Kedarnath Stotram
केदारनाथ स्तोत्रम्
What is the Kedarnath Stotram?
Kedarnath Stotram The Kedarnath Stotram is not a stand-alone eight-verse ashtakam. It is the Kedarnath-specific portion of Adi Shankaracharya's Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram, the Sanskrit hymn that names and praises all twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva. Kedarnath gets its own descriptive verse in the longer version of that hymn and its own naming line in the shorter version, and both are traditionally chanted together before or during the Kedarnath Yatra.
Kedarnath sits higher and colder than any of the other eleven Jyotirlingas, set into the Himalayas at the head of the Mandakini valley, and its place in Sanskrit hymnody reflects that same distinct standing. Rather than a separate ashtakam of its own, Kedarnath is honoured inside the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram, the twelve-verse hymn traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya that moves through all twelve Jyotirlingas one by one. What gets shared online as a ‘Kedarnath Stotram’ is really this Kedarnath verse, paired with the short naming line from the compact three-verse Jyotirlinga mnemonic that many households already recite each morning. Chanted before a Kedarnath Yatra, on a Monday, or during Shravan, these lines carry the same weight as a dedicated stotram even though they were composed as part of a larger hymn.
Kedarnath Stotram Lyrics (Sanskrit & English)
These are the two genuine Kedarnath-specific verses recorded in the Sanskrit tradition, not an invented ashtakam: the elaborate verse from Adi Shankaracharya's Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram, and the naming line from the shorter Jyotirlinga mnemonic, closed by the phalashruti that ends the longer hymn. Text verified against sanskritdocuments.org, Sanskrit Bhuvan, Greenmesg and Wiralfeed.
Mahadri-parshve cha tate ramantam sampujyamanam satatam munindraih
Surasurair yaksha-mahoragadhyaih kedaram-isham shivam-eka-mide
महाद्रिपार्श्वे च तटे रमन्तं सम्पूज्यमानं सततं मुनीन्द्रैः।
सुरासुरैर्यक्षमहोरगाढ्यैः केदारमीशं शिवमेकमीडे॥
Meaning
On the flank of the great Himalayan range, on that sacred bank, dwells the one Shiva who takes his ease there always. Sages worship him without pause, and gods, demons, yakshas and the great serpent beings gather around the same spot out of the same devotion. I bow to this one Lord, Kedareshwar.
Himalaye tu Kedaram Ghushmesham cha Shivalaye
हिमालये तु केदारं घुश्मेशं च शिवालये।
Meaning
In the Himalayas is Kedaram, and at Shivalaya is Ghushmesha, the closing line of the shorter three-verse Jyotirlinga naming verse that lists all twelve lights of Shiva in a single easily remembered breath, with Kedarnath named alongside Ghushmeshwar near Verul.
Phalashruti
Jyotirmaya-dvadasha-lingakanam shivatmanam proktam idam kramena
Stotram pathitva manujo’ti-bhaktya phalam tadalokya nijam bhajech cha
ज्योतिर्मयद्वादशलिङ्गकानां शिवात्मनां प्रोक्तमिदं क्रमेण।
स्तोत्रं पठित्वा मनुजोऽतिभक्त्या फलं तदालोक्य निजं भजेच्च॥
Meaning
These twelve radiant lingas, each a form of Shiva himself, have now been described in their proper order. Whoever reads this hymn with heartfelt devotion goes on to witness and receive the very fruit it promises, in their own life.
Meaning & Significance
The elaborate verse pictures Kedarnath much as pilgrims still find it today: a Shiva lingam set against the side of a great mountain, on a river bank, encircled by sages and by unseen beings alike, gods, demons, yakshas and serpent spirits, all drawn to the same spot for the same reason. The verse does not separate the human pilgrim from the celestial one; both are shown circling the same Jyotirlinga. The naming couplet does something different: it simply fixes Kedarnath’s place on the list of Shiva’s twelve lights, pairing the Himalayan shrine with Ghushmeshwar in the same line, the way a well-remembered list keeps two facts linked together. Read one after the other, the two verses do the work of a dedicated stotram without ever claiming to be one.
How to Chant the Kedarnath Stotram
- Sit facing a Shiva image – Settle in a clean, quiet space, keeping an image of Kedarnath or a Shiva lingam in view if you have one.
- Start with Om Namah Shivaya – Three rounds of the panchakshari mantra settle the mind before the Sanskrit verse begins.
- Chant the Mahadri-parshve verse slowly – Read the elaborate Kedarnath verse from the transliteration first, then repeat it from memory once the sounds feel familiar.
- Add the Himalaye tu Kedaram line – This short naming line works on its own on busier mornings when time is short.
- Close with the phalashruti – End with the closing verse, which turns the recitation into a completed stotram rather than an unfinished fragment.
What Are the Benefits of Chanting?
Sanskrit tradition ties the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram, and each of its twelve verses individually, to a short list of everyday benefits rather than dramatic promises. Here is what regular chanting is traditionally said to support.
- Steadier focus before travel: Reciting the Kedarnath verse before setting out on the Kedarnath Yatra is a traditional way to settle the mind before a physically demanding pilgrimage.
- A sense of connection to the shrine: For devotees who cannot travel to the Himalayas every year, the verse offers a way to stay connected to Kedarnath from anywhere.
- Shared merit through the phalashruti: The closing verse extends the merit of chanting all twelve Jyotirlinga verses to anyone who recites even one of them with sincerity.
- A simple daily Shiva practice: The naming couplet is short enough to fold into a two-minute morning routine, unlike longer stotras that need more time.
- Continuity with a wider tradition: Chanting Kedarnath's portion of the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram links a home practice to the same words pilgrims have used at the shrine for generations.
Who Composed This Stotram?
The Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram is traditionally credited to Adi Shankaracharya, the eighth-century philosopher-saint who is also closely tied to Kedarnath’s own history, since tradition holds that he revived worship at the temple and later took samadhi close behind the main shrine. That connection may be part of why Kedarnath’s verse in the stotram reads with such particular detail, the mountain and the sages worshipping there described almost from direct sight. No separate, stand-alone Kedarnath Ashtakam turned up in the standard Sanskrit stotra archives checked for this page. What a careful search does turn up, consistently and across independent sources, is Kedarnath’s own verse inside the larger twelve-shrine hymn along with its line in the shorter naming verse, and both are reproduced here exactly as recorded rather than replaced with an invented text.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a separate Kedarnath Ashtakam?
Not one that could be verified as an authentic, independently sourced text. What is commonly shared online as a 'Kedarnath Stotram' is usually Kedarnath's own verse from Adi Shankaracharya's Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram, sometimes combined with the short naming line from the compact Jyotirlinga mnemonic. This page uses those two genuine verses rather than an invented ashtakam.
Who wrote the Kedarnath verse?
The verse is part of the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram, traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya. He is also remembered in Kedarnath's own history as the acharya who revived worship at the temple, which makes the attribution feel especially fitting here.
What does the Kedarnath verse actually describe?
It describes Shiva dwelling on the side of a great mountain, on a river bank, worshipped constantly by sages and also by gods, demons, yakshas and serpent beings, an image that still matches what a pilgrim sees walking up to the shrine today.
When should the Kedarnath Stotram be chanted?
Early morning is traditional, and it is especially chanted on Mondays, during Shravan, on Maha Shivaratri, and before or during the Kedarnath Yatra.
Do I need to know Sanskrit to chant it?
No. The transliteration on this page lets you read the sounds directly, and the meaning given alongside each verse explains what you are saying as you go.
Why does this page include a phalashruti that is not only about Kedarnath?
The phalashruti closes the entire Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram, not just the Kedarnath portion, so it is shared across all twelve verses. Including it here completes the recitation properly instead of leaving it as an unfinished fragment.
॥ ॐ नमः शिवाय ॥