Vishwanatha Ashtakam
श्री विश्वनाथाष्टकम्
What is the Vishwanatha Ashtakam?
Vishwanatha Ashtakam is an eight-verse Sanskrit hymn composed by Adi Shankaracharya in praise of Lord Vishwanatha, Shiva as the presiding deity of Varanasi. Each verse describes a different facet of his form and grace, from the Ganga in his matted hair to his role as protector against death and sorrow, and a ninth phalashruti verse promises knowledge, prosperity and liberation to anyone who recites it with devotion.
Composed by Adi Shankaracharya during his stay in Kashi, the Vishwanatha Ashtakam praises Shiva in his form as Vishwanatha, Lord of the Universe and guardian of Varanasi. Across eight verses the hymn moves from his physical form – the Ganga caught in his hair, Gauri at his side, serpents as ornaments – to his cosmic role as destroyer of desire, sin, old age and death. A closing phalashruti verse tells reciters what they stand to gain: learning, wealth, happiness, fame and, in the end, moksha. It remains one of Shankaracharya’s most chanted stotras among Kashi pilgrims.
Vishwanatha Ashtakam Lyrics
Roman transliteration on top, Devanagari below. Tap Meaning under any verse, or use A / A+ / A++ to resize.
ganga taranga ramaniya jata kalapam gauri nirantara vibhushita vama bhagam
narayana priyam ananga madapaharam varanasi purapatim bhaja vishwanatham
गङ्गातरङ्गरमणीयजटाकलापङ् गौरीनिरन्तरविभूषितवामभागम्
नारायणप्रियमनङ्गमदापहारं वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
Meaning
Ganga’s waves are pictured coiled directly in Shiva’s matted hair, with Gauri standing permanently at his left side. He is dear to Narayana, and this same Lord is the one who reduced Kama, the god of desire, to ashes rather than let lust govern the world.
vacham agocharam aneka guna swarupam vagisha vishnu sura sevita pada pitham
vamena vigraha varena kalatravantam varanasi purapatim bhaja vishwanatham
वाचामगोचरमनेकगुणस्वरूपं वागीशविष्णुसुरसेवितपादपीठम्
वामेनविग्रहवरेणकलत्रवन्तं वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
Meaning
This form of the Lord is beyond what language can capture, an endless bundle of qualities whose feet Brahma, Vishnu and every deity personally attend. Even so, he keeps Parvati seated beside him, showing that transcendence and intimacy are not opposites in Shiva.
bhutadhipam bhujaga bhushana bhushitangam vyaghrajinambara dharam jatilam trinetram
pashankushabhaya varaprada shulapanim varanasi purapatim bhaja vishwanatham
भूताधिपं भुजगभूषणभूषितांगं व्याघ्राजिनांबरधरं जटिलं त्रिनेत्रम्
पाशांकुशाभयवरप्रदशूलपाणिं वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
Meaning
Here Shiva is master over every being, his body strung with living serpents instead of jewels, wrapped in a tiger’s hide, hair matted, a third eye open on his forehead. In his hand he carries a noose and a goad alongside the trident, so the same grip that punishes also grants fearlessness and boons.
shitamshu shobhita kirita virajamanam bhalekshananala vishoshita panchabanam
nagadhipa rachita bhasura karnapuram varanasi purapatim bhaja vishwanatham
शीतांशुशोभितकिरीटविराजमानं भालेक्षणानलविशोषितपञ्चबाणम्
नागाधिपारचितभासुरकर्णपूरं वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
Meaning
A crescent moon rests cool and bright on his crown while the fire from his third eye had already consumed Kama’s five flower arrows. His earrings are shaped from the hood of the serpent king himself, jewellery no goldsmith could ever forge.
panchananam durita matta matangajanam nagantakam danuja pungava pannaganam
davanalam marana shoka jaratavinam varanasi purapatim bhaja vishwanatham
पञ्चाननं दुरितमत्तमतङ्गजानां नागान्तकं दनुजपुङ्गवपन्नगानाम्
दावानलं मरणशोकजराटवीनां वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
Meaning
To the drunken elephants of sin he is a lion; to the serpent-like armies of the demon lords he is Garuda swooping down. And to the tangled forest of death, grief and old age that traps every being, he is the wildfire that clears it all in one pass.
tejomayam saguna nirgunam advitiyam ananda kandam aparajitam aprameyam
nagatmakam sakala nishkalam atmarupam varanasi purapatim bhaja vishwanatham
तेजोमयं सगुणनिर्गुणमद्वितीयं आनन्दकन्दमपराजितमप्रमेयम्
नागात्मकं सकलनिष्कलमात्मरूपं वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
Meaning
He is pure radiance, holding form and formlessness at once, the one without a second, the very root of bliss, unconquered and beyond measure. Whole and yet divisible into every soul, he is at once the self within and the self entire.
ragadi dosha rahitam swajananuragam vairagya shanti nilayam girijasahayam
madhurya dhairya subhagam garalabhiramam varanasi purapatim bhaja vishwanatham
रागादिदोषरहितं स्वजनानुरागं वैराग्यशान्तिनिलयं गिरिजासहायम्
माधुर्यधैर्यसुभगं गरलाभिरामं वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
Meaning
Free of the faults that cloud ordinary affection, he is genuinely attached to those who turn toward him, and he lives as the seat of renunciation and peace with Girija by his side. Even with poison still resting in his throat, sweetness and steadiness never leave his bearing.
asham vihaya parihritya parasya nindam pape ratim cha sunivarya manah samadhau
adaya hritkamalamadhye pareshamidyam varanasi purapatim bhaja vishwanatham
आशां विहाय परिहृत्य परस्य निन्दां पापे रतिं च सुनिवार्य मनः समाधौ
आदाय हृत्कमलमध्ये परेशमीड्यं वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
Meaning
The verse turns from describing Shiva to describing the devotee’s own discipline: dropping every hope, refusing to find fault with others, pulling the mind back from sin and fixing it in meditation. Only then does the seeker draw the adorable Supreme Lord into the lotus of the heart.
Phalashruti
varanasi purapateh stavanam shivasya vyakhyatamashtakamidam pathate manushyah
vidyam shriyam vipulasaukhyamanantakirtim samprapya dehavilaye labhate cha moksham
वाराणसीपुरपतेः स्तवनं शिवस्य व्याख्यातमष्टकमिदं पठते मनुष्यः
विद्यां श्रियं विपुलसौख्यमनन्तकीर्तिं सम्प्राप्य देहविलये लभते च मोक्षम्
Meaning
The concluding phalashruti promises that anyone who recites these eight verses in praise of Varanasi’s Lord gains learning, prosperity, wide-ranging happiness and lasting fame in this life, and moksha itself the moment the body falls away.
Meaning and Significance
The Vishwanatha Ashtakam meaning centers on one idea: everything about Shiva that pilgrims come to Kashi to feel, the Ganga on his head, Gauri at his side, protection from fear and death, can be reached through these eight verses without ever leaving home.
Shankaracharya wrote the hymn from inside Kashi Vishwanath Temple, and it reads like a walk through the sanctum itself. The first four verses build a visual of Shiva, river, moon, tiger skin, serpent ornaments, before the hymn turns philosophical in verse six, calling him tejomayam, radiance itself, both with qualities and beyond them.
Why Varanasi Anchors Every Verse
Every single verse ends on the same refrain, varanasi-purapatim bhaja vishwanatham, worship the Lord of Varanasi. That repetition is deliberate: Kashi is not scenery here, it is the argument. To Shankaracharya, dying within its boundaries under Lord Shiva’s gaze is itself liberation, so a hymn addressed to Vishwanatha becomes a rehearsal for that final release, as verse nine says outright.
How to Chant the Vishwanatha Ashtakam
- Bathe and settle – Wash and change into clean clothes before you sit, then choose a seat facing north or east.
- Set up a simple focus – A Shivalinga or an image of Shiva is enough – you do not need an elaborate altar to begin.
- Picture Kashi – Close your eyes for a moment and hold the image of the Ganga flowing past a silver-bright Shiva before you start reciting.
- Make a small offering – Water, a bael leaf or a little milk offered to the linga keeps the recitation an act, not just words.
- Recite unhurried – Move through all nine verses slowly enough to register the meaning of each line, rather than racing to finish.
What Are the Benefits of Chanting?
The ninth verse spells out its own phalashruti, but devotees who chant regularly describe effects that go beyond the literal promise.
- Points toward liberation: Verse nine ties recitation directly to moksha at the time of death, the same release associated with dying in Kashi itself.
- Steadies the mind: Verse eight’s instruction to drop hope, criticism and sinful preoccupation doubles as a short meditation practice each time you chant it.
- Builds a sense of protection: The forest-fire and lion imagery of verse five is often read as reassurance against the fear of death, grief and ageing.
- Draws in prosperity and learning: The phalashruti names vidya and shri, knowledge and wealth, among the direct fruits of recitation.
- Connects you to Kashi from anywhere: Because the hymn is addressed entirely to Varanasi’s Lord, reciting it with attention is treated as a way of turning the mind toward Kashi without travelling there.
- Deepens familiarity with Shiva’s form: Working through eight verses of physical description, the moon on his crown, the serpent ornaments, the tiger skin, builds a vivid, personal image of Shiva to meditate on.
Who Composed the Vishwanatha Ashtakam?
The Vishwanatha Ashtakam was composed by Adi Shankaracharya, the eighth-century philosopher credited with reviving Advaita Vedanta across India, during a stay in Kashi.
Kashi held a special place in Shankaracharya’s own life and teaching – tradition holds that it was here, in a narrow lane of the city, that he had the encounter that pushed him toward the Manisha Panchakam. The Vishwanatha Ashtakam belongs to that same period of residence, one of several Shiva stotras he is said to have composed while living close to the temple that still stands at the heart of the city.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Vishwanatha Ashtakam?
Vishwanatha Ashtakam is an eight-verse Sanskrit hymn composed by Adi Shankaracharya in praise of Lord Vishwanatha, Shiva as the presiding deity of Varanasi. Each verse describes a different facet of his form and grace, from the Ganga in his matted hair to his role as protector against death and sorrow, and a ninth phalashruti verse promises knowledge, prosperity and liberation to anyone who recites it with devotion.
Who composed the Vishwanatha Ashtakam?
It was composed by Adi Shankaracharya, the eighth-century Advaita philosopher, during his time in Varanasi.
What does the name Vishwanatha mean?
Vishwanatha means Lord of the Universe, the name under which Shiva is worshipped as the presiding deity of Kashi.
How many verses does the Vishwanatha Ashtakam have?
Eight main verses in praise of Shiva, plus a ninth phalashruti verse describing the fruits of reciting the hymn, which is why it is called an ashtakam even though nine verses are printed.
Do I need to be in Varanasi to get the benefits of this hymn?
No. Chanting it in Kashi is considered especially meritorious, but reciting it anywhere with sincere attention is held to carry the same spiritual benefit.
What is described in the ninth verse of the Vishwanatha Ashtakam?
The ninth verse is the phalashruti – it sets aside description of Shiva and instead promises the reciter knowledge, prosperity, happiness, fame and liberation at death.
How is the Vishwanatha Ashtakam different from the Kalabhairava Ashtakam?
Both were composed by Shankaracharya during his time in Kashi, but they address different aspects of Shiva – the Vishwanatha Ashtakam praises his peaceful, universal form as Lord of Varanasi, while the Kalabhairava Ashtakam addresses his fierce form as the city’s guardian deity.
When is the best time to chant the Vishwanatha Ashtakam?
Morning after bathing or during evening twilight works well for daily recitation, with Mondays, Pradosham days, Maha Shivaratri and the month of Shravana considered particularly auspicious.
Can beginners chant the Vishwanatha Ashtakam without knowing Sanskrit well?
Yes – the transliteration on this page is written in a simple, diacritic-free Roman script, and reading it slowly alongside the meaning is enough to start; fluency builds naturally with repetition.
॥ इति श्री आदि शङ्कराचार्य विरचितं श्री विश्वनाथाष्टकं सम्पूर्णम् ॥