Shiva Tandava Stotram
शिवताण्डवस्तोत्रम्
The cosmic hymn of rhythmic power composed by Ravana in the Panchachamara meter, celebrating Shiva's ecstatic cosmic dance (Ananda Tandava) atop Mount Kailash.
Chanted for boundless inner strength, conquering speech and breath control (Pranayama), removing egoic delusions, and attracting intense meditative absorption in Shiva consciousness.
दोहा (Opening Dohas)
॥ ॐ नमः शिवाय ॥ जटाटवीगलज्जलप्रवाहपावितस्थले गलेऽवलम्ब्य लम्बितां भुजङ्गतुङ्गमालिकाम्। डमड्डमड्डमड्डमन्निनादवड्डमर्वयं चकार चण्डताण्डवं तनोतु नः शिवः शिवम्॥
|| Om Namaḥ Śivāya || Jaṭāṭavīgalajjalapravāhapāvitasthale gale'valambya lambitāṃ bhujaṅgatuṅgamālikām | Ḍamaḍḍamaḍḍamaḍḍaman ninādavaḍḍamarvayaṃ cakāra caṇḍatāṇḍavaṃ tanotu naḥ śivaḥ śivam ||
With his neck consecrated by the celestial waters cascading through the dense forest of his matted hair, wearing a lofty serpent coiled around his throat as a garland, and his Damaru drum beating out 'Damad Damad Damad Damad', may that Lord Shiva, performing his fierce cosmic dance of dissolution, expand our supreme auspiciousness!
श्लोक (Verses)
जटाकटाहसम्भ्रमभ्रमन्निरिम्पनिर्झरी- विलोलवीचिवल्लरीविराजमानमूर्धनि। धगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वलल्ललाटपट्टपावके किशोरचन्द्रशेखरे रतिः प्रतिक्षणं मम॥
Jaṭākaṭāhasambhramabhramannilimpanirjharī- vilolavīcivallarīvirājamānamūrdhani | Dhagaddhagaddhagajjvalallalāṭapaṭṭapāvake kiśoracandraśekhare ratiḥ pratikṣaṇaṃ mama ||
धराधरेन्द्रनन्दिनीविलासबन्धुबन्धुर- स्फुरद्दिगन्तसन्ततिप्रमोदमानमानसे। कृपाकटाक्षधोरणीनिरुद्धदुर्धरापदि क्वचिद्दिगम्बरे मनो विनोदमेतु वस्तुनि॥
Dharādharendranandinīvilāsabandhubandhura- sphuraddigantasantatipramodamānamānase | Kṛpākaṭākṣadhoraṇīniruddhadurdharāpadi kvaciddigambare mano vinodametu vastuni ||
जटाभुजङ्गपिङ्गलस्फुरत्फणामणिप्रभा- कदम्बकुङ्कुमद्रवप्रलिप्तदिग्वadhūmukhe। मदान्धसिन्धुरस्फुरत्त्वगुत्तरीयमेदुरे मनो विनोदमद्भुतं बिभर्तु भूतभर्तरि॥
Jaṭābhujaṅgapiṅgalasphuratphaṇāmaṇiprabhā- kadambakuṅkumadravapraliptadigvadhūmukhe | Madāndhasindhurasphurattvaguttarīyamedure mano vinodamadbhutaṃ bibhartu bhūtabhartari ||
सहस्रलोचनप्रभृत्यशेषलेखशेखर- प्रसूनधूलिधोरणीविधूसराङ्घ्रिपीठभूः। भुजङ्गराजमालया निबद्धजाटजूटकः श्रियै चिराय जायतां चकोरबन्धुशेखरः॥
Sahasralocanaprabhṛtyaśeṣalekhaśekhara- prasūnadhūlidhoranīvidhūsarāṅghripīṭhabhūḥ | Bhujaṅgarājamālayā nibaddhajāṭajūṭakaḥ śriyai cirāya jāyatāṃ cakorabandhuśekharaḥ ||
ललाटचत्वरज्वलद्धनञ्जयस्फुलिङ्गभा- निपीतपञ्चसायकं नमन्निलिम्पनायकम्। सुधामयूखलेखया विराजमानशेखरं महाकपालिसम्पदेशिरोजटालमस्तु नः॥
Lalāṭacatvarajvaladdhanañjayasphuliṅgabhā- nipītapañcasāyakaṃ namannilimpanāyakam | Sudhāmayūkhalekhayā virājamānaśekharaṃ mahākapālisampadeśirojaṭālamastu naḥ ||
करालभालपट्टिकाधगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वल- द्धनञ्जयाहुतीकृतप्रचण्डपञ्चसायके। धराधरेन्द्रनन्दिनीकुचाग्रचित्रपत्रक- प्रकल्पनैकशिल्पिनि त्रिलोचने रतिर्मम॥
Karālabhālapaṭṭikādhagaddhagaddhagajjvala- ddhanañjayāhutīkṛtapracaṇḍapañcasāyake | Dharādharendranandinīkucāgracitrapatraka- prakalpanaikaśilpini trilocane ratirmama ||
नवीनमेघमण्डलीनिरुद्धदुर्धरस्फुरत्- कुहूनिशीथिनीतमः प्रबन्धबद्धकन्धरः। निलिम्पनिर्झरीधरस्तनोतु कृत्तिसिन्धुरः कलानिधानबन्धुरः श्रियं जगद्धुरंधरः॥
Navīnameghamaṇḍalīniruddhadurdharasphurat- kuhūnīśīthinītamaḥ prabandhabaddhakandharaḥ | Nilimpanirjharīdharastanotu kṛttisindhuraḥ kalānidhānabandhuraḥ śriyaṃ jagaddhuraṃdharaḥ ||
प्रफुल्लनीलपङ्कजप्रपञ्चकालिमप्रभा- वलम्बिकण्ठकन्दलीरुचिप्रबद्धकन्धरम्। स्मरच्छिदं पुरच्छिदं भवच्छिदं मखच्छिदं गजच्छिदान्धकच्छिदं तमन्तकच्छिदं भजे॥
Praphullanīlapaṅkajaprapañcakālimaprabhā- valambikaṇṭhakandalīruciprabaddhakandharam | Smaracchidaṃ puracchidaṃ bhavacchidaṃ makhacchidaṃ gajacchidāndhakacchidaṃ tamantakacchidaṃ bhaje ||
अखर्वसर्वमङ्गलाकलाकदम्बमञ्जरी- रसप्रवाहमाधुरीविजृम्भणामधुव्रतम्। स्मरान्तकं पुरान्तकं भवान्तकं मखान्तकं गजान्तकान्धकान्तकं तमन्तकान्तकं भजे॥
Akharvasarvamaṅgalākalākadambamañjarī- rasapravāhamādhurīvijṛmbhaṇāmadhuvratam | Smarāntakaṃ purāntakaṃ bhavāntakaṃ makhāntakaṃ gajāntakāndhakāntakaṃ tamantakāntakaṃ bhaje ||
जयत्वदभ्रविभ्रमभ्रमद्भुजङ्गमश्वस- द्विनिर्गमत्क्रमस्फुरत्करालभालमञ्जले। धमिद्धमिद्धमिध्वनन्मृदङ्गतुङ्गमङ्गल- ध्वनिक्रमप्रवर्तितप्रचण्डताण्डवः शिवः॥
Jayatvadabhravibhramabhramadbhujaṅgamaśvasa- dvinirgamatkramasphuratkarālabhālamañjale | Dhamiddhamiddhamidhvananmṛdaṅgatuṅgamaṅgala- dhvanikramapravartitapracaṇḍatāṇḍavaḥ śivaḥ ||
दृषद्विचित्रतल्पयोर्भुजङ्गमौक्तिकस्रजो- र्गरिष्ठरत्नलोष्ठयोः सुहृद्विपक्षपक्षयोः। तृणारविन्दचक्षुषोः प्रजामहीमहेन्द्रयोः समप्रवृत्तिकः कदा सदाशिवं भजाम्यहम्॥
Dṛṣadvicitratalpayorbhujaṅgamauktikasrajo- rgariṣṭharatnaloṣṭhayoḥ suhṛdvipakṣapakṣayoḥ | Tṛṇāravindacakṣuṣoḥ prajāmahīmahendrayoḥ samapravṛttikaḥ kadā sadāśivaṃ bhajāmyaham ||
कदा निलिम्पनिर्झरीनिकुञ्जकोटरे वसन् विमुक्तदुर्मतिः सदा शिरःस्थमञ्जलिं वहन्। विमुक्तलोललोचनो ललामभाललग्नकः शिवेति मन्त्रमुच्चरन् कदा सुखी भवाम्यहम्॥
Kadā nilimpanirjharīnikuñjakoṭare vasan vimuktadurmatiḥ sadā śiraḥsthamañjaliṃ vahan | Vimuktalolalocano lalāmabhālalagnakaḥ śiveti mantramuccaran kadā sukhī bhavāmyaham ||
इमं हि नित्यमेवमुक्तमुत्तमोत्तमं स्तवं पठन्स्मरन्ब्रुवन्नरो विशुद्धिमेति सन्ततम्। हरे गुरौ सुभक्तिमाशु याति नान्यथा गतिं विमोहनं हि देहिनां सुशङ्करस्य चिन्तनम्॥
Imaṃ hi nityamevamuktamuttamottamaṃ stavaṃ paṭhan smaran bruvannaro viśuddhimeti santatam | Hare gurau subhaktimāśu yāti nānyathā gatiṃ vimohanaṃ hi dehināṃ suśaṅkarasya cintanam ||
पूजावसानसमये दशवक्त्रगीतं यः शम्भुपूजनपरं पठति प्रदोषे। तस्य स्थिरां रथगजेन्द्रतुरङ्गयुक्तां लक्ष्मीं सदैव सुमुखीं प्रददाति शम्भुः॥
Pūjāvasānasamaye daśavaktragītaṃ yaḥ śambhupūjanaparaṃ paṭhati pradoṣe | Tasya sthirāṃ rathagajendraturāṅgayuktāṃ lakṣmīṃ sadaiva sumukhīṃ pradadāti śambhuḥ ||
॥ इति श्रीरावणकृतं शिवताण्डवस्तोत्रं सम्पूर्णम् ॥ ॐ तत्सत् श्रीसाम्बसदाशिवाय नमः॥
|| Iti Śrīrāvaṇakṛtaṃ Śivatāṇḍavastotraṃ Sampūrṇam || Om Tat Sat Śrī Sāmbasadāśivāya Namaḥ ||
समापन दोहा (Concluding Doha)
ॐ नमः शिवाय शुभं भवतु। सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधिके॥
Om Namaḥ Śivāya Śubhaṃ Bhavatu | Sarvamaṅgalamāṅgalye Śive Sarvārthasādhike ||
Om. Salutations to Lord Shiva. May auspiciousness prevail everywhere. To the all-auspicious Shiva, the accomplisher of all righteous aims of life, we bow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed the Shiva Tandava Stotram and what is its origin?
The Shiva Tandava Stotram was composed by Lankeshwar Ravana, the king of Lanka and master scholar of the Vedas. According to the Uttara Kanda of the Ramayana and Shiva Purana, when Ravana arrogantly tried to uproot Mount Kailash, Lord Shiva pressed the mountain down with his big toe, trapping Ravana's arms. In agonized devotion and realization of divine majesty, Ravana spontaneously composed and sang this 15-verse masterpiece of rhythm and meter. Shiva was deeply pleased, released him, and gave him the divine Chandrahasa sword.
What Sanskrit poetic meter is used in the Shiva Tandava Stotram?
The hymn is composed in the magnificent 'Panchachamara' meter (पञ्चचामर छन्द), a rhythmic prosody where short and long syllables alternate strictly (laghu-guru rhythm: ISI ISI ISI ISI IS). This creates an irresistible drum-like acoustic cadence that mirrors the beating of Shiva's Damaru drum during his cosmic dance.
When is the most powerful time to recite the Shiva Tandava Stotram?
The 14th verse explicitly recommends chanting it during Pradosha Kala (the twilight window 90 minutes before and after sunset, especially on Pradosha Vrat or Mondays), and at midnight during Maha Shivaratri. It induces high vitality, removes lethargy, and clears negative thought patterns.