Sainatha Mahimna Stotram
श्री साईनाथ महिम्नस्तोत्र
What is the Sai Baba Stotram?
Sainatha Mahimna Stotram The Sai Baba Stotram commonly chanted at Shirdi is the Sainatha Mahimna Stotram, a 15 verse Sanskrit hymn composed by Upasani Baba Maharaj in 1912, when Sai Baba's padukas were installed under the neem tree in Shirdi. It praises Sai as Sadguru and prays for his grace, protection and the removal of suffering.
The Sainatha Mahimna Stotram is the Sanskrit hymn most devotees mean when they ask for a Sai Baba stotram, distinct from the shorter Sai Baba Aarti sung at the five daily aartis and from the Sai Chalisa recited on Thursdays. It was composed in 1912 by Upasani Baba Maharaj, one of Sai Baba’s own disciples who lived for years at the Khandoba temple in Shirdi under Baba’s guidance, and it was written at the time Baba’s padukas, the sacred footprints, were installed beneath the neem tree where Baba used to sit.Across fifteen verses the stotram moves from grand philosophical statements about Sai as the formless supreme reality to intimate, personal lines about the poet’s own longing to keep his mind fixed at Sai’s feet. The refrain that closes almost every verse, namamishwaram sadgurum Sainatham, meaning salutations to the lord and Sadguru Sainath, gives the hymn its steady, meditative rhythm and its central theme of shraddha and saburi, faith and patience, offered at the feet of the guru.
Sainatha Mahimna Stotram Lyrics in Sanskrit and English
Each verse is given first in plain English transliteration and then in Devanagari. Tap or click a verse to open its meaning underneath.
Sada satswarupam chidananda kandam
Jagat sambhavasthana samhara hetum
Swabhaktechchhaya manusham darshayantam
Namamishwaram sadgurum Sainatham
सदा सत्स्वरूपं चिदानन्दकन्दं
जगत्संभवस्थान संहार हेतुं
स्वभक्तेच्छया मानुषं दर्शयन्तं
नमामीश्वरं सद्गुरुं सायिनाथम्
Meaning
This opening verse bows to Ishwara Sadguru Sainatha as pure existence-consciousness-bliss, the cause behind the birth, upkeep and passing away of the world. It says he takes on a human body purely because his devotees wish to see him, not out of any need of his own.
Bhavadhvanta vidhwansa martanda midhyam
Manovagateetam munirdhyana gamyam
Jagadvyapakam nirmalam nirgunam tvam
Namamishwaram sadgurum Sainatham
भवध्वान्त विध्वंस मार्ताण्ड मीढ्यं
मनोवागतीतं मुनिर्ध्यान गम्यं
जगद्व्यापकं निर्मलं निर्गुणं त्वां
नमामीश्वरं सद्गुरुं सायिनाथम्
Meaning
Sainatha is likened to the sun that burns away the darkness of worldly confusion. The verse says he is beyond mind and speech, reached only through the quiet meditation of sages, and though he pervades everything, he stays untouched and free of any limiting quality.
Bhavambhodhi magnarditanam jananam
Swapadashritanam swabhakti priyanam
Samuddharanartham kalau sambhavantam
Namamishwaram sadgurum Sainatham
भवांभोधिमग्नार्दितानां जनानां
स्वपादाश्रितानां स्वभक्ति प्रियाणां
समुद्धारणार्थं कलौ संभवन्तं
नमामीश्वरं सद्गुरुं सायिनाथम्
Meaning
Here Sainatha is described as having taken birth in this age of Kali specifically to pull out people who are struggling and drowning in the ocean of worldly life. He holds dear those who take shelter at his feet and place their devotion in him.
Sada nimbavrikshasya muladhivasat
Sudhasravinam tiktamapya priyantam
Tarum kalpavrikshadhikam sadhayantam
Namamishwaram sadgurum Sainatham
सदा निम्बवृक्षस्य मूलाधिवासात्
सुधास्राविणं तिक्तमप्य प्रियन्तं
तरुं कल्पवृक्षाधिकं साधयन्तं
नमामीश्वरं सद्गुरुं सायिनाथम्
Meaning
This verse recalls Baba's own seat at the foot of the neem tree in Shirdi, a tree famous for its bitter leaves. It says that his constant presence there turned the bitter neem sweet, making it greater even than the wish granting kalpa tree of the old stories.
Sada kalpavrikshasya tasyadhimule
Bhavadbhava buddhya saparyadi sevam
Nrinam kurvatam bhukti mukti pradantam
Namamishwaram sadgurum Sainatham
सदा कल्पवृक्षस्य तस्याधिमूले
भवद्भाव बुद्ध्या सपर्यादि सेवां
नृणां कुर्वतां भुक्ति मुक्ति प्रदन्तं
नमामीश्वरं सद्गुरुं सायिनाथम्
Meaning
Continuing the neem tree image, this verse says that anyone who worships at its root with genuine feeling for Sainatha receives both worldly wellbeing and final liberation. The tree that once gave only shade now gives the fruit of bhukti and mukti together.
Aneka shruta tarkya leela vilasaih
Samavishkriteshana bhasvatprabhavam
Ahambhavaheenam prasannatmabhavam
Namamishwaram sadgurum Sainatham
अनेका शृता तर्क्य लीला विलासैः
समाविष्कृतेशान भास्वत्प्रभावं
अहंभावहीनं प्रसन्नात्मभावं
नमामीश्वरं सद्गुरुं सायिनाथम्
Meaning
The verse points to the many wonder working incidents attributed to Baba, stories that reveal a power hard for ordinary reason to explain. Despite this radiant power, it says he carried no trace of ego and remained a picture of quiet, contented calm.
Satam vishramarama mevabhiramam
Sada sajjanaih samstutam sannamadbhih
Janamodadam bhakta bhadrapradam tam
Namamishwaram sadgurum Sainatham
सतां विश्रमाराममेवाभिरामं
सदासज्जनैः संस्तुतं सन्नमद्भिः
जनामोददं भक्त भद्रप्रदं तं
नमामीश्वरं सद्गुरुं सायिनाथम्
Meaning
This verse calls Sainatha a resting garden for the weary hearted, a delight for good people who bow to him and sing his praise without end. He is described as one who brings joy to ordinary people and lasting good fortune to his devotees.
Ajanmadyamekam parabrahma sakshat
Swayam sambhavam ramamevavatirnam
Bhavaddarshanat sampuneetah prabho aham
Namamishwaram sadgurum Sainatham
अजन्माद्यमेकं परब्रह्म साक्षात्
स्वयं संभवं राममेवावतीर्णं
भवद्दर्शनात्सम्पुनीतः प्रभोऽहं
नमामीश्वरं सद्गुरुं सायिनाथम्
Meaning
Here the poet identifies Sainatha directly with the unborn, beginningless, one supreme reality, self manifest and not different from Rama himself. He adds a personal note, saying that his own life feels purified simply from having had Baba's darshan.
Shri Sayeesha kripanidhe akhila nrinam sarvartha siddhi prada
Yushmat padarajah prabhavamatulam dhatapi vakta akshamah
Sadbhaktya sharanam kritanjaliputah samprapito asmi prabho
Shrimat Sayi paresha pada kamalan nanyaccharanyam mama
श्रीसायीश कृपानिधेऽखिलनृणां सर्वार्थसिद्धिप्रद
युष्मत्पादरजः प्रभावमतुलं धातापिवक्ताऽक्षमः
सद्भक्त्या शरणं कृताञ्जलिपुटः सम्प्रापितोऽस्मिप्रभो
श्रीमत्सायिपरेशपादकमलान् नान्यच्छरण्यंमम
Meaning
This longer verse addresses Sai directly as an ocean of grace who fulfils every wish of every being, saying even Brahma the creator cannot fully describe the glory of the dust of his feet. The devotee says he has come with folded hands seeking shelter, since there is no refuge left for him other than Sai's own feet.
Sayirupadhara raghavottamam
Bhaktakama vibudha drumam prabhum
Mayayopahata chittashuddhaye
Chintayamyaham aharnisham muda
सायिरूपधर राघवोत्तमं
भक्तकाम विबुध द्रुमं प्रभुम्
माययोपहत चित्तशुद्धये
चिन्तयाम्यहमहर्निशं मुदा
Meaning
The devotee says he meditates day and night, gladly, on Sai as the best of the Raghu line wearing the form of Sai, the divine tree that grants whatever devotees ask of it. The purpose stated is simple and personal, to clear a mind that has been clouded by maya.
Sharatsudhamshu pratimam prakasham
Kripata patram tava Sainatha
Tvadeeya padabja samashritanam
Swacchayaya tapamapakarotu
शरत्सुधाम्शु प्रतिमं प्रकाशं
कृपात पत्रं तव सायिनाथ
त्वदीय पादाब्ज समाश्रितानां
स्वच्छायया तापमपाकरोतु
Meaning
This verse compares Sainatha's mercy to a cooling umbrella held against the sky, as bright and gentle as the autumn moon. It prays that this shade will draw away the heat and suffering of everyone who has taken shelter at his lotus feet.
Upasana daivata Sainatha
Stavairmayopasanina stutastvam
Ramenmano me tava padayugme
Bhringo yathabje makaranda lubdhah
उपासना दैवत सायिनाथ
स्तवैर्मयोपासनिनास्तुतस्त्वम्
रमेन्मनोमे तवपादयुग्मे
भृङ्गो यथाब्जे मकरन्द लुब्धः
Meaning
Speaking in his own name, Upasani prays that his mind stays fixed at Sainatha's two feet the way a bee, hungry for nectar, keeps circling a lotus and cannot leave it. It is a simple wish for constant, willing attachment rather than a wandering mind.
Aneka janmarjita papasankshayo
Bhavedbhavatpada saroja darshanat
Kshamasva sarvanaparadha punjakan
Praseeda Sayeesha sadguro dayanidhe
अनेक जन्मार्जित पापसङ्क्षयो
भवेद्भवत्पाद सरोज दर्शनात्
क्षमस्व सर्वानपराध पुञ्जकान्
प्रसीद सायीश सद्गुरोदयानिधे
Meaning
This verse says that merely seeing Sainatha's lotus feet is enough to wear away the weight of wrongs collected across many lifetimes. It then asks him plainly, as an ocean of kindness, to forgive every heap of mistakes and to remain pleased with the one praying.
Shri Sainatha charanamrita purnachitta
Tatpada sevanaratah satatam cha bhaktya
Samsarajanya duritaugha vinirgatas te
Kaivalyadhama paramam samavapnuvanti
श्रीसायिनाथ चरणामृत पूर्णचित्ता
तत्पाद सेवनरतास्सततं च भक्त्या
संसारजन्यदुरितौघ विनिर्गतास्ते
कैवल्यधाम परमं समवाप्नुवन्ति
Meaning
This verse describes what happens to those whose hearts stay filled with the nectar of Sainatha's feet and who keep serving him with steady devotion. It says such people come out of the flood of troubles that worldly life brings and reach the highest state of liberation.
Stotrametat pathed bhaktya yo narastanmanah sada
Sadguroh Sainathasya kripapatram bhaved dhruvam
स्तोत्रमेतत्पठेद्भक्त्या योन्नरस्तन्मनाः सदा
सद्गुरोः सायिनाथस्य कृपापात्रं भवेद्धृवम्
Meaning
The closing verse is the phala shruti, the promise attached to the hymn. It says that anyone who recites this stotram with devotion and a steady, attentive mind will surely come to receive the grace of Sadguru Sainatha.
What the Sainatha Mahimna Stotram Means
Read as a whole, the stotram builds its picture of Sai Baba in layers. The first three verses place him beyond the ordinary world, as pure consciousness and as the one who has come down specifically into this age of Kali to rescue people caught in worldly struggle. The next two verses turn to the neem tree at Shirdi itself, the very spot where Baba sat, and describe how his presence made a bitter tree sweeter than any wish granting tree of legend, a plain but striking image of how ordinary hardship turns bearable near a true guru.
The middle verses move between Sai’s wonder working power and his complete lack of ego, and then into the language of shelter and refuge, culminating in the ninth verse where the poet folds his hands and says he has nowhere else to go but Sai’s feet. The final block of verses is the most personal, comparing the devotee’s mind to a bee that cannot leave a lotus, asking for forgiveness for the weight of past mistakes, and closing with the promise that steady, devoted recitation itself becomes a doorway to the guru’s grace.
How and When to Chant the Sainatha Mahimna Stotram
- – Sit facing a picture or idol of Sai Baba, ideally after a bath, on a clean seat.
- – Light a lamp or incense stick and offer a simple flower or a spoon of water if you keep that custom.
- – Take a moment of silence and bring your attention to Sai Baba's form before beginning.
- – Recite the fifteen verses slowly, either from the Sanskrit or the transliteration, without rushing the refrain.
- – Keep the mind on the meaning of each verse rather than on speed, especially the closing verses on forgiveness.
- – After the fifteenth verse, sit quietly for a minute before returning to your day.
- – Repeat daily if you wish, or keep it specifically for Thursdays and festival days.
Benefits of Chanting the Sainatha Mahimna Stotram
The stotram itself states its own phala shruti in the fifteenth verse, promising the reciter a share in Sadguru Sainath’s grace. Beyond that direct promise, the verses point to several benefits devotees associate with steady recitation.
- : A settled, less anxious mind, since several verses speak directly of Sai removing mental heat and confusion.
- : A felt sense of shelter and protection, drawn from the refrain of taking refuge at Sai's feet.
- : Relief from a mind troubled by illusion or worry, as prayed for in the tenth verse.
- : A sense of both worldly steadiness and spiritual progress together, the bhukti and mukti named in the fifth verse.
- : A habit of asking forgiveness for one's mistakes rather than carrying their weight silently.
- : A daily discipline of shraddha and saburi, faith and patience, the two qualities Sai Baba asked of his devotees.
Origin and History of the Stotram
The Sainatha Mahimna Stotram was composed in Sanskrit by Upasani Baba Maharaj in 1912, at the time Sai Baba’s padukas were installed beneath the neem tree in Shirdi, the tree under which Baba himself was often found seated. Upasani Baba had come to Shirdi some years earlier in poor health and spent a long period living and doing tapasya at the Khandoba temple close to Baba, before going on to become a recognised guru in his own right at Sakori. The stotram carries that closeness in its language, moving between grand statements about Sai as the supreme reality and lines that read like the private prayer of a disciple sitting at his teacher’s feet.
The hymn has remained in continuous use at Shirdi since then and is included among the stotras published by the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust for devotees. Because Upasani Baba Maharaj passed away in 1941, the Sanskrit text of this stotram is in the public domain in India today, and it circulates widely in temple prayer books and on devotional sites in both Devanagari and transliterated form, sometimes with small spelling variations between editions but with the fifteen verses themselves remaining consistent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed the Sainatha Mahimna Stotram?
It was composed by Upasani Baba Maharaj, a close disciple of Sai Baba who lived for years at the Khandoba temple in Shirdi. He wrote it in Sanskrit in 1912, at the time Sai Baba's padukas were installed under the neem tree in Shirdi.
When is it chanted at Shirdi?
It is included among the Sanskrit stotras published by the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust and is recited by devotees as part of personal worship, particularly on Thursdays, during Guru Purnima and around the Ram Navami Utsav at Shirdi.
Is the Sainatha Mahimna Stotram the same as the Sai Baba Aarti?
No. The Aarti Sangraha, including Kakad Aarti and the Madhyan Aarti, is a separate set of shorter devotional songs sung at fixed times of day at Shirdi. The Mahimna Stotram is a longer Sanskrit hymn of fifteen verses meant for personal recitation.
Is this the same as the Sai Chalisa?
No. The Sai Chalisa is a separate forty verse hymn in simpler devotional language, usually recited on Thursdays. The Mahimna Stotram is an earlier, more classical Sanskrit composition with its own fifteen verses.
How many verses does the Sainatha Mahimna Stotram have?
It has fifteen main verses, the last of which is the phala shruti verse describing the benefit of reciting the hymn with devotion.
Can beginners chant it without knowing Sanskrit?
Yes. The English transliteration given alongside the Devanagari text lets a beginner follow the sounds closely. Reading slowly with attention to the meaning matters more than perfect pronunciation from the first attempt.
What does the refrain namamishwaram sadgurum Sainatham mean?
It means salutations to the lord and Sadguru Sainath. It closes most verses of the stotram and functions as the steady refrain that carries the hymn's devotion.
Why does the stotram mention a neem tree?
The neem tree in Shirdi was where Sai Baba often sat, and Upasani Baba composed this stotram at the time Baba's padukas were installed at its foot. Two verses use the neem tree, known for its bitter leaves, as an image for how Sai's presence turns hardship sweet.
May Sadguru Sainath’s grace remove every difficulty and keep faith and patience, shraddha and saburi, steady in your heart.