Dvadashakshari Stotram (Vishnu)
द्वादशाक्षरी स्तोत्रम्
What is the Dvadashakshari Stotram?
Dvadashakshari Stotram (Vishnu) The Dvadashakshari Stotram is a short Sanskrit hymn to Vishnu, traditionally ascribed to Sage Veda Vyasa, built around the twelve-syllable mantra Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. It has twelve verses whose opening syllables, read in order, spell out that very mantra, and each verse closes with the plea trahi mam Madhusudana, rescue me, O slayer of Madhu. A closing phalashruti verse promises the reciter Vishnu's supreme abode.
The Dvadashakshari Stotram is a compact Sanskrit prayer woven around the Dvadashakshara, the twelve-syllable mantra of Vishnu: ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय (Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya). Tradition attributes it to Sage Veda Vyasa. Its twelve verses form an acrostic, so that the first syllable of each verse, taken in sequence, reproduces the whole mantra, while every verse ends with the same cry for refuge: trahi mam Madhusudana. A thirteenth verse states the fruit of reciting or hearing the hymn.
Dvadashakshari Stotram Lyrics (Sanskrit & English)
Verses 1 to 12 open with the successive syllables of Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya (O / Na / Mo / Bha / Ga / Va / Te / Va / Su / De / Va / Ya); the final verse is the phalashruti. Refrain: trahi mam Madhusudana, rescue me, O slayer of Madhu.
Om iti jnanavastrena raganirnejanikrtah
karmanidram prapanno’smi trahi mam madhusudana
ओमिति ज्ञानवस्त्रेण रागनिर्णेजनीकृतः ।
कर्मनिद्रां प्रपन्नोऽस्मि त्राहि मां मधुसूदन ॥
Meaning
With the syllable Om as a cleansing cloth of knowledge I have washed the stains of worldly craving, yet I still lie sunk in the heavy sleep of past deeds. Rescue me, O slayer of Madhu.
na gatir vidyate canya tvam eva saranam mama
mayapankena lipto’smi trahi mam madhusudana
न गतिर्विद्यते चान्या त्वमेव शरणं मम ।
मायापङ्केन लिप्तोऽस्मि त्राहि मां मधुसूदन ॥
Meaning
No other path opens before me; you alone are my shelter. I am smeared over with the mire of illusion. Rescue me, O slayer of Madhu.
mohito mohajalena putradaragrhadisu
trsnaya pidyamano’smi trahi mam madhusudana
मोहितो मोहजालेन पुत्रदारगृहादिषु ।
तृष्णया पीड्यमानोऽस्मि त्राहि मां मधुसूदन ॥
Meaning
Caught in the net of delusion spread over son, wife, home and belongings, I am worn thin by unquenchable thirst for them. Rescue me, O slayer of Madhu.
bhaktihinam tu dinam ca duhkhasokasamanvitam
anasrayam anatham ca trahi mam madhusudana
भक्तिहीनं तु दीनं च दुःखशोकसमन्वितम् ।
अनाश्रयमनाथं च त्राहि मां मधुसूदन ॥
Meaning
I come to you empty of devotion, wretched, burdened with sorrow and pain, with no support and no protector of my own. Rescue me, O slayer of Madhu.
gatagataparisranto duradhvani ca karmanam
samsarabhayabhito’smi trahi mam madhusudana
गतागतपरिश्रान्तो दूराध्वनि च कर्मणाम् ।
संसारभयभीतोऽस्मि त्राहि मां मधुसूदन ॥
Meaning
Exhausted by the endless coming and going on the long road of action, I stand terrified of the whole cycle of birth and death. Rescue me, O slayer of Madhu.
vasito matrgarbhesu pidito’ham janardana
garbhavasaksayakara trahi mam madhusudana
वसितो मातृगर्भेषु पीडितोऽहं जनार्दन ।
गर्भावासक्षयकर त्राहि मां मधुसूदन ॥
Meaning
Lodged again and again in the wombs of many mothers, I have known deep suffering, O Janardana. You who can end this dwelling in the womb, rescue me, O slayer of Madhu.
tena deva prapanno’smi sattvasrayaparayana
jaramaranabhito’smi trahi mam madhusudana
तेन देव प्रपन्नोऽस्मि सत्त्वाश्रयपरायण ।
जरामरणभीतोऽस्मि त्राहि मां मधुसूदन ॥
Meaning
For this reason I surrender to you, O God who are the sure refuge of the pure of heart. Afraid of old age and death, I call out. Rescue me, O slayer of Madhu.
vaca tupakrtam papam karmana yad uparjitam
maya deva duracaram trahi mam madhusudana
वाचा तूपकृतं पापं कर्मणा यदुपार्जितम् ।
मया देव दुराचारं त्राहि मां मधुसूदन ॥
Meaning
To the wrongs already piled up I have added fresh sin by speech and by deed. For all this misconduct of mine, O God, rescue me, O slayer of Madhu.
sukrtam na krtam kincid duskrtam tu sada krtam
tenaham paritapto’smi trahi mam madhusudana
सुकृतं न कृतं किञ्चिद् दुष्कृतं तु सदा कृतम् ।
तेनाहं परितप्तोऽस्मि त्राहि मां मधुसूदन ॥
Meaning
Not a single good deed have I truly done, while wrong I have done without pause. Scorched by that reckoning, I burn within. Rescue me, O slayer of Madhu.
dehantarasahasresu kuyonisevita maya
tiryaktvam manusatvam ca trahi mam madhusudana
देहान्तरसहस्रेषु कुयोनिसेविता मया ।
तिर्यक्त्वं मानुषत्वं च त्राहि मां मधुसूदन ॥
Meaning
Through thousands of bodies I have wandered, serving out low births, passing from animal existence to human and back again. Rescue me, O slayer of Madhu.
vasudeva hrsikesa vaikuntha purusottama
srstisamharakarana trahi mam madhusudana
वासुदेव हृषीकेश वैकुण्ठ पुरुषोत्तम ।
सृष्टिसंहारकरण त्राहि मां मधुसूदन ॥
Meaning
O Vasudeva, O Hrishikesha, O Lord of Vaikuntha, O Supreme Person, cause of creation and of dissolution, rescue me, O slayer of Madhu.
yatraham agamisyami nari va puruso’pi va
tatra tatra ca te bhaktis trahi mam madhusudana
यत्राहमागमिष्यामि नारी वा पुरुषोऽपि वा ।
तत्र तत्र च ते भक्तिस्त्राहि मां मधुसूदन ॥
Meaning
Into whatever birth I next arrive, whether as woman or as man, let my love for you go with me there. Rescue me, O slayer of Madhu.
Phalashruti
dvadasarnastutim imam yah pathed yac chrnuyad api
sa yati paramam sthanam yatra yogesvaro harih
द्वादशार्णस्तुतिमिमां यः पठेद्यच्छृणुयादपि ।
स याति परमं स्थानं यत्र योगेश्वरो हरिः ॥
Meaning
Whoever recites this hymn of the twelve syllables, or even listens to it, reaches the supreme abode where Hari, the Lord of Yoga, dwells.
Meaning & Significance
The hymn reads as the confession of a soul tired of the cycle of rebirth. Verse by verse the speaker names the things that bind him, worldly craving, family attachment, the weight of past karma, the fear of old age and death, and returns each time to the same refuge: trahi mam Madhusudana, rescue me, O slayer of Madhu. Madhusudana is a name of Vishnu who destroyed the demon Madhu, and here it stands for the Lord who cuts through inner darkness.
What makes the stotram remarkable is its hidden design. The opening syllables of the twelve verses, read one after another, spell the twelve-syllable mantra itself: ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय. So the prayer both praises the mantra and quietly reconstructs it, letting the reciter meditate on each syllable in turn while pouring out a very human plea for grace.
How to Chant the Dvadashakshari Stotram
- Settle and purify – Bathe, sit on a clean seat before an image of Vishnu, Krishna or a Vasudeva form, and light a lamp if you can.
- Fix the intention – Take a moment of stillness, remember that the hymn carries the twelve-syllable mantra, and offer the recitation as surrender rather than demand.
- Recite verse by verse – Read each verse aloud at a steady, unhurried pace, letting the opening syllable and the closing refrain trahi mam Madhusudana register clearly.
- Follow the acrostic – As you move through the twelve verses, notice their first syllables forming Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, so the whole mantra passes through the mind.
- Close with the phalashruti – End with the thirteenth verse, then sit quietly for a few breaths before offering a simple pranama.
What Are the Benefits of Chanting?
Devotees turn to the Dvadashakshari Stotram both as praise of Vishnu and as a doorway into his twelve-syllable mantra. Its traditional and devotional benefits include:
- Carries the mantra: Each recitation quietly rebuilds the Dvadashakshara mantra Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, so even a short reading keeps the mantra alive in the mind.
- A prayer of surrender: The repeated plea trahi mam Madhusudana trains the heart in refuge and letting go, which is the core of Vaishnava bhakti.
- Steadies the mind in fear and grief: The verses speak directly to fear of death, loss and the weariness of samsara, offering comfort in difficult times.
- Promise of the supreme abode: The closing phalashruti states that whoever recites or even hears the hymn attains the highest station where Hari, the Lord of Yoga, dwells.
- Simple and daily-friendly: Short enough to fit into a daily routine yet complete as a self-contained Vishnu prayer, suitable for beginners and regular sadhaks alike.
- Cultivates lifelong devotion: The wish that love for the Lord follow the soul into every future birth makes it a prayer for enduring, life-after-life devotion.
Who Composed This Stotram?
The Dvadashakshari Stotram belongs to the Vaishnava devotional tradition and is commonly attributed to Sage Veda Vyasa. It is built entirely upon the Dvadashakshara or twelve-syllable mantra, ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय, which the Bhagavata tradition holds to be among the most important mantras of Vishnu and Krishna. Rather than describe the mantra from outside, the hymn embeds it: the first syllables of its twelve verses reconstruct the mantra syllable by syllable.
A note on names: at least two different Sanskrit texts circulate under the title Dvadashakshara Stotra. One is a longer acrostic that names the twenty-four vyuha forms of Vishnu (the Chaturvimshati-murti). The hymn presented here is the shorter, more widely recited Veda Vyasa prayer, recognisable by its refrain trahi mam Madhusudana and its plain, heartfelt tone of surrender.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Dvadashakshari mantra?
Dvadashakshari means twelve-syllabled. It refers to the mantra Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, counted as twelve syllables (Om-Na-Mo-Bha-Ga-Va-Te-Va-Su-De-Va-Ya), a central mantra of Vishnu and Krishna in the Vaishnava tradition.
How is the Dvadashakshari Stotram connected to the mantra?
The stotram is an acrostic. The opening syllable of each of its twelve verses, read in order, spells out the twelve-syllable mantra Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, so reciting the hymn also carries the reciter through the whole mantra.
Who composed the Dvadashakshari Stotram?
Tradition attributes the hymn to Sage Veda Vyasa. It is preserved and recited within the Vaishnava devotional tradition as a prayer of surrender to Vishnu.
What does trahi mam Madhusudana mean?
It means rescue me, O slayer of Madhu. Madhusudana is a name of Vishnu, who destroyed the demon Madhu; the phrase is the refrain that closes each verse of the stotram as a repeated plea for refuge.
When should the Dvadashakshari Stotram be recited?
It can be recited daily, ideally in the morning after bath or at evening lamp time. Thursdays, Ekadashi, Vaikuntha Ekadashi and Janmashtami are considered especially auspicious, and many turn to it in moments of fear or grief.
What is the benefit of reciting this stotram?
Besides keeping the twelve-syllable mantra in the mind and cultivating devotion and surrender, its closing verse promises that whoever recites or even hears the hymn attains the supreme abode of Hari, the Lord of Yoga.
॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥