gurus.

Verse 27

सोमसूर्योपरागे च पुष्यार्कादिसमागमे ।
योऽनुत्तममिदं स्तोत्रमष्टोत्तरशतं जपेत् ।
भूतप्रेतपिशाचादि पीडा तस्य न जायते ॥

The verse says that whoever chants this supreme hymn 108 times during an eclipse of the moon or sun, or on a conjunction such as Sunday with Pushya star, is not troubled by ghosts, spirits and the like.

Verse 28

एतत् स्तोत्रं समुच्चार्य गुरोर्वृन्दावनान्तिके ।
दीपसंयोजनाज्ज्ञानं पुत्रलाभो भवेद्ध्रुवम् ॥

The verse says that by reciting this hymn near the guru's Brindavana and lighting a lamp there, knowledge and the gift of a son surely follow.

Verse 29

परवादिजयो दिव्यज्ञानभक्त्यादिवर्धनम् ।
सर्वाभीष्टप्रवृद्धिः स्यान्नात्र कार्या विचारणा ॥

The verse says there will be victory over opponents in debate, growth of divine knowledge and devotion, and increase of all that is wished for, beyond any doubt.

Verse 30

राजचोरमहाव्याघ्रसर्पनक्रादिपीडनम् ।
न जायतेऽस्य स्तोत्रस्य प्रभावान्नात्र संशयः ॥

The verse says that by the power of this hymn no harm comes from kings, thieves, tigers, snakes, crocodiles and the like, without doubt.

Verse 31

यो भक्त्या गुरुराघवेन्द्रचरणद्वन्द्वं स्मरन् यः पठेत् स्तोत्रं दिव्यमिदं सदा न हि भवेत्तस्यासुखं किञ्चन ।
किं त्विष्टार्थसमृद्धिरेव कमलानाथप्रसादोदयात् कीर्तिर्दिग्विदिता विभूतिरतुला साक्षी हयास्योऽत्र हि ॥

Whoever always reads this divine hymn with devotion, remembering the two feet of Guru Raghavendra, meets no sorrow at all. The verse says that by the grace of the Lord of Lakshmi there come fulfilment of wishes, fame known in every direction and matchless prosperity, and that Hayagriva is the witness to this.

Verse 32

इति श्री राघवेन्द्रार्य गुरुराजप्रसादतः ।
कृतं स्तोत्रमिदं पुण्यं श्रीमद्भिर्ह्यप्पणाभिदैः ॥

Thus, by the grace of the noble Sri Raghavendra, king of gurus, this sacred hymn was composed by the revered one named Appana.

Closing

इति श्री अप्पण्णाचार्यविरचितं श्रीराघवेन्द्रस्तोत्रं सम्पूर्णम् ॥

Thus ends the Sri Raghavendra Stotram composed by Sri Appannacharya.

The syllable people get wrong

In satyadharmaratāya the syllable is rata, "devoted to", with a plain unaspirated t: say sat-ya-dhar-ma-ra-TAA-ya. Sounding it as rathāya, as it is often written in English letters, turns the word into "to the chariot".

When the Raghavendra Stotram is chanted

Festival. Raghavendra Aradhana at Mantralayam (Shravana)

Questions

The first line salutes Raghavendra as pujya, worthy of worship, and as one who delights in truth (satya) and dharma. The second line gives two images: to those who worship him (bhajatam) he is the kalpavriksha, the tree of heaven that grants wishes, and to those who bow (namatam) he is the kamadhenu, the cow of plenty. The whole verse is in the dative case, so every phrase reads "to him who is...", making it an offering of salutation.

The stotram is by Appanacharya, a disciple and contemporary of Raghavendra Tirtha, and verse 32 signs it: the hymn was made by the revered one named Appana, by the grace of the king of gurus. The couplets "Pujyaya Raghavendraya" and "Durvadi dhvanta ravaye" are traditionally attributed to him as well. Some printings number them 33 and 34 after the signature verse, and the same two couplets also open the shorter hymn known as the Anu Raghavendra Stotram.

"Om Sri Raghavendraya Namah" is a name mantra of eight syllables, and it is not a separate composition: verse 16 of the stotram quotes it and says that repeating and meditating on it daily brings what is wished for. The Pujyaya couplet is a full anushtubh verse of praise, describing who Raghavendra is to those who worship and bow to him.

The text is the same, but printings group some three-line verses differently. The common count of 32 treats the verses on Raghavendra's lineage (10 to 12) as three couplets and counts Appanacharya's signature verse as 32. One printing joins those lines into two verses and so ends at 31. Another adds the two mantra couplets as 33 and 34, and a few add two further verses beginning "Apadamauliparyantam" and "Mukopi yatprasadena", which are not printed here.

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