Durga Saptashati Aarti
जगजननी जय जय
What is the Durga Saptashati Aarti?
Jagjanani Aarti The Durga Saptashati Aarti, better known by its opening words 'Jagjanani Jai Jai', is the traditional hymn sung to close a recitation of the Durga Saptashati, praising the Divine Mother as the source of all creation.
The Durga Saptashati Aarti is the aarti most often sung right after a devotee finishes reading the Durga Saptashati, also called the Devi Mahatmya or Chandi Path. Its opening line, Jagjanani jai jai, gives the hymn its popular name. Across thirteen short verses it addresses the Goddess as the mother of the whole universe, the power behind Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and the refuge her children turn to when they feel helpless.
Durga Saptashati Aarti Lyrics (English)
Roman transliteration for easy chanting. Tap “Meaning” under any verse for the English translation.
Refrain
Jagjanani jai jai, Maa jagjanani jai jai
Bhayaharini, bhavatarini, bhavabhamini jai jai
Tu hi sat-chit-sukhmay shuddh brahmarupa
Satya sanatan sundar par-shiv sur-bhupa
Meaning
You alone are pure Being, Consciousness and Bliss, the formless Brahman itself. Ever true and beautiful, you are the supreme Shiva and the sovereign of the gods.
Aadi anadi anamay avichal avinashi
Amal anant agochar aj aanandarashi
Meaning
You are the beginning yet have no beginning, free of flaw, unmoving and imperishable. Spotless and endless, beyond the reach of the senses, unborn, you are a treasure-store of joy.
Avikari, aghahari, akal, kaladhari
Kartta vidhi, bhartta hari, har sanharkari
Meaning
Changeless yet the remover of sin, beyond division yet holding every art within you. You become Brahma who creates, Vishnu who sustains, and Shiva who dissolves.
Tu vidhivadhu, rama, tu uma, mahamaya
Mool prakriti vidya tu, tu janani, jaya
Meaning
You are the consort of Brahma, of Vishnu as Rama, and of Shiva as Uma; you are the great Maya. You are primordial Nature and knowledge itself, both the mother and the bride.
Ram, krishna tu, sita, vrajrani radha
Tu vanchhakalpadrum, harini sab badha
Meaning
You shine as Rama and Krishna, as Sita and as Radha the queen of Vraj. You are the wish-granting tree that fulfils every desire and clears away every obstacle.
Dash vidya, nav durga, nanashastrakara
Ashtamatrika, yogini, nav nav roop dhara
Meaning
You are the ten Mahavidyas and the nine Durgas, holding many weapons in your hands. You are the eight Matrikas and the Yoginis, taking form after new form.
Tu paradhamnivasini, mahavilasini tu
Tu hi shmashanviharini, tandavlasini tu
Meaning
You dwell in the highest abode and delight in supreme play. You are also the one who wanders the cremation ground and revels in the Tandava dance.
Sur-muni-mohini saumya tu shobhaadhara
Vivasan vikat-sarupa, pralayamayi dhara
Meaning
Gentle and serene, you charm gods and sages as the very ground of beauty. Yet you also take the bare, fearsome form that pours out as the flood of dissolution.
Tu hi sneh-sudhamayi, tu ati garalmana
Ratnavibhushit tu hi, tu hi asthi-tana
Meaning
You are made of the nectar of love, and you can also be intense like poison. You are the one adorned with jewels, and equally the one whose body is bare bone.
Muladharnivasini, ih-par-siddhiprade
Kalatita kali, kamala tu varade
Meaning
Seated in the Muladhara at the base of the spine, you grant success in this world and the next. Beyond all time, you are Kali and Kamala, the giver of boons.
Shakti shaktidhar tu hi nitya abhedamayi
Bhedapradarshini vani vimale vedatrayi
Meaning
You are both the power and the one who holds it, forever undivided. You are the speech that reveals every distinction, the pure one who is the three Vedas.
Ham ati deen dukhi maa, vipat-jaal ghere
Hain kapoot ati kapati, par balak tere
Meaning
We are wretched and full of sorrow, Mother, trapped in nets of trouble. We are unworthy and full of tricks, but we are still your own children.
Nij swabhavvash janani, dayadrishti kijai
Karuna kar karunamayi, charan-sharan dijai
Meaning
By your own loving nature, Mother, turn your compassionate glance toward us. Merciful one, show us grace and grant us the shelter of your feet.
Meaning & Significance
This aarti works as a compact praise of the Goddess that gathers up the ideas spread across the seven hundred verses of the Durga Saptashati. It names her as the formless absolute, as primordial Nature, and as the single power behind the roles of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, so a reader who has just finished the long text hears its whole message repeated in a few minutes.
The closing verses shift from philosophy to feeling. After describing the Mother in her calm and her fierce forms, the singer admits to being flawed and troubled, then asks only for her compassionate glance and the shelter of her feet. That movement from cosmic praise to a simple plea for grace is why the hymn is used to end a recitation, offering the completed reading back to the Goddess.
How Do You Perform This Aarti?
- Finish the reading first. — This aarti is meant to close a recitation of the Durga Saptashati or Chandi Path, so complete the chapters or the portion you have taken up before you begin.
- Light the lamp. — Prepare a ghee or oil lamp on the aarti plate, along with incense, and stand or sit before the image or picture of Maa Durga.
- Sing with the refrain. — Begin with 'Jagjanani jai jai' and return to that line after each verse, moving the lamp in slow clockwise circles before the Goddess.
- Offer the flame. — At the end, let others present take darshan of the flame, then offer a final pranam and share any prasad that was kept for the Devi.
What Are the Benefits of Singing This Aarti?
Singing this aarti is the customary way to seal a Durga Saptashati recitation and turn the completed reading into an offering.
- Completes the path: It brings a formal, devotional close to the Saptashati or Chandi Path, marking the reading as finished and offered.
- Sums up the teaching: In a short span it restates the central idea of the Devi Mahatmya, that one Mother is the power behind all forms and all gods.
- Steadies the mind: The steady refrain and the slow movement of the lamp help calm the breath and settle attention after a long recitation.
- Invites grace: The final verses ask directly for the Mother's compassion and shelter, which is the mood devotees carry away from the ritual.
Who Wrote This Aarti?
The aarti is traditional and its author is not recorded with certainty. It has long circulated in printed Durga Saptashati books and prayer collections under the name ‘Shri Deviji Ki Aarti’, which is why it became the standard hymn for closing the Chandi Path. Because it passed through oral and print tradition, small differences in wording appear between editions, but the opening ‘Jagjanani jai jai’ and the closing plea for the Mother’s feet stay the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Durga Saptashati Aarti?
It is the aarti 'Jagjanani Jai Jai', traditionally sung to conclude a recitation of the Durga Saptashati or Devi Mahatmya, praising Maa Durga as the mother of the universe.
When should this aarti be sung?
It is usually sung right after finishing the Saptashati or Chandi Path, and it is also sung during Navratri, Durga Puja, and daily Devi worship.
Is this the same as Ambe Tu Hai Jagdambe Kali or Om Jai Ambe Gauri?
No. Those are separate Durga aartis. This aarti begins with 'Jagjanani jai jai' and is the one specifically linked with completing the Durga Saptashati reading.
How many verses does it have?
It has a recurring refrain followed by thirteen short verses, each a two-line couplet praising a different aspect of the Goddess.
Which Goddess does this aarti address?
It addresses Maa Durga in her fullness, naming her also as Kali, Kamala, Uma, Rama and the ten Mahavidyas, treating all these as one Divine Mother.
॥ जगजननी जय जय ॥