Grishneshwar Stotram

By the BhaktiRas Editorial Team · Updated 16 July 2026

The Grishneshwar Stotram is how millions of devotees name and salute Grishneshwar, the deity of the twelfth Jyotirlinga, whose small but ancient temple stands a short walk from the Ellora rock-cut caves near Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) in Maharashtra. Here Shiva is worshipped as the one who answered the prayers of a devout woman named Ghushma, which is why the linga carries the names Ghrishneshwar, Ghushmeshwar and Grishneshwar in different tellings.One point worth being honest about: unlike hymns such as the Shiva Tandava Stotram, there is no separate eight-verse Grishneshwar ashtakam in common use. What tradition has preserved instead is the Grishneshwar verse that sits inside the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram. On this page you will find that authentic dedicated verse, composed in Adi Shankaracharya’s longer recension, along with the well-known naming couplet and phalashruti couplet that place Ghrishnesha among the twelve luminous lingas and describe the fruit of chanting them.

Grishneshwar Stotram Lyrics (Sanskrit & English)

Meaning & Significance

Read together, these three short passages carry the whole idea of a Grishneshwar Stotram. The first verse does the work of praise and surrender at once: it locates Shiva in a real place, Ilapura or Ellora, and calls him mahodara-tara-svabhava, one whose nature is generosity taken to its furthest degree. That word matters, because Grishneshwar’s own legend is a story about grace given freely to an ordinary devotee rather than to a king or a sage.

The second verse is a map. By naming Ghrishnesha in the same breath as Vishwanath of Kashi, Tryambakeshwar on the Godavari and Kedarnath in the Himalaya, it reminds the reciter that the humble Ellora shrine belongs to the same circle of twelve Jyotirlingas, the self-manifest columns of light through which Shiva is said to be present. The closing verse then turns from geography to the heart: chant these names morning and evening, it says, and the accumulated weight of many births begins to dissolve. Taken as a set, the Grishneshwar Stotram moves from worship, to belonging, to release.

How to Chant the Grishneshwar Stotram

1. Settle and face a lamp or image – Sit calmly before a Shiva linga, a photo of the Grishneshwar shrine, or a simple oil lamp. Take a few slow breaths so the mind is quiet before you begin.
2. Open with the Shiva mantra – Begin with 'Om Namah Shivaya' three times. This centres the practice on Shiva and prepares you to speak the Grishneshwar verse with attention rather than haste.
3. Recite the dedicated verse – Chant the first verse, the Ilapure Ghrishneshwar verse, reading the Sanskrit or its transliteration slowly. Let each half-line finish before you move to the next.
4. Add the naming and phalashruti couplets – Follow with the naming couplet that places Ghrishnesha among the twelve Jyotirlingas, then the phalashruti verse. If you know the full Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram, you may chant all twelve names here.
5. Close with a moment of stillness – End again with 'Om Namah Shivaya', then sit quietly for a few seconds. This pause lets the sound settle, which many reciters feel is the real point of the practice.

What Are the Benefits of Chanting?

Devotees turn to the Grishneshwar Stotram for the same reasons pilgrims still travel to the small Ellora shrine: it is a direct, unshowy way of placing yourself before Shiva. The benefits below reflect how the verses are traditionally understood, not medical or guaranteed outcomes.

• Freedom from past wrongs: The phalashruti verse promises that sincere morning-and-evening recitation loosens the burden of misdeeds carried across many births.
• A steadier, calmer mind: Chanting the same short verses daily gives the attention something clean to rest on, which reciters describe as a settling of anxiety and restlessness.
• Connection to all twelve Jyotirlingas: Because the naming couplet invokes Ghrishnesha alongside Kashi, Kedar and the rest, one short recitation links you to the whole circle of Jyotirlinga worship.
• A devotional link to Ellora: For those who cannot visit Maharashtra, the stotram is a way to keep the Grishneshwar shrine present in daily practice from anywhere.
• Support in Shiva vratas: The verses fit naturally into Monday fasting, Pradosha and Maha Shivaratri observances, adding a focused Grishneshwar salutation to the day.
• Grace echoing Ghushma's story: Grishneshwar's own legend rewards simple, patient devotion, so the stotram is often chanted as a prayer for faith that holds firm through hardship.

Who Composed This Stotram?

The name Grishneshwar comes from the story of Ghushma, a devoted woman who made and immersed a hundred clay Shiva lingas each day. When grief struck her family, the Shiva Purana tells that her unbroken faith moved Shiva to appear on that very spot and restore what was lost. The linga that emerged is worshipped as Ghushmeshwar, later softened in speech to Ghrishneshwar and Grishneshwar, and it is counted as the twelfth Jyotirlinga.

The temple itself sits at Verul, beside the Ellora caves near Aurangabad in Maharashtra, and the present red-stone structure is associated with the eighteenth-century patronage of Ahilyabai Holkar. The dedicated Grishneshwar verse chanted here belongs to the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, which salutes each of the twelve Jyotirlingas in turn. Because that hymn preserves a full verse for Ghrishneshwar and the popular short stotram names him among the twelve, these passages together have served for centuries as the working Grishneshwar Stotram.

Frequently Asked Questions

॥ ॐ नमः शिवाय ॥