Adi Shankaracharya Aarti
श्री आदि शंकराचार्य आरती
What is the Adi Shankaracharya Aarti?
Shankaracharya Aarti The Adi Shankaracharya Aarti is a Marathi devotional hymn honouring Jagadguru Adi Shankara, the teacher who revived Vedanta, answered opposing schools, and spread the light of non-dual knowledge.
This aarti is sung in praise of Adi Shankara, the eighth-century teacher who travelled across India, debated the leading schools of his day, and set Advaita Vedanta on a firm footing. The verses are in Marathi and remember him as a living form of knowledge, a writer of commentaries, and a guru who made deep teaching reach ordinary people. Devotees offer it on Shankara Jayanti and at maths and temples that keep his lineage.
Adi Shankaracharya Aarti Lyrics (English)
Roman transliteration for easy chanting. Tap “Meaning” under any verse for the English translation.
Refrain
Jaidev Jaidev Aadishankara Shri Aadishankara
Ajnanasi Haruni Uddharisi Jagata, Jaidev Jaidev
Jagati Zhale Thor Jnanavatara
Vyasannantar Prakate Aadishankar
Bhashyakara Pusatu Jnaneshwar Bole
Brahmanandi Dumboon Varakari Chale
Meaning
A great embodiment of knowledge appeared in the world, arriving in the line after Vyasa. His commentaries opened the way that later saints such as Jnaneshwar spoke of, and the Varkari devotees walk in that same joy of Brahman.
Nastik Mat Kariti Shrutimat Udhvasta
Tyanche Khandan Karuni Sthapisi Vedanta
Ajnanane Jagati Padlya Jya Rudhi
Moduni Saangasi Sarva Jnanachi Praudhi
Meaning
The denying schools were pulling down the authority of the shruti, so he answered them point by point and set Vedanta back in place. Where blind customs had grown out of ignorance, he broke them and showed everyone the full maturity of true knowledge.
Stotre Sundar Rachuni Samanyansathi
Bhaktimargi Tyanchi Ruchi Tu Vadhavisi
Chittashuddhi Sadhuni Pavati Sanmarga
Samanyasahi Jnanabodh Tun Kela
Meaning
He composed beautiful hymns for common people and grew their liking for the path of devotion. Through them the mind is made clean and reaches the right road, and even ordinary seekers received the teaching of knowledge from him.
Jyachepasuni Ugave Jnanacha Strota
Guru Tyasi Manave Pusun Naye Jaat
Kashikshetri Rachuni Manishapanchak
Sarvansathi Kela Advaitabodh
Meaning
The one from whom a stream of knowledge rises should be accepted as guru, and his birth or caste should not be asked. At Kashi he composed the Manisha Panchakam and gave the teaching of non-duality for the benefit of all.
Meaning & Significance
The aarti reads like a short life of Adi Shankara set to worship. It places him after Vyasa in the chain of teachers, credits him with restoring the standing of the Vedas against the schools that rejected them, and remembers his habit of writing both dense commentaries and simple hymns so that scholars and ordinary devotees could both find a way in.
Its heart is the last verse. When Shankara met an outcaste on the road at Kashi and later wrote the Manisha Panchakam, he argued that anyone from whom real knowledge flows deserves to be honoured as a guru, whatever their birth. Singing this aarti is less about a temple deity and more about gratitude to a teacher and to the path of non-dual understanding he opened.
How Do You Perform the Aarti?
- Set the space — Keep a picture or murti of Adi Shankara, or a lamp before the seat of your guru, and sit facing it after a bath.
- Light the lamp — Light a ghee or oil diya on the aarti thali, along with incense and a few flowers.
- Begin with the refrain — Start with the Dhruva line "Jaidev Jaidev Aadishankara" and return to it after every verse, moving the lamp in slow circles.
- Sing the four verses — Sing each verse in order, following the meaning so the words stay with you rather than rushing through.
- Close with respect — End with the refrain, offer the lamp flame, take the aarti to your eyes, and bow to the guru lineage before sharing prasad.
What Are the Benefits of Singing This Aarti?
Devotees sing it to honour the guru and to keep the aim of clear knowledge in view.
- Gratitude to the guru: It turns attention to the teacher and the tradition, which many see as the first step on any path of learning.
- A pull toward study: The verses praise both scripture and devotion, gently encouraging the singer to keep reading and reflecting.
- A settled mind: Slow, repeated singing before a lamp helps quiet the thoughts and prepares the mind for meditation or study.
- Respect beyond birth: Its message that knowledge, not caste, makes a guru leaves the listener with a broad and humane view.
- A fitting Jayanti offering: On Shankara Jayanti it gives a simple, shared way for a household or math to mark the day.
Who Wrote This Aarti?
The aarti is a traditional Marathi composition and the poet who wrote it is not recorded. It belongs to the wide body of Marathi aartis sung in homes and maths, and it clearly draws on the Marathi sant tradition, since it names Jnaneshwar and the Varkari devotees alongside Shankara. Treat the wording here as one commonly circulated version rather than a single fixed text.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Adi Shankaracharya Aarti?
It is a Marathi devotional hymn honouring Jagadguru Adi Shankara, the teacher who revived Vedanta, answered opposing schools, and spread the light of non-dual knowledge.
Is this aarti for Lord Shiva or for Adi Shankara?
It is for Adi Shankara, the Advaita teacher, not for Lord Shiva. A separate and more famous aarti, "Lavthavti Vikrala," is addressed to Shiva as Shankar, so the two are often mixed up.
When should the Adi Shankaracharya Aarti be sung?
It is most often sung on Shankara Jayanti, which falls on Vaishakha Shukla Panchami, and during regular worship at maths and temples that follow his lineage.
What does the aarti say about Adi Shankara?
It remembers him as a form of knowledge who came after Vyasa, restored the standing of the Vedas, wrote hymns for ordinary people, and taught that a true guru is judged by knowledge and not by birth.
In which language is this aarti written?
This version is in Marathi. The lyrics on this page give the Roman transliteration with the original Marathi in Devanagari and a plain English meaning for each verse.
॥ जय आदिशंकर ॥